Standing, I grab her hand and call out to my dad. “We’re going to take a nap, Pops.”
“Okay. It’ll be ready in about an hour and a half.”
We head upstairs, and then lay on the bed without worrying about getting under the covers. I gather her in my arms and kiss her softly. Presley’s lips buzz slightly against mine as she hums from my kiss. I can’t help my smirk. Pulling away, that lower lip juts forward into that little pout and I chuckle.
“Let’s take a nap, Smarty,” I whisper, closing my eyes.
After a second, she wiggles slightly in my arms. “I don’t want to take a nap anymore,” she says just as quietly. “I want to take a nap.”
I smile, but I don’t open my eyes. “Too bad, Smarty. Now, let’s go to sleep for a bit.”
A warm huff of air hits my neck before she nuzzles into me. My last thought before I doze off is how she’s such a crazy girl, but she’s all mine.
~
The aroma of delicious food wakes me up two seconds before Pops knocks softly on my door and steps inside.
“Supper’s ready, Levi,” he whispers.
I nod and he leaves. Leaning back to get a better glimpse of Presley, I see her pretty red lips are slightly parted and her eyelashes are fanned across her cheek. I run the back of my fingers over the side of her face and then kiss her forehead.
“Time to wake up, Presley,” I say quietly. Surprisingly, she stirs, rolling away from me to do that cute little stretch she does before turning to face me once more with a smile on her face.
“That was a good nap.”
“Better than our other nap?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
Presley doesn’t change her features as she tells me, “Way better.”
She rolls over and gets out of bed, leaving the spot next to me devastatingly empty. I get up as well, walk up behind Presley, and grab her hips, pulling her against me. I press my lips to her neck. She tilts her head and I love that she did that, so I slowly swirl my tongue against her skin.
With my lips brushing her skin, I say, “You’re going to regret saying that.” I let go of her as soon as I’ve said it and step around her, leaving her behind in my room as I go downstairs. Pops has all our food set along the counter. “Looks good, Pops.”
“Thanks, son. Where’s Presley?”
“Right here,” she chirps as she comes to stand beside me.
“Let’s eat then.”
Pops fixed our usual Christmas Eve dinner which consists of ham, a bunch of side dishes, and an apple pie. Everything smells so good and it all looks delicious. Once we fill our plates up, we sit at the table to eat. Pops clears his throat and then speaks.
“I have really enjoyed having you both here. It means a lot to me that y’all are spending your time with me.” Pops focuses on me. “I’m proud of you, Levi.” He pauses before he looks between me and Presley. “I love you both. Let’s eat.”
“We love you too, Pops.” I give him a half smile.
“Yes, we do, Victor, and there isn’t any other place we rather be.”
Pops smiles, nods, and then we eat. There’s small talk, and of course, Pops has to share stories from my childhood, all with some level of embarrassment included. It’s tons of fun though, and they laugh almost the entire time. Afterwards, Presley helps me clean up while Pops goes to take a bath. I’m washing and Smarty is rinsing. She bumps into my hip and I look down at her.
“You are looking very sexy, Captain Carr.”
Smirking, I say, “Of course, I am.” Smarty giggles and shakes her head. I kiss her temple just to touch her in some way. “I love you,” I add.
Presley grins. “Eh, I guess I love you too.”
Chapter Seven
Presley