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“They are convenient,” she agrees.
“I see you picked up our mess from last night,” she says as she stands at the island and tears off the tags from the new towels she bought. “And I’m going to take these home with me tonight and wash them.”
“Damn,” I mutter. “I should have bought a washer and dryer today. I didn’t even think about it.”
“Well, we should probably run to my place and wash your bedding before you sleep on it tonight too.”
Glancing at my watch, it’s just after seven. I don’t want to run out again. I want to give my girl her presents. “How about we deal with the sheets not being washed for one night, and tomorrow we can go out and buy a new washer and dryer.”
“Are you sure you want to sleep on itchy sheets?”
“Trust me. If you’re lying next to me, I’m not going to give a fuck about the sheets.”
“Oh, I’m sleeping here tonight?” she asks, surprised.
“I was hoping you would.”
“I have no clothes, and we don’t have towels.”
“We’ll get up early and go to your place to shower, and then we’ll go shopping.”
“You realize tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the crowds are going to be insane.”
Shit. She’s right. Pulling my hat from my head, I toss it on the counter. I have to think of something. Pulling my phone out of my pocket and the card from the furniture store earlier, I dial the manager I was working with. “Kyle, hi, this is Holden Bailey. I was hoping for a favor.”
“What can I do for you, Mr. Bailey?” he asks. I can hear the eagerness in his voice.
“I need a washer and dryer. Is it possible to get that delivered tonight? It slipped my mind earlier today when I was there.” Before he can refuse, I toss in what I know will get this done. “I’ll add two tickets for you to opening day.”
“Let me see what we have in stock. Front load or top load?”
“Parker, front load or top load?” I ask.
She shrugs. “We have top. The front seem to make clothes smell moldy.”
“Top load, and all the bells and whistles,” I relay to Kyle.
“Be right back.” He places me on hold.
“Come here.” I hold my hand out for Parker, and she steps toward me. I wrap my arms around her, and she rests her head against my chest. I don’t know why it feels so good to have this woman in my arms, but fuck, she relaxes me, and dare I say, she feels like my missing piece.
“Right, we have a dark gray set of top loaders, all the bells and whistles. We can be there within the hour.”
“Perfect. And Kyle, I’m going to need another favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I need everything it’s going to take to hook it up. I need it installed, as well as some laundry detergent and fabric softener.”
“Sure, we have all of that here. My wife says it’s too expensive” he starts to ramble.
“That’s fine. I just need it all tonight.”
“Done. How would you like to pay for this?”
I shuffle to grab my wallet out of my pocket and give him my credit card number. “I’ll see you soon,” I say, ending the call and sliding my phone and my wallet back into my pocket. “Done. We can do laundry here tonight.”
“I still don’t have any clothes,” she reminds me.
“You can borrow some of mine to go home in tomorrow. I brought some over with me today. I have sweats that will be way too big, but we can figure it out.”
“We’ll see,” she says, not committing.
“That’s not a no, sweet pea.”
She tosses her head back in laughter. “That’s not a no.”
“Come on. I have something I want to show you.” Holding my hand out for her, I wait until she links her fingers with mine, then lead her upstairs to the master bedroom.
“Is this where you tell me all the magic happens?” she teases.
“Well, there has been no magic-making as of yet, but I’m sure we’ll get there.” I wink, and her cheeks flush. Pushing open the door, I step back, allowing her to enter.
“Wow. Holden, this is beautiful.” She runs her hands over the wood of the four-poster bed.
“I was hoping you’d like it.” She moves around the bed to the nightstand and stops. I know she’s spotted her first gift, and I wait patiently for her to acknowledge it.
“When did you take this?” she asks, her voice laced with emotion. She reaches for the framed photo of her and inspects it.
“You were studying at Cup of Joe, and I remember thinking how beautiful you looked that day.”
“Holden, my hair was tied up with a pencil, I had no makeup on, and I’m wearing a ratty Blaze sweatshirt.”
“Exactly. No filter needed. Just you, Parker Monroe. I wanted to capture the moment.”
