Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Shina
“Santa came!” someone squeals, waking me from a deep sleep. Rock grunts beside me and I open my eyes with a smile.
“Morning,” I mumble, rolling over to kiss him.
He grins. “I love waking up to your sleepy hazel eyes.”
I laugh and push his shoulder gently, then throw off the blanket and get out of bed. The chill in the air makes me shiver as I rush to the bathroom to get ready for today.
We have a full agenda. Breakfast and presents here, then a surprise before going to Rock's mom's house.
He convinced me to go, but we won't be staying long. I'm still wary of his family.
I exit the bathroom, and Rock's standing there with a small gift in his hands. He looks nervous.
“This isn't what you are thinking. I'm not proposing, but I want to. Some day. But I will wait for as long as you need.”
I take the present and open the case. It's a beautiful ring. I look at him, eyes wide.
“It's just a promise ring,” he assures me, and I take some deep breaths. Just the thought of wearing a band on my finger again is about to put me into a tailspin. But he put a lot of thought into this, so I walk over to my vanity and grab a gold chain, removing the small pendant.
I place the ring on it and hold it up to him. “Will you help me?”
“Yes, of course.”
I turn and hold my hair up so he can latch the clasp. Once it's hanging on my neck, I hold it up and really look at it.
“It's beautiful. Thank you, Rock.”
He kisses me, then takes my hand and guides me to the den to spend time with the kids.
Xander is bouncing on his feet, waiting to open his gifts, and Kenna looks just as excited.
“Finally,” she mumbles when she spots us. “Can we open now?”
Rock laughs, takes a seat on the chair and pulls me onto his lap. Alla hands us coffee, and we watch as new memories are made.
The day goes by fast, and I'm exhausted. Meeting Rock's family was more pleasant than I expected. And I'm kinda in love with his mom and sister.
Rock and I sit in the den watching a movie once the kids are snuggled up in bed with their new puppy… yes, I totally caved and got them an adorable golden retriever puppy with little white paws.
We picked her up on the way to Rock's house. She's a little older than four months, but that works better for us. She's potty trained.
They named her Holly, and she will be the best new member of our family.
I sigh and look at the Christmas tree, and think about the memories we made today.
“This is the perfect ending to Christmas,” I whisper, snuggling up closer to Rock. He laughs, and lifts my head with his finger, bringing his lips to mine.
“This is only the beginning of our story, baby girl.”