Chapter 17 #3
Of course they were. The bastard had been hiding them in the SUV while I’d been living right under his nose.
He headed toward the garage, and I called after him, “There better not be a bunch of shit out there.”
He didn’t answer. That was not encouraging. He came back with several packages tucked against his chest.
“Jesus Christ, Doc.”
Thad set them on the coffee table. “Merry Christmas.”
“That’s too many.”
“It’s four.”
“Fourteen, maybe. It’s too many.”
“Open them.”
I stared suspiciously at him, but he only sat back down and handed me the smallest one.
The first couple were little things, and the knot in my stomach loosened as I opened them. One made me laugh because it was based on some stupid argument we’d had weeks ago. Another was something I’d mentioned wanting exactly once and then forgotten about.
Thad hadn’t.
By the third, I was watching him more than the presents. He knew what each one would do before I opened it. The fucker tried to hide it, but I caught the anticipation around his eyes every time I tore into the paper.
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Open the next one.”
“You’re bossy on Christmas.”
“I’m bossy every day.”
“Fair.”
“Don’t act like you don’t love it.”
“Never,” I replied, thrilled he’d flirted with me.
He handed me the last box. The size didn’t bother me. But the logo did.
My fingers stopped halfway through the paper. “Doc.”
“Open it.”
“That logo is expensive.”
“You don’t know what’s inside.”
“Unless you put Walmart shit in a fancy box to fuck with me, yes, I do.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “Open it, Cash.”
I narrowed my eyes and lifted the lid. Motherfucker.
The running shoes I’d fallen in love with but refused to pay that much for.
I’d picked them up twice when we’d been out and put them back twice, then jerked my hand back like I got burned when I reached for them a third time.
Nobody in their right mind needed to spend that much fucking money on shoes.
Apparently, Thad had noticed. Because of course he had.
“You noticed,” I said, running my fingers over the side of one.
“Yes.”
I looked up. “How much?”
“Less than the tree.”
My head snapped up. “Bullshit.”
“I saw the receipt on the kitchen counter for that monstrosity.”
“Shit.”
Thad laughed, completely unrepentant.
“You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“You left it beside the coffee maker.”
“Still.”
I pulled one of the shoes out and turned it over, pressing my thumb into the sole. I inspected the construction like I knew enough about fucking shoes to determine whether they were worth what he’d paid.
I knew they weren’t.
No shoe was worth that much.
“You’re going to need good shoes,” Thad said.
I stopped fucking with the sole and looked at him. “When I’m walking normally again?”
His expression changed, the teasing disappearing. “When you’re walking everywhere again.”
My fingers tightened around the shoe. There it was. Not if. Not some careful doctor answer about timelines and outcomes.
When.
Damn him.
“Thanks, Doc.”
His gaze held mine. “You’re welcome. And I thought…maybe…”
“Maybe…”
“When you’re ready, we could run together sometimes.”
Emotion clogged my throat. I carefully put the shoe back and replaced the lid before setting the box on the floor. Somewhere along the way, my leg ended up across his lap again. I wasn’t sure which of us had put it there.
His fingers rested loosely around my ankle, his thumb moving over my skin while we drank our coffee and surveyed the mess we’d made of the living room.
Last night slipped into my head again.
Thad’s hand.
My name.
Then his face in my doorway.
My dick apparently thought Christmas morning needed an encore because warmth started crawling lower.
Absolutely the fuck not.
I shifted my attention to the tree and took another drink of coffee.
Beside me, Thad went quiet.
I glanced over.
The hoodie lay across his thigh, but he wasn’t looking at it. His attention had gone back to the photograph on the table. The smile from a few minutes ago was gone, and something quieter had taken its place.
I could’ve asked.
Normally, I probably would’ve.
Instead, I let him look.
His thumb swept once across my ankle. I settled a little deeper into the sectional and left my leg exactly where it was. Letting my self luxuriate in the small, gentle, reassuring ways he took care of me. He surprised me. More every day I knew him.
Turning, my gaze found the decorations we arranged together. The Christmas lights from the tree glowed against the morning sun. Beyond the glass, the ocean rolled.
And through it all…Thad’s hand stayed around my ankle, grounding me and weaving him into the fabric of my life.
Through the silent, earth-shattering reworking of my life, the sun climbed higher in the sky.
The waves rolled onto the shore, crashing against the rocks.
And the seconds kept ticking by, each one lashing me to the man stroking my leg.
Neither of us said a fucking word about what we’d seen the night before.
There was no need. We were here. Together. Waiting.