Page 106 of The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Jamison Valley 1)
“Until my mom passed, I can’t remember a single Christmas, even when I was in college, that she didn’t wake me up early and drag me out of bed to start opening presents. And I loved that. I loved it so much that I have always done the same for Rowen,” I said.
He waited about ten seconds before throwing his legs over the side of the bed to roll out. Then he grabbed me under my armpits, hauling me up so I was kneeling in the bed.
“You wake her up, I’ll start coffee.” He kissed my forehead and moved into the bathroom.
Hours later, coffee cup in hand, I was surrounded by a mountain of crumpled wrapping paper and opened boxes. Jess and I were sitting on the office floor and had just watched my little girl open her Christmas presents. She had shouted with delight each time she discovered what was under the paper. Then she’d take her gift, hug it tight and welcome it to her house.
She was hilarious. My cheeks hurt from smiling.
No matter what would happen the rest of the day, I knew this Christmas in the farmhouse would rank as my all-time second best Christmas—the first being the last Christmas with my mom, which had also been my first with Rowen.
Jess had completely spoiled Roe with a bunch of smaller gifts and his big-ticket item, a new iPad. She’d been so happy when she opened it that she’d thrown herself into Jess’s arms and kissed him at least twenty times on the cheek. He’d started tickling her and they’d both ended up laughing together, collapsed on the floor in the middle of the paper mountain.
I’d snapped a quick picture and unless it was blurry, it was going up in the living room next to the photo of Mom and Rowen on their Christmas morning.
“Time to start putting your presents away and then we need to get dressed, baby girl,” I told Roe.
“Okay,” she chimed.
“I’m gonna hit the shower, then head over to the house and pick up a few things,” Jess said.
“No!” Rowen shouted and clung to one of Jess’s legs. “Don’t leave.”
“Relax, I’m coming back, little bit. I’ve got a couple more presents stashed at home that I need to bring over.”
She jumped up and down with excitement at the mention of more presents.
But I was not excited. I was nauseous. My skin felt cold and my hands were getting clammy. The feeling came over me suddenly and it started when Jess had said the word “home.”
I hated that he called that house in town his home. He was wrong. His home was here at the farmhouse. With us.
“Rowen, can you please start taking your presents upstairs?” I mumbled but my voice sounded weak and crackly.
She agreed and piled her little arms full of new stuff, waddling her way toward the door and up the stairs.
“What’s wrong?” Jess asked.
“This is your home,” I said in my weird voice.
“What?” he asked.
I inhaled a deep breath and found my regular voice. “This is your home.”
He stared back at me for a few moments, unmoving, either confused by my declaration or not yet ready to make that big of a step in our relationship. I hoped it was the former because I was one hundred percent ready for Jess to live with us. He practically was already.
But I didn’t want to freak him out, not on Christmas, so I started backpedaling.
“I mean . . . I want you to think of it like your home. And if someday you wanted to move in officially, well . . . that would be great. But if you’re not ready for that, if it’s too soon, I completely understand. We can just—”
Jess stopped my rambling by slamming his lips down on mine and immediately taking advantage of my open mouth. His hands framed my face and the sickness vanished from my body. I was feeling just fine.
I was feeling effing awesome.
He wanted to live here with us and make this his home. I was so overjoyed and relieved that I latched onto his shoulders with my hands and pulled myself into his big body, slanting my head so we could melt into each other.
He thoroughly kissed me with passion and love, telling me without words how much my asking for this house to be his home meant to him. I poured as much feeling and emotion into our kiss as I could. My body started tingling all over and I forgot to breathe.
Jess pulled away from my mouth when Rowen marched into the room and asked, “Are you guys kissing? Again?”
