Page 45 of His Christmas Gift

DEAN

“Psst. Wake up.”

Autumn’s eyes fluttered open after my whisper, a confused look filling her face. She sat up in bed as I lingered next to her bedside.

“What’s going on?” she asked me. Her voice was still thick from sleep, and her sleepy face looked adorable.

“Get dressed. We have to go,” I told her, not answering her question. I had a surprise planned, and I wasn’t going to ruin it yet. I was already dressed and ready to go, wearing a black jacket over a grey shirt with black pants.

“Is something wrong?” Autumn asked, now looking concerned.

I chuckled, shaking my head at her. Of course, she would automatically think that something was wrong. She was on edge being here because of her family. She probably thought that they randomly summoned us.

“No, just get dressed,” I told her. “We’re heading out for the day.”

Autumn gave me a perplexed look, but she got out of bed and started changing her clothes, slipping on a light, white sweater, maroon pants, and black boots.

“Is it somewhere fancy?” she asked me.

“No, but it’s somewhere great,” I replied as I grabbed the keys to the rental car. I led her out of the hotel room and to the car, smiling excitedly. I had planned this a few days ago when I found out that we had today off from any family visits. I decided to take advantage of the free time to give her a fun experience that I knew she’d enjoy.

Autumn sat in the passenger seat, peering around like there was some sort of clue somewhere.

“I can’t get any hints?” she asked me.

“Nope,” I replied, not wanting her to find out until we were close. We had a two-hour drive ahead of us, but I had a feeling that the time would fly by. I pulled out onto the street and headed southeast, putting St. Francisville behind us for the day.

Autumn made a few guesses during the first thirty minutes, but she soon grew too confused to guess when we left St. Francisville. She peered out of the window, trying to get clues from the road signs.

“This could be considered kidnapping,” she informed me.

That made me chuckle.

“Do you want me to let you out of the car?” I asked her.

Autumn scoffed and shook her head.

“I don’t even know where we’re at. If you let me out on the side of the interstate, I’ll surely get kidnapped,” she muttered as she crossed her arms.

“Then, sit tight and be patient,” I replied with a smirk, tearing down the interstate toward our destination.

To my surprise, she relaxed for the rest of the drive until things started to look familiar to her. I knew that she had been here before. Everyone visited here at least once.

“Wait, are we going to New Orleans?” she asked me.

I grinned as I glanced over at her.

“Merry Christmas,” I said. “I knew you didn’t want any fancy gift, so I figured I’d take you here so that we can have a good time.”

An awed look filled Autumn’s face as she gazed at me. Her eyes nearly looked starry. Or were they tearing up?

“That’s so sweet, Dean. It’s perfect. Really,” she said, sounding a bit choked up. She laughed softly as she peered out of the windshield. “I haven’t been here in forever.”

“I haven’t been in a while either,” I told her, driving onto a ramp that led us toward the heart of the city. I was excited to be back here. My parents took me and my brothers here quite a lot to have a day of fun. We visited the markets, went to the zoo and the aquarium, ate beignets, and took haunted tours. I had a few ideas for my day out with Autumn.

“You didn’t have to do anything for me for Christmas,” Autumn said softly.

I shook my head.

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