Page 26 of His Christmas Gift

“Of course, honey. I never forget to make those,” my mom told me as she reached into the oven to pull out a pan of them.

“Isn’t that too much sugar for you, Mr. Fitness?” Aiden smirked at me from across the table.

“Everyone can cheat,” I replied. Along with my business, I was on top of my health too. I could honestly stand to take a yoga class or two from Autumn. It could help me relax after a long day after work. Plus, the last time I tried yoga, I left the class feeling sore with sweat dripping off me.

“Anything is good in moderation,” Autumn added, sharing a knowing smile with me. We were both into fitness and health. It was fate that I owned gyms, and she worked at one and taught classes.

“A fitness couple. That’s perfect,” Jenna commented with a smile. “You guys really are cute together.”

“We’re not a bad pair at all,” I replied, flashing her a grateful look as a warm feeling filled my chest. I hadn’t ever been complimented in that way before. I was always complimented on my own, but it was nice that people acknowledged how good Autumn and I were together. I agreed with them.

“Not at all,” Autumn agreed, reaching out to twine her fingers with mine under the table. She rested our hands on my thigh, smiling at me in a manner that made my heart feel like it was glowing. I didn’t know how she did that.

“Breakfast is served,” my dad announced as he and my mom started bringing large plates of food to the dining table. There were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, gravy, toast, waffles, and hash browns for everyone to enjoy. When my parents cooked, they cooked.

As everyone piled their plates high with food, I kept my hand joined with Autumn’s, enjoying the feeling. I felt so comfortable here with her, which I didn’t expect. I had gotten used to the noise and the fast pace of the city. I loved doing business, and it had swept me up in its chaos. I went along with the ride for so long, not wanting to get off because I didn’t know what I would do with myself.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad slowing my pace down a little to enjoy some other things and some other people. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on things, but I felt like I was adding another layer to my life. I could enjoy more than one thing, and my brothers proved that we could be successful in life outside of our careers. With Autumn by my side, I felt like I was winning.

“So, what did you do for the proposal?” Aiden asked me with a curious look on his face. “Fly her out somewhere in paradise on a private jet? Rented out the aquarium for a day?”

Those weren’t bad ideas, but I knew that Autumn wouldn’t care for anything extravagant like that. She wanted something special, something intimate without all the shallow pizzazz. So many wealthy people could be shallow, preferring material things and flashy experiences so that they could boast about them. She wanted something for herself. For us.

I knew that this was a fake scenario, but we had forgotten to discuss the story of our proposal. I had to think of something. I figured the easiest way to do that was to think of something that I would actually do for her, and I would want to blow her mind.

“There’s this spot in the city where cherry blossoms bloom. The flowers fall and cover the ground, and it’s secluded and quiet. I think it’s the most beautiful place in the entire city,” I told them, stroking Autumn’s knuckles gently. “I couldn’t think of a better place to ask the love of my life to marry me.

Autumn’s eyes locked with mine as my family smiled and awed at my romantic tale. I couldn’t believe it, but part of me wished that it was true. I could imagine the story in my head, seeing her bright smile and teary eyes as I poured my heart out to her under the canopy of cherry blossoms. The scene looked straight out of a movie.

“It was the best day of my life,” Autumn said, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“I’m so proud of you,” my mom sighed happily. “What a wonderful proposal, honey.”

“Only the best for her,” I replied, nudging Autumn’s shoulder playfully. “She’s the only woman I ever wanted to do this for.”

“When you know, you know,” Jared said, giving Hannah an adoring look.

Maybe he was right. Maybe Autumn stuck out for a reason. I didn’t realize how much I missed being around her until we came across each other again so many years later. We had changed a lot over the years, but there were some things about her that were the same that I liked about her. She was kind, determined, and patient. Her newfound boldness was something that I liked too.

I liked a lot about her, but what did I do about that? I had so much responsibility to deal with outside of a relationship, and the last thing that I wanted to do was throw myself and her off track. What if we sabotaged each other?

There was risk involved in any relationship, but I had to figure out if that risk was worth it or not when it came to being with her.

---