AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Probably. My mom might think someone got seriously hurt,” Shawn says, and he drags my pants up my legs. He buttons them and gives my hip a tap. “This was fun.”
“We should definitely do it again sometime.”
“I can be persuaded.” He kisses me, and I melt into his chest. “But I’m afraid you’re going to be mad at me.”
“What?” I pull back and stare at him. “Why?”
Before I can blink, a snowball crashes on my head, and Shawn grins.
“Because you’re out, Lacey girl.”
“But you said we were out of bounds,” I exclaim, and I scramble off his lap.
He stands too and brings his fingers to his mouth. His tongue sneaks out and licks up the mess I left on his hand. I’ve never been so angry and turned on at the same time.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he murmurs, and he brushes his mouth against mine. I can taste myself, and I hate that I grab him by his sweater and pull him closer. “All’s fair in love and war. And payback is a bitch.”
FORTY-TWO
SHAWN
“Can I open that one?”Eliza asks, and she points to a box under the tree with a red bow in the right corner. “It’s so big.”
“Sorry, princess. That one is for Parker,” I say. “But I have this one for you.”
I reach behind my back and slide a bag her way. Her eyes light up and she grabs for the present, gleeful giggles spilling out of her.
“What do you say?” Amanda says, and Eliza leans forward to kiss my nose.
“Thank you, Uncle Shawn,” she whispers, and I give her a tight hug.
“You’re welcome, kid.”
“Good planning,” Lacey says from beside me, soft enough so only I can hear. “I imagine you have to really think out everything ahead of time when it comes to kids and presents.”
“Everyone has to have the same number of gifts,” I explain, and I rest my hand on her knee. “You know how kids operate. They see things in quantities, not qualities. Eight smaller gifts are better than two nicer gifts. If they have less than the others, it’s a tantrum waiting to happen.”
“You’ve done a good job. Definitely solidified yourself as the coolest uncle.”
“I’m the only uncle.”
“Doesn’t mean there isn’t a competition,” she says. “The scooters were a big hit.”
“I thought they might be. Those kids are always on the go. I’m sure my sisters are going to be pissed about the mayhem they’re going to cause, but it’s not my problem. After this, we get to go home and sleep in silence.”
We watch the kids open the rest of their presents. Piles of toys start to stack up around the room, and you can barely see the floor. We take a break for cookies, a plate of sugar and chocolate chip treats making its way around the room.
When my mom hands me a small box, I look up in surprise.
“You already gave me something,” I say, and she smiles.
“I know I did, but this is for you and Lacey. It’s nothing big,” she explains. “But I’ve gotten one for everyone else. Now it’s your turn.”
I hand the box to the woman beside me. “You open it.”
“No way. I’ve seen how you open gifts. You’ll scream if you learn I just rip the paper in two, and I really don’t want us to have our first fight while I’m eating a delicious cookie.”
“Monster.” I peel the tape away from the paper and unfold it carefully. I wiggle the top off the box and stare at the glass ornament sitting on a small stack of tissue paper. “Mom. This is very nice of you.”
