Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Thirty-Two | Makayla

Thirty-Two

Makayla

“M erry Christmas,” Aiden said as I rolled over and snuggled against his chest.

“Merry Christmas,” I replied with a grin.

My body was sore and achy but in the best way. Last night with Aiden had started full of passion and ended early this morning with our final love making session.

“What time are you going to your mom’s?”

“Around eleven. What time do you need to be at the bar?”

“Probably by four or five. I can let everyone know we’re running a little late.”

I lifted my face and looked at him, wondering how I got so lucky to wake up next to this perfect man on Christmas morning.

“I think we can make it on time. We’ll have lunch around noon, then open presents after that.”

“Sounds good.”

“Are you sure you’re still up for going with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know,” I replied with a soft sigh. “I guess it just feels like the next big step, like when you meet your girlfriend’s family for the first time. You already know my mom, but it would be the first time you’re coming to Christmas dinner at her house.”

“I think we’ve already established that we’re in this for the long run, Mak. It doesn’t bother me to spend the day with your family, and I’m happy that you want to come spend the evening at the bar with me.”

“I think it’s really cool that you host a Christmas dinner there every year.”

“A lot of people don’t have anyone to spend it with. I’d rather they be there to spend time with people who care about them than to be there so they can drink away their sorrows.”

“You’ve always been such a great person with a big heart.”

I shifted against him as my hand brushed against his dick. “Amongst other things,” I teased, running my palm over the stiffening shaft before he pulled away.

“As much as I would love to fuck you right now, we gotta get up and get moving.”

“For what?” I whined, not wanting to pass up sex with him.

“For one, we both need to shower. I don’t need everyone knowing what we spent all night doing.”

“I think this hickey you left me is pretty self-explanatory,” I countered, pointing to the spot on my chest that I had no idea how I was going to hide today.

“You can wear a turtle neck.”

“No way! I’ll roast! Have you seen how hot my mom likes to keep her house? I was considering wearing that lingerie I showed you last night,” I teased, watching as his eyes darkened and narrowed at me.

“Two, I have gifts I want you to open, and I’m highly impatient, so let’s go.”

He had already climbed out of bed but I refused to get up and rolled on my stomach instead.

“I’m not playing, Makayla,” he warned, slapping my bare ass.

I pulled my lower lip between my teeth, trying not to get turned on right now.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming.”

“Not now you’re not. But you will tonight. Get dressed and meet me in the living room.”

I didn’t have a chance to say anything before he rushed out of the room, pulling his joggers up and tossing a shirt over his head on his way out. I shook my head, not bothering to hide the grin on my face. He was like a kid in a candy store and I loved his enthusiasm this morning.

When I walked into the living room, the curtains had been opened, displaying the fresh snow that had fallen overnight. The tree was lit up, and Christmas music played softly on the TV. I lifted my hands to my face and soaked it all in, not having had a Christmas like this in forever.

“Come sit down so I can start giving you your gifts,” he said excitedly, guiding me to a spot on the floor by the tree.

I sat down and smiled at him as he started grabbing boxes from beneath the tree. We still had some gifts here that I needed to take to my moms from the stuff I’d bought at Frosty Fest, plus the gifts we were taking to the bar tonight.

He started organizing boxes in a pile in front of me while I worked on digging out the gifts I had gotten him.

“They have numbers on them, so you know which to open first,” he explained.

I arched an eyebrow at him, curious to see what he had gotten me. My gifts to him were all somewhat random and didn’t need to be opened in any particular order.

“Um, I don’t have any specific order for yours, so you can start wherever,” I said with a slightly nervous laugh.

“Okay, but open yours first.”

“Why don’t we open them at the same time?”

“Mak...”

“Alright, alright,” I said with a laugh. When he was determined, he was determined.

I picked up the box with the number one on it and tore the paper off. I could feel him watching me, and I hated the amount of attention that was on me right now. What if I didn’t react the way he wanted me to?

Inside was a shirt box with a single piece of tape keeping it closed. I lifted it and peeked inside, my cheeks splitting as I pulled the scarf out.

“Oh my gosh! It’s the scarf I fell in love with at Frosty Fest!”

“I know. I saw you looking at it, but when you didn’t buy it, I made a note to go back and get it for you.”

“Thank you, Aiden. That was so sweet of you.”

“You’re welcome.”

His dimpled smile was distracting, but when he waved his hands for me to continue, I grabbed the next box. Inside was another shirt box, but this time, it had the purse I had fallen in love with from another vendor at Frosty Fest.

I held it up and hugged it, loving the way the soft leather felt. It was a mix of brown and pink with flower prints across it.

“I love it, thank you.”

I continued opening the boxes and noticed that the first eight boxes all had items that I had admired at Frosty Fest but didn’t buy.

“I can’t believe you did all of this,” I said, shaking my head. “Is that why you kept running off?”

He nodded, still grinning as he sat on the floor across from me with his presents still unopened.

“Yeah, I had to offer several free drinks to get them to hold the bags for me until I could go back later, so you didn’t see them.”

“You’re such a goof,” I replied with a laugh. “Thank you, though. This stuff is seriously amazing. I can’t believe you memorized everything I touched and then went and bought it.”

When I got to the next box, my heart started to race as I pulled out a jewelry-sized box. I lifted my eyes to see if I could read anything on his face but he just stared at me with adoration as I finally opened the box.

Inside was the most beautiful bracelet I’d ever seen. It was rose gold bangles with a heart in the middle and a diamond centered inside the heart.

“Aiden!” I gasped, lifting it into the light and appreciating the beauty of it. “This is gorgeous!”

“I’m glad you like it. It was one thing you hadn’t looked at, so I took a chance and hoped you would like it.”

“I love it. It’s so pretty.” I immediately slid it onto my wrist as I continued to stare at it.

“There’s one more,” he said, nodding to the small box-shaped gift beside me.

I picked it up and unwrapped it, finding a snow globe inside. The scene was simple with a couple in the middle, kissing. I shook it, smiling when I saw the snow fall on them.

“I know that you have a life in LA and that you’re worried about how things will be for us when you leave. So this is my way of reminding you that no matter what life throws at us or how shaken up we might get, we will always belong together, Mak.”

My eyes filled with tears as I shook it again and watched the snow fall around them.

“It’s perfect. Thank you,” I said as I tried to keep from full on crying.

He scooted across the room and pulled me into his arms.