Chapter 16
Roman
“Five days ‘til Christmas. You got all of your shopping done?”
I tossed my bo behind my back, spun around twice, and caught it down on one knee. “Heck yeah. I had that done last week.”
“What did you get Sage?” Kellan asked.
“You know about the one thing.” Kellan and Molly were helping me pull off a huge surprise for Sage.
“Yeah, but did you get her anything else?”
“I'm not telling you. I know you’ll tell Molly, and she’ll tell Sage.”
Kellan dropped to the mat and started doing push-ups. “Hey, we haven’t told her about the other gift.”
“That’s because I threatened both of you to keep your mouths shut.”
“And we are. Now tell me what else you got her. I’m absolutely clueless about what to get Molly.”
I spun my bo in figure eights with a toss between each transition. “Dude, you guys have been dating for how long, and you don’t know what to get her for Christmas?”
“I buy her shit all year long. Plus, she hasn’t given me any hints at all about what she wants.”
“What does she do when she’s not working?”
“Me,” he chuckled.
“What does she do with the other seven hours and fifty-eight minutes?”
“Whoa-oh,” he laughed. “Really fucking funny.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “Seriously, brother. What does she like?”
“Uh, she reads every night before bed.”
“What does she read on?”
“Um, her phone?”
So easy. “Buy her one of those e-readers, and a gift card for books.”
Kellan stopped mid push-up. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you were probably trying to think of some extravagant thing to buy her when you know Molly has far from expensive tastes.”
He resumed his push-ups. “That may be, but I think she deserves the best. There ain’t nothing wrong with me wanting to spoil her.”
There wasn’t, but there was a difference in spoiling her and buying her shit she didn’t want. “Remember that ice cream maker you bought her?”
“Yeah,” he grunted.
“You should ask her where it is.”
Kellan dropped to the mat. “What the hell do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s at Sage’s house.”
“You’re fucking kidding me. I spent like three hundred bucks on that thing.”
“And Sage thanks you.” She had made her first homemade ice cream last night, and it was fucking phenomenal. “I actually thank you too. That was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had.”
“Fucking unbelievable. I thought for sure Molly would have loved that thing.”
I tossed my bo up in the air and took a step forward, catching it behind my back. “Why would you even buy Molly that? Were you watching the home shopping network late one night?”
He scoffed. “Of course not. I just listen to the things she says, and then try to find some she would like.”
“So, she mentioned ice cream one time, and you thought buying her an expensive ice cream machine would be the perfect gift?”
“Hey, for your information, she squealed when she saw it and thanked me in the most appropriate way.”
“By giving it to Sage?”
Kellan popped up from the mat and stomped off. “This is such bullshit,” he mumbled.
“I’m telling ya, man, go for the e-reader and a big ass gift card. She’ll love you forever.”
He threw his hands up in the air and strutted into the office. He came back out with the laptop and handed it to me. “Here. Find the damn e-reader and show me where to get the gift card. Will that shit be here before Christmas?”
I dropped my bo on the floor and grabbed the laptop. “Should be.” I quickly found the e-reader I got Sage and showed it to Kellan. “What color?”
“Orange. I at least know what color she would like, even if I apparently buy her shit presents.”
I added the orange one to the cart and searched for gift cards. “How much do you want the gift card to be?”
“Two-fifty too much?”
“For a normal person, yes. But for Kellan Wright who buys his girlfriend a three-hundred-dollar ice cream maker just because she likes ice cream, no, it’s not too much.”
“Good. Then make it three hundred.”
I rolled my eyes and added the ridiculously large gift card to the cart. “Now give me your credit card, moneybags.”
He forked over his card and crossed his arms over his chest. “Last I checked, you make just as much as I do and probably saved a shit ton from the circuit like all of us did.”
“Yeah, but you guys blew all of that on houses and cars.” I entered the address to the dojo, his card number, and verified it would be here by Christmas. “It’ll be here in two days. It’ll be delivered here.”
Kellan grabbed the computer from me and nodded his head. “Good deal. What else should I get her?”
“Dude, you just spent over three hundred on her, and I’m sure you’ve got a stack of presents already for her. Chill.”
He shrugged and grabbed his duffel bag off the floor. “I think I’m gonna swing by the mall on the way home.”
I hung my head. Dude didn’t hear a word I said. “You’re hopeless.”
“Could be, or it could be I think Molly deserves everything I can give her.”
Now that was what I truly believed was the reason Kellan bought everything for Molly. “Well, just try not to buy her appliances she doesn’t need.”
Kellan gave me a mock salute, dropped the computer back in the office, and slipped out the front door.
I ran through my extreme weapons form five times, then worked on a new trick I was trying to perfect before I added it to my form. I was training hard, and I was finally starting to see a difference from where I was a month ago. My strikes were crisp, I moved with purpose, and tricks were better than ever. I was ready for Chicago.
I just wasn’t ready to leave Sage for that long. SKW had dropped the bomb on me today that they needed me down there on Wednesday for press and a photoshoot, and I wouldn’t be back home until Sunday. I didn’t want to tell Sage. Hell, I didn't want to go. Things were so good between us right now, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess it up.
It was only four and a half days, but from where I was standing, it was four days too long. I had definitely become one of the guys who bowed to the almighty pussy. And I saw the appeal of why each of them settled down.
I had found the woman I wanted, and I would do whatever it took to keep her.
*