He sits cross-legged on the bed in front of me and sets the tray between us. “Yes. The milk has been drunk and the cookies have been eaten. Even the carrots Jason and Jackson left out for the reindeer are gone. All the stockings are filled with chocolates, face masks, nail polish, and other sparkly stuff for the girls, lots of food for the guys. I think Noah got coal.”
I bite back a laugh. “How about your brothers? What did Santa leave them?”
“Jason and Jackson got a video game each, and I’m kind of annoyed at Santa for indulging their video game addiction.”
My heart warms at his humor. This is how Aiden should always be. Relaxed; happy. I gesture at the tray sitting between us. “What do you have there?”
“Since we all agreed to wake up at the ungodly hour of seven to exchange Secret Santa presents, I figured waking everyone up would go over better if we had some hot chocolate and coffee already made.”
I laugh as I take my mug of hot chocolate off the tray and take a sip.
“This is so weird. You’re a grinch the other 364 days of the year, but you’re nice on Christmas.”
“I am not a grinch.” He looks into his coffee and adds quietly, “Plus, the twins love waking up on Christmas morning and drinking hot chocolate with those little marshmallows.”
I try not to swoon, but I’m sure it’s written all over my face. “You’re such a good big brother.”
He ignores my incredibly correct statement and drinks his coffee. “That’s my favorite sweater, you know.” He nods at the sweater I’m wearing.
I smile cheekily at him. “Good thing it’s on your favorite person.”
He raises an amused eyebrow and grins knowingly. “I wouldn’t let Noah borrow my sweaters.”
I fake indignation and play hit him, and we both laugh.
“Are you going to tell me what’s in that box or are you going to let me die of curiosity?”
He laughs and moves the tray off the bed, replacing it with the small box wrapped in Christmas paper.
“I know we all agreed to do Secret Santa instead of everyone getting everyone a present, but I still wanted to get you something even though I didn’t pick your name.”
My heart skips a few beats and I discreetly pinch myself to stop from crying. It takes everything I have to stop myself from tackling him and kissing him until New Year’s. I rest my mug on the floor and gently take the surprisingly well-wrapped present in my hands.
I raise my eyes to his, only to find him already studying me. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Just open it.”
It’s a flat, red box, just a bit bigger than my hand, and I eye his stoic face before opening the lid.
It’s a necklace, but not a normal, dainty, diamond kind of necklace. The chain is a regular, long, plain chain, and hanging from it is an object. It’s long and skinny and looks wooden, with some ornate golden designs at the top and bottom, and some numbers burned into it. It looks vintage, and it’s truly beautiful.
“It’s beautiful, Aiden. Definitely one of a kind. Thank you.”
I hold it up to examine it, and it has some weight to it, but not so much that it would bother me.
“May I?” He holds out his hand and I place the necklace in it.
“See these two things right here?” He points to the top of the wooden part where some gold decoration sticks out slightly. “You have to press them at the same time.”
He does, and there’s a very slight click.
“That was the blade unlocking.”
Blade?!
He pulls on the new silver thing sticking out of the long side of the wood, and like he said, a blade swings out. I blink at him. Aiden seriously got me a pocketknife disguised as a beautiful necklace. I laugh. It’s a carefree, honest laugh that has Aiden looking confused.
“Why are you laughing?” he frowns.