“I got each of your favorite things.” He shrugs. “I couldn’t find anything to remind you of me though. I’ll have to keep looking.”
I blink to keep the welling tears at bay. “This whole bracelet will remind me of you. This is so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“You’re always scratching that scar on your wrist. I wanted you to have something better to play with when you feel anxious.”
I fling my arms around him and let a few tears fall while my face is buried in his shirt.
“Why are you sad?” Madison asks. “Do you not like the bracelet?”
I chuckle as I wipe my eyes when I pull back. “Sometimes people cry when they’re really, really happy.”
She scrunches her nose. “That’s confusing.”
We laugh, and I scoot forward to reach for Leo’s gift. “Here you go, little bro.”
He opens the membership to the gym I bought him. “Is this that new MMA place that opened up in town?”
I nod. “Now you can have somewhere safe to get out all that pent-up energy. I signed up for it too, so we can go together.”
He plants a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you, Nixie.”
I toss Jim the gift bag with the slippers I got him, and he wiggles his big toe that’s sticking out of his current slippers. “Are you saying I need new slippers?”
I laugh. “These will keep your toes warm.”
Madison scampers under the tree and comes back with the present I got James. “This is the last one. It’s for you, JJ.”
James stares down at the recipe book I half filled with his mother’s recipes that I got from Jim. I also stuck in a few pictures of his mother.
“It’s kind of like a scrapbook, so you can keep your mom’s memories in one place.” I flip to a blank page. “And then you can start adding in your own recipes. Create your own dishes to pass down one day.”
“Thank you.” He blinks and clears his throat. “I love this.”
“Are we done now?” Madison asks. “I want dessert.”
Denise shushes her. “You’re going to make Phoenix think I haven’t taught you any manners.”
I smile. “It’s fine. You should never stand in the way of a girl’s dessert.”
I help James dole out the desserts—a variety of pies and Christmas cookies—and when it’s just the two of us in the kitchen, he reveals one last dessert.
“My mother used to make this. It’s a homemade chocolate cake.”
“You had me at chocolate.” I don’t even wait for him to hand me a fork when he cuts me a slice. I pick off a chunk of it with my fingers and pop it into my mouth. I hum, closing my eyes. “Damn. This is good.”
“Is it? I haven’t made it in a while.”
“See for yourself.” I slide the plate across the counter, but James takes my hand instead. He lifts my fingers and sucks my chocolate-covered thumb into his mouth, keeping his eyes locked on mine as his lips wrap around it. His warm tongue skates over my skin, and wetness pools between my legs.
I almost let out an audible moan.
“I thought you wanted to try the cake.”
James releases my thumb from his lips with a pop, but he holds on to my hand. “I don’t want the cake, Phoenix.” He pulls me closer and flattens my hand against his chest to feel the thundering rhythm under my palm. “Does yours race this way when we’re together too?”
I place his hand on my chest so he can feel it for himself. “Every time.”
He slides his hand around to the back of my neck, drawing my mouth closer. I lift up onto my toes to close the distance between us and press my lips against his. A spark of electricity shoots through my entire body.