A Wright Christmas - K.A. Linde Page 0,63

to keep from waking Aly up in the living room. But it was worth it, seeing Peyton’s flushed face and her beautiful sex-drunk gaze.

We both lay panting on her bed for a few minutes before I got up to clean up. Then I came back to the bed and pulled her into my arms. “You’re perfect.”

She huffed a soft laugh and threw her arm over my stomach. “How long are you staying?”

“As long as you want.”

“Forever?” she joked.

I kissed the top of her hair. “I have off until the fifth, but I never take vacation. So, I could probably ask off for the rest of the week.”

“I’d like that,” she breathed. “What are we going to do while you’re here?”

I tipped her chin up until she was looking at me and grinned licentiously. “A hell of a lot more of this.”

She bit her lip and nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”

“Also, probably bake cookies.”

She giggled. “The damn cookies.”

I brushed a lock of her hair out of her face and kissed her thoroughly. “We can do whatever you want to do. As long as I am yours and you are mine.”

She nodded. “Forever and always.”

28

Peyton

The next morning, we baked cookies, as promised.

“I think you have a little flour on your nose,” I said, bopping Aly on the nose.

She gasped. “You just put flour on my nose!”

She grabbed some flour off of the counter and flung it at me, coating my shirt.

“Oh my God!” I cried, flinging more flour in her direction.

Until there was more flour on ourselves and the counters and the floor than in the cookies.

Isaac came in, freshly showered, with wide eyes. “What is happening here?”

Aly froze with a giggle.

“Flour fight,” I offered, stepping toward him.

“Don’t you dare,” he said, using his dad voice as he backed up.

“What do you think, Aly? Does he look too clean?”

She grinned. “Definitely.”

And then we rushed him. He jumped and tried to evade us, but soon, we cornered him, and both of us dove into his arms, coating him in flour, too.

“You two are in so much trouble,” he said through his laughter.

Aly just giggled, and I pressed a kiss to his lips.

“This is all part of the cookie process.”

“Are there actually any cookies to eat?”

“Yes!” Aly said. “Come have one, Daddy!”

We headed back into the kitchen, which was covered in flour. I pulled out a pan of cookies and switched it out with a separate tray. Aly picked one up that was still piping hot, passing it back and forth between her hands to keep from burning herself.

“Do you want icing?” Aly asked. She grabbed a butter knife and slathered white frosting on the Christmas sugar cookie in the shape of a star. Then, she coated it in green glitter sprinkles.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he said with a laugh. He took one bite and then groaned. “Oh God, are these the ones that your mom used to make?”

I nodded. “Yep. They’re my great-grandma’s recipe. Still my favorite. Buttercream frosting and all.”

“Amazing,” he said, finishing the cookie in two more bites and reaching for a second.

I completed the rest of the batch of cookies while Aly spent time decorating them all, which mostly consisted of excess sprinkles everywhere. Isaac got down on his hands and knees and cleaned the floor and cabinets even though I’d insisted he didn’t have to do it. But he’d just kissed me and gotten to work.

After another hour, the kitchen was spotless, and we’d all washed up and changed into clothes to go outside. Luckily, I didn’t have rehearsal until later this afternoon, so I got to show Aly and Isaac around NYC and bring them some New York Christmas magic.

We started with a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park. Then, we wove through the Christmas markets to grab a bite for lunch. I insisted on taking us to Serendipity 3 for a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate for dessert. The thing was so enormous that all three of us ate it together. Aly had the same love for chocolate as her dad.

“What are we doing next?” Aly asked, holding both of our hands and skipping between us. Every so often, she’d run, and we’d lift her in the air.

Isaac arched an eyebrow. “How much time do you have left?”

“Not too much, but I have one more thing in mind. Luckily, we have the rest of the week, so I can show you more things, too.”

“I want every day to be like today,” Aly said with such a cute, innocent smile.

My heart panged with