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"Good night, Dom."
"Good night. Text me when you're upstairs."
"You think I might get lost on the way?"
"Just text me, Reese."
"Okay." Then she leaned over closer to me. For a brief second, I thought she wanted me to kiss her, but then she put her lips on my cheek before quickly pulling back. "Thank you for tonight."
I watched her walk inside and waited for a few minutes until I finally got a text.
Reese: I'm up in my apartment still pinching myself, wondering if this evening was real or not. I'm tempted to ask you to come up and prove it was.
I groaned.
Dom: I'm of two minds to come bang on your door anyway.
Reese: You're still here?
Dom: Told you I was waiting for your message. I'm leaving now.
Then I turned on the engine and drove off right away. I needed to put some distance between us, or I was going to do something reckless.
Chapter Twelve
Reese
One of the things I loved most about having such a huge family was that there were plenty of kids to buy presents for. It was truly one of my biggest joys in life. I had a system too: I looked at various blogs and influencers for age-appropriate toys, and then I made lists upon lists on Amazon so I wouldn't forget them. I tried to buy from local sellers, but sometimes I had to order direct from Amazon itself. I had all the packages delivered to my office.
There was always someone either on the floor or downstairs in the reception area, and they didn’t mind bringing my packages to me. In the beginning, I'd shipped them to my house, but then the delivery guy would start asking other people in the building to take the packages. He wouldn’t leave them with the doorman. I didn't want to annoy my neighbors with all the stuff I’d order. But now my office looked like Santa's workshop, and I had at least eleven or so more gifts on the way. Someone with a sense humor—probably my favorite assistant, Larissa—had put the boxes in the shape of a Christmas tree.
I glanced out of my office. "Larissa, can you come in here quickly?"
When she appeared in my doorway, she gave me a shit-eating grin. Yeah, I was right on the money.
"Is this your work of art?" I asked.
"Of course. Who else would do it?"
"No one." She and I were two peas in a pod. "Did I really order that much?"
"Yes, boss, you did. Might I remind you that Travis said they really don't need so many gifts? I believe your cousin Tate said the same thing."
"Shush, you. Don't ruin my mojo."
I might have a little shopping addiction, but my cousins and I had worked out a system—I wouldn't give the kids all the presents at once. However, that didn't mean I couldn't order them at the same time. Besides, I’d also purchased gifts for the adults. I paid attention whenever someone said they wanted something. We could all buy everything we needed, of course, but it was nice to receive a gift you really wanted.
"Are you going to open the boxes and wrap up the gifts?" Larissa asked.
"No, not right now," I said. "I have a lot of things to do. Thanks for brightening up my day, Larissa."
She smiled warmly. "You're welcome, boss. I knew you'd appreciate it."
"I do."
I was grinning from ear to ear as I sat behind my desk. I had plenty of time to wrap everything nicely before Christmas.
Based on my to-do list, I had my work cut out for me today. I always liked to prepare a list the day before so I was ready to hit the ground running in the morning. I glanced through my inbox, just to make sure there wasn't anything pressing that should take precedence. Then I opened my email. I also checked my phone and saw a new message from an unknown number. If my shopping habits were any indication, it was probably a reminder from one of my million favorite stores advising me that they were having a sale.
