AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ever.
I don’t want to vanish or escape from my life anymore. I want to experience every single day, with all the good and bad.
When we all unravel, Myles narrows his eyes on Matthew, who walks hand in hand beside me into the house. “Are you sure you didn’t just hire Molly to help you win? I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone think on their feet so quickly.”
My bones stiffen in my skin.
Did Matthew tell them this started as pretend?
“You married a barre instructor.” Matthew gives him a nudge. “That seems entirely unfair, especially when, two years ago, we had to do a full-on ab challenge.”
Helene shakes her head and gives me a nudge, lowering her voice as she says, “They assume we’re giving them an advantage, but the Hudson competitive gene runs deep.”
Maya gasps. “Now that I think of it, Mitchell is married to a history teacher, and last year the trivia questions were strangely skewed toward the olden days.”
“You guys are just upset that Theo is smarter than all of you,” Mitchell calls from inside the house.
Mary and Jack watch their kids with smiles plastered on their faces. I’m going to look forward to this every year.
* * *
White flakes falloutside Matthew’s bedroom window. My present for him is probably getting ruined by the snow. My efforts to wiggle out of his embrace are thwarted with every inch I move. He only pulls me closer, wrapping me up in his warmth.
“Stay in bed, darling,” he grumbles.
I breathe in the vetiver and musk of his skin.
The way he holds me, as if I’m every definition of the wordprecious, makes me feel loved.Nothing could harm me as long as he’s here.I believe that’s true. In the deepest parts of myself, I know that I’ll have the life I’ve always wanted with Matthew.
The world beyond the windows grows whiter, the wind whistling against the roof. I can’t wait a moment longer.
“I’ll be right back.” I place a kiss on his lips, quickly unhinge from his grip, and throw on Matthew’s oversized green sweater with a goldenMon it. I sneak downstairs and retrieve the box Dylan, my old driver, dropped off this morning on his way to Montreal to see his family.
Thankfully, the fallout with my family hasn’t caused everyone from my old life to pull away from me.
I return to Matthew’s bedroom, finding it filled with the soft glow of the bedside lamp. He’s sitting up, his glasses resting on his nose and the blanket draped around his waist. My heart flutters, and I fumble to conceal his present behind my back.
Matthew gives me a lopsided grin, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. “What are you hiding over there?”
“A surprise.” I sit on the bed and hand him the messily wrapped gift.
“I’m a big fan of Molly surprises.” He pushes my hair back, inspecting my ears. My face flushes with a smidge of bashfulness. “Just checking that one of the elves didn’t escape this year.”
I could strip off his beyond-erotic flannel pajamas right now. I mean, seriously, who designed these things?
Nerdy lumberjack chic is most definitely my type.
“We’ll save that surprise for when we’re home.” I chuckle loudly, the sound ricocheting off the walls before I clap my hand over my mouth. Everyone is still asleep.
Matthew pulls my palm away and kisses my smile. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Merry Christmas,” I whisper. “Okay, are you ready for your actual gift?”
“You are my gift, darling.”
“Matthew.” I feign a scolding tone, passing the present to him.
We sit cross-legged in his childhood bedroom, wearing matching pajamas, facing each other. With a tantalizing slowness, he pops off the tape one piece at a time, each sound sending shivers down my spine. The paper unravels, and his brows furrow in confusion. I may shoot up through the roof like a torpedo from how giddy I am.
