ready to go.” His eyes flared hot. “You know I’m happy to do that for you whenever you want.”
“Not that,” Ruth said, shaking with amusement. She sat down on the side of the bed. “A different present.”
“Just name it, and it’s yours.”
“I want you to sing for me.”
Carter blinked. “Really?”
“Really. Sing for me. Please?”
“Of course I will. What song do you want—”
“You know what song.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “Will you?”
He didn’t answer. He just put down his champagne flute, humming a few bars to find the right key since he was singing a cappella.
Then he gave her his final Christmas gift for the year.
Epilogue
A YEAR LATER, ON ANOTHER Christmas morning, Ruth woke up in bed next to Carter again.
She knew immediately it was Christmas. She always did. Even in that groggy state when sleep hadn’t yet pulled back its tentacles.
She giggled out loud, exactly as she had the year before.
“Seriously?” Carter grumbled from the other side of the bed. “You’re making a habit of waking me up before the crack of dawn on Christmas by laughing over nothing?”
Laughing even more, she tugged on his shoulder until he rolled over. “It’s not over nothing. And I can’t help it. I’m happy.”
There wasn’t much light in the room, but she could see him smile as he cupped her cheek. “I know you are. You have no idea what it means to me to know that.”
She snuggled up beside him. “You could say you’re happy too, you know.”
“You already know that I am. This past year has been the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. Nothing even comes close.”
She kissed his bare chest. “Same for me.”
They lay in silence for several minutes. Carter might have even drifted off, if his slow, deep breathing was any indication.
Ruth didn’t mind. They had plenty of time. It wasn’t even six yet. She wanted to enjoy the indulgence of lying in bed beside her husband on Christmas morning and doing absolutely nothing.
She was surprised when Carter pulled away from her abruptly about fifteen minutes later so he could get out of bed.
“What are you doing?” she demanded indignantly.
“I’m awake now. I can’t go back to sleep.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and make a cup of coffee before I get back into bed.” He flashed her a quick grin. “If that’s all right with you.”
Relieved that he wasn’t going to do something like sit at his desk downstairs to work on email (although he’d gotten better about working constantly, he did occasionally do that at ungodly hours of the morning), she sprawled out on his warm side of the bed. “I guess that’s acceptable.”
When he finished in the bathroom, she went to use it too, and she was out right when he had her cup of coffee ready from the maker in their bedroom.
They both returned to the bed to drink and check their phones, but Ruth put hers down after just a few minutes.
It was Christmas morning. There was nothing in the world happening that needed her attention.
“Lincoln says that he, Summer, and the twins will be coming over here around ten,” Carter said, glancing up from his phone.
Summer had had twins in the summer. A boy and a girl. Carter joked about how Lincoln could never do anything predictable or in moderation, and the twins were one more example. Ruth had been having a grand time with her little niece and nephew, and she couldn’t wait to see them again today.
“That’s perfect. That’s when Kayla said she’d get here too.”
Kayla could drive now, which made things a lot more convenient. She, Brent, and the boys did presents first thing in the morning. By ten Kayla would have nothing fun to do so she was coming over to the house to spend the middle of the day with them.
“Mom’s planning breakfast for about ten thirty. She’s been talking about it for weeks now, so whatever they’re fixing should be good.”
After saying that, he returned to going through email on his phone.
She waited until Carter had finished his cup of coffee before she pulled the phone out of his hand and crawled on top of him.
He gazed up at her warmly. “You in the mood for something?”
“What do you think?”
“I can probably accommodate any wishes you might have.”
“And what about your wishes?” Her hair was hanging down messily as she leaned over him, and he pushed it back so it wasn’t blocking her