She chuckles, her sleepy, puffy eyes opening ever so slightly. “Well, yes, but this,” she whispers, pulling at my bottom lip with her pointer finger. “It’s a quiet morning—a reallygoodmorning, and I like it. It’s peaceful.”
“It is,” I say.
“A part of it feels strange,” Natalia says quietly, her eyes opening fully. “Good, but strange. Like I have to get used to it but I don’t want to because once I do, it won’t feel as good as it does now. And I want to be peaceful, Rowan.” She brings her eyes back to mine. “I want to be peaceful with you.”
“I promise I’ll protect your peace,” I whisper. “I’ll protect it from everything and everyone. I’ll always protect you, Natalia. Let me.”
“I know,” she rasps. “I am letting you.”
I trace her jawline with my finger and kiss the apple of her cheek where a cluster of freckles sit. “I got you something.”
“Why?” Natalia asks, slowly and suspiciously.
“Because it’s Christmas.”
“A day late but?—”
I laugh. “Would you let me?—”
“You already gave me a gift.”
“Sex doesn’t count.”
Natalia’s cheeks flush. “Fine, it doesn’t.”
I brush my lips over her forehead and turn enough for my long arm to reach over and grab the box I brought in last night. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I grabbedher keys and ran out to my car to grab it, and when I got back, Natalia was still snoring—all four limbs took up the entire space of the bed.
With the gift on my lap, I sit up and bring Natalia with me. Holding the blanket to her chest, her eyes sparkle with impatience and eagerness as she waits.
“Okay,” I say and set the gift-wrapped box on her lap. I press a soft kiss to the apple of her cheek, and pull back to see a smile. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
She grins. “I love it.”
“You haven’t opened it yet.”
“I don’t need to,” I say. “It’s my favorite thing.”
“You don’t know what it is.” I chuckle.
“It’s still my favorite thing.”
Squealing to herself, she tears the paper to shreds and yanks apart the box. My heart stops as she pulls the gift out.
“Rowan…” Her eyes well with tears as she examines the lavender apron with her name in the top right corner and a black cat embroidered in its center. Beneath that,The Black Catis embroidered in smaller, black letters. She runs her thumbs back and forth over the design. “This is…This is just so…pretty. I’m going to use it all the time. I love it.”
“You do?” I scratch the nape of my neck. “I know you have a ton of aprons, but this one?—”
“Nobuts,” she says. “This is my favorite apron ever, Rowan.” Natalia leaps over, straddling me, and my hands grip her waist. She hugs the apron tight. “Bury me in it.”
“You love it?” I ask again, just to be sure.
“I’m not a materialistic person, butthisis the thing I’d save in a fire first, I think. After Binx.”
I chuckle breathily. “So, it’s a good gift?”
“It’s perfect,” she says again, hugging her apron.
Then the apron and bed sheet around her body falls as her arms wrap around my neck. With the force of her throwing herself at me, I fall onto my back. She falls over me, throwing the trash and apron aside, and her curls act as a curtain like this.
