"Yeah. I'm starting on breakfast." She cracked three eggs into the frying pan and figured he would come into the kitchen with her. When he didn't, she stuck her head into the living room. He was sitting at the couch, her letter in his hand and his head turned down as if reading it.
"Oh. That's from me." She walked toward him and chided herself. As if he was too dumb to realize the damn gift was from her. She was the only one in the house.
He stood and rolled the stone in his hand. She didn't notice the tears in his eyes until he glanced up. "I love it."
"Oh, shoot, Alex. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted you to know that you've given me my life back. Or a life really." She moved toward him and unbuttoned his jacket before sliding the snow-laced coat from his big shoulders.
"You've done the same for me." He slipped the stone into his pocket and pulled her into a warm hug. "I'll carry it everywhere. I wanted to always be reminded to believe in the impossible. That's what's happened between us. I thought I would just settle, and I see now that you thought you would too. But we don't have to."
"No. We don't. I hope it's enough. It's not much." Jamie adverted her eyes as she questioned the value of the gift.
He pulled her against him tightly and pressed his cold lips to her, showing her that it wasn't about the amount of money
spent. He kissed her long and deep, exploring her mouth as if getting to do it for the first time.
She slipped her warm hands under his sweater and rubbed the thick muscles of his back, reveling in how good his skin felt against her hands.
"Oh, fuck." She jerked back as the smell of burnt eggs caught her attention. She raced to the kitchen and pulled the black mass from the stove, running it toward the back door.
"Jamie," he called after her as he followed her, but she didn't stop until she was standing on the patio.
A little furry brown puppy turned from where he was tied to the porch, and looked up at her before tilting his little head to the side.
She set the pan on the ground at the edge of the patio, away from the little guy, and let out a soft sound of adoration.
"So freakin’ cute! Alex! Come check this out!" She sank to her knees and picked up the fur-ball, snuggling him against her chest. "Oh, I love him. Whose do you think he is?"
Alex wrapped his strong arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her face. "Yours. Merry Christmas."
"What?" She turned in his arms as tears blurred her gaze. "Are you kidding me? I've wanted a dog for years."
"Really? I kinda always wanted one too. Just never figured I was home enough to take care of one. Then I figured we could manage between the two of us. So I spent the past two months trying to find the right one. He was a stray at the pound, and they called this morning. I was on a wait list."
"So are we just foster caring for him?" Her smile drooped as the little pup started to lick her chin and neck. "I can't do that, Alex. I'll fall in love." She glanced down as tears rolled over her cheeks. "I already have."
"Baby." He wrapped her up tightly against him, pressing his lips to the top of her head and breathing in deeply. “He's not just here for Christmas. He's here for good. He's yours for the rest of your life... If you'll have him."
Something about his words hit her deep inside her chest. "I want him forever."
"Good. Something tells me that once you picked him up and pulled him close to you, that you'd have no choice. He wasn't going anywhere anyways." He smiled and touched her chin, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. "Best Christmas ever."
"Agreed, now you take Jake, and I'll go try again on these eggs." She handed off the little bundle.
Alex moved down to untangle the puppy’s leash. "Jake? You've named him already?"
"I'm efficient if nothing else." She brushed her hair down the back of her head and left him to deal with the dog. The smile on her face was nothing compared to the warmth that pumped through her. Getting a dog together was like another step in their relationship. It would help them see how well they would do as parents if that was ever to be the case.
***
Jamie finished loading the dishwasher after breakfast and walked to the living room, wanting to join Alex on the couch. Jake was snuggled up on the floor beside him, making small mewling noises as his little legs moved back and forth.
"What do you think he's chasing?" Jamie asked, sitting down next to the handsome man who'd stolen her heart more times than she could count.
"Probably a hot girl. Good thing I've got the hottest one in the world." He turned and wrapped his arms around her before pressing a hot kiss to the side of her neck. "What time is it? I want to see what's under this shirt."
"You've already seen it. All night last night." She pushed at him playfully before crawling into his lap. “Mark’ll be here soon.” She straddled him, loving the way she fit against him so well. His long- sleeved t-shirt and jeans left him looking comfortable, and yet still so GQ. The man was beyond fine. Nothing was going to diminish that.
"And I want to see it again." He slid his hands up her thighs and over her naked hip, up to her breasts. He squeezed softly as his eyes moved up to lock onto hers. "Hell, woman! You turn me on. I could get hard just watching you make scrambled eggs. What the hell, Jamie? You’ve turned me into a horny CEO."