Total pages in book: 198
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” he murmured, smoothing his hand from the crown of my head down my back to settle right at the small of it. His chest filled with air, and then he released it. It was a content sigh.
And I loved that too.
“I’m going to my room. What time are we leaving tomorrow?” Amos asked.
He was referring to his aunt’s house. “We’re leaving at eight. If you want breakfast before we go, get up early enough, Am.”
He wasn’t going to, and I was pretty sure we were both well aware of it, but Rhodes wouldn’t be a dad if he didn’t remind him anyway.
The teenager huffed. “Okay. ’Night.”
“’Night,” Rhodes and I both replied, and I took that as my moment to pull back a little. Just a little. Tilting my head up, I smiled at the bristly face aimed down at me.
“Thank you for letting me spend Christmas with you two.”
His hand did that thing again where it cupped the back of my head and went down my spine, except that time, I think it might have gone a little lower, a little closer to my butt.
I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind at all.
“I know you wanted to see your aunt and uncle, but I’m glad you’re here. Real glad,” Rhodes admitted in that tough, quiet voice. His eyes were on mine, intense and hooded, as he said, “I’ve got your Christmas present upstairs. Come with me.”
Upstairs, huh? The tingling was back . . . just not exclusively in my chest anymore. Was this happening?
I wouldn’t know unless I went with him.
I nodded and followed, watching him flip off the lights downstairs as we passed them. They hadn’t put up a tree, and Am and I had trudged back to the garage apartment to grab the tiny one I’d bought and decorated with dollar-store ornaments, and we’d propped it up on top of some books beside the TV. The lights were battery-operated, and neither of us bothered turning them off.
Rhodes kept holding my hand as we got into his room, but it was me who kicked the door shut behind us. He glanced at me with surprise, and I smiled at him.
“Sit. Please,” he said after a second, before ducking into his closet.
I took a seat on the edge of the bed, tucking my hands between my thighs as he rooted around and produced two boxes. He’d wrapped them in brown paper, all nice and neat just like his ironing. He held out the smallest one first, stopping to kneel directly in front of me with the other box in hand.
“Here,” he said.
I smiled at him and slowly tore the paper, pulling out the gift inside and noticing the name printed on the top. My mouth formed an O.
“Since you won’t buy your own,” he explained as I opened the box, moved the tissue paper aside, and pulled out the tall slip-on boots with fleece-like lining around the tops. “Now your toes won’t be freezing every time you leave the house.”
I hugged the boot to my chest. “I love them. Thank you.”
“Make sure they fit,” he said, already reaching down for my foot and lifting it up. I didn’t say a word as I handed him the shoe and watched as he slipped it on me, giving it a couple jiggles to get it over my heel.
His irises flicked up. “Good?”
I nodded, my heartbeat starting to pound away in my throat, and he did the other one. I scrunched up my toes to make sure they had the perfect amount of room, even though I was having a hard time paying attention to anything other than him kneeling on the ground in front of me, putting my boots on for me. “Perfect fit. Thank you so much. I love them,” I breathed, giving him another smile.
He reached to the side and handed me the second box.
“You really didn’t have to,” I told him, already opening it.
“I only got you things you need,” he explained.
I smiled at him as I finished ripping the paper off and then the tape holding the box closed and opened it to find something tangerine-colored inside. It was a down jacket. I recognized the brand as one of the most expensive ones we carried at the shop.
“It’s winter here a third of the year, and you’re always shivering when you come rushing in since that jacket of yours is too thin,” he said quietly. “We can return it if you’d rather get something else.”
I set the jacket aside.
And I threw myself at him.
Literally.
My arms went around his neck so fast he didn’t have time to brace, but somehow managed to, my cheek to his, my legs straddling his hips from where he’d been kneeling. And I hugged him. I hugged him just as tight as he’d hugged me after opening his frames.