Jack strode across to me from where he stood decorating the boughs of the tree with Royce and wasted no time in taking my breath away with a kiss. “Merry Christmas.” His beard tickled my chin as he whispered to me.
I shamelessly pressed myself against his solid body and ran my hands over his back. “Merry Christmas, Jack.”
“Come and help us decorate, sea sprite.” Royce held up a dusty old box of baubles.
“All right.” I grinned, and together, Jack and I joined Royce.
Royce hid the box behind his back. “Not yet.”
I sent him a quizzical look, and he answered by kissing me.
As his tongue stroked my own, I rubbed my hands up the taut muscles of his body. I felt a flush on my skin when he cupped my neck with his slender hand.
When he broke off the kiss, he gazed into my eyes. “Here’s to our first Christmas together, Louisa. My love for you is as vast as the ocean, and it churns my insides the way a hurricane churns the waves.”
“Oh, Royce,” I gushed. “I wish I was as good at poetry as you guys are. Because I love you so deeply.”
“I know it without the poetry.”
My eyes fluttered closed for a moment when he kissed my forehead. When I opened them again, he was holding the box between us. Excitement washed over me as I gazed into the nest of tissue paper.
“Careful. They’re glass.”
I pulled a clear bauble with green swirls on it from the carton and noticed Tate’s name painted on it. “They’re personalized?”
“Dated by year, as well.” Tate settled himself onto the couch. “It was Mom’s tradition that every year until we were eighteen, we decorated and personalized a bauble ornament.”
“I’m sorry she and your dad can’t be here.”
“Yeah.” Tate averted his gaze.
“They’re here in spirit,” Royce said.
I held the decoration out to Tate. “Maybe you should be the one to put this on?”
“No, baby. It’s fine.”
Everything in his demeanor told me otherwise. I grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet and over to the tree.
I felt him wrap his arms around me from behind.
“Tell me where it should go?”
Tate guided my hand as high as it could reach. “Here.”
I stood on my tiptoes and pushed the string onto his chosen branch. Of course, it happened to be higher than any of the others.
“It sucks we don’t have a bauble with yours or Jack’s names on them, Louisa.” Royce glanced between myself and the Hawaiian Viking.
“Don’t worry, Royce, I remedied that.” Byron abandoned the tinsel he and Eric were hanging over the doors that led to the balcony. He came across and picked up a gift box from underneath the tree. “Here, you two. Open it.”
As one, Jack and I opened the box. Nestled amongst green tissue paper were two baubles. One was light blue with a surfing Santa and the word ‘Ionakana.’
“Ionakana?” I questioned.
“It’s my real name.” Jack looked at Byron. “How did you know that?”
“I may have noticed it on your passport.”