Holidays with the Billionaire

Chapter 25

Adlee

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C hristmas has always been a magical time for my family. With Dad getting stronger, but still wearing oxygen from his surgery, we’ll still have a perfect Christmas. I’d declined staying the night with Kelton and spent it here instead, as per tradition. Except... the whole time, all I can think about is Kelton Fox.

His parents took to me like a fish to water. I loved how his mother was so endearing and sweet. The way her face showed every emotion when she opened the gift of the photo of Kelton and me. Admittedly, I’d taken a chance on gifting her that. The minute Bernice emailed me that photo, I knew I had to print it and frame it. It looked like an Instagram post or an old school magazine print. When I’d texted it to Gabe, he’d called immediately with a gasp, telling me it was absolutely gorgeous and perfect.

It’s now my phone’s lockscreen photo. I can’t stop staring at it as I sit in the living room of my parents’ house. I’d woken early, unable to sleep.

“Barbie’s dream house!” Bella squeals as she bounds down the stairs to the tree, where the house sits with a big red bow on it.

I sip the chocolate coffee Mom made us and smile at my sweet little niece. My sister and Mac come down the stairs in their ridiculous matching Santa hat pajamas, yawning. Though, I can’t talk. I’m wearing the reindeer pajama bottoms I’d brought to Aspen Peak. The ones Kelton had ripped off of me before he’d endlessly made love to me that night.

A night I’ll never forget.

These quiet and calm winter mornings at my parents’ house are what I live for. My family has given me crap for not finding a husband, but I’d never had an answer for them. Probably because my family was always all I’d ever needed. But now... a longing for love and a family of my own well inside of me and I can’t explain it.

We exchange gifts and sip hot chocolate and eat my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls while we chat about everything. It’s the same as it always has been with one exception... I think I’m in love with my boss and can’t get him out of my mind.

While Bella plays with her Barbie house and my sister and her fiancé chat with my parents about wedding plans, I go into the kitchen to grab my phone from the charger. I click on my texts.

Kelton: Merry Christmas, beautiful. I hope I can see you today.

Gabe: Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brought you everything on your wish list, babe! He includes a bunch of emojis, but the eggplant one makes me giggle and cover my mouth. So, I reply.

Me: You too! I, of course, have to include an eggplant emoji.

I smile at my clever reply, then start typing back to Kelton.

Me: I’m dying to see you. Merry Christmas, gorgeous.

I hit send , knowing how sappy it is, but not caring.

I head upstairs for a shower. Once I’m presentable, I go back down to help my mom with Christmas dinner. On my way to the kitchen, I stop in the living room where my dad is watching football. I kiss him on the cheek.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

He waves me off. “I’d feel better if the Cowboys could win a damn championship for once in twenty years.”

“Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it.” I kiss him on the cheek again.

I go to walk away and he grabs my hand, looking at me with concerned brown eyes.

“What?” I ask with a smile.

“You got yourself a new man?”

I never said that! My dang sister... “Uh, maybe?”

“When do I get to meet him?” he asks.

I grin. “All in good time, Daddy.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” he replies, patting my hand and letting it go.

The day is spent playing with gifts, eating too much, watching football, and visiting with family. Around five, I tell them I’m heading out.

“You going home so soon?” Mom asks.

I laugh. “I’ve been here all night and day.”

“I know, but I hate that you’ll be alone tonight on Christmas.”

I don’t think I’ll be, but of course I don’t say that.

“I’ll be fine. I’m wiped.”

“Okay, honey,” she says. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t. I’ll be by on New Year’s to take all this stuff down.” I gesture around. I don’t mind helping my parents. It’s just what I do.

I say goodbye to my sister, niece, future brother-in-law, and my mom and dad and drive the short two miles home.

Kelton and I texted a few times during the day but I didn’t want to disrupt his family time, but we did talk about getting together tonight. He said he’d come by my apartment and my stomach swirls with excitement and anticipation.

I park in my spot and take the elevator up, and as I exit and turn the corner for my hallway, I smile when I see Kelton standing there waiting for me.

“Hi,” I say.

“Hi,” he replies, leaning down to kiss me.

I open the door and we head inside. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were already here. I would have left earlier...”

“It’s okay, I’m early. I couldn’t wait to see you,” he replies, taking off his jacket and laying it over one of the dining room chairs. “Come sit.” He goes to the sofa and sits down.

I obey, sitting next to him, our legs touching. “I’m glad you came over,” I say.

He pulls out a small black box with a red bow on it, and my eyes widen.

“Kelton, I didn’t get you anything except the framed photo. I mean, I wasn’t sure...”

“It’s okay,” he says. “I don’t want anything. Open it.” He juts his chin at the box.

I remove the bow, creak open the lid, and my eyes widen. Two diamond earrings glitter under my apartment lights. “Kelton... I... this is too much!”

“No, it’s not enough. I saw them and thought of you. They will look beautiful on you. I hope your ears are pierced. I never bothered to look.” He chuckles.

I grin and slide some hair behind my ears. “I have two holes in each ear.” I have no earrings in at the moment though.

“Let me put them on for you.” He removes each one and puts them in the second hole, securing the backs on. It’s strangely intimate but not at all uncomfortable. Then, he kisses me. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too,” I whisper back. “I hope this is the last Christmas we have to spend apart.”

He stands and pulls me up, wrapping me in a hug I didn’t know could be so comforting and sexy at the same time. I wrap my arms around his muscular back and lay my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

He pulls back and looks down at me. “I think we need to talk about what is going to happen at the office on Monday.”

It’s Wednesday now, so we have a few days before we go back, but I do think it’s a good idea.

“We do,” I agree.

We sit back down and Kelton grabs my hands. “You know we can’t have a relationship in the office. HR would have my head and yours too. We run a lot of risks even being involved outside of the office, but I’m not willing to give you up. So at work, we have to act professional. I just don’t want you to think I’m giving you the cold shoulder once we go back.”

I smirk. “Like you used to before the ski lodge trip?”

He frowns and his brow furrows. “I only treated you like that because I was so attracted to you, I didn’t want to show it. It wasn’t very mature, but I wasn’t sure how else to handle it. I couldn’t even talk to you without wanting to flirt with you.” He runs his fingers down a strand of my hair. “Without wanting to touch you.”

“Really?” I ask, excited. “I thought you hated me.”

He shakes his head. “Not at all.”

“That’s good to know. Now what am I going to be doing when I get back? What about Lea?”

“You’ll fill in for her, and once she gets back, I might try to reassign her. Unless you want to go back to working for Laskin?”

I immediately shake my head. “Absolutely not. But I can’t just take Lea’s job, can I?”

“I’ll get with HR and we’ll figure it out.” He leans in and presses his lips to mine. “No more work talk.”

We make out like teenagers on the couch, and after a few minutes, he says, “Do you want me to go?”

I shake my head. “No.”

He stands and picks me up, carrying me to my room where we spend the night in each other’s arms and hardly sleep at all.