Safe Bet (The Rules #4)(59)

“More like you’re a fan of easy access,” I retort, though I’m not angry. Not in the least.

With Wade, I’ve become a fan of easy access too.

“Quit complaining.” He kisses me before I can say something, stealing all my words, my thoughts, with a mere brush of his lips. “Are you having fun?” he asks once the kiss is over.

I nod and snuggle close, his arms tightening around me. “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

“Really?” He sounds surprised.

“Really.” I kiss him this time, rising up on my tiptoes to put my all into it. And I am. The both of us are, the kiss getting deeper and deeper, until I hear a tiny giggle at our feet.

I break away to see Autumn gaping up at us, her hand going over her mouth to contain her laughter. She’s wearing a black velvet dress with a white lace collar and a full skirt and she looks adorable. “You’re always kissing Uncle Wade!” she accuses.

My cheeks go warm at being called out by a four year old. “I really like Uncle Wade.”

“I know,” Autumn says in a voice that has clear duh undertones. “He likes you too. Maybe he likes you too much!”

With that declaration, she scampers off.

“You could never like me too much,” I tell him, my gaze meeting his.

His eyes are serious though, making my smile fade. With gentle fingers he brushes the hair away from my forehead, making me tingle. “Maybe I don’t just like you.”

I part my lips, ready to say something funny in response but he beats me to the punch.

“Maybe I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Oh. Oh my God. My heart starts racing and I swear my stomach feels like it just filled with about a million fluttering butterflies. “Maybe I’ve fallen in love with you too,” I admit.

He smiles and it’s the sweetest, most intimate smile I think I’ve ever seen on Wade’s face. “Oh yeah? So we’re in love now? Think the tabloids will buy it?”

I give him a little shove, then curl my fingers into the fabric of his sweater so I can tug him close. “Definitely,” I murmur, just before I press my lips to his.





“So.”

I smile, barely able to contain my joy. “So.”

It’s way past midnight. We’re in bed. The house is a semi disaster after the party, but I don’t care. The children are finally asleep, but with our luck they’ll wake us at six, eager to check under the tree to see what Santa Claus brought them.

Though I can’t blame them for their excitement. I also can’t wait to see their reactions to what Santa brought them. Growing up, Christmas had always been depressing for my family. Drew admitted his Christmases weren’t that great either. So we go above and beyond to make our children’s Christmas mornings extra special.

“I hear you have a surprise for me.” Drew lifts a brow, his lips curled in the faintest smirk. “Spill woman.”

I smile, thankful I kept my lamp on so I can see him. This is my favorite time of day. When I can finally be alone with my husband, together in our giant bed. Sometimes we fall asleep fast. Sometimes we stay up and talk. Sometimes we have sex.

Okay, a lot of the time we have sex. I have to get as much naked Drew time as possible considering he’s gone so much. The man is busy.

Though really, he’s never too busy for me, or his children. He’s a good man—a good husband. “What surprise are you talking about?” My innocent tone isn’t working on Drew. He grabs hold of me and hauls me in close.

“The surprise you mentioned a few hours ago, when we snuck into the pantry and made out for ten minutes.” Drew’s lips brush against my forehead and I close my eyes, savoring our closeness, the busy-ness of today slowly catching up with me. I’m so tired.

But so incredibly happy.

“That was a pleasant Christmas Eve surprise,” I tell him, because it so was. I’d been bustling around the kitchen, checking in on the caterer I hired when Drew magically appeared out of nowhere, snatched my hand and dragged me into the pantry.

Where he closed the door and proceeded to kiss me senseless. Surprisingly enough, no one had barged in and found us that entire time.

“I know. That was my plan.” His hand runs up and down my back with just enough pressure to make me quietly moan. “Then you told me you had a surprise for me. That you’d tell me all about it later tonight.”

Oh. That’s right. I did say that. I was going to save it for Christmas day, but technically it already is Christmas day so I guess I should let him know.

“I went to the doctor a few days ago.”

“Yeah? How did that visit go?” He can’t always make my appointments and I know he hates that. But I understand. He’s on the road a lot. I can’t always expect him to be here. But when he is, he’s fully present and with me and the kids as much as he possibly can be.

“Really good. I had an ultrasound,” I say, my voice casual. “I know what sex the baby is.”

He goes tense and he grabs hold of my arms, pulling away from me slightly so our gazes meet. “And you’re only mentioning this to me now?”

“It was supposed to be a Christmas present.” I pause. “That I was going to announce to the family when we’re all sitting around the tree.”