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But when I get to the living room, he’s not there. He pokes his head around the corner from the hall. “Your big gift is outside.”
Okay, now I’m intrigued.
I follow him, or rather, allow him to drag me by the hand, outside onto the back deck. He brings me down to our little yard area, then stops, grinning at a pile of stuff on the ground.
“Tada! Merry Christmas,” he says while bouncing around animatedly.
“Thanks, baby…” I hum, cocking my head. “What, uh… is it?”
He jaunts over to the pile. “It’s everything we’ll need to start our own garden. Or rather, your garden.”
He beams at me, and I’m speechless. I’m just blinking at his beautiful, cheerful face, my heart swelling up behind my ribs.
He’s giving me a garden…?
“See, all of this wood we’ll use to build the fence. There’s chicken wire, and rope, and everything you need.” He smiles at me. “I know you miss being able to grow things… And now you can. You can grow whatever you want here. Well, whatever the weather will permit. But, spoiler alert, I also got you some stuff for indoor growing in the den. It’s not like we use it anyway.”
“Baby…” My head shakes back and forth as I stomp over to him, taking his face in my hands. “This is such an incredible gift. Thank you so much.”
“And the best part is that we get to do it together.” He grins. “We’ve got nothing but time, and I figured this would be a fun thing for us to do. As partners. Or fiancés. Or husbands.” He bites his lip, and I laugh.
“Well… to be fair, you might not have as much free time on your hands as you think…” My fingers trail his jaw, and his forehead lines. I show him a wicked smirk, nodding toward the house. “Come here, baby. Let me give you your gift.”
He looks nervously excited, just like he did last night when I was about to propose, and I swear, it’s the best possible look on him. Taking him by the hand, I drag him back into the house, to the living room.
Picking up a flat box wrapped in snowman paper, I hand it to him, unable to stop from fidgeting in place. He rips it open like a wild animal, confusion gracing his features when he finds the documents and a set of keys.
“What is this…?” he asks, looking everything over, his eyes bugging out of his head.
“Congratulations, Jess,” I whisper. “You’re the new owner of your very own shop down on Main Street.”
He’s stunned speechless for a few seconds, before he mutters, “Do you mean that empty space where the coffee shop used to be?” His eyes spring up to mine.
I nod. “Yup. It belongs to you.”
“Oh my God…” He gasps, his face immediately morphing into one of mesmerized elation. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you did this!”
He tosses the box onto the couch and attacks me, leaping up into my arms. I catch him by the butt, hugging onto him tightly while he kisses my lips over and over.
“I get to open my own restaurant,” he whimpers, emotions clearly bubbling over. I can’t help but feel them too. Making him this happy is like taking a unicorn ride over a rainbow. “Holy crap, it’s really happening. I get to open my own place! Design my own menu, choose ingredients… I get to cook for a living!”
He squeals, and I laugh, running my fingers up and down his back. “Yea, you do, baby. You get to run the show.”
He pulls back to blink up at me. “Are you sure I can do it…?”
“Is that a serious question?” I ask, my lips curving.
He squeals again. “Who am I kidding? Of course, I can do it! This is my dream!”
“Yea, it is, baby,” I chuckle, kissing his bottom lip.
“And you made it happen…” He sighs with hearts in his eyes. For me. “James… I just…” He shakes his head. “Between the proposal and now this… You’re rocking my world this Christmas, baby.” He kisses my smile. “I can’t believe you did this for me…”
“It’s not just for you, baby,” I tell him, thumbs drawing circles on his jaw. “It’s for us. This is our future. Getting married, starting a business… Starting a life. It’s all I want… With you, Jess.”
“I can’t wait to build a life with you,” he whispers on my mouth.
Our kisses slow down. And we feel it; the excitement of so many wonderful new things happening in our world.
I think him giving me a garden is fitting… Because of everything we’ll be growing together. A business, a marriage. A relationship that means something, not just a hidden affair.
With this man in my arms, I’ll want for nothing else.
He’s it. The gift of a lifetime.
