The little girl clapped as Cal and Jace pulled out the presents for her to open.
“It wasn’t easy, but I managed to get everything on your Christmas list.”
Bliss looked away from Darcy ripping open her presents to Drake. “I didn’t make a list…”
Drake pulled out a colored piece of construction paper that had been folded and unfolded numerous times. “I sneaked it off the wall where it was pinned at the daycare.”
Bliss stared at the numerous pictures she had glued down: the home with a family smiling around the Christmas tree, opening presents; a large home with the Christmas lights shining; a cream-colored coat a pretty model was wearing as she shopped; a diamond ring; and a Christmas dinner on a large table surrounded by people.
“I think you missed one thing.”
“What?” Drake frowned, looking down at the picture.
“The Christmas dinner. I hope you’re not expecting me to cook it. If I did, it wouldn’t look like that,” Bliss warned.
“King is having it delivered this afternoon.”
Bliss laughed, pulling him to her. “Then I agree with Cash. This is the best Christmas ever.”
Epilogue
Drake leaned against his car, staring down at his watch and sighing impatiently.
She was late again. He fondly remembered the days when he used to text her and she came running. Now he was lucky to get a text that would tell him she was coming.
He knew she was approaching when he saw the men across the street come to a stop, gazing appreciatively at the woman walking down the street. A smile came to his lips when he saw his ladies holding hands. The little girl skipping happily next to his woman was talking animatedly as they neared.
Bliss was wearing the thick coat he had given her three winters ago. With her black boots, she looked sexy as hell. As he watched, Bliss reached up, brushing back her hair that the wind had sent blowing, giving her a sexy, tousled, I-just-got-out-of-bed look. It reached to below her chin, brushing her shoulders. If he had thought Bliss was eye-catching when she had short hair, with longer hair, she looked like a sex kitten.
The men who were staring at her looked away in disappointment when the diamond ring she wore flashed in the winter sun.
Bliss thought he had given her a big diamond to make her happy. She was wrong. He had given it to her to make him happy. He wanted any man who looked at her to know she was taken.
“What time will they be home, Mommy?”
“I don’t know. They’ll call when their plane lands.” Bliss’s voice was soft and happy.
Drake smiled. His daughter was anxious for her brother and stepbrother to be home.
“Daddy, do you know…?”
“You heard your mother. They’re going to call.”
“But it’s Christmas Eve. They promised they would be here yesterday. What if they don’t make it for Christmas?”
“They’ll make it. Cal and Jace both promised. Their plane was delayed. As soon as they can, they’ll be here. They don’t want to miss you opening your presents in the morning.”
“I won’t open them until they get here,” Darcy promised fervently as her father opened the car door for her to climb inside. Drake watched patiently as she buckled herself into her booster seat before closing the door.
After opening Bliss’s door, he took the packages from her hand, giving her a kiss that stamped his ownership over her for the remaining men who hadn’t moved on.
“Wow! What was that for?” Bliss grinned up at him.
“This morning … and at that asshole standing in front of the diner, whom I’m about to give a black eye.”
Her gaze went over the roof of the car to see who he was threatening.
“Oh, that’s just Silas, Ginny’s brother.” Bliss gave him a friendly wave.
“I know who he is. Get in the car.”
Bliss got inside the car, smiling. Then Drake went around the front of the car, giving Silas a glare that sent him on his way.
“That wasn’t nice,” Bliss said when he got inside.
“He was being a jackass.”
“Daddy, who was being a jackass?”
“See what you did.” Bliss snickered. “No one, Darcy. Daddy’s just in a grumpy mood.”
“Oh.” The little girl happily began swinging her feet.
“We’ll drop the packages off at home and get dressed for the party at the church tonight. All your cousins are going to be there.” Bliss chatted as they pulled out into the traffic.
“Is Logan going to be there?”
Bliss shot Drake a glance. Both of them knew what was coming.
“Yes,” Drake answered.
“I don’t want to go. I’ll stay home and wait for Cal and Jace.”
“You have to go. You’re not old enough to stay home by yourself.”
“Logan’s mean to me. He says I’m not a Porter.”
Drake grinned. His cousins still threw the same insult at him. The difference was Darcy really wasn’t, and the sensitive girl took it to heart when the boy made the claim.