It wasn’t much, just a set of crisp white cotton handkerchiefs. I’d hand-sewn a cursive J inside of a heart shape in the corner of each one in different colors, one for each day of the week. I knew when he left, he wouldn’t take much, but I hoped like hell if he carried just the simplest of items on his person, it would at least be something that could remind him of me.
And who knew? Maybe that little heart would be enough of a reminder of what we had and one day it might be enough to convince him to come back to me.
Chapter 26
Jake
Christmas morning with Zoey and Oz was some of the most fun I’d had in years. First of all, I awoke to the surprise decor job Oz had done in the middle of the night in my cabin. The place looked amazing, and I couldn’t stop reaching for him and complimenting him with kisses all over at the incredible job he’d done.
“I can’t believe you turned this utilitarian bachelor’s pad into a homey sanctuary,” I said for the millionth time. We’d gone over to fetch Zoey and Boo, and they both sat on the sofa by the fire admiring the new curtains and pillows.
“Desperate times and all that,” Oz teased.
“Shut up. Now, I have something for you.”
I went outside to the shed behind the cabin and got out his gift. I’d had to hide it from him and hope the cold temperatures wouldn’t bother it.
When I wheeled the custom-made dress form in the front door, Oz screamed.
“Oh my god, where did you get this?” He jumped up and came running, leaping onto me with arms around my neck and legs around my waist. The man was slim as hell, but still, it was a lucky thing we didn’t topple the dress form onto the ground.
“That’s half the gift,” I admitted. “The other half was me having to suck it up and ask Russ for help. He makes furniture including doing some welding and upholstery work, so I asked if it would be possible for him to make one sturdy enough for your heavy gowns.”
His bright blue eyes flashed at me. “You asked Russell the Love Muscle to make something special for me?”
“He didn’t make it for you. It was my idea,” I grumbled like a pouting child.
Zoey laughed and got up to hug us both. “You two, I swear to god. So fucking cute I can’t stand it. Now, who made cinnamon rolls? Sweet Jesus, tell me someone made cinnamon rolls.”
The rest of the day and for two more on top of that, the three of us lived in a happy bubble of pajamas, junk food, holiday movies, flirty visits from Wade, and chasing Boo away from a very specific list of gas-inducing foods.
Finally, on the fourth day, an invitation from Lucky got us out of the house and down the mountain. Since Zoey’s blood pressure had lowered enough to get her off bed rest, she took advantage of the ride to town to relocate to a room in Xander and Bennett’s lodge for the following week. She told us it was because she wanted to give us some space, but it was very clear that was a euphemism for being able to get takeout and go out on dates with Wade. Oz and I agreed Zoey was having a very real case of cabin fever.
Oz drove her into town early in the day to help her get settled at the lodge, and I met him there after a few hours of work. The rental properties I managed were overdue for a check, so I made my way from one to the other before finally joining Oz at Xander and Bennett’s place for a movie marathon.
“Can someone please tell me when the honeymoon phase is over?” Lucky asked as he shuffled to his feet from the couch and went to the television set to pull the DVD out of the player.
Oz and I both looked over to the loveseat where Xander and Bennett were making out.
“Pretty sure you have to have had an actual honeymoon for it to be over, Lucky,” Oz said. He and I were sitting on one end of the sectional. We’d managed to snag the side with the lounger on the end, so Oz was lying between my legs with his back pressed against my chest. My arms were wrapped around him and he was playing with my fingers.
Something he’d been doing from the moment Lucky had hit play.
Something I wished he’d never stop doing.
“But something tells me your fathers are always going to be in the honeymoon phase,” I said with a chuckle. I didn’t add in the fact that I knew exactly how they felt.
While Xander and Bennett had spent the night of their wedding in the honeymoon suite of their lodge while Lucky had spent the evening with Aiden and Ash in the house, the newly married couple had opted to postpone their honeymoon until the following summer when Lucky would be visiting Aiden and Ash in New York for a couple of weeks.