As she folds the bills, she looks at me.
“So when do you plan on popping the question?”
Chapter 14 – Christmas
Olivia – Christmas Eve
I snuggle deeper into Isaac’s arms as I slowly come awake. My eyes flutter open and it’s still dark in the room, so it has to be early. I look over at the bedside clock and it is only 5:43am.
Why am I awake at this hour?
For once, I am grateful that Isaac’s body is like a furnace, because I can tell the room is on the chilly side. Like me, Isaac lowers the thermostat at night. The temperatures have finally dropped and today’s temperatures aren’t supposed to climb above thirty-five degrees.
I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep, but it’s not working. I am wide-awake. As I lay in Isaac’s arms, I let my mind wander back over the past few weeks.
Spending Thanksgiving with my family and Isaac was a new experience for me. It was my first time spending a family holiday with a boyfriend. I was glad that Isaac got along with my sister Paris and my brother Leo Jr. My nieces liked him a lot too.
I still get a fluttery feeling in my belly when I think about how they asked if he was going to be their new uncle. I refuse to dwell on that because I don’t want to get my hopes up.
Mama had continued with her pseudo-crush on Isaac during the visit while Daddy was being wishy-washy. One minute, they were the best of friends and the next he acted like Isaac stole something from him. However, my boyfriend took it all in stride. There was also a moment when Daddy and Isaac disappeared to his home office. Later that night, I asked Isaac what it was about, he told me nothing and then proceeded to distract me with his hands and mouth.
When we got back to Richmond, I found myself quite busy. Due to the upcoming gift-giving season, my Simply Simone jewelry line had a lot of orders that I had to package and ship. I had a deadline to provide new jewelry designs to the corporate office for my jewelry design job and I had to cram in all of my Christmas shopping. Although I was busy, I still made time for Isaac and my friends. I even made the time to volunteer at a women’s shelter with Ms. Ronnie. We wrapped a bunch of presents that had been donated for the women and their children. That was the day that I learned Isaac’s mom grew up in an abusive household.
I think of my own family. This is the first time in my life that I am spending Christmas away from my family and I feel a twinge of homesickness. Back in August, my parents had decided to take a fourteen-day Italian Mediterranean cruise for the Christmas holiday. Of course, they invited my siblings and me but I really didn’t want to spend my Christmas on a cruise ship. I had decided then to spend Christmas with Isaac (obviously). Paris declined as well, so I invited her to Richmond for the holidays, but she told me she had plans with her latest boy toy. Leo Jr. and his family went – they all left on four days ago and will be back the first week in January.
Since I always spend Christmas in Atlanta with my family, I never put up a Christmas tree, but this year, I picked out my first Christmas tree for my house. It was so much fun that I convinced Isaac and Judah to get a tree for their farmhouse. They always spend Christmas with their parents, so they have never bought a tree for their house either. They let me pick out the biggest tree I could find to place in their den. We and the rest of our friends spent a Sunday afternoon decorating it.
Today, everyone – well almost everyone will convene at Isaac’s parents’ house. Ivy and Wood traveled to London to spend Christmas with his family, while Maddie traveled to Barbados to spend Christmas with her family. However, they will be back in time for the Rossi’s New Year’s Eve party, which I am excited about.
Ms. Ronnie wants us all at her house no later than 10am for brunch today. After brunch, Zoe and I will help her cook various dishes. Isaac told me that they don’t do the traditional Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner. Instead, it is their tradition to have several dishes of food – mostly bite-sized portions of dishes, an assortment of appetizers and desserts – and then they ‘graze’ all day and night.
I look back at the clock and see that it is almost 6:30am. I decide to get up. I carefully maneuver myself from Isaac’s hold and brave the cold bedroom as I dash to the bathroom. I am only in the shower a few minutes when big hands wrap around my waist.
“I woke up and you were gone.” Isaac pulls me back against his hard body, placing a kiss against the side of my neck. “You know I don’t like waking up without you.”
This man always knows what to say to make me melt.
His hands slide around to my front, one hand cupping me between my legs and the other thumbing my nipple.
“Come back to bed Baby Girl.”
“But I’m not sleepy.”
“Who says we’ll be sleeping,” he replies as two thick fingers sink into my heat.
__________________________
Olivia - Later in Rossi Kitchen
I shake my head and smile when Chewy comes strutting into the kitchen wearing a cute lime green sweater that looks perfect against his blue-black fur.
“I just had to get it when I saw it,” Ms. Ronnie says as she comes back into the kitchen looking quite pleased with herself. Because of her, Chewy now has a wardrobe of colorful sweaters.
I laugh and shake my finger at her jokingly.
“And this is why he is so spoiled.”
I love that everyone loves Chewy as if he is their own.
Isaac comes up behind me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he whispers in my ear.
“If you think it’s bad now, imagine what she will be like when we have kids.”
I turn my head and look up at him. I am sure my eyes show the shock at his statement. He just winks at me; giving me a look I can’t decipher and gives me a quick kiss.
“I’ll be hanging with the guys in the TV room,” he says and I watch him walk out the kitchen.
Kids – with Isaac? Yeah, I have thought about it – a lot. I have also thought about what it would be like to be married to him. However, I keep those thoughts under lock and key. No need to get my hopes up – I mean we haven’t even been dating for a year yet - way too soon for those thoughts – right?
Something hits me softly on the side of my head and I look to see Zoe preparing to launch another marshmallow at me.
“What’s got you looking so shell-shocked Livy? What did my brother say to you?”
I plaster a smile on my face, hoping that it doesn’t look fake.
“Nothing – he was just being Isaac.”
She squints her eyes at me, but lets it go.
We spend the next two hours or so chopping, blanching, sautéing and kneading various ingredients for numerous dishes. Around the two and half hour mark, Ms. Ronnie breaks out the wine and I couldn’t be happier. While Ms. Ronnie sips on her glass of wine, Zoe and I quickly down ours and open another bottle. When the guys wander into the kitchen in the afternoon looking for a snack, we are sufficiently tipsy – and giggly. So giggly that Ms. Ronnie declares us done for the day and shoos us off with the guys along with trays of snack food. Zoe also snags another bottle of wine.
The Rossi’s TV room is not as elaborate as Isaac and Judah’s theater room, but it is just as nice. The huge sectional sofa with built recliners has space for all of us and then some. Another tradition in the Rossi household is having a movie marathon on Christmas Eve. This year, they are watching the Die Hard movies. I settle into a recliner on the sofa. Isaac sits in the recliner next to me and places a bowl of white cheddar popcorn and a plate of various snacks on the console between us.
__________________________
When we have finished with the first Die Hard movie, Ms. Ronnie comes in and lets us know that Charlie’s mom and date are here. I have met Charlie’s mom a few times and she is very nice. She is the head nurse of the emergency room at the VCU Medical Center. I sneak a glance at Charlie and he doesn’t look happy. From what Isaac told me earlier, Charlie’s mom has a boyfriend and Charlie doesn’t like it.
I watch Mr. Matty follow his wife to the kitchen and on the way, he leans down and whispers something to Charlie. Whatever he says to Charlie has him looking chastised. He gets up and pulls Zoe with him as they follow him out of the room; I presume to greet his mother and her boyfriend.
Before we start the next Die Hard movie, Judah makes a quick trip into the kitchen to get the fried ravioli that Ms. Ronnie has just made.
I am going to gain so much weight this Christmas.
When we are about thirty minutes into the movie, Judah says, “Do you think he’s had enough?”
“Probably,” Isaac replies as he pauses the movie. “Let’s go save him.” Isaac pulls me up from the sofa and he and I follow Judah out the room.
This is what I love about these two – no matter what; they have Charlie’s back – like true brothers.
__________________________
Isaac - New Year’s Eve
As I enter the house, I hear faint laughter coming from the theater room. I make my way to the room. My three little cousins (Uncle Daniel’s kids) are all reclined in loungers watching a movie. I guess I shouldn’t say little since they are 18, 19 and 20 and in college. Ava, Chloe and Lily are staying over and dog sitting Chewy tonight, since Liv and I will be staying at the hotel after the party. They haven’t seen each other in a while (they go to different colleges in different states), so they are skipping the party, but offered to dog sit.
I walk further into the room and it takes me a few seconds to find Chewy; he is nestled against Chloe and is fast asleep.
“Do you guys have everything you need?” I ask, surveying the concession area on the right wall where a copious amount of junk food is laid out.
Three pairs of equally pretty, big brown eyes turn my way.
“Yep!” they all say in unison.
“Where’s Livy?” Ava asks.
“I’m about to go see – she should be ready by now. We’ll stop by on the way out,” I say as I leave the room and head up the stairs.
I have been dressed for a while. All I need to do is put on my tux jacket. As I enter my bedroom, I say a little prayer that the night goes how I want it to. I sit on the bed and open the nightstand drawer, making sure what I put there earlier is still in there.
“Liv – are you about ready?” I call out to her in the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute. I am just putting on my jewelry,” she responds.
My only request for her attire tonight was that she wears the halo diamond earrings and matching pendant necklace that I gave her for Christmas. When she walks out of the bathroom, she is a vision. Her dress is a very pale light blue color, so light that it looks almost silver. It’s strapless and has some sparkly shit on the top half. Her dress reaches the floor, but I get a peek of her matching shoes. Her normally wavy braids are curly and are in some kind of fancy up-do. She is breathtakingly beautiful.
“Do I look okay?” She asks shyly.
“Come here,” I say softly.
She walks over until she is standing in front of me. I carefully pull her down until she is sitting across my lap.
“Do you know how beautiful you are right now?”
She casts her gaze down; I see a pretty blush spreading across her cheeks and down her neck. I lift her chin with my forefinger.
“You are – you look amazing and you smell good too,” I say kissing her neck softly, which causes her to giggle.
“Thank you,” she finally says.
“So, I have something for you before we go.”
“Isaac if you bought me something else, you are going to be in so much trouble!”
I let out a chuckle. When I gave her the earrings and necklace, she fussed that the Sonoma trip that I paid for was her Christmas present.
“It’s just a little something. I think it will go perfect with what you have on tonight.”
She just narrows her eyes at me before saying, “Okay but no more presents for a while.”
I don’t respond as I reach into the nightstand drawer and pull out the engagement ring. It matches her earrings and necklace. I keep my hand closed around the ring.
“So,” I start off, “This little something actually matches your earrings and necklace.”
I open my hand so she can see the ring in my hand. I take her left hand and place it on her finger.
__________________________
Olivia
“It’s up to you,” he says softly. “It can be a promise ring or an engagement ring. I know we have only known each other for ten months, but I know. Hell, I knew within the first fourteen hours of meeting you that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”
He lifts up my arm, the one with the long fading scar that starts at my inner elbow and goes down almost to my wrist. He places a few kisses along the scar before he continues.
“So if you want it to be just a promise ring that is okay. You can just let me know when you want it to represent more. Your parents already know, although they don’t know when I am going to ask you. I originally was going to ask you on your birthday, but I can’t wait that long and it seems cheesy. My pop knows that I am going to ask you and the guys know too. At Thanksgiving, when I asked your dad for a private…”
I place my hand over his mouth, silencing him because he is starting to ramble. He must be nervous because he is never unsure of himself, he is always so confident. So seeing him like this, vulnerable, makes me love him even more. I look down at the ring he placed on my left ring finger. It is a round halo diamond – it’s at least a carat and it’s so pretty and sparkly. I look at him and there is so much love in his eyes that I almost lose my breath. I already know what I want the ring to represent.
“I know what I want it to represent,” I whisper.
“What?” he asks instantly.
“An engagement ring.”
“You sure?”
I can only nod vigorously because I can’t find my voice.
“So – will you marry me?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say before I tackle him in a hug, raining kisses all over his face before finding his lips.
“I don’t want a long engagement,” I say finally when we come up for air.
“If I didn’t think my parents and yours would kill me, I would marry you next week.”
“I agree. Is March or April too soon?” I really want to be married to this man so he can be mine forever.
“Is that enough time for you to plan a wedding?”
I nod, sitting back up on the side of the bed. He sits up too and pulls me back across his lap.
“Yeah, I don’t want anything big or fancy. I want something small with just our family and closest friends. Is that okay?” I ask.
“Whatever you want Baby Girl,” he says before bringing his lips to mine in a sweet kiss.
Epilogue – Isaac and Olivia
Isaac – Some months later
The whining and crying over the baby monitor has me instantly awake. I peek at the bedside clock and see that it is too early – 4:22am . I feel my wife snuggle closer to me as she sleeps on. I touch the base of the lamp on the nightstand and a dim glow lights the room. Liv is a heavy sleeper, but right now, she is faking. I can see the hint of a smile on her beautiful lips.
“Stop faking Baby Girl – I know you’re awake,” I say, kissing her bare shoulder.
She keeps her eyes closed as she mumbles, “It’s your turn.”
I let out a sigh. Yes, it’s my turn to go and check on the newest member of our household; the newest member of our household who has been waking us up every single night for the past two weeks ever since we moved him into the room across the hall.
When he was sleeping in our room, he slept through the night – now that he’s separated from us, he likes to voice his displeasure by whining and crying. Granted, it is getting better. In the beginning, he would stay quiet for only an hour, waking us both up before midnight. As time has gone on, he is sleeping longer on his own, but 4:22am i
s still too damn early. When he can sleep until 8:00am, then I will be satisfied.
I climb out of bed and make my way out the door and to the room across the hall. The instant I flip on the overhead light, he ceases his antics. His big black eyes, ringed with blue look up at me expectantly. I make my way over to his bed and run a hand over his soft dark gray fur.
“What’s wrong boy?” I ask softly as I rub the head of our ten month-old Great Dane puppy, Loki. Although, puppy is a term I use lightly – since he already weighs 55 lbs. Loki lets out a sigh of contentment as I lightly scratch behind his floppy ears. I look down to my left and see Chewy stretched out on his own dog bed looking up at me sleepily.
“Come on,” I say, “Let’s go.”
Before I can even make it to the door, Loki runs past me and zips across the hall into our bedroom, no doubt about to jump on the bed. I hurry after him and gently grab ahold of his collar just as he is about to jump on the bed. Liv opens one eye and sleepily speaks.
“You have to sleep in your own bed Loki.”
He lets out a soft whine. When he was much smaller, we allowed him to sleep on the foot of our bed, but he is getting too big for that now. Besides, he has three very nice dog beds in the house – one being in the corner of our bedroom, which is where I steer him. I watch him step onto the bed and turn around three times before settling down. Something brushes past my leg and I see Chewy climbing into the dog bed with Loki – cuddling with him. Loki looks at me with what looks like panic in his big eyes.
I chuckle. Loki should be used to it by now - Chewy likes to cuddle with his ‘little brother’. I make a detour to the bathroom before joining my wife in bed. I turn off the bedside lamp and pull a sleeping Liv close, loving the sweet smell and softness of her skin.
When Sparks Fly (Sexy Secrets Book 2) Page 20