Chapter 21 Sebastian
TWENTY-ONE
SEBASTIAN
Iwake up before Annalise. She’s wrapped around me, her head on my chest. I’m anxious about today.
I decided earlier this week that I’d give her the title to the cabin for Christmas.
We have a week left here, and I don’t want us leaving without her having it, and this secret has been weighing on me too much. I can’t keep it any longer.
I run my fingers through Annalise’s hair to calm myself; the feeling of the silky soft strands grounds me somehow.
Her lashes flutter against my skin, and she presses a kiss to my chest before whispering, “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
She stretches and looks up at me. “You’re up early,” she says.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
She props herself up on an elbow, fully awake now. “Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?”
Her instant worry has warmth spreading through me. I shake my head and run my fingers through her hair again.
“Nothing like that.”
The worry slips off her face slightly but not completely. “What’s wrong?”
I sigh, and that tells her she’s on to something.
“Let me get you your Christmas present,” I say, sliding out of bed.
“That sight’s a pretty good one,” she says, humour filling her voice. I turn, and she’s staring at my naked ass, now my cock.
“You’re trouble, aren’t you?” I ask, shaking my head.
She grins and climbs out of bed.
“Where are you going?” I ask, and her face lights up.
“I’m grabbing your Christmas present.”
I watch her, shocked. I know she didn’t bring me one, so when did she manage to get something? We’ve only gone into town together the one time.
I quickly head downstairs and shuffle through my bag, looking for the signed paperwork before heading back to the bedroom. Annalise is back under the covers, sitting up, excitement all over her face.
“I want to go first,” she declares, and I nod, sliding in beside her.
She hands me a small object wrapped in white tissue paper. I take it and slowly start unwrapping it as she says, “I didn’t expect to see you for Christmas, so I had to do with what I could find in town, but when I saw this, I thought it could do until we get back to the city.”
I shake my head. “Annalise, you don’t have to get me something else when we get back. Whatever this is is perfect. It’s from you.”
She smiles and jerks her chin. “Open it.”
I finish pulling the wrapping off and find a Christmas ornament inside. It’s got two cartoon moose hugging each other with a spot for a picture beside it.
“I thought we could take a picture by the tree and put it inside. Something to celebrate our first Christmas as…” She trails off.
I grin at her. “As?”
She blushes but doesn’t say anything.
“Were you going to say as boyfriend and girlfriend?”
She rolls her lips together, and I lean in and kiss her.
“I love it. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad.”
“And, Lise?”
She meets my eyes.
“You’re my girlfriend, if that wasn’t clear.”
She smiles. “Good.”
I grab the documents, and anxiety washes over me, but I know I need to rip the Band-Aid off and get this over with. I’ll deal with whatever her reaction is.
“So, before I give this to you, I need you to promise to hear me out.”
She raises a brow, confusion written all over her face. She nods. “I promise.”
I hand her the envelope, and she hesitantly opens it, her eyes bouncing between me and the envelope. She slowly pulls the documents out, reading over them.
“Are these?” she asks, shock filling her voice.
“The title papers to the cabin,” I answer.
“But…”
“Walker mentioned to me your parents were selling the cabin a while ago. The second it hit the market, I put an offer in under a company I incorporated. Walker and your parents don’t know I’m the one who bought it. The second he told me, I knew I couldn’t let you lose this place.”
She looks at me with tears in her eyes. I reach forward and cup her face, using my thumb to wipe away her tears.
“I want to transfer it to you. I want you to have it. I didn’t buy it for me. No matter what happens between us in the future, this place belongs to you. You can do whatever you want with it.”
“Bash…” she says through her tears. Her eyes return to the documents as she looks at them again.
“This says the owner is Chilbert Holdings Ltd.”
I laugh to myself. “When I was naming the company, it was the first name that came to mind. Remembering you and that penguin on your sixteenth birthday and the way you were attached to him during our last trip here. It felt fitting.”
She chuckles and sniffs, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “I love it.” She meets my eyes again. “My gift is super lame compared to this.” New tears gather in her eyes.
“No, it’s not. Your gift is thoughtful. I meant it when I said I love it.”
She bites her lip and nods. Reading and flipping through the documents again, shock still radiating off her.
“You’re not mad?” I ask, pushing my luck.
Her head snaps up, and she shakes it. “Why would I be mad? You’re not the one who was obligated to tell me the cabin was being sold, and you saved it for me. Now it’s not going to some stranger.”
I dust my thumb over her cheek again. “It’s yours, baby. No one can take it from you.”
She closes her eyes and leans into my hand. “I like it when you call me that,” she whispers.
“Baby?”
She nods.
I lean in and kiss her, my lips dusting over hers. “I’ll call you baby whenever you want to hear it.”
She sighs contentedly, and I wrap an arm around her, pulling her into me and lying down.
I hold her in my arms, trying to understand how I managed to get so lucky.
Annalise was so understanding when I thought she’d be upset or mad.
I didn’t reach out to her before the sale to talk to her about it.
I know we weren’t on speaking terms, but I felt so guilty about it.
Her simple statement of You’re not the one who was obligated to tell me was everything. It took such a weight off my shoulders.
I run the back of my hand gently over the back of her arm as I settle with the thought that on Christmas morning, I’m holding Annalise Reid in my arms as we lie in bed. Nothing in the world could beat this.