“Just missing my parents,” I whisper, and his gaze fills with compassion.
Pursing his lips, he pulls me closer, kissing my temple and stroking my back.
“Me too,” Chiara says, settling in front of me on the floor.
“Here,” Sophia says, pushing a mug of tea into my hand before she gives an identical one to Chiara.
The mug is printed with a green face that looks like a reindeer with antlers, eyes, and a round red nose. Underneath the face, it saysBrew-Dolph.I can’t help but laugh. “Your miracle cure for everything, huh?”
“It made you laugh.” Sophia shrugs, but her eyes have a proud sheen to them.
It’s just the right temperature to drink, so I sip it. The tea is a comforting blend of cinnamon and apple, and the warm liquid soothes a bit of the hole that had opened up in my chest. After I take a few sips, I set the mug down on the coffee table next to the presents I received from Chiara and Sophia.
“Here, open mine,” Clay murmurs, handing me a gift and giving Xander a similar-shaped one.
I cast him a curious glance before unwrapping it. Inside is a stunning black sketchbook with my name engraved in gold. I glance at Xander, who holds an almost identical sketchbook, except his name is shimmering in silver.
“Wow, those are so pretty,” Chiara observes, leaning in to have a better look before she goes back to inspecting her new makeup.
“Xander’s was full, and I noticed you didn’t have one. Every good artist needs a sketchbook.” Clay grins at me.
“Thank you,” I whisper, leaning in to kiss his cheek, which is conveniently close.
“You’re welcome,” he murmurs. He stands and walks over to Xander, cradling his face and kissing him deeply.
The longing I feel when I see them like this is nothing new, but it’s starting to bother me more and more. I lean my head on Joshua,my perfect boyfriend,I remind myself, and he pulls me even closer, kissing my nose.
“I can’t wait to see what you’re going to draw in there.” His voice is soft next to my ear.
I smile up at him. “Maybe you, if you’re up for posing for me for a few hours.”
“Can I be naked for that?” he asks suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows like an idiot, making me laugh.
“Ew, this is notTitanic, Casanova.” Chiara grimaces before she stands and goes over to sit next to Sophia, who is covering her mouth to hide a laugh.
I shoot her a mock glare.
Xander whispers something into Clay’s ear, catching my attention because it’s loud enough for me to hear. “I’ll give you your gift and a ‘white Christmas’ later.”
Fuck, that’s hot.
A shiver runs down my spine, and my toes curl involuntarily. Xander turns to me with a knowing smirk. “Your gift is the winter jacket hanging on the wardrobe. And you’re getting another tattoo.”
“What?” I ask, taken aback.
“I didn’t have any wrapping paper.” He shrugs. “And I am so done seeing you freeze to death, so don’t even start. You’re gonna wear it.”
My eyes widen at his tone.Why is him bossing me around such a turn-on?
“Thanks? But a tattoo… that’s a lot.”
“Decide what you want, and I’ll ink it for you. Merry Christmas.”
Joshua snorts in amusement. “That’s his go-to gift for all of us ever since he started tattooing. But honestly, it’s only a good gift now that he’s stopped drawing shaky lines.”
Xander flips Joshua off, eliciting a chuckle from him. As he laughs, the rush of air he exhales causes a few loose strands of my hair to flutter.
Clay gets another gift from the pile and sits close to me again, placing it in my lap.
