His smile is welcoming. “Hey, you made it.”
“I sure did, and I come bearing gifts. There’s more in the car.”
His gaze drifts from me to my car, then back to me. “Let me throw some shoes on.” He steps inside for a few seconds, and when he returns, sneakers cover his feet.
As we approach the back door of my car, the tree box is visible through the window. His brows rise. “Should I ask?”
I chew my lip nervously. “You could. Or I could tell you and save you the trouble.”
He crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk. “Go on.”
“I brought you a Christmas tree and decorations.”
His expression is a mix of confusion and surprise, and the hint of a smile tugging at his mouth makes me feel better.
“You did?”
“Yep. A tree and ornaments. And maybe some other decorations.” I gesture helplessly toward my car. “Okay, a lot of decorations.”
He grins. “You brought me a whole Christmas setup?”
I nod. “I know it’s unexpected, but I noticed you don’t have a tree, and I thought one would be so amazing in your living room. I figured I could surprise you with something for a change.”
His grin fades, and I worry I’ve crossed a line, but then he cups my face between his palms and presses his lips to mine for a tender kiss. “I can’t believe you thought of doing this for me.”
I shrug, feeling my cheeks warm. “It’s not a big deal. Just a little festivity for the holidays.”
He shakes his head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“In a good way, I hope.”
He grins again. “Fuck yes. Come on, let’s get all this stuff inside before we freeze.”
Relief floods through me. Together, we carry all the items in. He takes the box himself and then makes one more trip to get the remaining bags.
We kick off our shoes, and I remove my jacket, hanging it on a hook.
“Where should the tree go?” he asks.
I glance around and then point to the corner near the front window. “There is perfect.”
He opens the box, removes the three sections, and looks up at me with wide eyes. “This thing is prelit. You’re the best.”
“I figured we dealt with enough lights when we decorated the outside of my house.”
“Good point,” he says, placing the bottom section into the tree stand, then tightening the screws. “I love how you got colored lights too.”
“I know you like them.”
“It’s the child in me.” He laughs, snapping the other parts into place before plugging the electrical cords into the appropriate sockets. When he’s done, I hurry over to help him spread out and arrange the branches to cover all the gaps. Between the two of us, it doesn’t take long, and when I take a step back to look over the finished product, I’m really pleased with my choice.
“Wow. This looks like a real tree,” he says.
“I was thinking the same thing. It won’t smell as good, but you won’t need to vacuum pine needles every day.”
“The scent part I can mimic. I have a collection of pine candles my mother gave me.”
“Well, there you go,” I say.
