by Shannyn Leah
He pulled her against him. “I bet they don’t know everything we did.”
She laughed. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“I don’t know if we’re going to find the box.” She heard the disappointment in his voice and a thought popped in her head.
“Did you look in Olivia’s bedroom?”
“Why would it be in there?”
“Why would it be up here? He couldn’t have even gotten over here without going into Wanda’s side of the house. Besides, Olivia has randomly been taking your dad’s things from his bedroom since he died. Just last week she handed me your dad’s bathroom cup to fill up with water for her nightstand.”
Dax laughed. “Love that kid.” He kissed Ava’s nose. “Why didn’t we think of this earlier?” He slapped her rear end as he passed her and she listened to his loud footsteps thump down the stairs.
Shaking her head, she prayed that box was somewhere in her daughter’s bedroom so they could spend the rest of the evening with the family.
And with the thought she saw a shelf on the far wall with, what appeared to be photo albums lining it.
Weaving her way to the shelf she wiped away the dust on the spines of the books and pulled one down. Finding a chair, she pulled the plastic cover off and sat down. Just as she’d thought the photo albums were old and that of Rowdy, his wife and Dax. Ava flipped the pages watching Dax age with each one. She didn’t stop at one, and soon lost time and the amount of books she’d flipped through. It wasn’t until Dax called her from the bottom of the stairs that she realized how much time had passed.
“Coming!” Quickly she put them back and headed down the staircase. At the bottom, Ava closed the attic door and hinged the lock. Strong arms scooped her up. A startled sound worked up her chest, but she’d recognized Dax’s body any day. He lifted her over his shoulder.
She pushed away the hair that tumbled around her face. “Dax, put me down.”
“You were right. The box was in her closet.”
She wondered if her daughter had put it there and forgot—Ava’s little hoarder—or if Rowdy had stored it in her room.
Dax carried her through their bedroom, into their attached bathroom and set her down. “You have cobwebs in your hair.” He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head bringing her close to him for a kiss.
When they finished, she dragged her own hands through her hair fluffing it. “Let’s get the box and go downstairs for something to eat.”
His eyes looked dark and full of desire as he stepped back. “I have exactly what I wanted from that box.” He tore his shirt off and nodded at her. “Your turn.”
She eyed him, wondering if he was serious. “No.”
He shrugged and dropped his pants, kicking them away. He moved naked around the bathroom to turn the shower on.
“Dax, no.” Ava stuck her hand in to turn the knob off. “They will hear us.”
He shrugged again and she squeezed beside him to get a good grip on the tap but her wet hands just slipped.
While she tried to shut it off again his hands moved under her arms and lifted her into the claw foot tub. The water soaked her, clothes and all. She squealed and covered her face as if that would repel the water. Dax climbed in with her and pulled the white shower curtain around them.
“Now the evidence is all over you,” he whispered in a husky tone filled with desire then began nibbling on her earlobe. He pulled the hem of her shirt and—giving up on useless objections—she lifted her arms and he pulled her shirt up and off, tossing it behind them.
While he worked at the buckle of her pants, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “What has gotten into you today? You’d think you couldn’t live an hour without touching me.”
“Woman, my hours drag on when you’re not around.”
She laughed, but sobered quickly. “Hey.” She twisted her head to make him look up from where his hands gripped the waistline of her jeans. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
She frowned. “This is your first Christmas without your dad and although you’ve talked about him plenty, involved him and your mom, I’m just curious.”
“Why are we talking about my dad when we’re both naked in a shower?”
“Because I love you and I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“Then why are we in a shower when everyone’s downstairs waiting for us?”
“Are you complaining?” He ran his hands up her bare back and pulled her against him.
“No.” Her fingers played with the back of his wet hair. “But if you’re not okay, you’ll tell me, right?”
He kissed her. “I will always tell you. I’m happy.” He kissed her again. “Yes, I miss my dad, but I have you. Plus, your daughter just asked me to be her dad. This day could only get better if you married me on the spot.”
She eyed him with a slight grin on her lips. “You haven’t even officially asked me to marry you.”
“Maybe once I get a fancy ring.”
“I don’t need a fancy ring. I just need you.” She kissed him.
“That’s one thing I love about you,” he said against her lips. “You’re down to earth and don’t need anything fancy.” He pulled away to look at her. “Although I could give you anything. All you have to do is ask.”
She rubbed his bottom lip. “I know. Right now I want you to take my pants off.”
He smiled. “I can do that.”
7 Years Prior
IT FELT STRANGE LYING under the lit tree as an adult. With one arm under his head Dax lay there wide awake, staring at the reflection of lights dancing on the ceiling above him. His dad had the house too damn warm. The plaid wool blanket his dad provided now only covered his middle. His feet hung off the edge of the air mattress.
Damn, today had been hard on his inner thoughts. At moments he had inwardly sounded as sappy as his father had been acting, but he couldn’t help it. Dax wondered if this would be the beginning of doing more things to remember his mother. Maybe they could have campfires in the backyard. He was too old for movie night, but he’d love to fire up a good campfire and sit around it with his dad.
“Thank you for today.” Ava’s voice drifted off the pull-out sofa Dax had set up for her. Rowdy didn’t want her rolling off the mattresses. “Both of you.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Rowdy said.
Dax tilted his head to find his dad mimicking his look and staring at the tree.
Silence spanned across them again but, when Dax was convinced they’d both fallen asleep, Ava spoke again. “I saw these shelves made out of old license plates and I thought maybe we could make those for the nursery.”
Dax opened his eyes to see his dad grinning with his eyes still closed.
Rowdy cleared his throat. “I think we can whip something up.”
“But if it’s a girl we might have to re-think our design.”
Rowdy chuckled. “And the name. I don’t think Oliver is a good girl’s name.”
“Dad, she didn’t even say she liked the name Oliver.”
“Yes, she did,” his father huffed at him.
Dax shook his head against the pillow. “Don’t name the kid because my dad picked it.”
Ava giggled. “If it’s a girl, I was thinking we could call her Olivia.”
“Olivia.” His dad said the name a few more times as if testing it. “I like it. What do you think, son?”
They didn’t really want to know what he thought about lying here trying out kid’s names. “I think all this talk has made me hungry. Anyone want another cranberry muffin?”
They groaned and laughed. Dax liked the sound of that.
Chapter Ten
Current Day
“MOM! COME ON! What are you guys doing?”
The loud knock on their bedroom door sent Ava scrambling for her housecoat. In an attempt to wrap it around herself she ended up colliding into Dax’s naked body with a
small yelp.
Dax lifted her in one arm and took two large steps into the locked bedroom door. “We’re changing out of our dirty clothes. We’ll be right down.”
“You two are taking forever. We’ve been ready a long time,” Olivia huffed. “I already got dressed and brushed my hair.”
“Five more minutes,” Dax promised. Ava held her breath until she heard her daughter’s footsteps moving down the stairs.
They looked at each other and both burst into laughter. Ava slapped his chest and pulled away. “You’re still a trouble maker.” She shed the housecoat and walked to their closet. She switched the light on inside the closet door and Dax pressed up against her.
“You’re the troublemaker. Now get dressed. We have guests. No pajamas.” He walked to his side of the closet.
She pouted as she thought about curling up in warm pajamas under the lit tree and watching television with this big man she loved so much.
She watched Dax slip on a pair of dark washed jeans before reaching for a black dress shirt, normally an article of clothing she’d have to force him to wear.
“I washed some extra T-shirts,” she said.
He shrugged into the shirt. “I’m feeling dressy.”
“Dressy?”
“Yeah. Maybe you should wear this.” He reached across the closet to her side and grabbed a random dress and tossed it at her.
She held up the strapless summer dress. “I would freeze in this.”
His grin melted her enough to keep her warm all night. “Sweetheart, you’ll never be cold with me.” She shook her head and he reached again, focusing enough attention to grab a long dress before tossing it at her. “How about this?” Unfortunately, he’d chosen a see-through bathing suit cover.
“Absolutely not.”
When he reached for a third dress she stopped him. “I’ll dress myself. Just worry about matching your buttons with the right holes.” She gently patted the front of his shirt.
He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “I love you.”
Ava raised to the tips of her toes to gently brush a kiss on his lips. “I love you, too. Both sappy or cocky.”
He chuckled while she moved to rummage through her dresses. Finally, she chose a soft grey sequin dress she’d recently purchased to wear to the fireman’s Christmas party next week.
Holding hands with her ever so handsome man, they walked to the top of the stairs and peered downstairs into darkness.
“Why did they turn off the tree?” she whispered to Dax as they began descending the stairs. “Olivia?” She could hear rustling, but her eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the dark. “I thought they were setting up the food and getting the movie ready.”
He kissed her temple. “Your daughter’s not as good at keeping secrets as I thought,” he whispered in her ear. He stopped walking halfway down the stairs. “Hit it!” His shout made Ava jump. She was about to slap him when the lighting of the tree and her daughter standing next to it caught her attention. The lights glimmered off the sequins on her daughter’s red dress instead of the pajamas they'd purchased to wear tonight.
Before she could mention the outfit, the rest of the house lit up like a magical wonderland. Strings of clear lights glistened down each side of the staircase, winding around the wood posts with sheer white material swags. Her head lifted to see the archways draped with more lights and more fabric and lights sparkling around the windows.
She automatically assumed they’d gotten bored waiting for her and Dax, but then she noted Wanda had also changed into a little fancier cream dress and the guys had shed their sweaters for dress shirts like the one Dax wore.
Ava turned to the man beside her and squeezed his hand. “What is this?”
He squeezed her hand back. “Your Christmas surprise.” He nodded down the stairs and she followed as he led her into the family room with the Christmas tree.
“Hi, Momma.” Olivia looked ready to explode with her wiggling toes and clenched hands.
“Hello. What’s going on here?”
“I can’t tell.”
Dax ruffled Olivia’s hair. “That train has past kid.”
Ava bit her lip as she watched Dax take an ornament off the tree. Dangling from the single red ribbon was a gold band. Her heart stopped beating and her eyes flickered to his loving eyes.
“This ring belonged to my mom, and my grandmother before her.” He untied the bow on the ribbon and slipped the ring off the material. As he bent down on one knee, she breathed his name which only widened his smile. Olivia squealed at her side, but she couldn’t draw her eyes away from the man before her.
He took her hand in his and once again brushed a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Ava Anderson, the love of my life, a life that hadn’t meant anything until you stepped into it—will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
He slipped the ring onto her shaking finger before rising and pulling her firmly against him, planting a hard kiss on her mouth. When he pulled away he asked, “Right now?”
She laughed. “Is that a trick question?”
“No.”
Her hands touched the side of his face as she lifted on her toes to be closer to him. “I would marry you on the spot in a heartbeat. No big wedding, no fancy buffet, just you, me, and Olivia under this Christmas tree.” She kissed him. “But you need a wedding officiant for that.”
“I know the details and since my dad wouldn’t be satisfied with just any wedding officiant, I didn’t dare let Hawk or Wanda do one of those online courses.” Ava laughed. “But I did call in a favor.” He nodded past her. When she turned, she saw the local minister standing beside Wanda holding a Bible. Her body numbed as she put together Dax’s plan. Her lips curled up as she remembered her daughter’s mention of being married and Dax saying she couldn’t keep secrets.
She felt his hand slip into hers and give her a comforting squeeze. “My dad was a traditional kind of man, so he would want us to be wed by a minister.”
She turned to him. For the first time in her life, tears of happiness streamed down her face. “This is why I’m in a dress and you’re in a dress shirt and Olivia isn’t in her pajamas?”
He caught her hand as she moved to wipe her tears away and slid the pad of his thumb across her skin. “Yes.”
A part laugh and part inhale passed her lips.
“Will you marry me right now?”
She nodded, inhaling deeply.
He pulled her against his side and announced, “We’re getting married!”
Wanda, Hawk and Stone moved in to take turns congratulating and hugging them. Ava listened to each of them explain their duties in this massive set up to surprise her and she couldn’t thank them enough for making this evening even more special.
When they settled, the minister moved in front of the tree and had Ava and Dax stand in front of him as he began the ceremony.
“Wait!” Olivia said.
Holding hands, Ava and Dax glanced down at her daughter, standing at their side holding a bouquet of poinsettias. “We haven’t hung our Christmas ornament yet.”
“How about after the ceremony?” Dax suggested.
The young girl shook her head. “No, it’s tradition.”
Dax looked at Ava and she excused herself to quickly grab the small gift bag on the fireplace. She held it to her chest when her daughter reached for it. “This is my Christmas surprise,” Ava said. “It’s not quite as elaborate as what you’ve all done.” She handed her eager daughter the bag.
Dax wrapped his arm around Ava’s shoulder and pulled her against his side as they watched Olivia pull out the tissue and unwrap the layers, tossing them on the floor until she reached the ornament. Ava couldn’t hold back her grin as she watched her daughter silently read the names and stop at the last name.
She looked up, giving them a quirky face. “Who’s kid? Why is there an extra ‘kid’ on this ornament?”
Ava felt Dax’s arm tighten around her. With his other hand he reached
for the ornament to read it himself. When he looked at her, she knew he understood. “You’re pregnant.” She didn’t even get her nod out before Dax had lifted her up, swinging her in the air.
“Hey!”
With Olivia’s objection, he hiked her into his arms and gave her a spin around the room too. When he set her down, he grabbed Wanda’s shoulders. “We’re pregnant!” He hugged her and moved to Stone and Hawk with Olivia at his heels repeating, “We’re pregnant!” and getting the same round of hugs.
He stopped before Ava. “You were right, I was a heel today.”
She shrugged. “I guess after the effort you put into tonight, I’ll let it slide.”
One of his strong hands slid under her hair and gripped the back of her neck. He bent over and planted a hard kiss on her mouth.
“You haven’t said ‘I do’.” Ava felt her daughter’s hands pulling them apart.
Opening her eyes, Ava touched her lips and stared at her soon-to-be husband. His glossy eyes looked ready to scoop her up and go find that Santa suit.
“So you have a baby in there, huh?” Olivia touched her mother’s middle and Ava covered her hand with hers.
“I do. A little brother or sister for you.”
Olivia grinned up at her mother and Dax. “Dad, you should make the baby’s names out of old car parts to hang in its bedroom. Kind of like the shop sign.” She looked between Ava and Dax. “Right? That would be awesome!”
Ava watched her man’s emotions play on his face as her daughter called him dad in the proper manner. He cleared his throat and lifted Olivia into his arms. “That’s an awesome idea.” He tapped her nose. “But I think you should help me with the construction.”
“Yes!” She fist pounded the air. “This kid is going to love it.” Olivia yawned and Dax tucked her head into his shoulder, before taking Ava’s hand. “Are you ready to be my wife?”
They moved back in front of the Christmas tree. Still holding Olivia, Dax and Ava exchanged their vows and made their family official. Ava couldn’t wait to take some pictures and stick them into the Christmas box so they could re-live this evening every single December to come.