She frowned and stared at the tree. I could see the indecision on her face. This was a big deal for her. That fact alone made me want to put a damn tree in her room, on the porch, in the kitchen. Wherever the fuck I could find a place.

  “You can do both. The ones I bought have a remote. You can do colored one day and white the next. Whatever you’re in the mood for. Just decide on what you want tonight.”

  Her eyes widened as she looked at me. “Really? They do that?”

  I nodded, feeling like a fucking genius for buying them.

  “Colored tonight!” she said, smiling.

  “Will it overwhelm you if I ask if you want them steady, chasing, blinking, or twinkling?”

  She narrowed her eyes as she looked at me. “Is that something we can change too?”

  “Yep.”

  “Twinkling,” she said with a firm nod.

  I plugged in the first strand and set her choices before starting to wrap them around the tree. I heard her laugh and glanced back to see that she was watching the television while putting dough on the cookie sheets. I tried not to keep looking at her, but it was hard every time she laughed. Eventually, I had the lights on, and the house smelled like pine and chocolate chip cookies.

  “Do I need to do the hot cocoa?” I asked her, walking back to the kitchen area.

  She shook her head. “I have it simmering now. The tree is beautiful,” she said, wistfully looking at it. “Where did you get the decorations?” she asked me.

  “I went to Hobby Lobby,” I told her.

  She grinned. “You went to Hobby Lobby and picked them out?”

  I nodded. “Every last one.”

  Her eyes softened as she laughed.

  “What’s so funny? There were other men there.”

  She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. It’s just … I can’t picture you going into a store like that and buying Christmas decorations.”

  I shrugged. “I’m secure enough in my masculinity.”

  She looked back at the television, still smiling. “Trust me, I know.”

  What did that mean? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t. I was afraid where it might lead, and right now, I was doing a pretty damn good job of making her happy.

  “You bought a lot,” she said. “You must have been there for hours.”

  It had taken me two hours. “It’ll be worth it.”

  She smiled. “Have you ever seen that tree in New York City they light up on that television special in person?”

  I nodded. “My mom used to make me go on her Christmas shopping trips in New York City when I was a kid. I finally stopped having to go when I was fourteen. She still goes though.”

  Haisley laughed softly. “That used to be my dream. I saw it on television one time when I was young. That and Macy’s. I wanted to see Macy’s at Christmas. It looked magical. There was also some bear—maybe it was a commercial. I can’t remember exactly. I was young. But it was a stuffed Christmas bear with Macy’s on one foot and the year on the other. I asked AJ to write a letter to Santa for me because I wanted that bear. I thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t want to believe Mom that Santa didn’t exist. My friends at school said Santa came to visit them. I figured he hadn’t come to see us because we didn’t write him letters or go see him at the mall. AJ refused though, and I know that it was to save me the disappointment, but at the time, I was so mad at him.” She shook her head, smiling, but there was a sadness in her eyes that I wanted to make go away.

  “I don’t know why I thought of that. I think it’s because this tree is so big. It’s like I’m getting my very own New York City tree.”

  Next Christmas, she was going to stand in Rockefeller Center and see that tree herself. She was also going to see Macy’s and shop, explore, whatever the hell she wanted.

  “Let’s go get the ornaments ready. We need to cut tags off,” she said, sounding so fucking thrilled that it made my chest ache.

  Again with the pure elation on her face, she hurried over to the bags. I owed Trev one.

  Seventeen

  Haisley

  The man had just kidnapped his cousin’s boss as a Christmas present. I stopped hanging the red balls to laugh.

  This movie was hilarious.

  “Don’t drop it and cut yourself,” Saxon said, grinning at me. “Put the breakable ones up before you double over in laughter.”

  “This move has the best one-liners,” I replied, then turned to hang up the glass red ball.

  We were almost done with all the ornaments that Saxon had bought. I still couldn’t believe he’d done this. I wanted to believe he had done it for me, but I also didn’t want to set myself up for disappointment.

  “Feels like it’s missing something,” Saxon said, standing back and looking at the tree.

  “Do you have popcorn?” I asked him. “That we can pop?”

  He nodded. “I also have a needle and thread, assuming that’s what you’re thinking and not that you want to eat the popcorn.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. We could make popcorn garland. Or I can if you’re tired of decorating.”

  He frowned. “Me? Tired of decorating? Never. I’ll go get the popcorn started, and then we can pick another movie.”

  He wasn’t trying to get out of it. He wanted to be here with me. I was afraid at any moment, I was going to wake up alone. This wasn’t like him. At least not the Saxon I’d known since he’d found out I was pregnant. What had changed? Was it hearing the baby’s heartbeat? Was that it? He was trying to build a friendship for the baby’s sake.

  “You want some juice? Or milk?” he asked me.

  I was currently working through this in my head. How would I handle just getting the friend side of Saxon? Not the relationship side? It was better than him disliking me, but was this because he liked being around me or just because of the baby? Ugh.

  I looked over at him and realized I hadn’t answered him.

  “I can fix it. You’re doing the popcorn,” I told him and walked to the kitchen.

  He was still standing in front of the fridge when I got there. I watched him lean in and get a bottle of water. His bicep flexed, and why was I suddenly horny over his arm muscles? Jeez, this was getting worse every day.

  He glanced at me. “I didn’t mind getting you something.”

  My face felt flushed. Great. Now, I looked like I was thinking about sex.

  “Um, no. It’s okay.” I forced a smile.

  He moved back, his eyes still on me. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  No. I want to lick your chest, along with other body parts. I am not okay.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  He didn’t look convinced, but I was acting like a weirdo. I couldn’t blame him. Thankfully, he walked back over to the popcorn before I did something, like rub up against him. Definitely needed to get ahold of myself.

  I concentrated on getting a glass and pouring some pineapple juice. Saxon put the popcorn into a large bowl and headed for the living room area. I took a long drink and watched him. He set it down, then picked up a remote.

  “Still want a funny Christmas movie?” he asked me.

  “I’ll let you pick,” I told him. “You did good with the last one.”

  “Okay,” he replied, choosing a movie, then setting the remote down before turning back to me. “You gonna come help me string this?” he asked with a grin.

  I poured more juice, then went over to the sofa, unsure if we were supposed to share the bowl. In that case, we would have to sit close together. Looking down at the sofa, I tried to decide what it was he wanted me to do.

  “I only bite after midnight,” he said, and I realized he was watching me stand here like an idiot.

  “In that case,” I replied, sitting down beside him.

  He handed me a needle, already threaded, and put the bowl between us. I’d always wanted to do this. It was in a book our teacher had read to us one year during Christmas when I was a kid. We were going to do it as a class and hang it on the tree in our classroom. But the week they decorated, I came down with the flu and missed it. When I’d gotten back to school, the entire room was decorated with colorful ornaments they had made and popcorn garland. I’d missed it all.

  I turned my attention to the movie and was surprised that he had chosen this one. I’d heard of Elf. There was Elf stuff everywhere during the holidays.

  I glanced over at him. “You like this movie?”

  He shrugged. “The truth? Not really. But you will.”

  “What would you rather watch?” I asked him.

  “Die Hard,” he replied with a dimple in his cheek.

  “Is that a Christmas movie?” I really loved his dimple.

  “It’s been debated for years. It happens at Christmas, so therefore, it is a Christmas movie.”

  I was too busy watching him that I jammed the needle in my finger and let out a startled cry. When I looked down at my finger, a small drop of blood formed. Crap. I was going to bleed on our popcorn.

  Saxon moved the bowl and took my hand, then put my finger in his mouth and sucked. His tongue circled it, making me shiver. His eyes met mine, and he winked. I stared at him, speechless. He pulled it out and studied the tip that I had poked for a moment, then kissed it before standing up.

  “I’ll get a Band-Aid.”

  I sat there, frozen, my finger damp from Saxon’s tongue. He had actually sucked blood from my finger, winked at me, and kissed it. Holy crap. That was hot. Had he meant for it to be hot? Was he purposely turning me on? Or was that more friendly Saxon stuff? Maybe he liked the taste of blood.

  He was back, and this time, he went down on one knee in front of me as he took my finger, dried it with a paper towel in his hand, then began to wrap the bandage around it. When he was finished, he let me go and moved back to his seat, picking up the garland he was working on like nothing had happened.

  I blinked several times before finally managing to croak out, “Thank you.”

  He glanced over at me. “You’re welcome.” Then, he went back to watching the movie.

  The next hour, we managed to finish the popcorn garland, get through over half of the movie, and hang it on the tree. I yawned, standing back to look at our work.

  “It’s perfect,” I said, smiling.

  “Not yet. We still have the angel to put at the top.”

  I looked around. “Where is it?”

  “Not here yet. Hobby Lobby didn’t have exactly what I wanted. I had to order one online. It’ll be here in a couple of days.”

  He had taken the choosing of the angel seriously, apparently. There had to have been at least ten different ones at Hobby Lobby to choose from, but I didn’t say anything. Another yawn hit me, and I covered my mouth.

  “You need to get to bed. I’ll clean up in here,” he told me.

  “No, I’ll help.” I started to go get the popcorn bowl.

  Saxon’s hand wrapped around my wrist. “Go to bed,” he said.

  I looked back at him. “I can help. It’ll be quicker if I do.”

  He tugged on my wrist and pulled me closer to him. “You’ve had two early mornings.”

  “So have you,” I pointed out.

  “I’m not pregnant.”

  I sighed. not liking the idea of him cleaning this by himself. Especially after he made tonight so much fun. “Thanks for tonight. This was the most fun I’ve ever had during the holidays.”

  A smile curled his lips. “Good.”

  His eyes dropped to my mouth, and I stopped breathing. Was he going to kiss me? If he did, would I end up crawling all over him?

  When his eyes met mine again, he stepped back. “Good night, Haisley,” he said, then turned and began picking up the things we’d used.

  “Good night,” I replied before going to my room.

  I hurried inside and closed the door before leaning against it and closing my eyes. I had to stop making this into something it wasn’t. He was clearly trying to build a friendship between us since we would be coparenting. I was going to ruin it if I kept misinterpreting his kindness for more. I needed a cold shower. That was something I couldn’t help. My hormones were making me feel like this. I couldn’t shut my sexual desires off as much as I wished I could.

  Straightening up, I made my way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I was not going to let my attraction to Saxon ruin tonight. He’d been great. More than great. He’d given me one of my wishes. He might not have done it for me exactly, but it’d felt like it. That was the best Christmas present ever.

  Eighteen

  Haisley

  The Christmas party at Saxon’s parents’ house was tonight. It had been on my mind all day. I had nothing to wear. I still hadn’t met his father, and I hadn’t seen his mother but the one time. They wouldn’t want me there. I shouldn’t be going.

  How did I explain this to Saxon without making him mad?

  Last night, we had watched another Christmas movie while the lights twinkled white. He was trying so hard, and my telling him I didn’t want to go to his parents’ Christmas party felt wrong.

  I put my yoga mat away and went to get my bag. Saxon wouldn’t be here for two more hours, but I was done for the day. I had less classes on Friday. I hadn’t told him because I didn’t want him to have to leave work at the stables to come get me. Turning the corner, I ran into a hard chest and jumped back.

  “I’m sorry.” My eyes locked with Saxon. “You’re here.”

  He grinned. “I’m here.” he repeated.

  “Oh.” I frowned. “Why?”

  “Because you get off early today.”

  I tilted my head to the side and studied him. “But I didn’t tell you that.”

  He leaned close to my ear. “I make sure I know when you need me. Whether you tell me or not.”

  His warm breath on my skin made me shiver. I was also one hundred percent sure my panties were wet.

  He ran the back of his hand down my arm as he slowly moved back. “We need to go buy you a dress for tonight. And shoes. And jewelry.”

  I blinked, and my arm continued to tingle after his hand was gone. “Okay,” I replied.

  “Saxon, you’re here to pick her up again,” Sammy said, snapping me out of my lust-fueled haze. “Do you not drive, Haisley?” Her question, although asked nicely, was meant to be snarky.

  I opened my mouth to explain I didn’t have a car when Saxon’s arm slid around my waist.

  “She drives, but why should she when I’d rather drive her where she needs to be?”

  And now, my leggings probably had a damp spot. Holy hell.

  Sammy held a tight smile as she looked at me, then at him. “You always were the chivalrous one. Trev was the asshole.”

  “Trev was just misunderstood,” Saxon replied, and then he looked down at me. “Let’s go shopping.”

  I simply nodded. I’d dealt with mean girls my entire life. Never once had a guy like Saxon, one who ran in their circles, defended me. AJ, sure. He’d handled a few in the past, but not like Saxon. AJ only did it if he wasn’t interested in getting in their pants.

  I buckled myself in while Saxon walked around the truck to get in. He climbed inside and gave me a crooked grin as he reached over to take a box out of the glove compartment. His arm brushed my leg, and I held my breath, afraid I would make some embarrassing noise.

  “This is for you,” he said, placing the box in my lap.

  I looked down at it. An iPhone. The newest one, and it was purple.

  I lifted my eyes to meet his. “You got me a phone?” I asked.

  He nodded. “You need one. I want you to be able to get in touch with me whenever you want. Leaving you at work and not being able to check in on you also drives me crazy. I need the reassurance that you’re safe.”

  Oh. My heart did a funny flutter in my chest. He wanted me to be safe. I swallowed through the emotion clogging my throat.

  “Thank you,” I said, dropping my gaze back to the phone. “It’s pretty. I’ve never had a phone this nice.”

  “You do now,” he replied. “It’s set up and ready to go. Everyone’s numbers are programmed in it already.”

  “Everyone?” I asked, not sure who everyone might be. I had very few people whose numbers I needed.

  “Aspen, Gypsi, Maddy, Trinity, and Shiloh. Trev’s is in there, too, if for some reason you can’t get me. The office at the stables. The yoga studio. Jamaica’s. Silver’s.”

  My head snapped up. “Jamaica’s? Silver’s?”

  My sisters didn’t have a phone unless my mom had gotten them one. I could see her maybe giving Jamaica my old one, but Silver?

  He nodded.

  “How did you know they had phones?” I asked, wanting to hear their voices so bad that it hurt.

  “Because I took them each one.”

  I stared at him, my mouth slightly open. I was in shock. Had I just heard him right?

  “You gave them phones?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “Why? Why would you do that? I mean, they can’t afford the monthly plans, and you don’t know them. Why would you—”

  “I will pay for their service, just like I will pay for yours. And I got them phones so you could talk to your siblings when you wanted to. Your mom shouldn’t have taken that from you.”

  Thank you was not adequate enough. I also didn’t think he wanted me wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him all over his face. But that was what I wanted to do. That and call my sisters. Check in on everyone. I was going to cry. I fought it.

  “Haisley,” Saxon said, and I stared at him. “Open the box. Get the phone out. Use it. And if you can keep from doing it, don’t cry. I don’t like making you cry.”

  I smiled then and sniffled, nodding. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say. I’m not accustomed to this. Someone doing things like this for me. I … just … thank you. SO much. I can pay you for mine though. The monthly usage—”