Page 92 of One Winter Knight
“That was really sweet, Dusty.” Saoirse gave him a fond look.
They’d made up? Good.
We opened our stockings, which were mostly fruit, candy, and nuts. Then we exchanged gifts, which was a little awkward, because we hadn’t all known each other before this trip. But Carlos and Dusty kept everything going smoothly.
I’d gotten Carlos a couple of nice ties from my favorite store, because he wore them for games. Along with a tie tack that looked like a pumpkin.
“I can’t wait to wear them, thank you.” He gave me a kiss.
“What did you get me?” I opened the box from him. Inside was a small, round, pale pink purse with a crown on it. It was from a nice purse store, too.
“A crown for Mi Reina.” He leaned over and kissed me.
“I love it.” It was perfect for events where you could only take in a little bag.
By the time we finished and cleaned everything up, the snow had stopped falling.
I laid back into Carlos’ arms. “Thanks for the food and presents. This was fantastic.”
Dusty and Saoirse were cleaning up the kitchen, Hale laid on the couch.
“The perfect lazy Christmas morning,” Hale agreed, scrolling on his phone. “So… let’s hit the slopes?”
“Why not,” I replied. After all, it was Christmas.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hale
“That was delicious, thank you, Puddin’,” I told Fiona after we finished our really fancy Christmas dinner at the lodge. It was so good, especially the cheese and the potatoes, and the chocolate fondue. Oh, and the tiny little cakes.
And the roasted chicken. Mmmm, did I love me a nice roasted chicken with crispy skin.
“You’re quite welcome. I thought it would be a nice treat. The meal we had earlier was amazing as well.” Fiona looked at Carlos and Dusty and smiled.
Yeah, that had been delicious.
Shit, she had a pretty smile. Everything about her was pretty.
“Of course.” Carlos gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“There’s always room for all the food. Dessert mints, everyone?” I took a small box out of my pocket and opened it.
Carlos eyed the box. “By dessert mints, do you mean party mints? Sounds good to me. What is on today’s menu?”
“Oooh. Is this the same as yesterday?” Fiona asked as she leaned into Saoirse. She had been very cuddly today and a little droopy–probably tired from yesterday’s big day.
“I’ve got that and the other, other one, but I also have something new. I managed to get it.” I passed the tin to Carlos.
“I appreciate you finding something for me. I would’ve been fine just taking your usual. Though that shit from the wedding…amazing,” Carlos said.
Fiona gave us a look. “You mean the shit that had you seeing imaginary cats?Pass.”
“This is stronger than mine, but not quite that strong. It’s Christmas. We should do something fun. And this shouldn’t mess up any tests. It’s just a party drug anyway. I don't even know why the PHL cares.” I rolled my eyes.
Carlos shook his head. “They don’t care about party drugs the way they do in collegiate sports. They’re after performance-enhancing ones. I just don’t want it accidentally triggering anything else and causing problems. You know that happens sometimes.”
I thought for a minute. “Yeah, that happened to my sister’s university fútbol team. They were taking cold medicine, it set off something, and they nearly all got in trouble. Fortunately, someone realized what was happening and spoke up for them.”
