“Thank you both for an amazing evening,” I said as we got buckled into the Jeep. This time I rode in the back with Kekoa, our hands joined as we got underway.
“It’s not over yet,” Kekoa said as they gave my hands a squeeze. “I did promise that flattery would get you everywhere, you sweet-talking thing. I’ll have to insist that our mate takes us out more. It really brings out your charming side.”
“What about mine?” Nyx asked as we left the bay and our memorable evening at the restaurant behind us. “What about my charming side?”
“Isn’t the line supposed to be ‘What about me? What about Raven?” Kekoa asked. “Or in this case, what about Nyx, which still has an awesome ring to it.”
“How have I hung out with you almost non-stop for these past few days and not learned you were a wrestling fan?” Nyx asked.
“What do you mean almost non-stop?” I asked. “When were you separated? I thought you guys had been joined at the hip.”
“All except the time I spent at Cory’s grandma Rae’s place,” Nyx explained. “Remember, I told you Mom was over at Cory’s when we got there. She and Cory’s grandma were helping him order new curtains for the house. Kekoa got in on it too, then Mom mentioned that Cory’s grandmother was having issues with her vacuum, and the next thing I knew, she and I were on the way to her place while Kekoa, Mom, and Cory worked out the best kind of curtain to get that would still allow plenty of light to stream in. When I left, they were debating the difference between gossamer and lace and which would best create the effect he was going for.
“Which did he choose?” I asked.
“Gossamer,” Kekoa explained. “He wanted something airy and light, so it billowed when the wind was blowing. Lace can be too heavy for that.”
“Right, even thin lace doesn’t have the same kind of flowiness gossamer does,” I said.
“That was our thought too,” Kekoa said. “He was considering silk at one point, then we looked at the gossamer and how many shades were available and shifted our focus over to it completely. It was a great time to buy them too, since the website was having an amazing sale.”
“Really, which site?” I asked. “Maybe we can find a few sets for the patio doors. I’ve seen images of them layered and bunched, and I would love to play with both looks.”
“Shore Life,” Kekoa replied. “I took a few screenshots and had Cory send me the link because I saw more than a few things that I was interested in.”
“Perfect, we can look in the morning,” I said. “I don’t have to be at the office until eleven. That should give us plenty of time to pick out a few things.”
The DJs must have had romance on the mind tonight, because every song that played on the drive home was soft and wistful, which led to Kekoa and me snuggling in the backseat until we pulled under the carport. Exhaustion was truly beginning to hit me as we stepped inside, which was why my brain struggled to process why there was a massive, couch-shaped pile of tinsel in our living room. At first glance, it looked like a tangled mess, until it dawned on me that it was wrapped around whatever was beneath it because it couldn’t be our lumpy old couch it was much too big.
“What the hell?” Nyx said, echoing my sentiments.
Unlike me, he headed over to investigate, while I remained leaning against the entryway to the living room, trying to work out how the hell it had gotten in there.
“So, surprise and Merry Christmas,” Kekoa said as Nyx tugged at the first strand of garland to reveal the tan and aqua cloth underneath.
Whoever had wrapped it up had gone above and beyond. Winding garland over and around the huge, sectional couch, Nyx revealed once he’d stumbled upon the best way to unwrap it without wrecking the garland.
Joy flooded me the moment enough of a plush, overstuffed cushion was revealed that I could sit on it and gently bounce. “You got us a couch! A fucking awesome couch too. Oh my god, this is soft. I may never get off it.”
“Even to join us in the bedroom?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said, grinning over at them. “But how? You were with us all night. You didn’t even get up to go to the bathroom.”
“I had help.”
“No shit,” Nyx said. “This is amazing, Kekoa. It’s big enough for the three of us to sit on together and cuddle.”
“That was the plan.”
“Thank you,” I said, tugging them down to sit on my lap. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“Why?”
“It’s just, talk about unexpected in the best possible way. The old couch was the one thing wrong with the room after you put the lights up. Now it’s perfect, just like you.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” they said. “Or are you forgetting that little visit with the cops?”
“Oh, I doubt any of us will forget that anytime soon,” I said. “But I can still think you’re perfect and the best early Christmas gift I’ve ever received.”
