Chapter One
Bonnie
Present day
Since meeting Elijah over Christmas two years earlier, it had effectively become my favorite holiday.
Even if I was the most atrocious gift giver.
Something about the holiday spirit really resonated with me, and I wanted to keep it alive all year long.
In fact, I left the snowflake twinkle lights wrapped around the banister of the townhouse we shared up all year.
Everyone said we were moving too fast, that I was crazy moving in with someone I’d barely known for six months.
But the thing is, when you meet the love of your life, time doesn’t matter.
The length of time doesn’t even show up on your radar when you know, you know?
And Elijah was the one for me. I knew it the second he came in, all out of sorts and late, full of apologies I had wanted seconds before, but didn’t give one single fuck about once I saw him.
Dinner that followed only confirmed what I had already known deep down; he was my forever, and he made it clear that he felt the same way about me.
Sure, at first, our relationship came with growing pains.
If you had put us side by side, some would have said we didn’t fit.
Elijah’s tall, all-consuming, put-together presence next to my plump, short stature with crazy, uncontrollable dark hair and grey eyes was a stark contrast. But it worked.
It worked so well. He was the first man I’d ever dated who loved all my curves and worshiped every part of my body any chance he got.
Elijah’s job as a pilot didn’t really bother me, but it did cut into our time together. Luckily, I had my shop, Driftwood Massage, that took up a lot of my time. And since I owned my own place, I could cater my schedule to his, which I was happy to do.
At the beginning of our relationship, I dealt with a bit of imposter syndrome.
How could someone like Elijah have been interested in someone like me?
I believed in the power of healing through the mind and hands, while Elijah was more scientific and studious in his approach to life.
But where you’d expect arguments, we had discussions, and many times, we met in the middle and learned from each other.
Different in all aspects, but somehow perfect together.
Speaking of perfect, I had to figure out a good gift this Christmas—one that would knock his Christmas stockings off.
Elijah was the best at thoughtful gifts.
Cooking classes, dance classes, weekends away.
Meanwhile, the last gift I bought him was a tie because I’d spent weeks trying to find the perfect gift, only to come up empty-handed and having to settle on something just absolutely awful.
What the hell did you get a man who just bought everything he wanted? A tie, that’s what.
I bit my lip in concentration while I tried to sort through everything I knew about him, only to come up exasperated and empty-handed once again. The sound of the shower starting pulled me from my thoughts. An idea popped into my head as I spotted Elijah’s packed work bag on the bed.
Keeping one eye on the bathroom door, I tiptoed over to it and pulled out his iPad.
I knew he also had his laptop packed because I’d seen him pack it the night before so he would have more time that morning.
So it would be fine if the iPad…accidentally didn’t make it into his bag.
I could check his search history or maybe his cart, and for once, give him a gift that would shock him.
I was bound and determined to get him something he wanted this year. Determined.
“Babe?” Elijah’s voice startled me, and I jumped about three feet in the air while shoving the iPad under the covers in my panic at almost being caught and my idea spoiled.
“Why don’t you come join me?” His hand snaked around my waist from behind, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “You’re getting me all wet.”
“That’s the idea, my love.” He nipped my ear and began pulling me back toward the shower, all thoughts of the perfect gift and my iPad heist long forgotten.