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Christmas Day
“Can I open my eyes now?”
“No, not yet. I’ll tell you when.” Marley grasped Warwick’s hands and backed through the doorway. They’d literally just arrived home from the airport. His luggage was still in the trunk.
“Where are you takin’ me, lass?” A bemused smirk tugged at his mouth as he followed her, his limp less pronounced than it had been weeks ago.
“You’ll see.” She led him into the living room of the house they’d bought together and moved into three weeks earlier.
He’d still been in England when the deal closed. She hadn’t been able to go with him because of work, but buying this house was the culmination of a lifelong dream for them both. It was on a hill at the north end of town, with ocean views from the backyard and upper floor.
She’d never imagined owning a home like this, and it wouldn’t have happened except when they’d sat down to look at their finances together, it turned out Warwick had a lot more money than she’d expected. As a single guy with no family to support, he’d been saving everything and investing it wisely.
Over the years, it had turned into enough money that they’d not only been able to afford this house outright—they could live off it comfortably for many years to come.
She wasn’t willing to quit her job, however. She loved her work. Loved Henry and a few other residents who had stolen their way into her heart.
“Now?” he asked.
So impatient. “You hate surprises, don’t you?” she said with a laugh. He had to be tired, having just landed in Portland two hours ago after yet another trip to London to deal with more hearings in the aftermath of everything that had happened. But he’d been determined to spend their first Christmas together in their new place and it was the best gift she could have received.
“Never really had any good ones,” he answered, and she sobered.
“Well, that all changes today.” He’d told her he’d never had a real Christmas. Not once in his whole life. That was too unbearably sad to even contemplate, so she’d gone all out this year to show him what it was all about.
“Okay,” she said once she had him in the center of the room and facing the tree, her diamond engagement ring sparkling in the lights she’d strung up.
He’d dropped down on one knee and proposed on a hill overlooking the ocean the night of Everleigh and Grady’s wedding. They’d decided to wait to get married at the same resort they’d stayed at last year, and now there was less than a week to go.
“Open up,” she commanded.
He opened his eyes. Stared at the transformation she’d coerced Decker and Everleigh into helping her with two days ago. “Wow,” he said in awe, looking all around.
“I made Decker and Everleigh help me after we got off our video call the other night.” She wrapped her arms around him, grinning from ear to ear. “Well? What do you think?”
“It’s champion,” he said, his captivated smile filling her with warmth.
“I’m glad.” She’d added little touches all over the house, but this main living area looked especially cozy and festive.
“Where did you find a tree that size?”
“At a lot in town.” She’d seen the seven-foot blue spruce as she was driving by and immediately stopped to buy it. “I made Decker help me haul it home and set it up.”
After pizza and beer, the two of them had smothered it with multicolored lights and decorations, half of which were sentimental things she’d saved from Christmases with her brothers over the years. Garland and lights twinkled around all the window frames and doorways.
Christmas pillows and a cheery red-and-white patchwork quilt were nestled on the sofa, waiting for someone to cuddle up there. A large, tiered platter of homemade Christmas cookies sat in the center of the coffee table. And under the tree, brightly wrapped gifts spilled out all over the rug placed on the hardwood floor in the corner of the living room.
Warwick stepped over to the blazing fireplace where the stockings were hung, bulging with the things Santa had filled them with late last night. “You got me a stockin’.”
“I made it.”
He looked over at her, raised his eyebrows. “Made it?”
“Mmhmm. Everleigh signed us up for a class at the quilting shop in town while you were gone.” She’d sewn the stocking and then cross-stitched his name across the top to match the ones for her, Decker and the twins, even though the younger boys couldn’t be here.
She was still hoping they might be able to come down to the wedding next week, but she hadn’t heard yet if they could get time away. Decker, Everleigh and Grady were coming though. “You like it?”
He shook his head. “I love it.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “This is amazin’, pet. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m so glad to have you home.” She kissed him again. Deepened it.
The clearing of a throat from the doorway broke them apart. “I can leave if you guys need a minute. Or more,” Decker offered, having driven over from his condo across town. She’d been so engrossed in Warwick she hadn’t heard the door open.
She laughed. “Don’t be silly, get in here.” She went over to hug him. “Merry Christmas, Deck.”
“Merry Christmas,” he answered, returning the hug. He was getting so much better at it. Easier with talking, too, even smiling, and she loved to see it. He seemed happy here. Less serious and grim. And he was enjoying working for Crimson Point Security, along with the training he got to do.
“Okay!” She stepped back, rubbed her hands together. “I’ll go pour us some coffee, and we can enjoy the treats I made while we open our stockings.”
“Did you make the peanut butter reindeer?” Decker asked, already seating himself on the sofa.
“Please, you know I did.” She’d started making them for the twins when they were young. Round peanut butter cookies with a red M&M candy for a nose, and little eyes and antlers drawn on with melted chocolate. “Make yourselves comfy. I’ll be right back.”
She turned on music with her phone, hummed to herself as she padded into the kitchen to get the coffee ready. She added peppermint creamer to hers and Decker’s, and left Warwick’s black because he thought flavored creamers were “ghastly.”
In the midst of pulling a serving tray with handles from the cabinet next to the stove, she thought she heard footsteps and glanced behind her. Decker and Warwick were both sitting on the couch eating the cookies she’d put out. She smiled at the sight and quickly set the mugs on the tray.
“All right, who’s ready for stockings—” She froze in the kitchen entryway, gaping.
The twins were both standing next to the tree, grinning at her.
“Oh my God,” she cried, and just about dropped the tray in her haste to get rid of it so she could hug them.
Tristan laughed and wrapped her up in his arms. “Hey, Mar.”
“Oh my God,” she repeated, then let him go and grabbed hold of Gavin, who grunted at the force of her hug.
“Hi, Mar.” He patted her on the back, his chin resting on her shoulder.
“What are you both doing here? I thought you said you couldn’t get the time,” she accused, easing back to look at them both. They were twenty-nine and pretty much the same size as Decker, but had her coloring, though their hair was a lighter shade of auburn.
It made her eyes sting to see how much they’d changed since she’d last seen them. Almost a year this time. Way too damn long.
“We wanted to surprise you. And we thought we’d better meet our future brother-in-law before you marry him,” Tristan said.
“We’re coming to the wedding, by the way,” added Gavin.
“Oh!” She flung an arm around each of them, squeezed hard. “This is the best day ever. But how did you set this up?”
The twins smiled slightly and looked past her. She glanced over her shoulder, found Decker and Warwick both looking extremely pleased with themselves. “You guys did this?”
“Maybe,” Decker said with a shrug, and polished off the last part of the cookie.
Tristan gasped. “Are those peanut butter reindeer?” He rushed for the table but Gavin beat him there and grabbed the remaining three for himself. “Hey!”
“You snooze, you lose.” Gavin took a bite, rolled his eyes at the dark look Tristan was giving him and talked around it as he chewed. “Oh, fine, I guess it is Christmas,” he muttered, handing one to his twin.
“Relax, I’ve got a whole other batch waiting in the kitchen,” she told them, shaking her head. “Because I knew this would happen.” Some things never changed. They’d fought over these cookies every year since forever.
They both gave her innocent looks that she didn’t find the least convincing. She knew better.
Bubbling with excitement, she pushed past them and plopped down on the sofa between Decker and Warwick. “Thank you both. This was the best present ever.”
She leaned into Warwick’s side as he wrapped an arm around her. “And you. How did you manage to pull this off without me guessing?”
He gave her a funny look. “I used to be a spy.”
She laughed. “Fair point.” She shook her head. “You sneaky thing.”
He shrugged. “Well, aye.”
This was so like him. She’d done all this to give Warwick a Christmas to make up for all the ones he’d missed out on. Instead, he’d turned the tables on her and made her heart overflow by giving her the family Christmas she’d dreamed about for so long.
Warwick’s grin turned her inside out. He pulled her into his lap, his dark eyes promising more surprises later once they were alone in their bed. “Happy Christmas, pet.”
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—The End—
