Page 27 of A Candy Cane Christmas
“You could’ve given me a little heads up,” he whispered. “When she started pounding on my door, I thought there was some kind of emergency. She didn’t even tell me what was going on, just said that I needed to come upstairs right now. I thought you were choking to death or something.”
I pulled back a little and looked down at him.
“Were you still asleep?”
“Theo, honey, it’s five thirty. I went to bed three hours ago. Yes, I was still asleep. No, I didn’t take the time to get dressed when I thought you might be actually dying. I put on a shirt before opening the door, but that’s it.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, pulling him in for another hug. What I really wanted to do was kiss the shirt out of him, but Hazel was here somewhere, and I couldn’t kiss him before we talked about what exactly we were to each other. No matter how much I wanted to right now.
So I opted for the next best thing and kept him pressed against my chest, his warmth seeping into me.
“Daddy, Luci… what are you doing? Come on. It’s cocoa and cookie time.”
Luci chuckled and took a step back. “Do you think I could have a coffee instead of cocoa?”
Hazel wrinkled her forehead for a moment, then nodded. “You can. But only if you use the peppermint stuff Daddy and I bought for you, so it’s Christmas-y. Okay?”
Luci nodded and let himself get dragged to the living room by Hazel.
I shook my head in disbelief and closed the door before following along.
Thirty minutes later, Hazel was sitting in the middle of a pile of torn wrapping paper and new toys, her eyes shining, her smile so wide it looked like it might hurt a little.
“Riding lessons?” she screeched as I explained the meaning of the card that came with the small stuffed horse to her. “Santa got me riding lessons? I get to ride a real pony?”
I nodded.
“Do I get to brush it, too?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s part of the job,” I told her, brushing my leg against Luci’s. “You might have to muck the stalls, too.”
“I don’t mind,” Hazel said, waving her hand. “I’m big and strong, so mucking stalls isn’t a problem for me.”
Luci chuckled into his coffee, a small smile on his lips. “But doesn’t it stink?” he asked in a whisper-shout.
Hazel just shrugged. “That’s part of the experience.”
And that was all there was to say about that for her. She petted the small pony plushie, mumbling at it, while Luci rested his head on my shoulder, taking a small sip of his coffee and letting out a happy sigh.
“Thanks for the coffee,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” I said, my chest puffing with pride because buying the peppermint creamer for him was obviously a huge win. As was the candy cane I’d put into his mug instead of a spoon.
“You know, I thought I’d still be asleep right now, but I have to admit… I don’t mind this. Getting to cuddle on the couch, drinking peppermint coffee, eating cookies… It’s definitely different from what I’m used to, but I think I kind of like it.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you’re here, too. I’m a bit sorry because Hazel woke you up so early, but I like having you over.”
“Daddy, can I try out my new markers?” Hazel asked, holding up a giant box of felt-tip markers and a new sketch pad.
“Su—” I started, but Luci held up a hand.
“Actually, I think we need to head downstairs first,” he said, winking at me. “You know, I didn’t have much time to look this morning, but I think I saw something undermytree. I think Santa might have brought a few gifts to my apartment, too. What do you think, young lady, want to have a look?”
Hazel jumped up and ran for the door again, already hyped up on Christmas spirit and way too much sugar for as early as it was. Luci and I followed more slowly, cups of coffee in hand. He was wearing a pair of my woolen socks and a sweater of mine, and I couldn’t help but smile every time I looked at him. His hair was still a mess, and he still looked like he’d just rolled out of bed a few seconds ago, but he also looked like mine. My boyfriend. He was wearing my clothes, after all.
“You didn’t need to get her anything,” I whispered as we walked down the stairs.
Luci just laughed. “Just the way you didn’t need to get me anything?” he answered, raising his brows at me. “I can’t believe you got us tickets for Beauty and the Beast. I told you I liked musicalsonce.”
