Chapter 33

Tyler

I woke up Christmas morning to Amber’s hair in my face and all I could do was smile. The entire family was gathering downstairs while I held her close in my arms, and for the first time in my life, I realized why people enjoyed Christmas. The air seemed a bit fresher, and the house felt a bit more jovial, and I heard people calling up the stairs for us trying to roll us out of bed so we could all open presents.

“Morning, beautiful,” I said, kissing her neck.

“Five more minutes,” she murmured.

“Everyone’s waiting for us to open presents.”

At that moment, I realized how much Amber loved Christmas. She bolted out of bed and hopped to her feet. She tossed her hair up into a bun before she wrapped her robe around her body, then she rounded the bed and pulled me out. She threw her arms around me for a massive morning kiss, and my cock throbbed and came to life against her body.

“Later. Right now, presents,” she whispered.

I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before the two of us came down the stairs hand in hand. The smell of cinnamon rolls and coffee were wafting through the house, and the Christmas tree was stacked with presents underneath. On the coffee table were cinnamon rolls and fruit, bacon and egg sandwiches and sausage. We all ate breakfast together in the television room while we watched the traditional Christmas parade, and then the presents started to be divvied out by Ron.

For once, I was a part of someone’s Christmas traditions, and I soaked in every single part of it. The way everyone was eating breakfast around a television while they commented on the floats. The way Amber cradled herself deep into my body. The way she kept feeding me bites of bacon before she’d raise up and press a kiss to my cheek.

And now, I got to open presents with a family for the first time in my life.

Everyone opened presents and discarded the paper by wadding it up and trying to make a basket with it in a paper bag. They reveled in their gifts and hugged one another around the neck, and a few things even came my way as well. Darlene got me a new leather jacket she’d seen in a store, and Ron got me a gift card to the coffee shop in town I was always frequenting. Luke gave me my first decoration for my apartment in LA, and then the entire family had pitched in and bought me a gift card to help furnish my apartment.

It was too much, and I was so overwhelmed with joy that tears sprang to my eyes.

“Welcome to the family, dude,” Luke said as he slapped my back.

But nothing could hold a candle to the present Amber placed in my lap.

“Open it,” she said.

I was careful with the tissue. Part of me wanted to peek in before I opened it to make sure it was appropriate, but part of me knew if it needed to be opened in private she would’ve said so. I put the colorful tissue aside while I pulled out the DVDs from the bag, but there was one that caught my eye.

The movie we’d first had sex to.

Inside the bag were all my favorite movies. Top Gun. The Die Hard series. Scarface and The Blues Brothers. And there was also Never Been Kissed.

I looked up at her with a smirk on my face before I pulled her in for a hug. Memories of the first time I’d claimed those beautiful lips came back to me, and I had to take deep breaths to control my cock in front of the family. I kissed the shell of her ear, feeling her shiver into my skin, then I let her go while she sank back into the couch.

“I love you so much,” I said.

“I know,” she said, winking.

“No. Amber. I’m serious. I love you.” I looked into her eyes and saw the shock roll over her features. I knew she had been nervous about what I had heard last night, and I wanted to put all those fears to rest. I wanted her to know that I felt the same way. I’d love her as much as she’d let me for as long as she’d let me.

And, if I was lucky enough, she’d let me love her forever.

“You are the most remarkable thing that’s ever happened to me. From all the memories we’ve shared before all the way up until now. You’re incredible, and for as long as you’ll let me, I’m going to love you. No matter what.”

“Oh, Tyler. You heard me last night, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Every word. And I need you to understand I feel the same way.”

“I love you, Tyler.” She threw her arms around me in front of her family and planted her lips onto mine. I slipped my arms around her, feeling her tremble against me while our lips moved in tandem with one another’s. She was warm to the touch, and I felt the love she had for me sparking between our bodies. Her touch was electrifying, sending tingles and vibrations up my back just before she pulled away and smiled.

“I love you so much,” she whispered.

“Now, it’s time for your gift.” I sat her back down on the couch as her family watched, and I pulled up a little flat, rectangular box I’d kept hidden in my pants pocket. I handed it to her, placing it in the palm of her hand while her eyes flickered between me and the box, and I felt her family slowly lean in to see what it was.

“Open it,” I urged.

Her trembling fingers plucked the top of the box off and inside was a shining pair of keys. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she clasped the keyring between her fingertips and the moment I caught her gaze, I couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“Luke was right. The office space I purchased is way too big for the operation we’re going to be running out of it. So, I had it sectioned off. And that section now has its own door and key and set up,” I said.

“You’re giving me half your store?” she asked.

“It’s perfect for your dance studio,” I said, grinning.

I heard Darlene gasp while out of the corner of my eye I saw Luke smirk. Amber looked down at the keys she held in the palm of her hand, and then I saw the reaction I was looking for. Tears rose to her eyes as she panned her gaze back up to mine, and I brought my hand to cup her cheek while my thumb caught her tears.

“It’s your dance studio, if you’ll take it,” I said.

“Holy hell, Tyler. What did you do?” she asked.

“Why don’t I just take you by it later, and you can see for yourself?” I asked.

We finished our breakfast and picked up the mess from the presents before everyone started to settle down. Luke and Ron took in an afternoon cocktail while Darlene began preparing Christmas dinner, so it was a good time for Amber and me to slip out. We got dressed and hopped in my car, then I raced across town so I could show her exactly what I’d done. I had no idea what to get her for a gift except the one thing she truly wanted, and I hoped to heaven on high she would enjoy what I’d done with the place.

We pulled up to the office space that used to be completely designated for the company Luke and I owned, only this time half of it housed a name Amber was familiar with.

“Holy shit, that’s the name of my business,” she said.

“So, I got that right? ‘A.D. Century Dance & Consignment’?”

She threw her arms around me before she jumped into my arms. I smiled into her hair, feeling her body shake with delight at the idea of finally having her own business. I plucked the keys from her hand and walked us to the front door. I unlocked it to reveal the inside, but all I could feel was Amber crying into the crook of my neck.

“Sweetheart, it’s alright. Do you want to see the inside?”

“How did you do this?” she asked.

“With the help of Luke, I have to admit. It was a lot to pull off last minute, but nothing else seemed appropriate for Christmas,” I said.

“How am I going to pay you for this?” she asked. “I haven’t even taken out a loan yet, or thought of decorating the space, or talked to contractors.”

“Why don’t you get down so I can show you the plans I have?” She unraveled herself from me, and I kissed her tears away before I turned her toward the room. I let her eyes roam over it while she walked through the space, watching while she gathered her own ideas. The smile that was scrunching her cheeks and twinkling her eyes made my heart sing out with joy. Then, when she stopped at the end of the room and looked at me, I launched into the speech I’d prepared.

“The rent for the space is wrapped into mine, so I figured we would split it fifty-fifty. That’ll mean rent for you is only going to be six hundred thirty-five dollars a month, which will drastically lower the loan you were looking at having to take out. Depending on how you want to work the space, you can do your shop a couple of ways. You can use the back room as a shop. Or you can knock out the back wall to widen the space and put the shop up front, so people see it first thing. Or I can section off the space upstairs, and you can put your shop up there, so both the studio floor and the shop can be seen from the street.”

“But, won’t that eat into your apartment space?” she asked.

“You let me worry about that,” I said. “Now, as for decorating, I’ve already brought Kelly by, so she can give you some tips now that she knows what the space looks like. But, there were a few things she wanted me to run by you. She wants to put the mirrors over here, so the room appears bigger, and she wants the entire front floor to be covered in a lighter material. You know, whatever dance floors are made of. She says it’ll open up the room. I could have a shelf made for you to put in this corner that matches whatever color scheme you choose so you could put the bulk of your sound system over here and out of the way. Then we could run cords along the edges of the walls so no one will trip on anything. It’s not much, but it’s a start with how you want things to look. Kelly had lots of other ideas, but she talks extra fast when she’s excited. That’s all I caught.”

By the time I was done talking, Amber was standing directly in front of me. Gone were the tears, and in its place were the glimmering eyes of the woman I’d come to love. She ran her hands up the front of my body before she grasped the collar of my jacket, and I took a step forward to close the gap between us before I nuzzled my nose with hers.

“So? What do you think?” I asked.

The way she encompassed her lips with mine was the only answer I needed.