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“Can you hurry up already? Some of us want to get to bed before Santa gets here,” Lily announces.
“Yeah!” Nico high-fives her. “What she said!”
“All right.” I laugh as I flip the lid of the box open and reach inside. “What did you get…” My voice drifts off as I pull out her gift.
I spot two main differences between theSecond Besttrophy Dahlia gave me as a graduation gift and this one. The first is that this trophy is far larger, and the second is that the plaque has a different inscription.
First Choice.
Dahlia peeks over at me. “Do you like it?”
I fight the tightness in my throat as I say, “I love it.”
“I know it’s probably silly, but since you kept the last one...” Her voice trails off.
“It’sperfect.” I wrap my arm around her and kiss her, earning a retching noise from Nico, a round ofoohs andahs from ourmothers, a sigh from Lily, and Rafa grumbling something to himself.
She breaks the kiss first. “How long do you think it will take before they stop doing that every time we kiss?”
“They have nearly a decade to make up for, so I give it at least a few years before they settle down.”
Dahlia groans. “God help us.”
“This again?” She grabs the black eye mask from me.
I press my foot against the gas pedal and take off toward the Historic District. “I’d hate to ruin your Christmas surprise.”
Her knee shakes as she places the mask over her eyes. I carefully navigate the icy roads leading toward the Founder’s house with the truck, being mindful of the sharp turns and slick pavement.
Dahlia doesn’t speak up until the next song finishes. “I should have known you had something else planned after I was left empty-handed.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t have gotten you something?”
“I don’t know, but I wasn’t about to complain after the whole DreamStream thing. That’s worth like ten presents in one.”
I park outside the Founder’s house and turn the car off. “I already told you. The DreamStream deal was all because of you and your talent, not me.”
I doubt she will believe me until she meets with the team herself after the holiday break, but it doesn’t hurt to emphasize her success whenever her self-doubt comes creeping up again.
Dahlia waits inside the truck while I go around and open her passenger door. She shivers against me when I help her out into the chilly night.
I interlock our elbows and lead her toward the house.
She tucks her mittens into the front pockets of her coat. “Did you buy me another house?”
“Nope.”
Her teeth chatter as we walk through the gate leading to the backyard. “A private jet?”
“Do you want one?”
She laughs. “No, but I bet you’d get me one if I asked.”
I trace the tip of her reddening nose. “You’re finally starting to catch on.”
“The amount of money you have is sick.”
“So is my love for you, but I don’t hear you complaining.”
