Married to Krampus - Marina Simcoe Page 0,68

that too. We’d deal with it, just as we’d dealt with other things. I had faith that together, we could work it all out.

Walking back downstairs to put our children to bed, I realized that Shula was right. This was my home, my family, and my husband. Grevar and I had created a home in his house. We were raising our children. And we shared a loving, caring relationship with each other, whether or not we’d had sex...yet.

I had everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. My journey to Voran hadn’t been a failure, after all, but the biggest success of my life.

GREVAR

“Get me the tablet, Omni,” he ordered to the AI.

He’d washed all the blood and gore off his body, but remained in the tub, letting the warm water sooth his aching muscles.

There was no way Daisy was leaving Voran next year, he’d decided.

She liked it here, he was positive about that. She loved his children to the point of being ready to die for them, she’d proven that today. They absolutely adored her, too. She’d confessed he had her friendship, gratitude, and admiration. But he wanted all of her. Her heart and her body, too. He would do everything it took to make her see him as someone more than just a friend, as her husband and her lover too.

Christmas, the holiday she had been talking about was tomorrow, and he had a surprise for her. Because that was how humans made gifts to each other—they kept them a secret until the moment they gave them to each other.

He wasn’t sure exactly why Earthlings did it that way, but if Daisy would get more excited just because he had kept her presents a secret, then so it was going to be. During the past week, he’d been searching and buying presents for Daisy, and he had to admit, it’d been fun to guess what she might like. Omni had been hiding all the pretty things Grevar had found for her so far.

Turning on the tablet, he checked on the delivery of the giant maikai tree he’d ordered. It was supposed to arrive early in the morning.

Lievoa was coming over for breakfast tomorrow, and his dad and brothers would be arriving later in the afternoon.

Daisy would have her very first Christmas on Neron. And he was determined for it not to be her last one in his house. All her Christmases should be celebrated with him and his boys, because they were a family now. Shula gave him the twins, but Daisy made all of them a much happier family. Their world would never be complete without her anymore.

She had to stay.

None of what he’d planned and organized seemed adequate, though. Something else was needed, something bigger. Something that would help him keep her in Voran for sure.

Lievoa had given him an idea.

On his tablet, he requested the information about the Central Mall. This place was bigger, with better security than the Eastern Mall his cousin had suggested. It was also closer to their house and directly on his way to work.

Most stores were closed now, but the mall AI would be available to answer his questions.

He clicked on the contact button for property lease inquiries.

Daisy had wanted to have her own bakery. He would help her get started. With her talent and perseverance, he had no doubt she’d make it a success. She’d stay after the year was up, and he’d have all the time he needed to convince her he was worthy to be her husband in every sense of that word. Then he’d spend the rest of his life making her happy.

He scheduled viewing appointments for three of the available properties at the Central Mall, for the day after tomorrow. After work, he’d take Daisy to see them all and choose which one she liked the best.

Feeling better about the situation now that he had a plan, he was about to turn off the tablet when a message from the mall AI popped up.

“Would you like to see the specials or to book follow-up appointments with the previously visited businesses?”

A list of the stores and services scrolled by. Judging by the date, these were the places that Daisy had visited during her shopping trip with Lievoa.

Except for the Dream Spa. That one must have been there still from when he had visited the establishment a few times earlier. Long before Daisy came into his life, he would go to the spa on the nights when staying