Chapter 8 #2
I shook my head in disbelief and closed the door before following along.
Thirty minutes later, Hazel was sitting in the middle of a pile of torn wrapping paper and new toys, her eyes shining, her smile so wide it looked like it might hurt a little.
“Riding lessons?” she screeched as I explained the meaning of the card that came with the small stuffed horse to her. “Santa got me riding lessons? I get to ride a real pony?”
I nodded.
“Do I get to brush it, too?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s part of the job,” I told her, brushing my leg against Luci’s. “You might have to muck the stalls, too.”
“I don’t mind,” Hazel said, waving her hand. “I’m big and strong, so mucking stalls isn’t a problem for me.”
Luci chuckled into his coffee, a small smile on his lips. “But doesn’t it stink?” he asked in a whisper-shout.
Hazel just shrugged. “That’s part of the experience.”
And that was all there was to say about that for her. She petted the small pony plushie, mumbling at it, while Luci rested his head on my shoulder, taking a small sip of his coffee and letting out a happy sigh.
“Thanks for the coffee,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” I said, my chest puffing with pride because buying the peppermint creamer for him was obviously a huge win. As was the candy cane I’d put into his mug instead of a spoon.
“You know, I thought I’d still be asleep right now, but I have to admit… I don’t mind this. Getting to cuddle on the couch, drinking peppermint coffee, eating cookies… It’s definitely different from what I’m used to, but I think I kind of like it.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you’re here, too. I’m a bit sorry because Hazel woke you up so early, but I like having you over.”
“Daddy, can I try out my new markers?” Hazel asked, holding up a giant box of felt-tip markers and a new sketch pad.
“Su—” I started, but Luci held up a hand.
“Actually, I think we need to head downstairs first,” he said, winking at me. “You know, I didn’t have much time to look this morning, but I think I saw something under my tree. I think Santa might have brought a few gifts to my apartment, too. What do you think, young lady, want to have a look?”
Hazel jumped up and ran for the door again, already hyped up on Christmas spirit and way too much sugar for as early as it was.
Luci and I followed more slowly, cups of coffee in hand.
He was wearing a pair of my woolen socks and a sweater of mine, and I couldn’t help but smile every time I looked at him.
His hair was still a mess, and he still looked like he’d just rolled out of bed a few seconds ago, but he also looked like mine.
My boyfriend. He was wearing my clothes, after all.
“You didn’t need to get her anything,” I whispered as we walked down the stairs.
Luci just laughed. “Just the way you didn’t need to get me anything?” he answered, raising his brows at me. “I can’t believe you got us tickets for Beauty and the Beast. I told you I liked musicals once.”
I felt heat rising to my cheeks and shrugged.
“I’m not sure it really counts as that great of a gift because we’ll have to take Hazel, too.
I wanted to get you something just for the two of us, but Hazel saw the website advertising the musical and she got so excited that I didn’t have the heart to tell her she wouldn’t be included. ”
“You’re such a softie for your daughter,” Luci teased, nudging me with his shoulder. “You look so stern and serious most of the time, but you’re just a big old teddy bear.”
“Who are you calling old?” I answered, giving him a pointed look. “You’re four years older than me.”
Luci just snorted. “Yeah, but you have a kid, which instantly makes you more responsible, so you get like ten years in maturity. I, on the other hand, am a chaotic mess of an artist with ADHD, so you can probably subtract ten years for me, which…”
“Means I’ll go to jail because I’m now apparently a thirty-one-year-old dating a fifteen-year-old?”
Luci shuddered. “Forget what I said, okay? I think I’m fine being the older but more immature one in this relationship.”
My heart skipped a beat.
A relationship?
Heat flooded my body, and I reached out for him, grabbing his hand and interlacing our fingers.
Hell—ooo kitty, yeah, we were in a relationship.
Unfortunately, we reached his apartment just a second later, and I needed to let go of his hand so he could unlock his door. But as soon as possible, I grabbed his hand again, as he led us to the living room.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t really have time to decorate,” he said as he switched on the light.
Hazel gasped. “Your Christmas tree is our painting? That’s so cool!
” She shouted, running up to the big easel in the middle of the room, displaying the painting we’d done on our first date.
On the floor in front of the easel lay two gift boxes, one pretty small and one a bit bigger, both wrapped in colorful paper.
“This one is for you, Hazel,” he said, handing her the small box. “And this one is for you,” he said, handing the bigger one to me. It was soft to the touch, denting immediately.
I smiled and set my cup down to open the gift. The first thing I saw was dark navy fabric that turned out to be a matching set of a scarf, hat, and gloves.
“I’m afraid it’s not nearly as special as yours,” Luci said, his cheeks a deep red. “But I just couldn’t let you keep freezing your hands and ears off every time you leave the house.”
Warmth bloomed in my veins as I carefully stroked the scarf.
Luci might not think much of it, but it was special.
He’d chosen it. He’d chosen it for me because he knew I always had cold hands.
Because whenever we met in the stairwell, he commented teasingly on my red nose and ears. Because he’d paid attention to me.
“Thank you,” I said earnestly, looking up at him with a smile. “And you’re wrong. It’s incredibly special.”
Luci grinned at me, a little crooked, a little doubtful, but also pleased. “If you say so. Let’s hope Hazel likes her gift just as much as you do.”
The little squeal she let out just a second later told me she did.
“Daddy, look, Santa got me a bracelet. It has… Ohh, Daddy, there’s a candy cane on it. And mistletoe, and ohh, that’s a Santa hat.”
Hazel ran up to me, showing me a silver bracelet with a couple of Christmas-themed charms attached to it, insisting Luci put it on her right now.
Shaking my head, I smiled to myself. He called me a softie while he was the one getting her jewelry after only knowing her for a month.
Maybe it was weird, but it was also endearing.
Especially as he explained to her that almost every one of the charms reminded him of something we did together.
Visiting Santa, making peppermint bark… There was just the mistletoe he didn’t say anything about, but the way he winked at me as I touched it told me there was a story there.
And I was gonna find out for sure.