Bring it on. I’ll have treats in my pocket just in case.
Me
You’re all ridiculous. Get a life. Merry Christmas. We're going to eat and watch Tim Allen's 'The Santa Clause'.
I click my phone off and shake my head. What are they going to say when they find out about, well, whatever this is between me and Theo? What are we going to tell them?
Theo is giving the chicken pot pie soup another stir before he replaces the lid, then brushes his hands off. He’s dressed in the same shirt and jeans he was wearing yesterday. “This needs to simmer for a bit longer and then it will be ready. Do you want to open your present now? I can go grab it from the car.”
I haul my butt out of the corner of the couch, letting the blanket fall. “I’ll come out with you. I should shovel a pathway at least.”
“You can stay in here,” he says, coming to me and wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’ll only be just a second.”
“It’s okay, I’ll come out with you.”
“That obsessed with me, huh?” he teases, pecking my lips twice before lingering and deepening the kiss.
“Like I said, you’re so cocky,” I laugh, leaning away, though I keep my arms looped around his shoulders. My fingers brush through the blonde locks at the back of his head.
“We’re just getting started, Angel,” he breathes against my lips.
I shove at his chest, laughing again. “I need to go put on some pants.”
He lets both hands slide down my body and beneath the hem of the oversized shirt I’m wearing to cup both bare ass cheeks. “I like you with no pants on.”
I arch one brow at him, smirking. “Yeah? Should we give the neighbors a show?”
He slaps one palm against my ass and I gasp in shock. He growls low at me as he nips my shoulder. “No one gets to see this perfect fucking body but me, Noe. Every glorious inch of you is for my eyes only.”
I nod weakly, my bottom lip caught between my teeth as his own teeth graze the flesh of my throat. “Okay.”
He gives my ass another slap, then pushes me away. “You have three minutes or I’m going out on my own.”
I hightail it into the bedroom, pulling on a pair of sweats, and then I’m back. He’s already got his boots on as well as the gray quilted vest zippered up his chest. I shove my feet into my boots, pull my jacket, gloves, and my favorite winter hat with a pompom on the crown of it, and we’re out the door.
I go to grab the shovel by the door, but he beats me to it. Theo makes quick work of the little porch that has snow drifted up onto it, and then effortlessly clears a pathway to his car. He hands the shovel back to me with a smirk, then reaches into the backseat for the bag of gifts we’d unwrapped the night before. Walking back to the porch, he’s almost to the door when I fling myself into the completely undisturbed snow in the front yard, flat on my back. I swish my arms and legs out, carving out a snow angel, before remaining where I am. The snow has slowed just the slightest, but it’s still coming down in fat flakes. I open my mouth, sticking out my tongue, and do my best to catch some of them as they fall on my face. The sky above me is white from the clouds and snow.
A muffled thump and then puff of snow flutters at me and I turn my head to the side, grinning, as Theo stretches out in thesnow next to me. He does the same thing, moving his arms and legs around to make his own snow angel, and then he turns to look at me. His hand stretches out to mine and I set my mittened hand in his, just our fingers barely touching.
“You asked me the other night what I wanted for Christmas. And I said that Santa couldn’t bring me what I wanted,” he says softly, his blue eyes searching mine intensely. “This, Noelle. All I’ve wanted for so long, is this. With you. My best friend.”
I nod, my head moving against the snow squished beneath me. “I’m glad Santa was able to come through for you, Theo.”
He shifts, moving closer—and ruining both our beautiful snow angels—until he’s propped up on one elbow directly beside me. His other hand slides against my now cold cheek, and his fingers are chilled, too. And then he leans down and kisses me, thoroughly, unhurriedly, like we have all the rest of our days to do so, right in the middle of my front yard for anyone to see.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Theo
We’re both chilled and wet from the snow by the time I stand and pull her up with me. We walk, hand in hand, back to the front door. We strip out of our winter gear, hanging it up to dry, before making our way to the bedroom and shucking off our pants that are wet and cold. She digs around in her closet, on the hunt for something that might fit me.
She pulls her dad’s shirt that she’s still wearing off and hands it to me, it’s the only shirt she has that will fit me, then she shrieks ‘Aha!’ when she locates a pair of my sweatpants I’d left here ages ago in the back of her closet.
I pull them on while she puts on some Christmas themed pajamas—because, of course she does—and then she’s dragging me back out into the kitchen. I put her to work building us a couple Peppermint Schnapps hot chocolates as I dish up the pot pie soup.
“Your nose is pink.” My heart is happy, being here with her like this. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and I’m still waiting for someone to come and steal her away, or for her to run from me. Like this somehow isn’t real, or won’t stay. Leaning down to her,I rub the tip of my nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss, which earns me one of those full, uninhibited Noelle smiles that sends my heart to galloping in my chest. Goddamn she’s so fucking beautiful.
Earlier, after I’d rolled out the biscuits and cleaned off the counter, she’d hopped up to sit on the counter in front of me. It was easy to see what she wanted, she’s as easy to read as an open book, and it had been my pleasure to give it to her.
