Page 58 of Surrender
For the next hour, the four sat around and talked while his mother did everything she could to embarrass him. However, whenever she’d try, his dad would remind her that he had no filter by saying something out of the way. It was good to have him on his side.
When it was time for him to take her home, they said bye to his parents. Dallis told them that he’d see them tomorrow. His father smirked as his mother shook her head while Colbie ducked hers, and he knew she was blushing.
He’d packed his bag, and her Christmas presents in the trunk before picking her up that evening. So, he had everything he needed to spend Christmas with her.
“I had fun,” she told him as he drove towards her house.
“I’m glad, baby. I told you it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought.”
“And you were right. Your dad is something else,” she told him, laughing.
“From what I’ve been told, he’s been that way his entire life. My Uncle Lane says he got worse with age.”
“So, that means you’ll get worse. You’re already enough to handle now as it is.”
“Mm, but you handle me so well,” he told her. “In fact, I plan on letting you handle me when we get back to your house.”
Colbie turned to look at him. “I’m sure I could do that,” she responded as a slow smile began to break out over her face.
“I have no doubt you can,” Dallis replied, and he was damn sure of it.
17
Dallis placed the stack of pancakes on the plate and put it on the tray. He’d gotten up and decided to make breakfast. It was a little after eight, and he knew he could probably let Colbie sleep some more since he’d kept her up until the early morning hours. He poured a glass of orange juice, placing it on the tray before picking it up and heading down the hall.
He’d opted to make pancakes, bacon, and oatmeal since he knew Colbie wasn’t a big fan of eggs. Dallis made his way down the hall and into the bedroom. He placed the tray on the bedside table, sat beside her, and ran his knuckle over her cheek. It took a minute, but Colbie began to stir.
“Wake up, baby,” he stated softly.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she stretched before turning to look at him. “Good morning. Merry Christmas,” she spoke.
“Merry Christmas. I made you breakfast,” he told her, gesturing to the tray. “Eat, and then we can exchange gifts.”
Dallis allowed her to sit up before placing the tray over her lap. Getting up, he went back into the kitchen to do the dishes. He’d never been one for breakfast, rarely having an appetite in the mornings.
He walked back into the bedroom twenty minutes later to find the tray on the bedside table; most of the food had been eaten. He could hear the sink running in the bathroom and knew Colbie was more than likely brushing her teeth, which meant she was finished.
Taking the tray down the hall, he scraped the rest of the food into the trash and washed the few dishes. Wiping the tray off, he folded it down and placed it back in the cabinet he’d gotten it from. He’d just finished when Colbie walked into the living room.
“You want to open gifts now?” he questioned.
“We can, and then we can watch Rudolph since we didn’t get to last night because someone lied,” she stated, side-eyeing him, and Dallis chuckled.
She had wanted to watch it as soon as they made it to her place. However, he’d wanted to do something completely different. He’d been able to convince her they could watch it afterward with the help of his tongue, but he’d put her to sleep.
“I didn’t lie. This is still technically afterward.”
“Mhm.”
Dallis made his way over as she sat on the couch. They’d placed their presents under the tree along with the ones she’d bought for her niece, sister, and brother. She’d told Dallis they were coming to visit her for New Year, so she’d opted to keep them until then. She’d mailed her parents’ to them.
She grabbed a box from under the tree and handed it to him. “Open this one first.”
Dallis took it from her, refraining from shaking it. He removed the wrapping paper, placing it to the side before taking the lid off the box. Inside he found two different brands of cologne, which he knew were expensive, along with matching body wash, shampoo, and lotion.
“I figured you could have your own here instead of carrying it back and forth,” she informed with a shrug.
Placing the box to the side, he leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you, gorgeous.”
