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“Of course,” he said as he turned toward me. Gently, he brushed my hair behind my ear. “Could we spend Christmas Eve together, then?”
“What do you usually do for the holidays?” He ran his hand down my arm until he got to my hand and laced our fingers together.
“Nothing.” He shrugged slightly and turned away from me. “Haven’t celebrated since…” His eyes turned skyward as he thought. “It’s been a long time.” My heart ached for him. Even though he was trying to pretend it didn’t bother him, his face held a sadness I’d never seen before.
I rested my head on his shoulder, and he pressed a lingering kiss to the top of it. “I’d love to.” He let go of my hand and slipped his arm around my waist.
We stared at the giant tree for a long, silent moment. I huffed out a laugh and he looked down at me.
“Are we really getting this one?” I asked, lifting my eyes to his.
“You deserve the biggest and best tree in the lot.” He said it with a teasing smile, but his words still made my heart swell. He had no idea what that meant. Even if it was just a stupid tree, he thought I deserved something more than scraps. Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and I blinked them away.
He gave me a gentle squeeze before letting go and walking away. His shoulders were thrown back, looking so fucking confident in that stupid sweater. When he heard my laughter, he looked at me over his shoulder and winked, sending warmth through my entire body.
I didn’t know what I’d done to get a man like him, but I wouldn’t fight it anymore. He wanted me, and that had to be enough.
* * *
“I told you this thing was too big,” I grumbled as I gripped the tree trunk.
“It just needs a little trim.” He climbed the ladder, and my stomach twisted with every step. “If I just take a few inches off the top, maybe a little off the bottom, it should be fine.”
“If you cut the top, it’ll look weird.” He glanced down at me, and I shrugged. “It won’t be pointy.”
“You won’t be able to tell.” He looked back at the tree and gripped it tightly. “It’ll have a star on top.”
“Oh, you’re a star person?” I asked, and he paused to look down at me again.
“A star person?”
“Yeah, you know,” I said. “Some people put stars on top of their trees. Others put up angels. Some put Santa up there…” I shrugged as I trailed off, feeling ridiculous.
“I’ve never thought about it,” he said. “Which person are you?” I shrugged again.
“A star is fine.” He lifted his brow and gave me that look–the one that melted me.
“Danica,” he growled, a warning in his tone.
“I like angels,” I mumbled. “They’re pretty.” He gave a hard nod, then turned back to the tree. I winced as he sawed through the wood.
“We can go buy decorations later,” he said, his concentration still on the tree. “Whatever you want.”
“We don’t need to buy new decorations,” I grumbled. He either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore me.
“I want you to pick everything.” I chewed on my cheek. I couldn’t afford to buy Christmas decorations for his house. Even if I’d be here for Christmas Eve, it didn’t mean this was my house and I couldn’t just…decorate it.
I held the bottom of the tree as he finished sawing off the top. He climbed off the ladder and stared up at his handiwork.
“There,” he said, sounding proud, “it’s still pointy.” I stared up at the butchered tree.
“That poor tree,” I sighed. “I guess it’ll work.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking unsure for the first time.
“Is it that bad?” he asked quietly, and I shrugged again.
“It’s fine.” My voice rose, and he dropped his head back and groaned. “No, no. Really. It’s fine.” I bit my bottom lip, trying to hide my laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand up. He looked so unlike himself–so unpolished. I couldn’t hold it back. I laughed until tears leaked from my eyes.
“You’re such a brat.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. “There’s a reason I work in the office, not in the field.” I laughed again, and when I wiped my eyes and looked up at him, he was smiling, his face soft, softer than I’d ever seen anyone’s before.
