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“Merry Christmas, Trask.” I pick Kelly up and we make it back to her bedroom.
Chapter Fifteen
Kelly
I have never slept so well as I did last night in Trask’s arms. I felt safe, and I didn’t listen for all the creaks in the house. I slept in Trask’s arms and on his chest. I listened to his heartbeat, and it lulled me to sleep.
My bed is about a foot too short for Trask, but he never said a word of complaint. I hogged the covers, and I would feel guilty about it, but this morning when I woke up, I got to see a good part of Trask’s defined pecs. Nope, nothing wrong with that view. I have never been so attracted to a man as I am Trask. He doesn’t have a soft spot on his body. His legs are muscular. His backside is so delicious that I could bite it and his abs. They make a girl want to drool and I did on his chest last night. I wiped it off this morning and I am glad I am the first one awake. I check the time on my clock beside the bed and I see it is a little after ten.
I try to unwrap myself from the blanket. I don’t even know how they got wrapped around me and off Trask. I get myself untangled and cover Trask back up. This man sleeps like a log. Thankfully, he doesn’t snore. I hope I don’t. I have never had these thoughts before with any other man. I am able to get out of bed without waking Trask.
I wrap my housecoat around me and find my slippers. I sneak out the door and go to the bathroom and take care of all my morning things. I brush my teeth and my hair. I put my hair in a messy bun.
I stop by the thermostat on the way to the kitchen and try to get the furnace on and it switches on. Thank goodness for small miracles. I go to the kitchen and flip my coffee maker on and turn the oven on to warm. I just need to let it get to the right temperature before I slide the small turkey breast and ham into it. I couldn’t make up my mind which one I wanted to have for today so I bought the smallest ones I could find. I can make ham sandwiches and turkey salad with the leftovers.
I go into the living room and get the presents I have for Trask out of the closet and put them under my four-foot tree. It may not seem a lot for some people. I saw the huge tree in Trask’s parent’s house. They had three trees in their home. They were all beautifully decorated like something out of a decorating book. They were all live trees like mine but theirs were humongous. I know they each had to be seven feet tall. Mine is only four-feet, but I knew when I bought it that it was the tree for me.
This is the first time I have had a Christmas tree since I was young, and it is the first tree I have had on my own. This tree reminds me of the Christmas tree in all the Charlie Brown cartoons.
I decorated it the best I could, and it may not be grand, but I love it. I see that Trask already snuck my gifts under the tree. The buying gifts thing is new for me, so I hope Trask likes what I got him. Some are practical and one is homemade.
I walk back into the kitchen and slide the meat into the oven and pour myself a cup of coffee. I jump when Trask puts his arms around me. Darn, I could get used to this. “Would you fix me a cup while I get a fire going?” I smile.
“How would you like your coffee?” I ask.
“Black,” Trask tells me. He is gone before I reach for the cup. I pour him a cup of coffee and reach in the cabinet and get the bag of powdered donuts that I bought for this morning. They are one of my weaknesses and I only indulge on special occasions, otherwise, I would be as wide as the side of a barn. I have had a problem dropping my sugar habit. Eating healthy is where it is these days, so I limit my intake. I walk in the living room and I set our goodies on the coffee table. Trask has a fire a blazing. I pad back into my bedroom and get my phone off the charger and turn it on. I grab Trask’s for him in case he wants it. I don’t have anyone but Trask, Lyric, and Haddie to call but I need to keep it on in case my handlers try to contact me. I don’t want them just showing up today. That’s another problem I will need to handle. I’ve never had friends in my house, so I haven’t worried when my handlers have showed up unannounced. I need to fix that by notifying them. I’m entitled to my privacy, but I know if it is life and death, they will do what they need to do. I feel guilty for not letting Trask in on my life more, but it is for his protection as well as mine. The one thing I need to keep my mind on is putting the men away that trade in women and girls. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do what I could to bring these men to justice. I need to do what is right. It is what saved my life. I don’t want to think about it today. My focus today is enjoying this day with Trask.
I return to the living room and Trask has all the presents stacked up for us on each end of the sofa. I smile at him. “I take it that we are opening our presents now.” I say, trying to eye all the gifts he has for me.
“Heck yes. I want to see you when you open the gifts from me. I put the ones that Lyric and Haddie sent over for you too. I promised to send a bunch of pictures.” I sit down and take a drink of my coffee.
“I dropped baskets off for them yesterday. I have one for Nick too, but I forgot to tell him yesterday,” I tell Trask.
“I’m sure he will appreciate that. Thank you for bringing me my coffee and my phone. Now, I won’t lie, I can snap some pictures.” Trask sounds like a little kid on Christmas morning. “You, first.” I look at Trask and he looks so happy. Can this last? I hope so. I have never felt this way. My heart feels so full. I pull one of the gifts over to me. I open it slowly and Trask laughs.
“Tear into it.” So, I do, and I laugh as I do it. I open the box and it is the glass figurine I was looking at when we went shopping. It is a pair of love birds. I think they are parakeets. It is intricate and looks like it will shatter if I touch it. I’m scared to take it out. Trask takes pictures. I have never had something so delicate and pretty. “I love it, but it was so expensive. You shouldn’t have.” The price is why I didn’t buy it myself. I’ve never had someone buy me something so beautiful. I feel the tears in my eyes. I take the figurine out of the box and look at it closely and how the lights play off it. The first tear rolls down my cheek. I don’t know what has come over me lately. Happy tears, I have happy tears and those are so much better than the tears of regret I’ve cried before. I hug Trask.
“Will you put it on the mantle for me so I can get a picture?” Trask takes the figurine from me and walks over to the fireplace and puts it on the mantle. “Stand there and smile for me.” I snap a quick photo. Trask walks back to me and hands me another gift to open. This one I open without caring if I make a mess of the paper. It’s an e-reader and a large gift card to go with it. I look in the box and there is a charger and a cover for the e-reader. I look at Trask. I have been wanting a new one, but I would never spend the money for one. The one I have is old, and it doesn’t hold a charge anymore. “How did you know?” I ask Trask.
“You told Lyric, and she told me. She advised me on which one to buy and what gift card to get. You looked at the figurine when we were shopping.” The next one I open is the one from Lyric and Botie and it is bath and body products from one of my favorite stores. I open the one from Haddie and it is candles. I love each one of them. Then Trask hands me an envelope and it is filled with a variety of gift cards from music to jewelry stores. Trask spent so much money on me. I am almost embarrassed by what I got him. Trask is busy taking pictures.
“Thank you so much but it’s all too much. You are spoiling me,” I tell him.
“That’s the point. I wasn’t sure of everything that you liked so the gift cards are so you can get what you want. That way there is no standing in line for returns. I like to think practically. I hate return lines.” I laugh at that.
“Your turn.” I hand him an envelope. I guess we think alike because I got him an array of gift cards myself. I get a picture when he opens the envelope and sees the gift cards.
“I see great minds think alike. No return lines for us.” I hand him a couple of the handmade gifts I made for him. He opens them like a little kid. The paper goes everywhere. “Did you make these yourself?” Trask looks at the scarf and toboggan I knitted him. “You must knit fast.” It’s not like I have anything else to do at night. He opens the afghan done in the gray colors that I like. I had started this for me but decided to give it to Trask for his bed. “These are your favorite colors and I love it,” he tells me. He is smiling from ear to ear and I take photos of him. I have plenty of photos to remember this day, but I don’t need them, the day is imprinted on my heart forever. I’ve never been so happy. I hand Trask his last two gifts. These two Lyric and Botie helped me with. Trask doesn’t hesitate to open them. He looks at the rope and then the wallet I bought him. I was holding my breath that they both made it here in time. I had them overnight expressed. It seems that both Trask’s wallet and lariat rope needed replacing. I was happy that Botie mentioned it to Lyric as possible gifts for Trask, but they decided to go with new boots instead. I would have never been able to afford the ones that they purchased. Lucchese’s don’t come cheap and I don’t have that kind of money.
With the gifts open, we sit on the sofa and kiss and hold each other, thanking each other and showing our gratitude. We finish our coffee and the donuts.
“I need to get the rest of our dinner started. I want to make a couple of pies and I need to get the potatoes cooking.” Trask gets off the sofa and pulls me up with him.
“I’ll get changed and get on the roof while you cook. Do you have any tarps? I have a hammer and tacks in my truck,” Trask tells me.
“I think there are some tarps in the garage, or it may be in the shed behind the house. I’m not sure where I’ve seen them, but they are both open,” I tell the man as he looks down at me. I go up on my tippy-toes and kiss his cheek.
“I’ll get them and meet you back in here in time for dinner.” I can’t wait to cook for this man.
