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“Yes, I have a ten a.m. flight direct to O’Hare, which will be mobbed considering it’s Christmas Eve.”
“Good luck with that.” Lacey laughed but winced internally. O’Hare was jammed on a good day—toss in a holiday and it wastwenty times worse.
“Gee, thanks.”
“Is your Christmas shopping done?” she asked. Remembering the way he picked out toys for the kids from the orphanage made her smile widen.
“You’ll be happy to know that all of the gifts for my family have arrived at my home, fully wrapped and tagged.”
“Wow, impressive. Do you have elves at your beck and call?”
“Yes, doesn’t everyone?” Drew winked. “I bought everything online and then had a personal shopper wrap and tag everything for me before delivering them.”
Lacey’s brows furrowed. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a personal shopper? Aren’t they supposed to pick things out?”
“Yeah, but I like doing it.” He rolled to his side, giving Lacey an even better view of his body. The waistband of his white basketball shorts rested inches below his belly button. “I wish I could touch you.”
“Me too. I miss you so much. Even more now.”
“Soon, Lacey. I promise you.”
She reached to the side to get her wineglass. It wasn’t until Drew groaned that she realized the bubbles had shifted, exposing one of her breasts. To her surprise and Drew’s, she didn’t attempt to cover herself. Instead, she sat upright, bringing her knees closer to her chest.
The comfort level she had with him was unrivaled, and even though she had always been a bit brazen with him, this was different. Drew brought out a side of her that no one else ever had. It was a side that she welcomed and one that she hoped would never go away.
Drew and Lacey chatted until her bathwater cooled enough for her skin to pebble with goose bumps. “I should let you go; you look cold. You know if I was there, I’d be warming you up.”
Lacey nodded. “I know.”
“Soon, Lacey. Love you, good night.”
“Sweet dreams, Drew.”
She stared at her screen until his face disappeared and her home screen icons were back in view. Setting her phone down, she climbed out of the water, wrapped herself in her Spero robe, and finished her glass of wine before getting into bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, sleep took her. There was no doubt about who’d be in her dreams.
Lacey’s boots left a trail of footprints in the snow covering the cemetery ground. She stared at her last name on the gray tombstone before placing the poinsettia plant in front of it. Her fingers grazed the engraved letters. “Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad.” A lump grew in her throat and tears freely fell from her eyes. “I miss you both so much. There’s so much I wish I could talk to you about.”
She set down a folded blanket and sat on it. “Everything is fine here. I’m hoping to get a big promotion soon. Feel free to tell thebig guyI could use all the help I can get.” She let out a choked laugh. “But I really wanted to tell you that I met someone.” Lacey wiped away the tears on her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand. “I think you both would like him… no, I know you would. He’s kind, sweet, smart, and makes me happy. He’s so considerate—something you’d love, Dad.”
Lacey reached into her bag and pulled out a framed picture. She turned it toward the stone. “This is him… us.” Lacey turned the frame around, staring down at the man who’d stolen her heart. She dragged her finger across the glass, outlining Drew’s face. “I wish you were here to meet him…” She let her voice trail off. “There’s so much I wish you were here for… so much I want to tell you.”
White snowflakes the size of quarters began to drift down, landing on Lacey’s eyelashes. Blinking them away, she looked up to the overcast sky. “Is that your way of telling me you can hear me?” Lacey wrapped her arms around her bent legs and leaned her chin on her knees, letting the winter air give her comfort on a day she knew would never be the same.
Chapter 18
Like every other holiday, Drew’s entire family converged at his parents’ home in Oak Park, a quaint Chicago suburb. Sounds of joy and laughter filled the air; his nephew’s and nieces’ excitement bubbled over when they saw the plethora of perfectly wrapped gifts surrounding the base of the fifteen-foot, immaculately decorated tree in the corner of the living room. Drew couldn’t help but laugh as they shook their presents, doing their best to decipher what might be inside the different boxes—something he used to do as a kid.
His niece Victoria jumped into his arms as soon as she saw him. Catching her midair he chuckled, “Hey, squirt. Merry Christmas.”
Her little arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing him as tightly as she could. “Hi, Uncle Drew!” She craned her head back. “Your skin is so brown.”
Another chuckle escaped him as he kissed her cheek. “I was on vacation, remember?” Victoria nodded before squirming out of his arms. Drew set her down, fixing her red-and-white ruffled dress before she ran off to study the gifts.
Victoria’s father, Mark, was next to approach him. “Hey, bro. Good to see you.” They hugged and watched his daughter sift through the gifts, looking for her name. “Sweetie,” Mark called out. “We need to wait until Grandma gives us the go-ahead.” She pouted and then scampered away, no doubt in search of her grandmother.
“It’s good to see you too. I swear these kids grew since I last saw them.”
Mark nodded. “Don’t remind me. Today Victoria asked Monica if she could wear lipstick.” Drew chuckled. “Sure, laugh it up. My poor wife almost started crying. One day, you’ll understand.”
