Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
For the first time, I’m able to see it clearly.
Tara is what I’ve been searching for. She’s joy and happiness. She’s warm and loving. She’s fun and caring. All this time I thought I didn’t need Christmas or someone to share it with. But in reality, it’s because of her, because of Tara I’m able to enjoy it.
Tara starts to slide her hand across the bed, and as if she’s noticing I’m gone, she lifts her head up to search for me. When she spots me sitting in the chair in the corner, she whispers, “What are you so deep in thought about over there?”
“I’m thinking about us.”
She smiles, sitting up in the bed. The sheet falls to her waist, and her tight T-shirt shows her perfect breasts with peaked nipples. She holds her hand out to me. “Come back to bed.”
I want to go to her, but I need to get something off my chest first.
I drop to my knees next to the bed, and she blinks at me, confused. “I love you, Tara.”
Her hand goes to her chest over her heart. Emotion fills her voice. “I love you too, Baker.”
I let out a deep breath. Now I just hope she doesn’t freak out.
I grab the box I had put on the nightstand earlier and hold it tightly in my hand.
“I don’t think you get it. Since the day you first come into the office, I wanted you. I wanted you in my life, in my home, in my bed. Not for a few days at your parents’ or as some kind of fake relationship. I want the real thing. I want to go on each day knowing that I have you by my side. I know this may be too much for you, but it’s not for me.” My heart is racing in my chest, but I know I have to finish this. I have to get it out. I open my hand to show her the small jewelry box. I flip it open and hold it out between us. “I bought this after the second week you started working for me. I knew then that I wanted you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Tara?”
“Oh my God. Baker, yes. Yes,” she tells me.
She doesn’t even look at the ring. She dives straight for me, pushing me backwards and landing on top of me. I fall backwards and sprawl on the floor with her on top of me. The Christmas tree shakes over top of us, but I don’t care right now. All that matters is she said yes.
I roll over on top of her and brush the hair off her face. “You just made me very happy,” I tell her, looking into her eyes.
“Me too, Baker. Me too.”
Epilogue
Tara
Two Years Later
“That better not be what I think it is, Mr. Miller,” I say to Baker in the haughtiest tone I can manage.
He tries to slide right past me as he comes into the house, but I stop him by moving in front of him. With a hand to chest, I look up into his wide, innocent eyes. “What is that you’re bringing into the house?”
He smiles and kisses me on the forehead. As if that’s going to get him out of trouble. “It’s just a present.”
It’s hard to get mad at him when he’s like this, but Baker has been a gift buying machine since the day BJ, Baker Junior, was born. And now that it’s BJ’s first Christmas, as Baker keeps reminding me, he’s brought in another gift.
“I thought we were done shopping,” I tell him with a tilt to my head.
“We were. I mean we are, but I saw this, and I thought he just had to have it.”
I hold my hand out to him. “Let me see it.”
He looks like he might bolt instead of handing over the present, but finally he hands it over. I open the shopping bag and pull out a miniature glove and baseball bat. “Baker, he just turned one. What is he going to do with this?” I ask him, holding it up in one hand and my other hand on my hip.
He puffs out his chest. “I’m going to teach him to play baseball. You’re never too young to start. If nothing else, we can roll the ball back and forth for now.”
I just shake my head. Baker has made it his mission to be the very best dad he could be. He didn’t have one, and he’s determined that BJ never misses out on anything—I guess that includes baseball now.
I raise onto my tiptoes. “I love you, Baker. But this is it, okay? We’re going to be hours opening gifts Christmas morning as it is.”
He holds his fingers up. “Scouts honor.”
I purse my lips. “Were you even a scout?”