Affection pulsed, so intense, a warm slide of comfort that fluttered through the room.
Juni nudged at the present that was still on my lap. “Well, are you gonna open it? You has to hurry because it’s almost time for Santa to come, so we need to wrap this up before he skips right over.”
I ran my finger under the wrapping paper, freed the tape, and opened the box. Emotion tugged at the edge of my mouth when I took out the hand-drawn picture.
It simply saidBest Friendsin crude handwriting with a bunch of hearts around it.
Juni climbed up closer, resting her hand on my shoulder so she could peer around at what she’d drawn. “Do you like it? I figures if Uncle Logan isn’t your best friend in the whole wide world, you need one, so I think it should be me.”
I pulled her to me, held her against my chest.
“I would love that,” I told her.
She wiggled all around, hugging me tight before she scooted back and shot an unsympathetic look at Logan. “If you snooze you lose.”
I cracked up.
Logan wrapped his arms fully around me, his face pressed into my hair as his chest jostled with his laugh. “Guess the girl really does love to bust my balls.”
Salem shook her head, fighting amusement. “As I said before, don’t listen to a thing your uncle Logan says, Juni.”
“But he’s gotta tell the truth, too, Auntie Salem.” Gage blinked at her.
Love billowed, rolled and streamed from each person in the room.
And I knew…I knew…this was right where I belonged.
* * *
Three hours later, we banged into the apartment.
I didn’t know what it was, but something had overcome us tonight.
Joy.
Excitement.
It was like freedom had sat under that tree and, with each gift that had been opened, it had become ours.
Logan’s hands were all over me. Sliding around my waist and running over my ass before they were gliding back up my spine and he was taking my hair in a dominating fist.
He jerked me against him, kissing me as if his life depended on it. As if he would find the next beat of his heart within me.
I kissed him back because it was true. He was the blood in my veins. The air in my lungs. The hope in my soul.
He spun me, twisting me out of my jacket and dropping it to the floor as he edged me across the room.
I felt frantic.
Wild.
Giddy.
A giggle got free.
He swallowed it up.
“I love you, Aster Rose.” It was a rumble at my mouth.