It had been a week with no contact from Myla and Gavin’s stalker. With Christmas only a day away, the captain decided to just let us finish out the holiday while still being their protective detail. It wasn’t like we weren’t going to be spending the holiday with our gang anyway.

My parents were staying in Florida for the holidays, complaining that it was too cold. Sean’s parents were long gone, as were Brayden and Myla’s folks. I had no idea what Karla’s family situation was; she never talked about it, and I never wanted to pry. It was weird that she was one of my best friends and I had no idea where her family was or even if they were alive or dead, but I just let it be. Gavin was the only one with real family in the area, but with his mom being a stuck-up bitch and his father being the coach of their hockey team, he didn’t want to deal with his family during Christmas.

“Are any of the teammates coming for dinner tomorrow?” I asked Myla as I put the apple pie into the oven.

She hopped up onto the counter, scooping some fresh chocolate chip cookie dough out of the bowl with her finger. “Yeah, Crosby is going to be here, but I think that’s it. Griffin, Gavin’s brother, is coming to escape the Hayes nightmare and hide out here too.”

It was rare that Gavin’s little brother made an appearance. He was closer to my age, being about five years younger than Gavin and Sean. Griffin was an all-star boxer, starting to really make a name for himself in the ring. It was pretty amazing how athletically successful both of the Hayes boys had turned out to be in such different sports.

“What about Jordan?” I started to put the cookies onto a cookie sheet, swatting Myla’s hand away when she went in for seconds.

“She’ll be with her family tomorrow. There are a lot of Bateses running around. I doubt she will be able to slip away from them.”

Karla came in with Lilly screaming. “Someone is refusing to nap.”

Myla hopped off the counter, grabbing her niece. “Go relax for a bit. I’ll give her a bottle and see if I can get her to sleep for a bit.”

“Bless you.” Karla’s sleepy eyes fluttered as she grabbed a bottle from the fridge and handed it to her sister-in-law. “You know how to warm it up and everything, right?”

Myla shooed her away. “Go on, I have done this hundreds of times before.”

Within a few minutes, Myla had Lilly cooing and rubbing her sleepy eyes, on the verge of passing out.

“Do you ever think about that?” I asked, pointing to the baby.

Myla bounced on her heels, gently rocking her niece. “Yeah, I really do and so does Gavin. Eventually we’ll have kids, when the timing is right and all that jazz. What about you?”

“I shook my head. I don’t think I even want to get married,” I admitted.

“Not event to the right person?” she teased, looking into the living room where Gavin, Brayden, and Sean were sitting around the TV, watching the news, beers in hand.

“I know I do not want a wedding. If Sean is able to convince me to marry his ass, it’ll be on my terms, and no one will know about it.”

“Fair enough.” She popped out her bottom lip, pretending to pout.

I couldn’t believe Myla was giving in that easily, though. Usually she would throw a fit, saying she would have to be in the loop and demanding that I swear to it.

I watched as she lovingly looked down at Lilly cradled in her arms. “You’re going to make a wonderful mother, My.”

She looked up at me. “And you’re going to be the best auntie in the world to our little ones. To be honest, I think it’s refreshing that you’re so honest about what you want and what you see in your future. More people should be like that.”

“What future?” Sean asked as he grabbed a few more beers out of the fridge.

Wrapping my arms around his wide waist, I looked up into his glass blue eyes. “I just told Myla that I will never marry you or have kids with you.” I stuck my tongue out as he laughed a little.

Kissing my forehead, he shrugged. “Jess, you’ve been my partner for a year—don’t you think I know what your views on kids and marriage are? Still here, aren’t I?”

“Aw!” Myla exclaimed as I pecked Sean’s lips quickly.

* * *

Lying in Sean’s arms on the couch with everyone else asleep was kind of perfect. Even though our relationship was new, it really wasn’t—it was just evolving.

“So, should we exchange gifts now?” he asked, reaching over the arm of the couch for a gift bag that was on the floor next to him.

I jumped up, clapping. “Yes! Let’s do it!”

I dove under the lit tree, pine needles falling all around me as I searched for the box I had wrapped for Sean. Finally finding it, I clambered back onto the couch, sitting cross-legged facing him. He brushed a few pine needles off my shoulder with his thumb as he pulled me in for a long, slow kiss.

I threw the small box into his lap. “Open mine first.”

He grabbed it, shaking it lightly next to his ear. “What could it be?” he teased. “It is keys to a jet? Oh babe, you shouldn’t have. That’s just too much.”

“Open it, you goofball!” I pushed his knee as he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“Thank you,” he said as he tore into the silver paper.

“You haven’t even seen what it is yet.”

“I don’t care, I’m just thankful that you got me something.”

He opened the white box to a hand-stamped copper plate bracelet with coordinates on it. “What location is this?” he asked, eyeing the piece as an excited smile played on his lips.

“Times Square.” I blushed as I identified the spot.

“I love it, thank you again.” Kissing the tip of my nose, he put the gift bag in my lap.

A ridiculous, wide-eyed Santa winked at me while he held his naughty list in one hand as I pulled the green tissue paper out, revealing a framed constellation. I read the date on it, unable to place it in my mind.

Sean tapped on the glass right over the date. “That’s the day I knew I loved you. It was just about two months after you became my partner, and we had gotten street dogs right after responding to a carjacking. You licked mustard off of my cheek because we didn’t have napkins, and that was the night I knew you and I were meant to be together.”

I blinked a few times while taking in the thoughtful gift. I remembered that night well. The carjacking had kind of rattled me and Sean took me to get food as a distraction after the situation was handled. He had always taken such amazing car of me in those types of situations.

“I have no words for how perfect this is.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, scooting into Sean’s lap.

“It’s nothing compared to how perfect you are, Jess.”