AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He loves me. And I love him.
Tears run down my face.
“Are they going to be okay?” I ask the officers.
They nod. “They will be now. Turns out your brother had plans to sell all four of you. They got wind of it this morning, which is why they tried to run away. He got physical, which is why we were involved. No one seemed to know where you were or where they went.”
“I’m sorry it went down like this,” I say, reaching for Smith’s hand. But I’m grateful that they were caught. That we’re all free.”
“You certainly are, ma’am,” the officer says, taking a drink of the hot cocoa. “Now, let me finish this so we can all get back to our Christmas morning. Sound okay?”
I nod. “Yes, it does. Because I still have a present to unwrap.” I look over at Smith, eyes glittering with love.SmithWhen the cops leave and the ambulance drives away, I look at Sugar who’s standing in the doorway of my cabin, her silhouette so damn gorgeous. Her curves make my cock ache, her long hair making me wistful for the future we haven't had yet.
Damn, we've hardly had one single day, but one day is enough.
“Give me a sec,” I tell her as my throat dries and my heart pounds, knowing that what happens next will change everything.
She nods, clearing away the cups from the coffee table where the officers left them and I reluctantly leave her to head to my bedroom. There, from my dresser drawer, I pull out my mother's engagement ring. It was one of her possessions that I kept after she died. It's a glittering diamond on a golden band and I hope it fits.
I put it in my pocket and walk back to the living room, clearing my throat. Sugar is wearing a pair of leggings now and a chunky sweater that falls off her shoulder. I love the look. She looks tousled like she's just woken up from a night of mad lovemaking. I grin, figuring she has.
“Why are you smiling like that?” she asks as I step toward her.
“I was just thinking that this was a pretty damn strange Christmas morning.”
“Agreed,” she says with a shake of her head. “We can keep our French toast tradition, but I don't want any more cougars or cops on our steps on Christmas morning.”
I lift my eyebrows. “Our steps?” I ask, “and our traditions?”
She shrugs sheepishly. “Well, you did say you loved me and last night I remember you telling me you didn't want me to leave.”
“I do and I don’t.”
She licks her lips. They're so damn kissable and I can't help myself. I lean in, lingering there because it's the place I belong. “I love you, Sugar.”
“I love you too, Smith,” she says. “I'm lucky you're good at poker.”
“And I'm lucky you have a thing for lumberjacks.”
She laughs. “I thought you were a carpenter?”
“I still have to show you my workshop,” I say.
“You do. I want to know what you build.” She takes my hand in hers. “You could show me now.”
I nod, swallowing my words, wanting the moment to be just right when I pop the question that will change everything. We slip on our winter coats and she borrows my boots. The snow crunches under our feet.
“It's so beautiful up here in the mountains,” she says. “I can't believe my brother even got up here with his motorcycle.”
We look in the distance where the three bikes sit. The police officers said they would come later on to get them. We said there was no rush. We hoped everyone could enjoy their Christmas to the best of their abilities and rounding up these motorcycles didn’t need to be a priority.
“I'm glad they were caught. Hopefully, those girls can have a future.”
Sugar nods, her fingers laced with mine as we walk to my workshop. “I don't really know Josalin, Trudy, or Sarai,” she says. “They’ve only been around a month or so and I never got close to them. I've never been really a girl's girl.”
“Why is that?” I ask.
“I've always been a loner. You know? I was on my own so much growing up with just my brother. And he didn't exactly look out for me. So it was hard to connect to other girls. I always felt so different from everyone else. What about you, Smith?”
I shrug. “Hell, I live up in the mountains all by myself. I know a thing or two about being a loner.”
Sugar nods. “Yeah, but it sounds like you had a family at some point that loved you and made you feel safe?”
“I did and I'm grateful for that. Losing my parents was rough, and I was an only child. I have some distant relatives off in the city and I see them a few times a year, usually at Thanksgiving or Easter. But the truth is, I don't need a lot of people to keep me happy. I always figured if I met my one and only at some point in my life, that would be the icing on my cake.”
