I unwrapped the red paper covered in tiny snowmen. When I pulled the lid off the box, there were a pair of brown chaps inside, with darker brown stitching down the sides. I raised a brow as I pulled them out.
“I guess you’ll be wearing these in thirty minutes, as well,” she said over her laughter. “Although, I sort of imagined us riding down to the beach just before sunset, and you wearing nothing but these chaps. You know, it’ll give me really easy access.”
Now it was my turn to bark out a laugh. “I’ll tell you what, Miney. I’ll wear these chaps and nothing else, and you wear that long floral skirt you love and your cowboy hat and nothing else, and we’ll ride as fast as we can down to the beach.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, thanks for giving me a skirt in this fantasy.”
“I don’t want you getting that sweet pussy all irritated by riding bare. But I’ll have that skirt up and over your head the minute I lift you off that horse and you mount this one.” I waggled my brows.
“God, you have a filthy mouth, Chewy.”
“You love it, don’t you?” I tugged her close. “Knowing all the things that I want to do to you.”
“I don’t mind it.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as a wide grin spread across her face. I kissed her hard before pulling away. We spent the next ten minutes giving one another a few more presents. She’d gotten me a nice black sweater along with a pair of jeans and a baseball cap. She also got me socks that had her face all over them and my favorite candy. I gave her the cream cashmere sweater my sisters had recommended and a few design books that I’d seen her looking at.
“All right. Last one.” I reached for the small package in front of the tree, the one we’d gotten from Mr. Clark’s store.
“I’ve been dying to know what’s in here.” She smiled as she studied the box.
“Open it.”
She pulled the bow off and lifted the lid of the box. It was a gold charm bracelet that I’d been working on with Mr. Clark for a while now. Since she’d come back to Cottonwood Cove, actually.
She studied each of the charms. One was a heart that said Chewy on it, there was a Harry Potter book charm, a circular charm covered in citrine stones with the word Miney engraved inside. There was a gold horse charm and one of the sun, and it was engraved with the words, Before the sunset, as that had always been our favorite time together.
“Chewy,” she whispered as she studied each charm, taking her time with them. “Before the sunset. This is my favorite.”
I laughed as she continued gasping over each one. “Ahhh… it’s perfect. You really are the most thoughtful guy I’ve ever known. And I like that nobody knows it but me.”
“That’s because I’m not very thoughtful to anyone else but you and my mama, of course.”
“You always were a mama’s boy, weren’t you?” She held the bracelet against her wrist for me to clasp as she continued studying it.
“Yeah? And what am I now?”
“Well, you’re a Christmas miracle, Finn Reynolds. And, at least for today, you’re all mine.”
I pushed to my feet and scooped her up, running down the hall with her and dropping her onto the bed.
“We’ve got to be at your parents’ house soon, right? Gracie gets up early.”
Her tongue swiped along her bottom lip, and I nearly came undone at the sight of her. “Yeah, but we’ve got a little time. Merry Christmas, Miney. Thanks for making this the best one yet.”
She smiled, her eyes watering with emotion, as my mouth crashed into hers.
Because Reese Murphy was the best Christmas gift I’d ever received.
Christmas morning at my parents’ house was pure chaos, and I wouldn’t change a thing. We were heading to Reese’s parents’ house for presents and an early dinner later today, but we’d all always been here to watch Gracie open her gifts in the morning. She and Cage always spent Christmas Eve night at my parents’ house because my mom had a lot of traditions that she liked to do with her granddaughter that Cage would never be able to pull off.
“Yeah. Mom actually sprinkles reindeer shit out in the snow,” Cage said as he glanced over to see his daughter in the kitchen, helping our mom put the muffins into a basket.
“It’s not reindeer shit, you dick banana. It’s reindeer food,” Hugh said, over his laughter.
“So reindeer eat glitter?” Maddox asked.
“They definitely don’t eat glitter. They’re animals, not paper cutouts,” Lincoln said, shaking his head with a goofy smile on his face.
“It’s just something fun for kids. She did it for all of you, and she’s doing it for our granddaughter.” Dad walked in on the conversation, carrying a large platter of waffles and pancakes.
“Well, if we’re supposed to think they eat glitter, then one would imagine that they shit glitter, right? That’s how the body works. If you eat it, you’ll shit it out.” Cage pressed his tongue against his cheek as if he’d just told us something that we didn’t know.
“Really, genius?” I said as I shook my head. “I had no idea that’s how it worked. You must be a doctor.”
“My daddy is a doctor,” Gracie said as she came around the corner and held her arms out for me to scoop her up. “That’s why we’re getting to babysit Maxine. Because she has ‘ziety, right, Daddy?”
We all turned to gape at Cage.
Brinkley sauntered over, moving next to Lincoln with a wicked smile on her face. “I heard. Your daddy is now offering babysitting services to local pigs with anxiety. Who knew you were such a tender-hearted guy?”
He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest before glancing at his daughter. “Martha Langley asked me to watch Maxine while I was standing at Cottonwood Café with Gracie. She knew I’d have to say yes. And now she’s claiming that the pig can’t be with anyone aside from her, Joe, or me. So now, every time they travel, I have to house this beast.”
The room erupted in laughter as we all took our seats.
“I think it’s nice that you’re helping them out. They’re a nice couple, and they love Maxine, so you’re giving them peace of mind when they travel,” our mother said as she winked at Gracie.
“That thing has mounted my leg twice. It’s not normal. I think it’s fixated on me.” He scooped some fruit onto Gracie’s plate and then his own.
“I’m definitely coming over to visit when she’s at your house. I think it’s sweet of you to watch her,” Georgia said.
The rest of the conversation was about Lincoln and the fact that everyone but me would be traveling to the Super Bowl to see him play, because I’d be gone to Tokyo by then. They were the underdogs for this game, but I’d learned a long time ago to never underestimate Lincoln Hendrix.
Everyone was talking at the same time about everything under the sun, and then Brinkley turned to me and asked the million-dollar question, which made everyone stop talking and turn their attention to us.
“So, what happens when you leave, Finny? Have you two figured that out yet?”
“Well, are you finally admitting that this isn’t a fake relationship?” My mother raised a brow, and my father barked out a laugh.
“It’s not fake,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t think it ever was.”
Reese’s eyes doubled in size, and a slow smile spread across her face. “It never did feel fake, did it?”
“I don’t think you could have given me a better Christmas gift than that,” my mother said as she beamed at us.
“So, what happens next?” Cage asked. The douchedick was putting us on the spot.
Reese waved her hands around, acting like this was no big deal, but I knew she was nervous about it. “We’re just taking it one day at a time. Finn’s whole life is about to take off. He’s leaving for Tokyo to film a major motion picture. And I’ll be here, building my business.”
Everyone was quiet again, and I cleared my throat. “None of that makes a difference. You’ll see.”
My mom’s gaze locked with mine, and she tilted her head to the side.
“I don’t know, Reese. I’m putting my money on Finn. That right there is a man determined.” Mom pointed her fork at me and smiled before popping a piece of French toast into her mouth.
And like the saying goes… Mama knows best.
twenty-six
Reese