Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 65(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 43(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 65(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 43(@300wpm)
Chris wasn’t much help; he basically stood around playing grab-ass with his husband, and I spent most of the time glaring at him out of jealousy; I really wanted my ass touched. Jo caught sight of my pouting and just gave me a salacious wink, which made me pout harder. So, I guess I didn't help much either, but all of the work still ended up getting done quickly.
Ty ushered us all back into the living room, and Gage carried in a few dining chairs so that none of our too-full bodies had to sit on the floor. Once we were all settled, Ty let all of the dogs back inside. Six wagging tails beat against our legs as the pups excitedly greeted us and received head scratches and pets.
And then they received Ty’s surprise; he had made a plate of leftovers for each of the dogs. Ty assured us that he'd researched what foods were okay for them to eat, but I would've known without his words. He loved those dogs like they were his babies and would never do anything to harm them.
He set the dogs’ paper plates on the coffee table, and the pooches had them licked clean in a matter of seconds. Ty then happily collected the garbage before producing another present for them; a bag of homemade treats for each of them. He gave them to their owners, however, because he didn't want any of the pups to get a stomach ache from so much food.
“Speaking of gifts,” Jo whispered in my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck rise. My deprived body was extra susceptible to his slightest touch. “I'm going to go get the bag out of the trunk.” It was his polite way of telling me to get off of his lap, where I was happily perched.
I stood up and Jo slipped away without being noticed. When he returned, several mouths dropped at the sight of the large gift bag he carried.
“I know we said we weren't exchanging gifts,” he said, raising his free hand in defense. We had all agreed we wouldn't spend money on one another; we'd just spend time together. “But I couldn't help myself. I didn't buy anything,” he insisted to Chris's stink eye. “But I wanted to do something special for all of you.”
I knew just how special the gifts were, and how hard he had worked on them. For weeks, he'd spent his free time getting them perfect. I was in awe of his talent and excited for our friends to see what he'd made for them.
Jo handed a large, flat rectangle covered in wrapping paper to each couple, and one to Becky. Chris was the first one to tear the paper away. “Holy shit.” His eyes widened as he looked over the gift, and Lyle’s hand covered his mouth.
“Jonah, it's beautiful,” the ginger man said through his fingers. The rest of our friends ripped open their packages and gave gasps and similar words of admiration.
Jo had drawn lifelike portraits of all of them. After he was injured in the line of duty, Jo wasn't able to work his typical officer job any longer, and took a position as a sketch artist. He was extremely talented and loved his job. At work, he often used computer programs to create the likeness of a perpetrator, but that wasn't the case with these pictures.
My husband used only pens and pencils to sketch the portraits, and had worked so hard on them for weeks. He wanted them to be perfect, and he nailed it. He captured all of our friends flawlessly.
He wasn't the only artistic one in the group; Ty was a master pastry decorator, and Lyle was an abstract artist who had paintings hanging in a museum. And our police precinct. Chris brought several pieces to hang on the walls to make them “look less depressing”, and it worked. While all three of them had talent, I was biased towards my Officer.
Our friends were obviously touched by the gifts; Ty and Jordan both shed a few tears, and everyone gave him a round of hugs and thanks. When Jo made it back to the sofa, I stood up, hoping to climb back onto his lap, but he surprised me by reaching into the bag and retrieving one more wrapped gift, which he placed in my hands.
“You made one for me too?” He gave me a breathtaking smile and nodded. “When did you have time?” I'd watched in awe as he created the other pictures in the evening hours. But we were together at home and at work; how did I not notice him drawing it?
He answered, “While you slept,” and my heart swelled. He'd given up sleep to surprise me with a special gift. I wasn't shocked that he'd managed to sneak, though; I was a very heavy sleeper. “Open it, Mikey.”