“Yeah, he is.” I guided her hand to the tree, urging her to hang the ball. “He’ll be staying here so he can watch you close enough. I gave him a copy of the key earlier today.”
She nodded and pulled out another ornament. “So no more free showers here, huh?”
“Nope. You’ll have to slum it with the rest of the freshmen.”
“Hey, that’ll be you soon, too.” She peeked at me out of the corner of her eye. “You’ll be a grade under me.”
“Fuck, you’re right.” I moved to the other side of the tree so we didn’t get another bare spot. “You’ll be robbing the cradle.”
She snorted. “Oh yeah. Let me tell you.”
Talking about the future made me feel a little better about what was coming tomorrow. We’d get through this and everything would be fine. We just had to keep the faith. I couldn’t wait to enter this new life with Carrie at my side.
And I couldn’t wait to be the man I knew I could be with her by my side.
If Captain Richards asked me where I wanted to be in ten years, I’d have an answer for him. I’d want to be right here, decorating a sloppy tree with Carrie. Maybe with a baby in my arms. That’s where I wanted to be.
And I would be, damn it.
When we were finished, I guided her to the couch. After I had her seated and refilled with champagne—though I left mine empty since it was after midnight—I pulled out the long, skinny red box from the coffee table. It was next to my Glock, which Carrie was looking at with pursed lips.
“Are you bringing that with you?” she asked, swiping her hands across her dress.
“I am.” I pushed it aside. I’d been cleaning it earlier, and left it out to dry. “It’s kinda necessary in my job.”
“You don’t wear it here.”
“It’s not a hostile envir—” I broke off, realizing I was about to blurt out shit I wasn’t supposed to. And she, of course, knew what I’d been about to say. “I mean, it’s different.”
She paled and bit down on her lip. “Right.”
“Carrie…” I leaned forward and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. “Enough sad talk. Let’s focus on this, because it’s after midnight. That means it’s Christmas Day.”
She curled her hands into fists. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” I pressed my lips to hers, savoring the kiss. Soon enough, we’d be falling asleep, and I’d be leaving. “Santa brought you a present.”
She took the box from me, her gaze locked with mine. “I still wish I had something for you.”
“You can give it to me after I come back. Now open it.”
She nodded and ripped open the present. She ran her hands over the velvet case, her head lowered so I couldn’t make out the expression on her face. When she flipped open the lid, she gasped and touched the pendant of the necklace I’d picked out for her.
It was yellow gold, and it had a sun hanging off the delicate chain. I shifted my weight, wondering if she’d get the significance behind the gift.
She looked up at me, tears in her eyes. “The sun’s finally shining,” she said softly. The tears that had filled her eyes just seconds before spilled over, and she threw herself at me. “I l-love it. Thank you.”
I hugged her close, blinking because my eyes were stinging for some strange reason. “The sun will continue to shine because I have you. And you have me. Nothing will change that, okay?”
She nodded against my shoulder, her shoulders trembling as she cried. I held her close, making shushing sounds and saying words I didn’t even pay attention to. Hell, I’d have promised her the moon and the stars if it would make her smile again.
Anything for her.
By the time she pulled back, her mascara was all over her cheeks and she was a wreck, but she’d never looked more perfect to me. I swiped my thumbs across her face, but I only smeared her makeup even worse.
“Want me to help you put it on?” I asked, my voice coming out strained.
She nodded and handed me the box. After I took out the necklace, she lifted her hair so I could clasp it on. After it was securely fastened, I kissed the back of her neck and she shivered. “Thank you,” she said.
I nodded. “You ready for bed, or do you want to watch the movie?”
“Bed. I want to hold you until I have to let go.”
My heart twisted. “Deal.”
I led her to the bed and pulled back the covers, once we were naked, we made love. I held her in my arms until she fell asleep. The last thought on my mind, before I gave in to the overwhelming exhaustion that had been hitting me ever since I found out I was leaving, was that something that was this good couldn’t possibly end badly.
We deserved our happily ever after, damn it.
Carrie
I didn’t want to fall asleep. Didn’t want to close my eyes. I lay there for a long time, my eyes on the cheery Christmas tree and my ears tuned in to Finn’s even breathing. His arms were around me, and I had my ankle looped over his. It was heaven. How could I fall asleep when I didn’t know how long it would be until I felt this way again?
My eyes drifted shut, but I forced them open again. I didn’t want to miss a single moment of tonight. Wanted to cherish it. Hold it close to my heart in the upcoming weeks. My lids drifted shut again. I tried to lift them, but it didn’t work. Maybe I would spend one minute resting them. I wanted to stay awake so badly. Wanted to hold him. Love him. Hug him. I wanted…
Him.
Chapter Twenty
I brushed her hair off her cheek, my chest so tight I couldn’t even f**king breathe. I’d already gotten dressed in my cammies, finished packing my last-minute stuff, and cleaned up dinner from last night so Hernandez wouldn’t come home to a pigsty later this afternoon. She hadn’t stirred through all the noise I’d made, proving how heavy of a sleeper she really was, but now I had to wake her.
All that was left was saying goodbye.
The hardest f**king part.
It was four forty-five in the morning, which meant my ride would be here in less than fifteen. It also meant I had to walk away from the one thing in this world that made my world brighter. I’d known it wasn’t going to be easy, but I hadn’t realized exactly how hard it would be.
The sun necklace I’d given her rested directly on the pale skin over her pulse, and all I could think was this was it. This was the beginning of a time when she wouldn’t be with me, and I’d be off doing God knows what, while she was here without me.