“I miss you,” I say to the picture over the fireplace. The room is now filled with more of them since Dasher made it his mission to make this place my home too. It wasn't hard with how bare his side of the estate was.
“Wife.” Dasher wraps his arm around me from behind. He kisses my neck. I turn in his arms. “Jillian stole him from me,” he says before I can ask where our baby boy is.
Jillian has been a saint. She might not have been born my sister, but she is now. Both she and Rae have their own spots in my heart.
“People will be arriving soon,” I remind him. I know what he’s thinking from the look in his eyes. We’ve already done our Christmas morning. Now it’s late afternoon, and the Christmas party will start soon. He wants a stolen moment with me.
“I hate sharing you.” I laugh at the pouty look on his face.
“The girls love it,” I remind him. I love it too. This is now our tradition. “Plus, I can’t help myself. You know how much I love celebrating Christmas.” He gives me a look. “Okay, I like celebrating every holiday, but I’m a damn good party planner.” I might not do it as a job anymore, but I still know how to throw an over-the-top party. I’ve actually gotten a little competitive about it.
Jewels was sad to see me go from the company, but she knew I was following my heart. My dream has always been to find my true love and spend every waking moment with my family. I knew better than most to cherish these moments. I was lucky enough I found a man who wants to make all my dreams come true.
“There is one more gift I haven't given you yet. It just arrived.”
“Oh, I was sure you were trying to get lucky,” I tease him.
“I don’t have to try.” He gives my ass a squeeze. This is true.
“I still have one more gift for you too.”
“You want to go first?” he asks.
“What is taking so long!” Rae pokes her head in, making Dasher chuckle.
“I guess I’ll go first. Bring it in.” He motions to her. Rae comes walking in with a box in her hand. “Go on,” he tells me.
I reach for the top of the box and pull the lid off. Two little fluffy gray kittens sit inside. Their big blue eyes stare up at me.
“You remembered.” My eyes fill with tears. I told him forever ago when we first met that I always wanted a kitten. Of course Dasher went and got me two, because everything he does for me he does to the extreme.
“I remember every word you say, Eve.” He reaches into the box and hands me one of the kittens. I lift the baby kitten up and kiss the top of his head.
“Can I name them, Aunty Eve?” Rae asks.
“Of course.” It never gets old hearing her call me that. I don’t think Dasher will ever understand all he’s given me. He thinks he can be a little crazy when it comes to me, but I love it.
“We’re going to have a houseful,” I laugh, handing my kitten to Rae so I can give the other a few kisses. There are going to be so many babies around here, and I’m going to love every second of it.
“We have a big house to fill.” Dasher smirks. He’s always talking about filling it. “We’ll get there.”
I lean into him. “At this rate I have no doubt.” I tilt my head up, looking into his eyes. The same eyes as our son. “I’m pregnant.” He stares at me with no expression on his face. He takes the kitten from me, giving it to Rae. The next thing I know I’m in his arms and he’s kissing me.
“This is not for kitten eyes,” I hear Rae say, teasing us as she leaves with my kittens. Dasher lifts me off my feet without breaking our kiss.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” He sits with me in his lap. His hand goes to my stomach. “You give me a little girl this time?”
“If not this time then the next.” Dasher’s smile grows even bigger.
I may have lost a lot early in life, but I found a love I’m not sure many others are lucky enough to find. If I’ve learned anything, it’s to love with everything inside of you. My Dasher may think he’s a little bit too crazy over me, but he is everything and more than I could have ever asked for to heal my heart once again. With him, I’m living in a love-filled winter wonderland.
Epilogue
DASHER
Six years later…
I take my time in the shower and scrub my beard. Eve asked me to grow it out this year during the winter, and I can’t ever say no. She got me an early gift with nice shampoo and conditioners for it and I want to make sure it smells nice for her.