“I love you too, and I should have said it first.” She shook her head side to side after I spoke. “Yes, I should have because I’ve been feeling it for weeks now.”
Her eyes widened. “You have?”
“Yeah, love, I have.” I stroked her cheek and smiled. “You, sweetheart, are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time and I don’t ever want to let you go.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered as she rested her head back on my chest.
Not planning on it, love. Not planning on it.
ChapterTwenty-Three
GEMMA
We had quitea surprise Christmas morning.
Bodie was usually up and out the bedroom door before the girls ever woke up. But between the excitement from the evening before at Ruby and Lyric’s place for Christmas Eve, along with knowing Santa was coming the next day, they’d woke before he did.
“Daddy, wake up,” a small voice said.
I heard the words, but they didn’t fully compute in my foggy state. Half asleep, I then heard Bodie groan and I became more alert. Stretching, I rolled over and wrapped my body around him like a koala climbing a tree.
“Love,” he whispered.
“Not yet. Let’s just stay like this a little longer,” I mumbled.
“Babe, I think you better open your eyes.”
Ugh, I loved snuggle time and Bodie knew it. “Just a few more minutes.”
“But we want to open presents,” two voices whined in unison.
My eyes popped open to find two little angel faces, looking at their father and me in bed.Oh shit on a stick.
I prayed Bodie wouldn’t be pissed and not let me stay with him anymore. Or that the girls would be upset. Those were the last things I wanted.
The girls didn’t look mad though. They were smiling and before I knew it, they both jumped on the bed right on top of us. Quickly, Bodie and I both pulled up the blankets to make sure we were covered and they were on top of the comforter.
“Is this one of our Christmas presents?” Peyton asked.
Not understanding what she meant, I raised my brows in question and decided to let Bodie do the talking.
“What do you mean, princess?”
Peyton looked at us and said, “Gemma. Is she going to live here now and be our mommy?”
“Yeah, we want her to be our mommy,” Piper added.
I sucked in a breath and my heart pounded so hard everyone in the room could probably hear it. I felt bad for Bodie that they had put him on the spot like that. And on Christmas too.
Holding in the big breath I’d taken, I waited for him to answer.
“Do you guys mind if Gemma stays here with us when she wants to?” he asked his daughters.
“Noooo,” they said dramatically, once again in unison, something they did a lot. It was amazing how in sync they were as twins and how similar. But they each had their own personality as well. It was fascinating.
He grabbed both girls and pulled them in for a hug. “Then that is what she’s going to do since you’re okay with it.”
Peyton popped back up. “But Embry said that Gemma is your girlfriend and someday you will get married because that is what happened with her mommy and daddy.”
