Page 37 of Forever Yours on Christmas Eve
“You know,” he began. “When I told you I was going to give you all the hugs that I couldn’t give you this year, I hadn’t expected to be flat out in the driveway when it happened.”
“Oh!” she said, her face flushing the color of her dress as she scrambled to get up, trying to find firm ground around the patches of ice that still remained. Offering her hand, she pulled him to his feet, watching him wince in the process.
“C’mon, let’s get you inside,” she said, wrapping an arm around his back and tucking in under his arm. “You’re going to want to ice whatever you hit.”
“No big deal. I probably just wrenched something on the way down,” he said. “Nothing a little stretching won’t fix.”
“Gosh, you sound just like my dad,” she said, rolling her eyes, helping him limp along as they made their way toward the house. “But don’t worry, we’ll get you fixed right up.”
“I know you will,” he said, leaning down and kissing the top of her sparkly-hatted head.
Chapter 10
Sev
Once he got a couple of painkillers in, it didn’t take Sev long to start feeling better. After going inside and greeting her father and Marta, he was personally invited by the Admiral to stay for dinner. Around big bowls of homemade beef stroganoff, they visited and laughed, much like any family getting together for the holidays.
When Kelsey had called him and told him of her father’s clean bill of health, Sev knew he had to see her. He’d been looking forward to their date all year, but something else had taken hold of him inside.
He’d fallen hopelessly in love with her.
They fit together perfectly. He could listen to her talk for hours, and often had. She understood the abstract stuff that no other woman he’d dated seemed to get. He knew she was special, not to mention entirely out of his league, but it made him want to hold onto her tighter. To never let her go.
When he had told his parents and siblings that he had to go to Newport for Christmas Eve, they’d been completely supportive. None of them had ever seen him so besotted with a woman before,and deep down in his heart, Sev knew that Kelsey was the one for him.
So when he packed up a bag and filled up his gas tank, his siblings high-fived him, his father clapped him on the back, and his mother packed him a snack for the road.
“We’ll give you Christmas,” she’d told him as he was ready to reverse out of the driveway. “But you bring her back here for New Year’s.”
“I will, Mom,” he’d promised.
Though he had to admit, if the smile on Kelsey’s face was any indicator, he was fitting in pretty effortlessly with her family. They had been welcoming from the start, but it probably didn’t hurt that, on the way in, Sev handed the Admiral two bottles of wine from a local winery back home. It was a gamble, but seeing how happy it made him, and by proxy how happy it made Kelsey, he knew it had been the right move.
Even more, when the floral deliveryman showed up with three blood-red roses for her, Kelsey burst into tears.
“Sweetheart,” Sev said, not hesitating to wrap her up in his arms as soon as her head dropped. He knew it probably had to do with the stress of the holiday and her father’s treatment all exiting out of her body at once. But still, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“This is seriously the most thoughtful thing ever,” she said, sniffling and wiping her eyes as her father and Marta looked on.
It hadn’t taken Kelsey long to find a vase for the roses, placing them in the center of the table.
“Where are you staying tonight, son?” her father had asked.
“On base,” he answered, definitively. The last thing he wanted to do was show up unannounced, expecting to take advantage of their hospitality. “I figured I’d grab a room at the hotel there.”
Her father nodded, seeming to like the notion that he had planned ahead. And probably because of that, “Don’t go to all that trouble. You can bunk here on the couch tonight.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that,” Sev said, nodding at herfather. Her dad nodded back, as if he’d successfully passed a test. Plus, he had no room to complain. He was under Kelsey’s roof and would remain there for at least another day.
Best Christmas Eve ever.
Knowing that the Admiral had kept up his habit of retiring early, Sev immediately took the hint to do so himself. After helping the family load the dishwasher and wipe down the table (another plus for him if her dad’s approving smile was any indicator), he took his bag and changed into a T-shirt and pajama pants for bed.
Grabbing his bag, he wandered into the open-concept living room with the vaulted ceiling. The only light cast was from the twelve-foot Christmas tree and the warm embers dying down in the fireplace. Kelsey stood by the now freshly made-up couch in her white and red flannel pajamas, her face lighting up into a stunning smile as she saw him come toward her.
“Got you all set up,” she said, gesturing to the couch, which looked quite comfy. She had tucked in a full set of sheets, added a couple of pillows, and a down comforter that he knew would ward off the cold. Course, he could think of something else that might ward off the cold, too.
“C’mere,” he said, dropping his bag and opening his arms to her. She came to him without hesitation, sliding her arms around his waist as he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “Thank you.”
