Chapter 12
TWELVE
OLIVIA
I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be.
Granted, I was merely attending the Christmas Day festivities with Taj and his family as a friend of his, so that alleviated a lot of the pressure I suspected would’ve been there if I was attending as his girlfriend.
Of course, I thought about that the more I was around him.
I didn’t want anything bad to happen that would change my mind about him. But there was no other way to describe Taj now than to say he was simply perfect.
I’d been telling myself that I didn’t want to be tied down again. That I wanted my freedom so I could make my own decisions and come and go as I pleased. But nothing about being with Taj ever felt terrible or like I was being suffocated.
In fact, the Christmas gift he’d given me was proof of just how free I could feel while still spending time with him. I smiled just thinking about the gift he’d given me before we left my apartment.
Taj had handed me a small, wrapped box no larger than a five by seven picture frame. I’d received gifts before—expensive jewelry, pricey handbags, and designer shoes. Sure, it all looked nice. But none of that held a candle to what Taj had given me.
Hidden beneath the wrapping paper was an unsuspecting white box. I pulled off the lid, pushed the tissue paper aside, and found a handmade booklet inside. That booklet contained tickets I could use with Taj for a variety of activities.
“What’s this?” I asked.
My heart pounded as I flipped through the booklet.
“I wanted to get you something, and this seemed like the perfect gift for you.”
I looked up and marveled at him. “You made this.”
“I did. I know it’s nothing fancy, but I thought you’d get far more enjoyment out of this than you would from a pair of fuzzy socks. And considering I already sent you a bunch of socks following your first night here, I didn’t want to do something like that again.”
Smiling at him, I said, “I love all that was in the box you delivered to the hotel. The clothing was wonderful, and I don’t think I need to remind you how much that snow globe means to me.
” I held the booklet up between us and shook it.
“But this is… This is so special, Taj. I’d prefer this any day over something fancy. ”
He returned the smile. “I’m glad you like it.
What might make you even happier is knowing that we’ll likely be able to do some of those things over the course of the next week.
Not only is Blackman Boards closed for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, which means I’ll be off from work, but it’s also supposed to start snowing tomorrow. There’s a huge storm coming.”
My brows shot up. “Really? I had no idea. What’s in the book that we can do during a storm?”
His lips twitched. “Since you said there were so many things you haven’t done before, I made sure there was a variety.
So, while there are some bigger activities in there, I didn’t overlook the small stuff, either.
With the storm coming, we can make sure you’re able to do some sledding, have a snowball fight, and build a snowman. ”
I sat there, staring at him in disbelief.
He was right. These were the little things that most people didn’t give a second thought to, especially at my age. But the moment he revealed what I’d be able to do with him, it was a mystery how I didn’t burst into tears at the utter joy I felt.
“How much snow does Wyoming normally get?”
“Wyoming, as a whole, doesn’t get a lot of snow,” Taj revealed.
“But where we are up here in the northwest part of the state, in these mountains, we get a ton. That’s why the snowboarding and skiing industry does so well here and is such a big draw to the town.
And with this storm that’s coming, they’re calling for twenty to twenty-four inches. ”
My eyes nearly fell out of my head. “Are you joking?”
“No.”
“Should I… How will I… Can you drive in that?”
“I wouldn’t recommend you take that on, considering you’re asking that question. I’ve got a vehicle equipped with snow tires. And I have chains for my tires when they’re needed, too. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll make sure you aren’t alone when the storm hits.”
A thrill of excitement moved through me. “I can’t wait.”
“It’ll be fun.”
Everything with him had already been precisely that, so I doubted this would be any different.
“Okay, time for your gift,” I declared, springing off the couch to pick up the lone present beneath the tree.
Taj wore a stunned look as I made my way back to the couch, where he was still sitting. Had he thought I wouldn’t get him something?
I held the box I’d wrapped first thing this morning—before my foolish decision to call my mom—and Taj took it from me.
“You didn’t have to get me anything, Olivia.”
I arched a brow. “But you got me something.”
“But that was nothing. It was just a silly thing.”
Shaking my head, I curled my fingers around his wrist and insisted, “Not to me. That gift means the world to me. And while I know there’ll be plenty of things to do in there, it’s not even that which makes it so special.
It’s you, Taj. It’s that you listen to me.
I’ve spent my whole life feeling like I’ve been screaming at the top of my lungs, and nobody has ever heard me.
You do, and that means more to me than I could ever express. ”
Taj settled his hand on top of mine and squeezed. “That’s such a difficult thing for me to understand. Because you haven’t asked for anything unreasonable. It doesn’t take much to make you happy.”
“Evidently, it was more than anyone else was willing to give,” I murmured. “So, you might not think this gift was necessary, but it meant a lot for me to be able to do something nice for you.”
He seemed to accept that I needed him not to fight me on the one thing I’d done for him and gave me a nod. “Should I open it?”
The melancholy mood evaporated, and I beamed at him. “You should.”
Taj tore off the paper and pulled out the first of two gifts I’d gotten him. His eyes lit up. “What are these?”
“You said you were a chocolate lover,” I reminded him.
The day he’d first come over to my apartment and brought a cake with him, I’d learned he was a chocolate fanatic.
“Did you make these?”
I nodded. “It was my first time ever making them, but they were super easy. Do you like truffles?”
He removed the lid from the container and said, “Olivia, it’s chocolate. What’s not to love?”
Taj plucked a truffle from the container and popped the entire thing in his mouth. His head dropped back, and a groan escaped him.
I’d had a lot of thoughts about how him trying the truffles would go, but I hadn’t anticipated the reaction he had would impact me so much. I made this man moan like that, and the sound sent shivers along my spine.
“Good?” I rasped.
Taj tilted his chin down and brought his eyes to mine as he picked up another truffle. “Have you tried them?”
He was looking at me like I was some kind of special dessert. I licked my lips and whispered, “I had one after I made them.”
A moment later, the truffle was at my lips. “Have another.”
What had just happened to his voice? It was deeper and commanding in the most delicious way. I couldn’t have stopped myself, even if I had wanted to.
My lips parted, and Taj moved the truffle closer. I sank my teeth into it, eating one half, while Taj popped the remainder in his mouth. His eyes never left my mouth. Only after I swallowed did he lift his gaze to meet mine. “Now, you tell me. Was it good?”
“I don’t think I did so bad with them.”
His lips curved into a smile as he shook his head. “No, you didn’t. You did excellent with them.”
I tucked my chin toward my chest, feeling shy over the compliment. “Thank you.”
“No, Olivia, thank you.” He begrudgingly set the container aside. “What else is in here?”
Taj pulled out the second gift, and when he gave me a curious look, I immediately launched into an explanation.
“I didn’t see one at your place when we were there, decorating your tree.
If it’s not your thing, you don’t have to use it.
You could just put it out for decoration, because it’ll look fantastic with your couch. ”
He remained silent, his eyes never leaving mine.
I was so worried that he didn’t like it, so I said, “Or you don’t have to put it there at all. It’s up to you.” When he still said nothing, I added, “I have the receipt, if you want to return it.”
“I’m not returning this. Are you kidding me?”
Sending a questioning look his way, I noted, “Well, you’re very difficult to read. I don’t know what that look means.”
“You bought me a blanket.”
“Well, it’s a really nice one. And since you gave me your jacket the first night I was here, I thought I could get you something that’d keep you warm when you were home practicing not being a workaholic.”
His lips twitched. “So, this was about you suggesting that I should be home on my couch under a blanket instead of at work, getting things accomplished?”
I lifted my shoulders toward my ears and feigned innocence. “You could eat truffles while you do that.”
Laughter burst out of him, and Taj’s head dropped back with the force of it. I watched with avid fascination, realizing not a moment too soon that I’d never made anybody laugh like that in my whole life. As happy as he was, I felt just as good.
Even better was when he settled down, brought shining eyes to mine, and held out his arm. “Come here.”
I went.
And right there on my couch in my new apartment with his arms wrapped around me, Taj kissed the top of my head and said, “I love this gift, Olivia. I’m never returning it. And I hope that one day soon you’ll join me for a movie night while the both of us are underneath this blanket.”
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I simply squeezed him in return.
And now, we were here.