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Her mate frowned. “Shit, Ang, I know it’s not the greatest, but I thought you’d at least figure out what I tried to make.”
She looked at it again. She already could tell it was handmade—but never in a million years would she have expected her to mate to have been responsible for it. At the construction site where we worked, he was a foreman. The wolf in charge. He never actually built things.
“You made this?”
A nod. “Colt sent me the blueprints, helped me figure out the measurements, offered up his tools, but I did it all myself. It probably would’ve come out better with his help… still, I tried.”
“It’s amazing, Mad. I mean that. I just… you made a sled for me?”
“Well, yeah. I know you’re still working on the whole riding in my truck thing, and I don’t want to push you, so I thought this might be something we could do together instead. Not in the city, obviously, that’s what your bike is for, but when we’re on pack land. The mountains can be damn snowy. The sled will make it easier for you to get around, and we can spend more time together. Especially now… I think we both known it’s gonna be fucking impossible for me to leave your side.”
Maddox threw a pointed look her way, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight as his gaze locked on her belly.
Sarah had warned her as much. If you thought a bonded shifter guarding his mate was bad, she said, you’d never seen a bonded shifter guarding his mate and their pup.
There was one thing she didn’t understand, though.
“I love it, babe. I do. I can’t believe you actually made that for us… but isn’t it kinda small?” It could easily fit two humans, sure, but a shifter and his mate? Maddox would have to squeeze. “How will be both use it together?”
“Haven’t you figured it out?”
She shook her head.
“Look.”
Maddox swooped down, picking something out of the snow. It looked like a rope of steel chains—definitely not silver—that were connected with a long, narrow bar. The links jangled as he gave them a shake, knocking the accumulated snow from the metal. Each end of the chain was attached to the base of the sled.
And Evangeline realized what she was looking at.
“A harness,” she breathed out. Puffs of smoke came out with the words as she shivered.
Maddox noticed. “That’s right. The sled’s for you, the harness for my wolf. It’s big enough, strong enough to take you on a ride with us. More, it’s dying to get to spend some time with you. Not now, though,” he added, guessing correctly that Evangeline was about to offer to take that first sled ride. “Now we should go inside. It’s chilly, it’s late, and it’s my turn to open some presents.”
“I am pretty cold,” she admitted. A teasing smile curved her lips. “If I go inside with you, will you warm me up?”
“I think that can be arranged. After presents, of course.”
Evangeline laughed. The high, clear sound echoed through the dark, snowy night.
Maddox dropped the harness, then bounded forward, scooping Evangeline up in his arms. Her squeal of surprise mixed with delight echoed even further. And this time? Maddox’s rough bark of laughter joined in.
The mountains were full of the sound even after he carried her back inside, closing the door with a gentle slam.
Before he could bring her back to the front room with the tree and the intricately wrapped presents she had for her mate, plus the pile of ribbon and paper from her own, Evangeline tapped Maddox on the shoulder.
He angled his head, looking down at her with all the love she felt for him reflecting in his golden wolf’s eyes.
“Yeah, Ang?”
She pointed at the ceiling—and at the sprig of mistletoe he had awkwardly attempted to avoid all those days ago.
Another contented rumble started deep in his chest. Evangeline had just enough time to tilt her head back invitingly before he bowed his over hers, claiming her mouth with an enthusiasm and a passion that had her throwing both of her arms around his ruined neck and holding on for dear life.
It wasn’t until he broke the kiss that Evangeline realized she needed to hang on tighter. Maddox was booking it through the cabin—only he wasn’t heading toward the front room.
As he purposely brought them back upstairs, she reached up, tugging the fluffy cotton ball bouncing over his shoulder. He was still wearing the Santa hat, as well as a look of hunger that promised Evangeline a night to remember.
Still, giddy and excited and so incredibly in love with this man, she couldn’t help but tease. “I thought you wanted to go open your Christmas presents.”
