Paxon blinked and then laughed.“That’s why you were shoving that ring on my finger a few weeks ago.People thought you were proposing to me.”
Bryan just shrugged as he grabbed another present.
“Oh, this is perfect, I needed a new one,” Seth said as he lifted the bag tool roll up that I got him.
We continued to unwrap all the presents, loving everything we got.Some were thoughtful, others useful.Plus food.Jerky and candy all around.
Janice was really happy with some of the gifts too and the guys were so sweet for thinking about her.She ended up with a pretty lamp used to melt scents, a variety pack of shower steamers, a survival kit of must haves in case of emergencies, a bunch of warm, fuzzy socks, and a pretty turtle statue with cute flowers that lit up on its back.
The guys got me a bunch of fuzzy socks too, wireless headphones, a smartwatch, a couple of books perfect for writing music, like a rhyming dictionary.There were a couple of lyric notebooks filled with sheet music, a shirt that said ‘Look at you writing songs & shit!’and a bunch of other thoughtful, little gifts.I even got a ribbon microphone that I was excited to try.I never had one before but I heard good things about using them with an electric guitar.I did have an electric guitar I wanted to play around with more.I’d bought it last year to expand my capabilities with my productions.
“This is amazing,” I said as I picked through all the gifts.“Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” Toby said as he held up the guitar picks I got for him, engraved with his initials.“Looks like we’re raising the bar this year on presents.”
“Oh man, I love a good challenge.I can top this next year.Easy,” Seth said.
The fact they were even talking about doing this again next year left me warm and excited.With them, it really was beginning to feel like we had a future.College was going to throw things off, but I could see how that was only going to be more of an inconvenience than anything.These guys were determined to not let it affect their relationship.
They were the kind of guys to fight for their family, and I was beginning to feel like I was really a part of that.
By the time we finished opening everything, even the little ones that only contained random Christmas candy that Toby had decided to wrap, the floor was covered in torn wrapping paper and ribbons.Everyone was poking through their gifts, opening the ones they couldn’t wait to check out.
Seth leaned back in his chair, watching everyone with a content smile.“Best Christmas yet,” he said, raising the hot chocolate Janice got for everyone when she had finished opening her presents.
“Agreed,” I said, looking at the pretty charm bracelet the guys got me.Each charm was related to the boys in some way.
It wasn’t just the presents that made me feel like crying.It was this moment, this feeling of belonging, that made it so special.And there were already promises and ideas being tossed out for next year too.
I didn’t want this to end.I just wanted to hold on to it forever.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After we cleaned upat my house, we grabbed the extra presents and lugged them over to enjoy watching Calvin and all the adults opening their presents.And then food was served.
It was delicious and I had to say, I was rather darn proud how my apple pie turned out, all golden brown and perfectly cooked through.Dad was impressed.And I got a reluctant compliment from Seth about my skills in the kitchen improving a lot.
