In the last few months, this man has completely won me over. Not only me, but Lydia too. Seeing this, I want to tell him everything I’m feeling.
Except he beats me to the punchline.
“I love you, Sutton. It feels too soon to say?—”
Pressing my fingers to his mouth, I cut off his train of thought. “No. Because I love you too, Derek. It’s right and I will protect this with everything I have.”
The kiss he gives me is nothing like the ones we shared earlier, but it means more. The love radiating off him swirls around us and it nearly brings me to tears.
Life is pretty perfect. I only hope it can stay this way.
Chapter Seventeen
DEREK
Lights on. Check.
Presents under the tree. Check.
Stockings stuffed. Check.
Everything is ready. All I need is to wait for Troy to wake up before we can start our morning traditions of presents and pancakes.
With a warm cup of coffee, I arrange one last present before looking at each ornament on the tree.
The bottom is cluttered with Troy’s ornaments, going no higher on the tree than he can reach. Little pieces of paper that he colored and tied onto strings. Some hand-painted that we made together. Others have his face decorated with tiny balls and glitter.
Each one makes me smile. I have others from when I was a kid that I hung toward the top of the tree.
It might not be fancy, but I love it. Snapshots of the life I’ve made with my son.
“Daddy! Daddy! It’s Christmas!”
The sound of footsteps carry the boisterous voice from the hallway before Troy comes bursting into the living room.
“Merry Christmas, Troy.”
I have just enough time to set my cup of coffee down before Troy throws himself into my arms.
“Merry Christmas! Did Santa come?”
“Take a look.”
I turn him in my arms to look at the Christmas tree with far too many presents sitting beneath it.
“Wow.”
His eyes light up. Boxes of all sizes spill out from under the tree. A few bags with tissue paper sticking out sit on top of them. None of them are wrapped very well—a skill I have never been able to master—but Troy doesn’t seem to mind.
“Open ’em up.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. Troy runs over to the tree and starts opening his presents.
Clothes. Stuffed animals. Games.
Everything on his list, I got it. I went overboard. I know I did. But I can’t help it. Troy is all I have, so if it means spoiling him with presents, so be it.
His happy face is worth everything to me.
