Page 88 of The Encounter
The mall was busy, which was to be expected, with the holidays nearing and everyone trying to get their shopping done. Jace rarely had to worry too much about people recognizing him when the crowds were thick, since everyone was focused on their own shopping and rarely paid attention to their surroundings. With as many people as there were in the crowded mall, it made it less likely someone would notice him. He erred on the side of caution regardless and put a baseball cap on, lowering it over his eyes.
Maddie pulled him between stores and looked in awe at everything she saw. She was like a kid in a candy store, and it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He told her to pick out whatever she thought would look best, but frequently, he caught her looking at the price tag after picking something up, only to set it back down and move on.
When he saw her do it with a third item, he couldn’t avoid saying something.
“Maddie, I told you to get whatever you want.”
She waved a hand in the air as if to dismiss his comment. “We can find something better.”
He took her hand and tugged her off to the side to avoid blocking the flow of people in the store. “Doll, if you like it, get it.”
“Jace, like I said, we can find something better.”
“Do you actually feel that way, or is it because of the cost?”
She looked guiltily at him and he laughed.
“I don’t enjoy pointing this out because it makes me sound conceited, but…” He looked around dramatically and then leaned in and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You know I’m a billionaire, right? I can afford a—” He picked up the intricately decorated hand-painted Santa she had just put back and looked at the price tag. “—ninety dollar Santa statue.”
She stared at it wistfully. “Itisawfully pretty.”
He laughed and held onto it with one hand while taking her hand in his other. “We’re getting it.”
The smile that lit her face had him wanting to buy fifty more of these outrageously priced Santa statues, if it meant he could see that smile again.
She tugged him toward a fireplace mantel display and ran her hands over the stockings that hung from metal stocking holders.
“Do you have a stocking?”
Jace shook his head. “Not at my place. My parents have mine since I always spend Christmas with them. I didn’t see a point in getting another for my place.”
She nodded and pursed her lips like she was going to say something, but thought better of it. She turned and pulled him toward the rack of tree skirts.
“Oh my God. These are gorgeous,” she whispered.
He watched as she rifled through them and finally pulled one off the rack and held it up for him to see. “That’s nice.”
She raised an eyebrow. “But do you like it? I don’t want to decorate your place with things you don’t like.”
He smiled. “Maddie, you know we’re doing this more for you than me, right?”
She frowned, and he’d be lying if he didn’t say it was the most god-damned adorable frown he had ever seen.
“Humor me,” she said.
He chuckled. “Okay. I don’t care for that one. It’s too frilly.”
“Okay. Too frilly. That I can work with.” She put the tree skirt back on the rack and went through several more before stopping and squealing. She pulled it off the rack, and he immediately smiled.
“That’s perfect.” It was a simple tree skirt with alternating colors of a deep red and deep green with a stitched Santa on the front end. Simple and perfect.
By the end of their shopping excursion, they carried out six large bags filled with lights, ornaments, a tree stand, tree skirt, and random decorations for around the place, including the Santa statue Maddie had wanted. And Jace didn’t regret a single dollar of it because of the look on Maddie’s face.
He wanted nothing more than to see that look on her face every day, and if purchasing Christmas decorations was the way to do it, then he would do it every day for the rest of their lives.
On their way back to his place, they pulled into a tree lot where they picked out the tallest and fluffiest tree Maddie could find. She told him next year they needed to go to a tree farm and cut down their own tree, but she would let it slide this time.
Her reference to next Christmas made his heart leap with joy. He’d do whatever she wanted. His car couldn’t haul the massive tree back to his place, so he paid to have it delivered.
