Page 34 of Say Yule Stay
Slipping out of bed, I grab some clothes and make my way down to the kitchen, the coffee pot clicking on as I grab the eggs from the fridge. We still have some waffles from yesterday and fruit Lacey cut up after lunch.
The perfect Christmas morning feast.
Retrieving a pan from the cupboard, I set it on the stove and nearly drop the carton of eggs when I turn around and find Lacey standing a few feet away.
“I was going to bring you breakfast,” I tell her, my gaze snagging on her bare legs under her fluffy white robe, my mindrunning away with thoughts of her sexy legs wrapped around my head as I devour her.
“I wanted to give you something first.”
“Hmm?” I ask, lost in thought as she saunters toward me.
“Pull here,” she instructs, tugging lightly on the bow she’s tied.
I do, my mouth watering as the sides fall open, teasing the hell out of me, as I pull my gaze up to hers.
“Now what?”
“Open,” she says, dragging her fingertips down one side of the lapel and I do, confirming my suspicions that she’s completely naked.
Best present ever.
I’m about to tell her that when my gaze snags on the little strings on the inside of the robe, the ones meant to make it more secure even though I don’t think anyone ever uses them. It’s not the strings really but what they’re tied to.
“What’s that?”
“Why don’t you find out?” The question is playful but I don’t miss the nervousness either.
And now I’m nervous.
With shaking hands, I pull one string and ease the piece of paper from the knot. It’s like a message in a bottle, and without waiting, I unravel it, my eyes scanning over the words as my mouth falls open.
It can’t be…
“Merry Christmas, Walker.”
“Baby… I thought—” Eyes snapping to hers, I try to hear her over the blood pounding in my ears, and try not to let myself believe what I’m seeing until I hear the words fall from her lips.
“I emailed them this morning and graciously declined the job in Chicago.” She lifts one shoulder and lets it drop. “Apparently all you need to do is crash your car into the front yard of yourbrother’s best friend right before Christmas to figure out what your priorities are.”
“And what are your priorities, Lace?”
“Having all the orgasms, making you decorate for more than just Christmas,”—taking a step into me, she cups my face with her hands—“and falling in love with you while Murphy gets to sayI told you so.”
“Are we going to let him do that?”
“We are, because he believed inthis,inus, when it was only supposed to be temporary.”
“You know that was like four days ago, right?” I point out but she shakes her head.
“We’ve lived a lifetime in those four days, and I wouldn’t change a second.”
“So you’re staying?”
“I’m staying.”
“Here?”
“If you’ll have me,” she muses while I slide my hands over her sides, moving lower until I can cup her rear.
