Chapter Twenty-Nine
Holding the door open, I put my finger to my lips before I motioned my Secret Santa inside. “Major is out like a light, and I don’t want to wake him up yet.”
“Understandable,” Ivy said, setting her packages down on the floor. “He’s had a rough couple of days, but so have you. Are you sure you should be up?”
“I’m fine,” I promised, wincing a bit at the twinge in my side that said maybe I wasn’t.
“When they released me yesterday, they said to be up and moving as much as possible so my intestines don’t slow, which would cause a bigger issue.
Besides, he wouldn’t let me out of bed all night.
I needed to stretch. He’s so tired from the events of the last few months that he needs the rest.”
“You guys are good?” Ivy asked, busying herself with the rolls and goodies she’d brought along.
“It was an unfortunate misunderstanding that escalated in a way neither of us expected. Being stabbed by a potential serial killer was not on my bingo card for the year.”
“Don’t imagine so,” Ivy said, leaning against the counter. “Last I heard, he was alive but not talking. However, the manifesto he’d written indicated he had plans for mass carnage. Not to mention, he outlined his previous crimes.”
“Gabe mentioned that yesterday when he came by. All I can say is that I'm glad I got in his way and that Cameron found me quickly enough for the police to track the guy down. Gabe feels terrible that they didn’t find the guy before he attacked again, but I reminded him that he did tell us not to go out alone, and I did it anyway. That’s on me.
I’ll never take my personal security for granted again. ”
“I doubt that man in there would allow it. I’ll be surprised if he lets you out of his sight for the next six months.
When he walked into the waiting room to update us, he was,” she paused as though she had to search for the right word.
“Gutted? Traumatized? I’m not sure there’s a word to describe it properly.
That’s when we knew without a shadow of a doubt you were the Christmas couple for the year. ”
“Has there ever been a rockier one?” I asked, tongue in cheek. “I feel like we’re the problem children for the gazebo. What’s worse is we can’t even go to the gazebo thanks to all of this, but I’m happy to be alive, so I won’t complain.”
“We’re all very happy you’re alive, too.
Don’t ever do that to us again!” Rather than say more, she put her arms around me carefully and held me to her.
“We’ve all had our problems as Christmas couples, but we get through them because the love is real and true.
The same goes for you and Major. Becca and Cameron certainly didn’t have it easy, and maybe that’s why Cameron and Major have developed a fast friendship.
Cameron was the only one able to reach Major enough to calm him when we were at the hospital.
I believe there’s an affinity there in a shared experience. ”
“I’m glad they like each other since we’ll be spending a ton of time together. Too bad we had to miss Cameron’s birthday celebration last night.”
“They didn’t have it,” Ivy said, her lips in a thin line. “Can’t say I blame him for insisting everyone stay home with their families. The farm has been closed since the incident, and Cameron is spending time with Becca and Hope for a few days.”
“They didn’t come by yesterday, and I know I need to call him, but I don’t know what to say.”
Ivy grimaced with a cluck of her tongue. “Major refused all visitors for the day, which was understandable. As for Cameron, consider telling him you love him. That’s all he needs to hear right now.”
“I’ll do that,” I nodded. “You should get home. I didn’t mean to drag you away from the kids and Shep.”
“You think Lucy and Bryce haven’t already opened all their presents and are currently playing like crazy while Shep lounges on the couch?
Trust me, they won’t miss me for the few minutes I’m gone.
” She motioned at the Christmas gift bag.
“We weren’t sure what to do, but decided something was better than nothing, so we finished your gift for Major.
If you don’t want to give it to him, that’s fine, but I knew you didn’t have anything else. ”
“You finished it?” I asked, surprised, as she set it on the table so I could look inside. I lifted one out and trailed my finger across it. “They’re perfect.”
“I’m glad you think so,” she said, clapping once as she jumped. “Thankfully, you’d explained your plan for them, so it was mostly easy to do once we got the supplies.”
After tucking it back in the bag, I turned to her. “We?”
“The girl gang, of course,” she said with a smile. “Fair warning, Audrey is fit to be tied and will be by at some point. Major may as well know even his army doctor routine isn’t going to hold her back.”
My laughter was soft in the quiet room. “I’ll be sure to warn him. Thanks for everything, Ivy. I’ll pay you back for the supplies and buy everyone a round the next time we go out. You’ve saved Christmas for me.”
“Something tells me that waking up to see your sweet face alive and smiling is the only gift he needed this year.”
“You might be right,” I agreed, a smile on my lips as I thought about spending the day with him.
“With that, this Santa’s helper is going to take her leave. We have a busy day at the community center, and someone will be by with your meals around noon. Good?”
“Ivy, no. They don’t need to bring us lunch. You already brought us breakfast,” I said.
“When I say someone will be by with your meals around noon, what I mean is, Audrey Violet will be bringing your meals at noon, and you darn well better let her in the house.” Hand on her hip, she stared me down until I laughed and held up my hands.
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be here.”
She walked to the door and turned for another quick hug. “Merry Christmas. I’m glad I got to say that to you today in a way that means more than it has any other Christmas we’ve spent together.”
“Me too,” I agreed, holding her tightly. “Give Lucy and Bryce a kiss from their Auntie Jae-Jae and thank Shep for sharing you for a few minutes today.”
“Trust me, after all these years, he’s so used to sharing. See you soon,” she whispered, waving as she headed to her car.
After closing the door behind her, I set the oven to warm and slid the rolls in, leaving the door cracked.
Soon, the scent of cinnamon and apples filled the room, so I carried his present in to set it by the tree.
Once I was comfortable on the couch, I stared into the lights, thinking back to September and the first time I met the man who had completely transformed my life.
Would there be challenges? Yes, but now I knew we’d face them head-on.
Once he’d tucked me into bed yesterday, he’d sat on the edge of it and told me every little thing he could think of about his past relationships.
I shared the few I’d had and the lies they’d told, which not only hurt me but left a lasting impression that I struggled to overcome.
His willingness to be open about all his past relationships, even touching a little on his experiences after being injured, reassured me that he hadn’t intentionally kept the situation about Kaylee from me. We simply hadn’t gotten that far.
“Baby doll, what are you doing up? Are you in pain?” he asked, sitting beside me on the couch. He held his hand to my forehead. Finally satisfied that I was fine, he dropped it and took my hand.
“Was,” I answered. “I think I’d been in bed too long. Once I got up and moved around a bit, that helped. The pain is mostly gone now. I think not moving allows my side to cramp up.”
“That makes sense,” he agreed with a nod. “You don’t want to overdo it, but moving is important. You should have woken me, though. You aren’t the steadiest on your feet when taking pain medication.”
“All I’ve had is Tylenol,” I said. “It’s taking care of the pain just fine, so I see no point in taking the heavy-duty stuff.
You’re looking very handsome today, Dr. Warren,” I said sweetly to switch his focus.
He wore a pair of buttery soft jeans and a red cashmere sweater that brought out the color of his eyes in unexpected ways. ”
“It’s an important day,” he said, kissing my cheek. “It’s our first Christmas together. Merry Christmas, my love.”
“Merry Christmas,” I whispered, putting my arms around him carefully. “I love you.”
“Maybe about half as much as I love you,” he promised, kissing my temple. “Do I smell cinnamon?”
“Yep,” I said, laughing at the look of consternation he sent me when he looked down. “I didn’t make them. Ivy stopped by with rolls and your Christmas present.”
“Why did Ivy get me a Christmas present?” he asked, confused.
“She didn’t. I had been working on your Christmas present at her house so you wouldn’t see it. That meeting I was supposed to have with her was to finish it off, and when things went south, she rallied the girl gang, and they stepped in.”
“That was sweet of them,” he said, leaning in to kiss me. “I missed waking up to you in my bed.”
“You were so tired,” I explained, trailing a finger down his cheek. “I woke up early, but you were out like a light. There was no way I was going to wake you up after the last few days. You have to go back to work tomorrow, so you need the rest.”
“Wrong,” he said, tapping my nose. “I have clinic on Friday, but Becca will stay with you. Dr. Russel took all my on-call days for the week. It will be next Tuesday before I have to be out of the house for any extended period.”
“Major, no. I’ll be fine here alone. I have plenty of book work to do. You can’t afford to take time off this early in your tenure here.”