Fair Lakes Series Box Set - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,312

strand of hair off my forehead.

“I’ve never really been a fan of surprises,” I confess, keeping a close watch on Milo, as he tries to move to the other side of the bed.

“Well, Milo and I were talking about that while I was making his bottle and your coffee.”

I can’t help but smile at how cute he’s being right now.

“Anyway, I told him that since it was his first Christmas, and your first Christmas with us, I wanted to start a few new traditions.”

Again, I’m smiling. “Yeah?”

“Yep,” he replies as he stands up. “Grab the little guy, and let’s go.”

Happily, I take Milo from the bed and get up, thankful to be wearing pants. When we reach the doorway, Colton stops and reaches for his son. “Go do your thing in the bathroom and then come meet us in the living room.” He gives me a quick peck on the cheek and turns and leaves me standing here.

I detour to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. When I glance at my reflection in the mirror, I’m already smiling. It’s been awhile since I’ve woke up on Christmas morning and had someone to share those joys with. In fact, I’ve gotten so used to being alone until it was time to visit Grandma at the assisted living complex or go to Tina’s parents’ house that I almost forgot what it’s like to feel excitement and anticipation in the early morning on Christmas.

With a little more spring in my step, I head to the living room to find Colton and Milo. The first thing I see is the big tree. Colton insisted on a real one for Milo’s first Christmas, and in true male fashion, we had to get the biggest one he could find. It barely fits the space, and there’s no star on top because there was no room, but that’s okay. It’s kinda fitting of Colton and his personality.

The next thing I notice is the coffee. He has two mugs of steaming coffee sitting on the table, waiting. Colton reaches for the mug he deemed mine and hands it to me. He’s added the perfect amount of creamer, and I can’t help but smile as I enjoy my first sip.

Colton waves to the floor, and I take a seat in the middle of the room. “Okay, so first, we enjoy coffee together, and maybe someday, we’ll watch the snow fall too. That’s tradition number one. Plus, Milo and I already have breakfast warming in the oven. That’s tradition number two.”

My God, could I smile any wider?

“Tradition number three is music.” Colton turns on the satellite radio, and a bubble of laughter spills from my lips as I hear a classic rock version of “Jingle Bells.” He shrugs and sets the remote down. “I mean, it’s still holiday music, right?”

“Right.”

He then takes a seat in front of the tree, beside his son, and pulls out a few presents, sliding them our way. Milo’s eyes are fixed on the bright red bow as he reaches for the gift just out of his reach. “And number four is sitting around the tree, watching those we love open their gifts.”

With that, he pushes that gift with the big red bow on top to Milo and an even smaller one to me. It’s a jewelry-box-shaped gift. My heart starts to pound, and my breath hitches in my throat as I gaze down at it, almost too afraid to open it.

“You won’t know what’s in it until it’s opened,” he says smoothly, giving me a small grin as he helps Milo rip open the Santa Claus paper.

I reach over and snatch a piece of paper from his tiny little grip before he can shove it in his mouth, and Milo takes a moment to let me know he doesn’t approve. “I bet what’s in the package is much better than the paper,” I tell him, a wide grin on my face.

With my small box in my hand, I watch as Milo opens his first gift. I spy Colton’s phone sitting on the couch, so I quickly grab it to take a few pictures. He should definitely have his son’s first Christmas documented with photos. When I slide my finger across the screen and enter his passcode, my eyes instantly start to water when I see the photo he has as his home screen. It’s Milo sitting in the bath, a little baby mohawk with bubbles, and me. I’m kneeling beside the tub, laughing