Only when she’s panting for breath does Stacy break from the kiss. I can still taste her hot cocoa on my lips.
“Jake, I think you’ve given me the best Christmas gift ever.” She tips her head up, smirking at me tenderly.
“What’s that?”
“Peace of mind and a renewed confidence in us as parents. I should have been more open with you. I would’ve felt better a whole lot sooner.”
I shake my head and lace my fingers with hers. “I should’ve been able to tell something was wrong and made sure you felt safe talking to me about it.”
She sighs again and rests her head on my shoulder for a moment before suddenly looking up at me. Her eyes gleam like jewels, reflecting the stars overhead. “You know what though? There is another present that I might want . . .”
I can’t help but laugh and playfully roll my eyes. “Alright, lay it on me so I can be sure to tell Santa.”
Shaking her head, she wets her lips and leans closer, her breath hot against my neck. “No, no, no. I don’t want anything from Santa. This is a gift only you can give me.”
Intrigued, I ask, “What is it?”
Stacy’s face blushes, but eventually I coax it out of her. “Well . . . everyone’s been telling me that there’s a frisky part of pregnancy and I think . . . I think I just might be there.”
“Really?”
She nods, her beautiful face glowing as she grins at me in the moonlight.
Gulping, I shoot up straight and signal to the driver at the front of the sleigh. “Excuse me! We have to turn around and cut this sleigh ride short—we’ve got to practice making babies back at the lodge!”
The driver just laughs and shakes his head, like he gets this request a lot, but he happily steers the horses back around.
Stacy curls against me, gently taking my face in her hands so I can gaze down at her. “I think we’ve got enough practice in that department. How about we just focus on us for now?”
“You got it,” I promise her, embracing her lovingly against me. “Tonight, and always, I’ll make sure I take time just to focus on the two of us.”
Morgan May
Eric and I cuddle up together on the cozy, oversized sofa in our suite. It’s as soft as a cloud beneath us, and the blankets are perfectly warm. Our private fireplace gently crackles, occasionally popping and sending pretty red embers glittering through the air.
The moment is simple but beautiful.
Compared to the way we’re constantly jetting across the world, it’s like time is standing still right now. I close my eyes, memorizing the heat of Eric’s body beneath mine. I can feel his even breathing as his tattooed chest lifts and falls. I snuggle a little closer, half dozing off to the sound of his heartbeat against my cheek.
Eric sighs beneath me. “Isn’t this the life?”
“It really is,” I murmur. “It’s so nice to just stop and take a breath.”
We go quiet and Eric’s fingers drift up and down my spine. The burning logs in the fireplace shift and crackle again, punctuating the stillness of our tranquil moment.
He chuckles faintly. “I'm glad we didn't go snowshoeing. After dinner, I was as stuffed as a sausage. It sounded way better before I gorged myself.”
Grinning, I crack open an eye to look at him, my chin resting on his solid pec. “I could tell by your big grin that you were happy to head back into the lodge. You weren’t fooling anybody.”
Our shared laughter rises over the crackling fireplace.
“I guess when your lives are so go-go-go all the time, you forget what it’s like to relax. You and I are always traveling, always performing . . . it’s a lot,” he trails off and lets his head rest against one of the couch cushions so he can gaze up toward the high ceiling of the lodge. “It’s amazing though, how far we’ve come in our careers. I'm selling out shows and you’re being begged by top designers to walk their runways.”
“Yeah,” I agree, softly. “We have our dream jobs . . . but . . .”
A rare crease of concern forms between Eric’s brows. “But what?”
“Sometimes . . . I mean, I feel bad even saying it because I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but most people don’t get the reality of doing what we do. It’s hard to be in a different bed every night. It’s hard not to be with you. We share hotels and cities when we can, but it just feels like that’s becoming harder and harder when our fame demands we share so much of our time with everyone else.”
Eric doesn’t answer at first, his eyes still gazing upward. I can tell he’s contemplating what I’ve said though. I can see it in the way his brow has knotted as his jaw muscles tick.
Have I said too much? Does he not agree with me?
I clear my throat hard. “I'm not saying I don’t love traveling the world and having people celebrate us, I know how hard we’ve worked for it. But that’s not all that matters to me, you know? You matter to me, Eric. Spending time with you matters the most to me.”
Finally, he tips his chin down so that he’s again gazing into my eyes. “I feel the same way, Morgan. The exact same.” His hand palms my cheek as he stares at me with conviction. “I’ve been wanting to bring it up to you, but I was worried you’d think I was trying to stunt your career.”
I sit up and take his hands. “Eric, please don’t ever think that. You come first.”
“I know. I know,” he says, shaking his head. “That’s how I feel about you, too.” He strokes my hair, taking a deep breath before meeting my eyes again.
