Page 198 of Feels Like Forever

“Oh, yeah, probably.”

Just as she turns away with the trash in her hands, ready to pick up more, I gently catch her elbow. As much as I enjoy how soft her expression goes, I trade looking at it for pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

Then I tell her quietly, “That picture is my new best present ever.”

She brushes my nose with hers and whispers, “I’m so glad. My ring is the best present I’ve ever gotten, too.”

“I’mso glad forthat.”

I already know I’m going to have to see about celebrating these things with her tonight after Rae has gone to bed.

For now, we share one more kiss and then I tune in to Rae, who’s mumbling to herself on the couch. She does need some help with her badass new gift.

I step over to her, saying, “All right, darlin’. Let’s get this thing fixed up for you!”

She’s too excited to be very patient while I read the manual, and I don’t blame her. After Liv finishes cleaning up, she manages to distract Rae with trying on her new clothes, then with starting some laundry so our new stuff can be worn right away. By the time they’re back with me, I can explain how the tablet works to Rae.

The next few hours look pretty relaxed. The ham gets put in the oven so it’ll be done around lunchtime, and Liv helps me make two different kinds of no-bake cookies.

Then we go into our room and I give her stun gun to her, explaining that I want her to have a decent weapon on hand for times when she’s scared and I’m not around—or, hell, for if shit happens in the middle of the night and I need something quick to grab. She loves it and is pleased by the simple instructions that came with it. I get it charging out of sight and then we go back to the living room to alternate between watching Rae play on her tablet and watching a random Christmas movie on Netflix.

It turns out to be pretty cheesy, but we stick with it and actually turn on another one after it’s over. We have more time to kill before we have to start cooking the rest of the food.

By the time it’s all done, I’m feeling good, feeling ready to sit down with Liv and Rae and eat some delectable food. That’s exactly what I do, and it’s a very comforting and entertaining meal.

Seeing that understated yet significant ring on Liv’s finger keeps doing crazy things to my pulse.

And even though she and I laugh when Rae drops her tablet into her mashed potatoes (good thing it came with that purple case) because it’s just helplessly funny, we have to take it from her while we finish eating. She pouts before she pats her antlers and grumpily starts singing about the tablet to the tune of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.”

That’s just downright hilarious, and she can’t keep from laughing with me and Liv for long.

Once we’ve finished at the table and put away the leftovers, we drop sleepily onto the couch because we ate too much. And I’m feeling great.

I miss Lolly badly, but I’ve still got some seriously precious girls with me. They warm my heart in the sweetest, silliest, most effortless ways—ways I never saw coming months ago when I started getting to know them.

My life would be far darker if I didn’t have them here.

The rest of our day drifts by wonderfully slowly and easily. We nap, we wake up and eat some cookies, we watch more TV, Rae lets me and Liv play around in a painting app. Even doing a few chores around the house isn’t so bad.

We eat leftovers for dinner, but that’s fine with us.

We talk about what Rae and I might do tomorrow; she’s out of school until after the new year, and I won’t have to go to work like Liv will since I have Mondays off.

Unsurprisingly, it’s hard to get Rae off the tablet when it’s her bedtime, but we promise her she can play on it as much as she wants tomorrow. She’s passed out in no time once she’s comfortable in her bed, because that food we ate today was no joke. She’ll sleep very well.

A little while later, I come out of the bathroom to find Liv leaning shyly in our bedroom doorway with my new button-down shirt on, the top two buttons undone temptingly, her legs bare. She looks good as fucking hell—the black and green really are great on her—but before I get my hands on her, I put on a touch of my cologne just to add to the fun. She loves it, and as tired as we are, we aren’t too tired to go after each other once we’re in bed with the lights off.

I lie down flat and she fixes herself on top of me, only wearing my shirt, her chest low to mine so she can whisper earnestly against my lips that she would do anything for me, too.

I rub at the ring on her finger and whisper back that I know she would. Whisper, too, about all the parts of her and Rae’s lives that she can trust me with. Grip her hips while she eases us together again and again. Fumble open some more buttons on that shirt because I need my mouth on her skin before I start groaning too loudly.

Yeah, we get some good practice at being quiet.

After we’re spent and she’s slumped tiredly on me, I sink my fingers into her hair and murmur throatily that I love her. Love her and appreciate everything she’s done for me more than I can say.

She feels the same way—and Rae, too, she assures me as she taps her ring against my collarbone.

Weird how this is the most painfulandthe most amazing Christmas I’ve ever had.

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