“Oh yeah, totally a present gnome right here,” she said, laughing and standing up with the present. “What is it?”
“Not telling you. The whole point of presents is the surprise.”
Audrey waved a hand at him, shaking her head as she put the present back down and took a quick inventory of how many presents she had.
Twelve.
With a grin, she stood and put her hands on her hips. It was the first Christmas she had a boyfriend, and also the first time someone other than her family had bought her gifts. Usually she bought herself stuff, so Christmas morning wouldn’t be boring and lonely. It was sad, but it used to make her happy. She smiled, locking eyes with the man who made her see what true happiness was.
He was her happiness.
Things had been so great since Tate opened up about his family. He seemed less guarded in general, and talked more freely about his family. She had learned so much about them, it left her feeling she’d learned more about Tate too. Robert Odder had been the best doll maker in Sweden; his dolls were detailed and beautiful. He also had an extreme love of hockey. He was the reason Tate played. Julie Odder was a homemaker. She won prizes for her candies and cakes. Tate had gone on for hours about her many baked goods, and Audrey had actually looked up one of the recipes. She planned to make it for him Christmas morning.
Even though learning about his parents was great, learning about Matilda was amazing. She was such a beautiful, smart girl, and Audrey could tell that Tate loved her dearly. She competed all over the area in Sweden where the family lived, and was a damn good dancer. Tate showed her a video of Matilda at one of her competitions and it blew her away. She was tall and lean, like Tate, and her movements were so fluid, so free. It was a beautiful thing to watch. She just wished she could have had the pleasure of meeting Matilda before the accident. She was sure she would have loved her, just as she loved Tate. She had fallen head over heels for him.
Audrey tiptoed to the breakfast bar, where Tate had a cup of coffee ready for her. She smiled a thanks to him and sipped from her mug as he continued to eat. Moving onto the seat beside him, she thumbed through the newspaper on the counter.
“Are you ready for tonight?”
She looked up and nodded. “Yup, got everything laid out, and I’m not going to hide the fact that I am very nervous.”
Tate rolled his eyes. “What do you have to be nervous about?”
She shrugged. “Your whole team will be there, and they are like your family.”
“They are my family.”
“Exactly, so I’m nervous.”
Tate chuckled. “Love, don’t worry about it. Everyone is really nice.”
“I’ve met some of them, and of course Lucas, and I don’t disagree.”
“So then? Why be nervous?”
Audrey nodded, even though her nerves were going crazy. “Okay.”
Tate stood up, went to the sink and dropped his bowl in it before coming back to the counter and Audrey. He wrapped his arms around her neck, kissing her temple. She let her head drop back so she could look up at him. He smiled and said, “I can’t wait to pick you up later and see how gorgeous you’ll be. Everyone at the party will be jealous of the girl I get to bring. So don’t be nervous anymore, okay? I’ll see you later?”
Audrey nodded. “Can’t wait.”
Tate smiled and placed his lips to hers upside down. When they parted, he smiled as he said, “Good-bye, babe.”
“ ’Bye,” she said as she watched him grab his bag and head out the door. He had practice, and she needed to get to work.
Finishing her coffee, she made her way upstairs to get ready. She was only working for half the day since she had hair and nail appointments, something to look forward to. After quickly dressing in an outfit of dress slacks and an off-the-shoulder black sweater, she pinned up her hair and slid into black heels before running out the door.
Her workday couldn’t end quickly enough.