“And what are you two over here plotting about?” I asked, leaning my arms on the back of the couch and sticking my head between Airen and Nova.

“We aren’t plotting. We’re trying to pick out a Christmas movie,” Airen answered, tipping her head back for a kiss.

I obliged her and then launched myself over the back of the couch. Landing beside her with a bounce, I grabbed the phone.

“Hey!”

“Hey, nothing. You’re looking in the wrong place for the right Christmas movie to watch,” I said.

“Oh, aye, and what movie might that be?” she asked, settling into the crook of my arm.

“You’ll see. Will you hand me the remote, Nova?” I asked.

“Ye have a lot of cheek, shoving yer way into our girl time,” Airen said, jabbing me in the gut.

“I’m not cooking tonight,” Riley announced from the top of the stairs.

“Tell ‘em, Riles,” I said as Nova handed the remote to me.

“Just for that, you can cook,” she said, grumbling as she crossed the room and sat down on the opposite couch. She’d come prepared with blanket and pillow, already in pajamas.

“Ye look comfortable,” Airen said, plucking at the pair of jeans she wore.

“I am. And I’m warm, too,” Riley answered, stuffing the pillow behind her head. “So, what are we watching?”

“The best Christmas movie of all time,” I answered, bringing up the menu on the TV.

“I think Riley’s got the right of it. I’ll be back,” Airen said. “Come on then, Nova. It’s a Christmas movie pajama party.”

I smirked. “What if you don’t wear pajamas?”

Airen gave me a glare. “Very funny.”

“I thought so,” I said, winking at her.

“Don’t start the movie until we come back,” she said. She dashed off, leaving Nova to follow.

“Not the pajama-party type?” I asked, watching her battle some sort of internal decision.

“I… uh…”

“It’s Christmas. We’re on a mini-vacation. Jeans are optional. And believe me, once Paige and Murphy wander in, they’ll be up the stairs to change, too,” Riley said.

The door flew open, and Paige came in on a burst of wind. “Oh my God, it’s cold out there.”

“Fuzzy pants and Christmas movies,” Riley called out, lifting her hand up with a wave.

“You had me at fuzzy pants,” she said, shoving her hands into her armpits.

“Where’s Murphy and Jared?” I asked, moving to the corner of the couch and settling in as I scrolled through the movie selection. I could have easily typed in the title, but scrolling killed time until Airen was back.

“Outside. Don’t hold the movie for them, though. Jared has a fire going, so you know he’ll be out there for a little while,” Paige answered.

“Go change. We’ll wait,” Riley said.

Paige took off, and Nova followed quietly behind her.

“I think we intimidate her,” Riley said, rolling just enough to peek past the arm of the couch to look at me.

“You think so? I just thought she was quiet like Eli, but I guess I can see how she’d be intimidated. We’re all pretty opinionated, and we don’t hold back,” I answered.

I wasn’t going to worry about how Nova fit into the group. She’d figure out her place without any help from us. As far as I was concerned, she’d been a part of us since Alaska. She hadn’t shied away from anything we threw at her. And that told me she’d be just fine.

“Opinionated. That’s one way of saying it.” Riley mumbled. “Hey, what the hell is that?” she asked, pointing at the TV.

“A movie,” I answered.

“That is not a Christmas movie,” she argued.

“I beg to differ. Not only is it a Christmas movie, it is the Christmas movie,” I insisted.

“We’re watching Die Hard?” Nova asked.

She hadn’t made a sound coming back down the stairs, and I wondered how much of our conversation she’d heard.

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna protest, too?” I groaned.

“Actually,” she said, moving to the other end of the couch and sitting. “I was going to say that Noni loved that movie. We always watched it at Christmas.”

She’d changed into a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved Henley shirt. “You look like a lumberjack,” I said, and instantly wanted to recall it until Nova laughed.

“Ass,” Riley muttered. “And who the hell said you could pick the movie anyway?”

“Since we’re two to one right now, you really have no say,” I answered. “Where’s Ace? He’d back me on this, too.”

“Wrapping presents, and he’s going to stay out of it if he knows what’s good for him. You really want to watch that movie, Nova?” Riley asked.

Nova darted a look between Riley and me before shrugging. “I don’t mind, I actually like the movie.”

“Yippie ki yay, motherf-”

“Aiden Joseph Jacobson, if you finish that sentence…”

“Sorry, Mom,” I said, laughing.

Riley flipped me off and punched her pillow before settling back down.

There was a snort from the other end of the couch. And then another. All of a sudden, Nova busted out laughing.

Riley sat up, gave me an odd look, and then smiled. “I think we broke her.”

“Told ya she’d figure it out,” I answered before turning on Nova. “And what’s so funny, missy?”

She clapped a hand over her mouth, but the laughter didn’t subside. In fact, it was catching because we couldn’t help but laugh along. And I had no idea why.

“What’s so funny?” Paige asked as she tossed Nova a throw blanket. Paige chose a seat at the other end of the couch where Riley was curled like an inchworm, and grumbling about how the laughing was hurting her.

I shook my head and clamped my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

Paige hopped up from the couch, snatched the remote out of my hand, and hit play.

“We have to wait for Airen,” I said, trying to get the remote back.

“I’m right here, ye loon,” she said, tossing a pillow into my lap.

“Where’s Eli?” Paige asked.

“He’s finishing up some wrapping, too. He’ll be down in a bit,” Nova answered as she wiped under her eyes.

“Yo, Ace,” I shouted. “Die Hard is on.”

A door slammed, and then another. The next thing I knew, someone was shouting for Jared. The movie was paused before the opening credits.

“Can we watch the damn movie now?” I asked, getting another jab from Airen.

Riley huffed when there was a chorus of agreement. “You’re all a bunch of bloodthirsty savages.”

“Shhh!”

We couldn’t have timed it better if we’d tried.

“Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?” I asked Airen as I shut off the lamp beside the bed. I rolled over onto my side to face her.

She gave me a dreamy smile. “It’s come fast, aye?”

I brushed her hair behind her ear. “Too fast. It’ll be over before we know it, then it’s back to Chicago and our day-to-day lives.”

She caught my hand in hers and held it. “What is it?”

Airen didn’t have to explain what she was asking me. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because for the first time in a long time, we’ve all had a chance to relax. There’s no place to be. No rush. No missions. It feels like it used to when we’d come here to hang out, only it’s different. Better, but different.”

“Nostalgia,” she said, bringing our hands under her chin. “Christmas seems to bring that with it.”

“And traditions,” I added.

“What sort of traditions do ye have?” she asked.

“The typical ones. Opening one present on Christmas Eve. Dinner with the family,” I answered.

“My auntie used to do a big breakfast on Christmas morning,” Airen said. “Maybe we can do that.”

“Sure. But I suck at cooking, so you’ll have to put me in charge of buttering the toast or something.”

She laughed. “I think we should do Christmas stockings for everyone.”

“You mean, you and I do them for everyone?” I asked.

She nodded. “Isn’t it tradition to hang stockings?”

“We can go to the store tomorrow if you want,” I said, wondering if I’d lost my mind. Shopping on Christmas Eve? I had to have.

She picked up her head and looked over at the nightstand. “Ye mean today?”

“Do you want to open one of your gifts? I mean, it is Christmas Eve now, so…”

She popped up and pushed at me. “Aye, get on wi’ it.”

I lunged at her, and she squeaked when I pinned her to the bed. “Do you know that when you get really excited, or really mad, your accent gets heavier?”

“Did ye ken yers does as well?” she asked, moving so our bodies were perfectly aligned.

“Your present will have to wait for a few minutes,” I said, pressing her hips firmly into the mattress.

“Take yer time. I’m not going anywhere,” she answered, catching the back of my neck and pulling me down until our lips touched.

Airen was draped over my chest. She was slowly drifting off as I trailed my fingers up and down her spine. I could feel her body melting into my own, and a burst of ego zipped through me. I’d done that to her. I’d made her feel that way. I wasn’t done, though. I still wanted to give her one of her presents while it was just the two of us. And there was no better time to do it than that moment.

As luck would have it, I’d stashed it in the nightstand drawer.

“Airen,” I said, calling her away from sleep.

“Mm?” she answered.

“Do you want your present?” I asked, nudging her in hopes she wouldn’t drift off again.

“I dinna think I can bear another of yer presents, Aiden. Ye’ve gifted me two already, and the third will likely shatter me.”

“You keep talking like that and we’ll miss Christmas altogether,” I said, feeling my blood rise and my body tighten.

She patted my chest. “I’ll just leave it up to you then to give the explanations.”

I felt her teetering on the edge of sleep once again and grabbed her hand. “How about this instead?”

He fingers curled around the box, and I felt her wake up. “Turn the light on, please.”

I sat up. Without looking, I reached over and turned on the lamp. “Open it.”

She moved to sit crisscross on the bed. The sheet covering her lap did nothing to hide the blush of her skin when she opened the small box.

She gasped, and then clapped a hand over her mouth.

I took the ring out and held it in front of her. “I know that neither of us is ready for marriage, but I still wanted you to have something that tells you what you mean to me. Which is why I chose—”

“A Claddagh ring. Aiden, it’s perfect,” she said, putting her hand out so I could slip it on her finger.

“Love, loyalty, and friendship. You’ll have all of mine for the rest of my life,” I said, bringing her hand up and kissing her fingers where the ring rested.

“I do love ye, Aiden. I’ve something for you as well,” she said, putting her hand out so I could help her off the bed.

“Close yer eyes,” she told me.

I closed them.

“Keep them closed. No peeking,” she warned.

I put my hands over my eyes, and she laughed.

“Numpty,” she said, climbing back onto the bed and straddling my lap.

“I like this gift already,” I said as something cold brushed my hand.

“Ye can look now,” she said, holding my wrists and tugging them down gently.

“What’s this?” I asked, lifting the heavy weight of the chain to see what was hanging off it.

“A Celtic love knot. It’s a symbol of eternal love,” she said, gasping when I put my arms around her. I settled one hand against her back and the other on her backside. She slid until her thighs settled over my hips.

“I love you, Airen. And I don’t need anything but your love in return. Married or not, you’ll always be my one and only,” I said as she rested her forehead against mine.

“We could always do it like they did in the old days,” she said, getting a snort from me.

“Oh, and how is that? I can’t imagine they did it any different than we do now,” I answered.

She laughed. “I meant we could always handfast. And before ye make it about yer cock, let me explain.”

“I might not hear you since all that’s going around my head is your voice saying the word cock,” I told her, gripping her hips hard enough to bruise them as a fresh surge of need zipped through me.

“Aye, well, hold yer horses. I’ll make it quick,” she said, explaining the tradition.

“They really did that back then? I thought sex outside of marriage was supposed to be a huge no-no,” I said, wondering how that might work.

“Well, it’s not like they had a priest around every corner, so they’d make a pledge for a year and a day. Live as man and wife. When the time was up, they’d decide if they still wanted to be married.”

“Do they still do that?” I asked.

“I dinna ken. Why?”

“I think we should do that. It would sort of keep the tradition alive,” I said, watching her eyes widen. “I mean, unless you don’t want to, because I’m game for whatever you wa—”

She kissed me.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” I asked, quirking a brow.

“It’s more than just saying it, aye? There are words, too,” she answered.

“What sort of words?”

She shook her head. “No idea. I suppose we could look it up, so we’re doing it right.”

I chuckled. “I think all we’d get if we did that was something from Outlander, or maybe Game of Thrones. I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about Game of Throning this. Someone always dies.”

“Right. Well then, I guess it would be something like ye’d do in a real ceremony, so you’d say yer name first,” she said, pausing as she linked her hands with mine. She looked at me expectedly.

“Oh, right. I, Aiden Jacobson, take you, Airen Campbel, to be my wife…”

“For a year and a day,” she added.

I nodded and then repeated it.

“I, Airen Campbel, take you, Aiden Jacobson, to be my husband for a year and a day,” she said.

I could feel her tremble as I added my own embellishments to our little pagan ceremony. “I will love you, honor you, and protect you. I will cherish you, worship you with my mind, and with my body. From now until forever. This I vow to you.”

She repeated me word for word as tears rolled down her face, until the words became no more than a whisper. And when she was finished, I showed her just what I meant about worshiping her body.