Page 34 of His Christmas Gift

AUTUMN

My mind was still spinning from the mind-blowing sex Dean and I just had.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this would continue when we got back to New York City. Eventually, we would have to address what we were doing, but he hadn’t said anything. So, I wasn’t either. Maybe it was best to just enjoy this moment and not ruin it with questions or concerns.

Because I was really enjoying this moment.

“Are we feeling fish tacos or smoked mac and cheese? Or both?” Dean asked as he strode around the hotel room in his briefs, looking over the room service menu.

I smiled from the bed, bunching the covers up around my body with only one of his t-shirts on along with my panties.

“Both,” I replied, coaxing a grin on his face. After walking around all day and then rolling around in bed with him, I was starving.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured before grabbing the phone and ordering us dinner.

I watched him with burning cheeks, wondering how I landed in this scenario. Dean was essentially my enemy back in school. I tried to avoid him at all costs. Now, I was kissing him, sleeping with him, and having dinner with him. And I couldn’t get enough.

What was originally going to be a trip to hell actually turned out to not be that bad because of him. He helped me actually appreciate being back here, and there were parts of my hometown that I did miss. I couldn’t see myself moving back here, but I could look back on this place in a better light because of the memories that we made here.

“Twenty minutes,” Dean said once he set the phone down. He crawled under the sheets and settled next to me. “I got you a piece of cheesecake. You get to cheat too.”

I gave him a grateful smile as our shoulders rested against each other. If we moved just a little closer to each other, we would essentially be on top of each other.

“I have a question,” I said, unable to help my own curiosity.

“Ask away,” Dean replied, turning to look at me.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” I asked him. “Are you still not wanting to be in a relationship? No kids? Same house in the same place?”

Dean didn’t answer for a moment. He glanced away from me, pondering to himself. It was a loaded question, and it would be difficult for anyone to answer it right off the bat. Life was tricky, sending us on all kinds of twists and turns. Who knew what was truly next?

“I don’t really know. I thought I knew, but I guess I see some things a bit differently now,” he admitted.

“Like what?” I asked before grimacing at myself. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be nosy. You don’t have to tell me.”

“You’re the only one that I want to tell,” Dean replied, his eyes settling on mine. “I thought having a relationship or a family would throw off my work life, but I just don’t think that’s the case. I mean, look at my brothers. They’re successful all around with their jobs and their families.”

I nodded as I listened to him. He was right. His brothers seemed to have it all, and I could tell that his family desperately wanted him to have the same outcome. They wanted him to be happy in that way too.

“And I like my house in New York. I don’t want anything bigger. It’s too big for just me,” Dean said as he shook his head. “I want to still be heavily involved with my company, but I’ll try to relax a little more. Try new things. I only have one life. I have a lot of money. I might as well put it to use and do things I enjoy.”

A small smile crossed my lips. There was so much to him outside of the whole billionaire role. I didn’t want him to get sucked up in all of the money and attention. He was a good person, and I had seen so many good-meaning people get twisted up because of money. They became different people.

“Whatever happens, I’m sure you’ll be happy,” I told him. I wanted that for him.

“What kind of future would make you happy?” Dean asked, his arm pressing against mine like he had moved a few centimeters closer.

That was hard to answer at this point because the future seemed so hazy. Like things had changed for him, things had changed for me too. Picturing someone in my life, as long as they didn’t hold me back or criticize me, was a lot easier. I already dealt with people trying to control me enough. I didn’t need anyone else to add to the mix.

But Dean showed me that I could be with someone who supported me instead of held me back. He showed me that intimacy didn’t have to come at a cost, that I could lower my defenses and let someone close. He showed me a lot, and I wondered if what I felt was exclusive to him or not. Could any other person make me feel as warm and supported as he did?

“I’ve been out on my own for a while now. I think I’d be happier with someone else. Maybe some kids. I want to be a better parent than my own,” I told him. I couldn’t correct what they did to me, but I could be better than them.

“You will be,” Dean said with full seriousness.

I laughed softly.

“How do you know that?” I asked him. I hadn’t shown him my motherly side at all, and I wasn’t even sure if I had one. My own mother didn’t have one, so it wouldn’t have come from her.

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