Page 59 of One Good Puck (Denver Bashers #5)

A bby

I wake up to Gavin kissing my shoulder.

“Merry Christmas, sweetness,” he whispers in that low, rumbly voice that drives me wild.

Eyes still closed, I smile. He wraps his arms around me tight, cradling me from behind.

This is how we fall asleep the nights we’re together: him spooning me.

I open my eyes and twist my head around, drinking in the yummy sight of him: shirtless with all of his muscles on display, those ocean blue eyes puffy with sleep, thick golden-gray stubble on his sharp jaw.

“Hey. Merry Christmas.”

He kisses me slow and teasing. I reach back and run my hands through his hair, moaning into his mouth.

When we break apart, we’re both panting. I can tell by the hungry look in his eyes and his hard length pressing up against my lower back that he’s aching for more. So am I.

But then he leans away and slides out of bed, leaving me the slightest bit disappointed that we’re not going to have morning sex.

“We should get up so we can set out the presents for Emma before she wakes up,” he says as he pulls on his shirt.

A soft smile appears on his handsome face, and his eyes are bright. That disappointment fades instantly. My heart swells in my chest at how excited he is to spend Christmas with Emma.

I slip out of bed and throw on my yoga pants and a hoodie. I’m headed for the bathroom when Gavin grabs me by the waist and pulls me against him, kissing me hard.

Fire flashes in his eyes as he gazes down at me. “We’ll finish this tonight.”

I bite my lip, my tummy flipping. “That’s perfect because my Christmas gift to you is a little naughty.”

“Is that so?” His eyebrow quirks up. “Do I get any hints about what it is?”

I bite back a giggle as I think about the sexy lingerie I bought to wear for him. “It’s red and lacy with lots of bows.”

He makes a growling sound before kissing me again and grabbing my ass.

I use the bathroom and brush my teeth, then quietly head downstairs to the living room with Gavin. I brew a pot of coffee while he sets up the handful of beautiful presents he got for Emma under the Christmas tree.

When I walk over to hand him a mug of coffee, he’s frowning at the pile of gifts.

“You sure that’s enough?” he asks.

I smile and slip my arms around him. “Positive.”

“I could have gotten her more.”

My heart flutters at just how much he cares about Emma—how he went out of his way to make sure that this Christmas would be special for her .

I lean up and kiss him. “I know you could have. But what you got her was perfect. I don’t want my kid to be a spoiled brat with a million gifts,” I joke.

His mouth slants up in a smile. He sips his coffee and slides his arm around me, hugging me tight.

“I just want this Christmas to be special for her. And you.”

My heart slingshots around my chest. “It’s already the most amazing Christmas because we get to spend it with you, Gavin.”

He drops a soft kiss to my lips. For a quiet moment, we just stand there and hold each other while gazing at the Christmas tree that’s covered in pretty ornaments and sparkling white lights.

Early morning sunlight filters in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the whole house in a soft glow.

My heart feels so full, like it’s about to burst.

I never thought I’d have this. I never thought I’d have a partner to share these special moments with. But now I do.

Just then, we hear soft footsteps from down the hall. Emma appears in her pink pajamas. When she sees the gifts under the tree, her eyes go wide.

“Wow! Are all those for me?”

Gavin smiles. “They sure are, kiddo.”

She runs over to the two of us and hugs us.

“Merry Christmas, honey,” I say to her, kissing the top of her head.

“Merry Christmas!” she says excitedly. “Can I open my presents?”

“Soon, honey. We’re going to wait for Sophie, Xander, and his mom to come over first, remember?”

She nods.

“Gavin, are you gonna make pancakes with chocolate chips for breakfast?” she asks.

“I sure am, kiddo.”

An hour later, we’re sitting by the tree with Sophie, Xander, and his mom Jeannette, opening gifts.

Emma tears the wrapping paper off a large box. When she pulls out a pair of white figure skates, she squeals.

“My own ice skates!”

Gavin grins. “And you get to take lessons too.”

Her jaw drops. “I do?”

He and I both nod.

She hops up from the couch and runs over to Gavin and hugs him. “Thank you thank you thank you! This is the best gift ever! I love you!”

I gasp softly at hearing Emma say she loves Gavin. Oh, my heart.

When I look at Gavin, his eyes are teary. He wraps his arms around her, hugging her back. “Love you too, kiddo.”

Sophie sniffles and smiles as she watches Emma hug her dad.

Emma moves to hug me. “Thanks, Mom.”

“It was all Gavin’s idea. He was so excited to give those to you,” I say.

Emma walks over to the tree and grabs a small gift-wrapped box. She hands it to Gavin.

“Merry Christmas!” She beams.

When he opens it, he grins wider than I’ve ever seen. He holds up a tie that Emma bedazzled in blue rhinestones.

Sophie and Xander’s mom go, “Aww!” Xander chuckles .

Gavin looks at Emma. “You bedazzled a tie for me?”

She grins excitedly. “Yup!”

“I love it. I’ll wear it during our next game. Thanks, kiddo.”

“You’re welcome,” Emma says.

Gavin hops up to grab more tea for Jeannette. Xander’s phone buzzes with a text.

“Yikes,” he says when he looks at the screen.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“I guess Ryker’s first meeting with the new skating coach didn’t go well yesterday,” Xander says. “They had an argument.”

Sophie looks concerned. “Really? Why though? Madeline’s an Olympic athlete. She was one of the most skilled figure skaters in the world. She knows what she’s doing.”

Xander shrugs.

“He’s gonna have to figure out a way to get along with her,” Gavin says.

I think about Ryker recovering from his injury, how stressful and difficult that must be for him at his age. I hope he’s having a nice Christmas Day at least.

I step over to the tree and grab the present for Jeannette.

“Oh Abby, you didn’t need to get me anything,” she says when I hand her the large, flat, gift-wrapped box.

“It’s just a little something. It’s from both me and Xander, actually.”

“Mostly Abby though,” Xander says before winking at me.

When she opens the box and sees the oil pastel painting, she gasps. She’s quiet for a handful of seconds.

“Do you like it, Mom?” Xander asks.

Her eyes are teary, and her smile wobbles as she stares at the oil pastel painting I did of an old photo of Xander, Jeannette, and Xander’s dad. The two of them are sitting on a blanket in the grass, smiling and holding a toddler-aged Xander between them.

Xander asked me a few weeks ago if I’d be willing to create a painting from a family photo for his mom, and I was excited to say yes. I thought it was such a thoughtful idea for a gift.

“Oh, sweetie, I love it,” she says to Xander before hugging him. Then she holds up her arms to me, happy tears in her eyes. “This is the most precious gift I could have imagined. Come and give me a hug.”

I stand up and walk over to her. She wraps her arms around me tight. “You are so very talented, Abby.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Gavin says. I softly bump his shoulder, my cheeks heating.

“I’m glad you like it, Mom. And I’m glad Abby was the one who painted it because if I had to paint a picture for you, it would have been horrifyingly bad,” Xander says.

We all laugh. Gavin crouches down, swipes a small box from under the tree, and gives it to Sophie.

He kisses the top of her head. “Merry Christmas, honey.”

She tilts her head at him. “Dad, I told you that you didn’t have to get me a gift. You’re paying for most of our wedding. That’s gift enough.”

“I know, honey. But I wanted to get you a little something to open.” He sits back down on the couch.

When she opens the small jewelry box, her big blue eyes go wide.

“Oh my gosh…” She stares down at the delicate, teardrop diamond earrings set in rose gold. She looks up at Gavin. “These are mom’s earrings.”

Gavin’s eyes are misty as he looks at his daughter. “ She’d want you to have them. You can wear them on your wedding day, if you’d like.”

Sophie sniffles and hugs her dad. “I will. It’ll be like a small part of her is with me.”

A sad smile pulls at Gavin’s mouth. I blink back the tears in my eyes, watching this special moment between father and daughter. I notice Jeannette is teary-eyed too. Xander gives her hand a gentle squeeze and hands her a tissue.

“I hope it’s okay, I got you something too.” I hand Sophie a small box.

She smiles at me. “Abby, you shouldn’t have.”

When she opens the box and sees the rose gold hair clip adorned in diamonds and pearls, she gasps softly.

“I saw it in a vintage shop,” I say. “They reminded me of your mom’s earrings.”

Sophie looks at me, her eyes misty as she smiles. “It’s beautiful. I’m going to wear this in my hair on my wedding day. It’ll go perfectly with my earrings. Thank you, Abby.”

My chest swells. I’m so touched she’d want to wear my gift on her special day.

We stand up and hug. When we break apart, we chuckle and wipe our eyes.

“Glad I’m not the only one crying,” Jeannette says. We all chuckle.

“One more gift,” Gavin says, handing me a card when I sit back down next to him.

I’m smiling when I open it. When I see the plane tickets to Paris, I gasp.

I look at him. “You didn’t…”

That half-smile I love so much appears on his face. “I did.”

“You’re taking me to Paris?” I squeal .

He nods. I lunge-hug him. I’m tearing up, I’m so happy. My dream trip to Paris.

“A trip to Paris is the most romantic gift ever. Way to make the rest of us guys look bad, Coach,” Xander teases. Sophie and Jeannette chuckle.

When we break apart, I hold Gavin’s face in my hands. Emotion bubbles up inside of me. I’m so happy, I feel like I’m going to explode.

“I don’t know what to say.” My voice is soft and shaky with how overwhelmed I am. I didn’t know I could feel this much joy. I didn’t think it was possible.

The man I’m head over heels in love with just smiles. “Say you’ll go to Paris with me.”

I beam. “I will absolutely go to Paris with you.”

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