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I rub my eyes and pull her closer to me, taking a deep breath as I breathe in her sugary scent. I could be forgiven for thinking last night was a dream, but I'm glad as hell it wasn’t. Seeing her asleep beside me causes a golden warmth to spread through my body, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. It's like a weight of darkness has been lifted from my being. I know being in love isn’t a magical cure for all things past, but it sure as hell feels like it in this moment. I'm happier than I've ever been before.
As if she sensed me watching her sleep, her eyes flicker open, and she slowly turns toward me, her mouth forming a sleepy smile. My heart aches at the sight of her, but in a good way.
"Good morning, beautiful. Merry Christmas," I murmur as I kiss the top of her head.
"Mmmm…Merry Christmas, handsome," she yawns. "What time is it?"
“Just after seven.”
Her eyes go wide. "Oh, noooo! My parents! They’re probably freaking out! Last they saw, I went into my room to go to bed. Now I’m gone, and the window is wide open. Oh shit." She jumps out of bed, then rushes for the door. “Wait. Where are my clothes?” She does a frantic search of the room, finding first her nightgown, but struggling to find her panties.
"After these?" I find them right beside the bed and hold up the white cotton with tiny printed Santas all over them.Funny, I didn’t even notice that last night. Too busy taking them off her to pay attention to the details.
“Thank you,” she says, snatching them from my hand and moving to pull them up her legs. I catch her about the waist and drag her back onto the bed.
“Thankyou,” I say, pressing my lips against hers before I kiss her with a passion I’ve only ever felt with her.
“Mmm. What are you thanking me for?” she asks, sprawled out on my sheets as she smiles up at me with kiss-swollen lips.
“For giving me the greatest gift of all—hope.”
"What do you hope for, Ryder?”
“I always thought I’d spend the rest of my days alone. But now, I think I’ll spend them with you.”
“You know, I thought that too—for myself. I never expected to find anyone. But now…”
“You want it all?”
“I do. What about you?”
“I do. I want everything there is with you. Love, marriage,kids.”
Her grin gets even broader as she places a hand against my chest. “I want that too,” she whispers as her fingers seem to absentmindedly rub against the smooth skin of my scars.
“Do they bother you?” I ask, catching her hand and bringing her fingers to my lips.
“Your scars?” She shakes her head. “Not at all. Do they bother you?”
“Only the memories behind them.”
“You’ll have to tell me sometime. I want to know it all, Ryder. The good, the bad, the ugly. I want to be closer to you than you are to yourself.”
“And you will be,” I say, feeling for the first time in my life like I actually want to share that part of myself with someone. “But if we don’t get you into something warmer before I send you back home, our lives probably won’t be worth living. The whole town will be out for my head.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I think you should spend some time with your parents first. I’ll come over before lunch, though. I’ll need to talk to your dad.”
“My dad?” Her eyes go wide before they narrow. “Why?”
“Why not?” I can't help but smile at her, the love of my life freaking out about me going to chat with her father. Planting a quick peck on the tip of her nose, I get out of bed and prepare some of my clothes for Bella to wear home since the snow is coming down pretty hard out there. "If we plan to marry, I kind ofhaveto ask him for your hand. And why not give them some good holiday news?"
It takes her a moment to process what I had just said. “What if he says no?”
“I’ll marry you anyway,” I say with a grin before she looks me straight in the eyes and gives a determined nod.
"I think it'll be fine since they both already like you, anyway. And all any parent wants is for their daughter to be happy. And living right next door to them…”
