Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 186555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 933(@200wpm)___ 746(@250wpm)___ 622(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 933(@200wpm)___ 746(@250wpm)___ 622(@300wpm)
Amos had no idea. Because I hadn’t told him yet. I had to. I would.
A tear pooled right at the corner of my eye, and I wiped it with my knuckle. “No, I love it, Am. I love it a lot. That’s so thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
“Thanks for my amp,” he replied, watching me closely like he was expecting me to lie or something.
“Can I get a hug?”
He nodded again and stood up, wrapping me up in the tightest hug he’d ever given me. I kissed his cheek and he surprised me by kissing mine back. Am took a step back, his face more than just a little bit bashful.
I almost cried, but I didn’t want to embarrass him. When I was able to, I bent down and handed Rhodes the two bags I’d gotten for him. “Merry Christmas, Tobers.”
He took them with a lift of his eyebrows at his nickname before saying in his bossy voice, “You didn’t need to get me anything.”
“You haven’t needed to do half the nice things you’ve done for me, but you did, especially today. It’s snowing, and dinner was so good, and we played dominos, and I think this might be the best Christmas Eve I’ve ever had. But don’t be disappointed because your present isn’t as cool as Amos’s.”
Those gray eyes met mine as he shoved his hand into the first bag and pulled out a frame.
“I hope you like it. You’re both so cute. The other one I took off your Facebook page,” I explained.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he nodded. The first picture was the one I’d taken of him and Amos on the hike to the waterfalls so many months back. They had been standing close together at the bottom of the falls and had grudgingly agreed to let me take a picture of them being too cool to purposely be shoulder to shoulder. But still good enough.
“I didn’t know what to get you, and you don’t have any pictures of you two together in here.”
He slipped his hand back into the bag and pulled out a second frame. This one I hadn’t been sure about. I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries. It was a photograph of a young Amos with a dog.
Rhodes swallowed hard once, those eyes lingering over the photograph for a long moment. He pinched his lips together, then got up and pulled me up and into his arms so quickly and tightly, I couldn’t breathe.
“There’s a gift card to the shop too. I had to give the store your business,” I managed to mumble out around his sweater and pectoral muscle.
Then I stopped talking and let myself snuggle into that incredible body holding mine hostage. My cheek was against his chest, arms wedged against my body from his hold. He smelled just like his laundry detergent and clean man.
I loved it.
I loved him, this quiet man who took care of the people around him. In little ways. In little actions that meant everything. He had a heart bigger than I ever could have imagined. It wasn’t like it had snuck up on me. It didn’t hit me on the back of my head. What I felt for him had walked right up to me, and I’d watched it happen.
“Thank you,” he murmured, smoothing his hand from the crown of my head down my back to settle right at the small of it. His chest filled with air, and then he released it. It was a content sigh.
And I loved that too.
“I’m going to my room. What time are we leaving tomorrow?” Amos asked.
He was referring to his aunt’s house. “We’re leaving at eight. If you want breakfast before we go, get up early enough, Am.”
He wasn’t going to, and I was pretty sure we were both well aware of it, but Rhodes wouldn’t be a dad if he didn’t remind him anyway.
The teenager huffed. “Okay. ‘Night.”
“‘Night,” Rhodes and I both replied, and I took that as my moment to pull back a little. Just a little. Tilting my head up, I smiled at the bristly face aimed down at me.
“Thank you for letting me spend Christmas with you two.”
His hand did that thing again where it cupped the back of my head and went down my spine, except that time, I think it might have gone a little lower, a little closer to my butt.
I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind at all.
“I know you wanted to see your aunt and uncle, but I’m glad you’re here. Real glad,” Rhodes admitted in that tough, quiet voice. His eyes were on mine, intense and hooded, as he said, “I’ve got your Christmas present upstairs. Come with me.”
Upstairs, huh? The tingling was back… just not exclusively in my chest anymore. Was this happening?
I wouldn’t know unless I went with him.