He eyes me skeptically before ripping the paper off. He holds the item up, inspecting it. “What is this?”
“It’s a dog carrier you wear. It’s sort of like a sling and you can put Pom Pom in it so you can take him places with you.”
He smiles and holds the carrier out. “I love it. Pom Pom, come here.”
The little dog scurries over. Valen drapes the carrier over his body, and I help him adjust it so it rests crossbody style. Scooping up the dog, he places him in the sling. Pom Pom gives an excited yip and his tongue lolls out the side of his mouth.
“This is perfect.” He leans over to kiss me, and Pom Pom licks my chin.
Clapping, I declare, “Another.”
I reach for another gift and hand it to him. He rips into this one with slightly more vigor. He pulls out the shirt and laughs, holding it up. “Big fang energy,” he reads off the words.
I shrug. I spotted the shirt on a clearance rack of Halloween goods and couldn’t pass it up. “It was a necessary purchase.” I reach for another gift, but his hand latches on to mine and halts my progress.
“My turn,” he says.
Grabbing a present that’s wrapped haphazardly, he gives a sheepish shrug. “Celine wrapped some of them for me, but I wanted to do a few, and apparently I’m not very good at it.”
“No, it’s perfect,” I insist, taking it from him.
The tape is barely holding on to the corners, but I don’t care. Tears prick my eyes. It really is the thought that counts. The fact that he took the time to wrap some presents for me—especially when he didn’t have any concept of the holiday at first—means more than he’ll ever know.
I drop the shiny red paper to the floor and lift the lid off the box. A gasp flies out of me, tears stinging my eyes. Inside rests my favorite doll from my childhood. One I thought I lost on a family vacation when I was nine. It’s something I know I never even mentioned to Valen.
“How did … how did you know?” I pluck her gently from the box. She’s not the same one, but she’s close enough. I hold the doll to my chest, running my fingers through her golden curls.
“I asked your mom for some help.” He shrugs. “When she mentioned the doll, I really wanted to track it down for you. Zav helped me with The eBay.”
I smile and cup his cheek. “It’s just eBay, baby. Thank you so much. This is … you have no idea what this means to me.” He smiles in return.
“Before I start crying, here’s your next one.” I hand a bag over to him and wipe my eyes.
Valen pulls out the tissue paper before holding up the contents. Shaking it out from its folded state, he brings the scrap of lace up to his torso with a confused look.
“Um,” he wonders aloud and I can see the gears turning.
“It’s a gift for both of us,” I explain and waggle my eyebrows. He glances between me and the lingerie he holds before understanding sparks in his eyes. “There’s something else in the bag.” I nod toward it, and he pulls out the small bullet. As he turns it this way and that, I turn on the vibrator so he can see. “I thought it was time we gave toys a try.”
“I’m not sure I follow,” Valen replies.
I smirk devilishly at exposing my innocent, former virginto ways to enhance sex. “I’ll tell you about it later. Shall we give Pom Pom his gifts?” I help Valen unstrap him from his chest, although the Pomeranian seems content to stay cuddled against his favorite human.
Bringing the little dog’s stocking over from under the tree, I let him snuffle through the contents. He immediately pulls out a bag of his favorite treats and Valen makes sure to give him one. I also got him a gingerbread man costume. We put it on him and lose it at the adorable visual. The sound of Valen’s laughter makes me unbelievably happy. He was so closed off to begin with, and witnessing him experience true happiness is the best gift I could ask for.
Valen made dog-safe holiday cookies last night and gives them to Pom Pom as part of his gift.
“I have another gift for you, and I hope you like it,” Valen confesses and hands me a small square-shaped box wrapped in candy cane paper. I can tell Celine did this one by the crisp edges.
Tearing away the paper, I find a frame with a certificate inside. In the center is a circular snapshot of the sky. A small paragraph lies below it.
“The star at the detailed coordinates will hereby be named Ava. Just like stars, our loved ones are a constant presence in our lives. Even when we can’t see them, they’re always there.” I read aloud and tears well in my eyes again. “You named a star after me?”
Valen nods and grabs my hand, rubbing it with his thumb. “You are my Starlight, so it only made sense. Tonight, we’ll have to go out on the roof so we can look at it.”
“Fuck,” I curse. “You keep making me sappy. How dare you, you beautiful man.” I wrap a hand around his neck and pull him in for a long kiss.
Valen has the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.
