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“I love you, too.”
Her words seem to hitch with emotions, and I smile so big it hurts. Like physically, my face hurts, and I still can’t relax “cause I’m just so happy. I bend down and grab her under her knees and throw her over my shoulder and spin us around.
“God, I love you, woman.”
Her laughter fills my ears, and I feel like the luckiest man in the world to make her this happy.
Chapter Thirteen
Blair
Holy swoon, batman. My heart has turned into a thousand butterflies, and they all decide to take flight at once. This is the kind of happiness I have only written about. Happily ever after’s only happen in fairytales, or so I thought, but Dalton Andrews is my prince charming with a heart of gold. The Ken to my Barbie, Jack to my Sally, Mickey to my Minnie.
“Tell me all the things, Dalton Andrews. I want to know everything about you.”
His boyish grin is almost shy.
“I like baths, over showers.” He rubs the dimple on his chin with his thumb while he thinks. “Vodka, over beer, even though I don’t normally drink much, and I definitely prefer it with milk and Kahlua.”
I laugh at his reference to our nostalgic cocktail.
“Me too. Definitely.”
“I’ve always wanted an awesome cardigan sweater like the dude in The Big Lebowski. Looks so comfortable. It also happens to be my favorite movie.
I laugh harder, loving his old man style. He’s the only one I know who wears khakis to clean toilets, but it’s quickly become just another thing I love about him. There is no one like him.
“What’s your favorite color?” I ask, finishing my delicious cheesecake dessert. It’s covered in hot fudge and walnuts with strawberries and a brownie crust. Moaning around my spoon, I open my eyes to find him staring intently at me.
He clears his throat after a few moments. “Blue. My favorite color is the blue color of your eyes. They hold this power that makes me feel both the calmness of the ocean and the excitement of the waves at the same time whenever I look into them.”
I just stare at him, choked with emotion. No one has ever said anything so sweet to me before. Dalton makes me feel treasured in a way I never knew before. I feel like the luckiest woman on earth to have met him that night. As crazy as it was, I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t been there. I would never have known how good it feels to love him.
“Let’s go home,” I say, feeling very warm even though there’s a chill in the air tonight. It’s him…he makes me hot.
With a knowing nod, he stands, kicking back the chair and offering me his hand. I happily take it, and we walk casually back to Bonnie and Clyde; the horses have waited patiently for us, and I give them grateful rubs across their heads. Tony helps open the carriage door, and Dalton covers us both under the warm blanket again as we take off toward Fitzpatrick Place. The city feels alive as it twinkles with Holiday decorations and lights. Somewhere in the park, a choir is singing Christmas carols, and I can’t help but sing along. Dalton grins down at me, and Tony starts belting out the chorus making us laugh with his off-key pitch, but he sings loud and proud for all to hear.
The ride home is just as magical, but the heat under our blanket rises as Dalton’s hand runs up and down my thigh. The anticipation is nearly killing us by the time we pull up to the complex. The lights in Sylvia’s café are off, but luckily the owner of this complex is over the top with all her decorating because all of Fitzy’s decorations light our path to the door. As I wave goodbye to Tony, Bonnie, and Clyde, I notice a flash of red across the street. A woman with red hair is standing and staring at us. I would be jealous of us too. Dalton is beyond handsome, like a real-life Superman, and no one really likes being reminded of being alone on the holidays. Especially when it comes to family. My family is as complicated as his, and where he only had his mom, I only had Poppy since we were raised by nannies, so I ignore the evil glares and remind myself I don’t have to be alone this Christmas. Poppy might come to visit, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she completely forgets it’s the holidays at all and spends it designing systems to stop world hunger and cure the deadly zombies in her current video game. My sister is busy taking over the tech world, and I could not be prouder. Her recent game is still a secret, even though it’s by far the best one on or off the market. But of course, I’m biased, and she won’t listen to me.
“Would you like to come home with me tonight, Mr. Andrews?” I say, and his response is he nervously looks around. No one is out by the pool as we quickly make our way over to our doors, but I can tell by his response that I should be more careful about his secret.
“I mean, Mr. O’ Quinn, would you join me in my bed this evening,” I whisper in my best attempt at sexy and alluring…something I’m sure doesn’t translate, but his eyes focus on me instead of scanning for enemies that might be lurking in the shadows.
“Nothing would make me happier,” he says, kissing my forehead.
Outside my front door, I grab my keys from my purse and unlock it. Once inside I toss everything on the table and turn around just in time to be engulfed by large warm arms and lips that trail down my neck. He kicks the door closed and whispers across my skin.
“I love you, baby.”
“I love you, superman.”
His hands smooth down my dress and pull at the hem. My love backs me up toward the stairs, and I know I’m about to receive the best gift of all, my Clark Kent, leading me to my bed to have his naughty nerdy way with me. Look away, Santa. This year you can give me coal; it’ll be worth it.
Chapter Fourteen
Oliver/Dalton
I close the door behind me after sneaking out to grab breakfast for Blair and me. When she wakes up, she’ll want to try and cook, but we both know it won’t be edible. It’s cute,t I don’t mind cooking or running out to grab something.
