go wake up your mother.”
He’d expected her to get up by now but guessed she was more tired than he realized. Then he looked at the clock and saw it was barely seven. She did like to sleep in when she didn’t have to go to work.
Not him. He was a creature of habit and out of bed before six pretty much daily.
The dogs followed behind him like they always did and when they realized he was by the stairs they took off as if to race him to the top. They were up here when either he or Robin was moving around but never to sleep. At least not yet.
The dogs sped ahead of him and into their room. Their room. Hmm, when did he start to think of Robin’s room as his?
He heard the giggling when he turned the corner to see the dogs on the bed. Oops, he hadn’t realized they might do that. They did jump on everything, but he’d never seen them do that before.
“Sorry,” he said.
“No worries. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you too,” he said, moving over and sitting on the side of the bed. “I brought you coffee and breakfast is warming now.”
“You made me breakfast?”
“I did. I didn’t want to bring it up here. I don’t know about you but breakfast in bed just never appealed to me. I don’t want to eat in bed.”
“Me neither,” she said. “But I wouldn’t mind a sip of this to wake my butt up. I don’t know why I’m so tired lately.”
“Maybe you are just worn out from all the excitement of your family visiting, the work at the shelter, and we can’t forget the decorating.”
She squinted one eye at him. “I like my crazy decorations.”
“I do too,” he said, leaning down to kiss her one more time. “Santa has been here. The lights are still bright on the tree and the dogs didn’t even notice the loot.”
“That’s because they are used to the tree being blocked off from them.” She threw the covers back. “But I’ll get up now. Let me run to the bathroom and put something more than this T-shirt on.”
“I like you in that little T-shirt though,” he said playfully slapping her butt that she swished right by him.
But he did walk back downstairs and get the dogs to follow him.
Robin came down a few minutes later in leggings and slippers added to the shirt. He’d turned the fireplace on to make it cozier and moved the gate away from the tree. The dogs were sniffing around but not bothering anything.
“They are behaving,” she said. “I’m surprised.”
“I told them they had to or they couldn’t get their gifts.”
She smiled. “Thankfully their stockings are hanging on the fireplace. And you turned it on so it’s nice and cozy in here.”
“What’s Christmas morning without a fire?” he said. “Even if it is an electric one.”
“I agree.” She moved closer to get the dog’s stockings and pulled out big bones for them both. “This should hold them over for now.”
“I figured as much. We can open their gifts from me later.”
“You bought the dogs gifts?” she asked.
“Of course I did. They are your kids.” He almost slipped and said “our kids” and caught himself in the nick of time.
“Do you want to exchange gifts now or eat breakfast that smells so good. French toast?”
“You’ve got a good nose,” he said flicking it. “And a cute one. But it won’t take us long to open gifts if you want. Breakfast is fine in the warming oven.”
“That works for me,” she said. “I’m always excited over Christmas gifts.”
“You gave your parents enough things last night,” he said.
He’d gotten Robin’s parents a gift card to a restaurant, which they appreciated. He didn’t know them well enough to do much more. But Robin got her parents gift certificates and clothes and some smaller items for each of them. They’d said she went overboard but it seemed they were used to that with her too.
He noticed there were a lot of gifts under the tree from her to him and he hoped it wasn’t lopsided. This was one of those awkward things when you were dating someone. Especially only a few months in.
But in his mind, they just felt so much closer than a few months of dating than he had with anyone else in his past.
They were alternating gifts back and forth and so far it was a lot of clothes and a few smaller things and that