Our First Christmas (3 page)

Presley

I can’t remember the last time I was involved in a snowball fight. When Victor finally gets me inside, I rush up the stairs to warm up, and change before Levi attacks me again. I put on a clean pair of jeans and my favorite Penguins hoodie. I turn around and see Levi leaning against the door. I didn’t even hear him come in, or shut the door. He is wearing his signature smirk and I can’t help but stare at him.

“To be continued, Smarty.”

“
What?”

“
The snowball fight is to be continued.”

“
Aw, Levi, are you upset that I won?” I tease. He just glares back at me. I know how much he hates to lose and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me. “Come on. Let’s eat and then can we spend the day together? Just the two of us? Maybe have a date day?” I’ve missed hanging out with him.

“
Um, I don’t really want to leave Pops alone for too long.” His eyes grow sad, and I know he’s still concern about him.

“
Levi, he’ll be fine. We’ll be gone for a few hours. I’m sure he would love to have some time to himself too.” I squeeze his hand.

He looks deep in my eyes, and I know that he’s thinking of an excuse to not go, but he can’t.

“I need to change, Smarty.” I hate hearing his voice so sad. I just nod and head down stairs.

Victor is getting the rest of breakfast onto the table when I walk into the kitchen.

“Need any help?”

“
Nope, just sit down and enjoy, Presley. Where is Levi?”

“
Changing and I’m trying to convince him to spend the day with me, but he doesn’t want to leave you alone. So, I guess we’ll hang out here and watch movies or something.” I try to sound cheerful, but I really want to explore Levi’s town a little bit. Trevor used to tell me all about it and I did visit a couple of times, but Levi grew up here and I bet he knows a lot more to do.

Just then Levi comes into the kitchen and Victor winks at me. I’m not sure why he did, but I go ahead and dig into the food on my plate. Victor really knows how to cook and I’ve loved everything that he has ever cooked for me.

“Levi, what are your plans today?” Victor gives him a pointed look.

“
Just hanging out here, figured we could play cards or something?” Levi shrugs.

“
Get out.”

“
What?”

“
Get out of the house. Take Presley out. I’m sure you both are sick of being cooped up in this house as much as I am, so get out.” Victor goes back to eating.

“
Pops-”

“
This conversation is over, Levi James.” Victor’s voice has a stern tone to it, and I just stare at my plate. I didn’t want Victor to use that voice on me.

We eat in silence, and then when we finish, Levi and I do the dishes. We haven’t said a word to each other. I don’t want him to be forced to hang out with me.

“I’m gonna get my boots on and then we can go.” He walks away from me before I can say anything. I hear him run up the stairs and I follow him.

He is sitting on the side of the bed, lacing up his boots. “Hey, if you don’t want to go, we don’t have too.” I sit next to him.

“No, it’s not that, Smarty. I just don’t want to leave him alone.”

“
Levi,” I rub his back. “He’ll be fine. We’ll stay in town and only be a few minutes away. Okay?”

He thinks about it for a few minutes, then finally nods.

After saying bye to Victor, we jump into the SUV and head towards town. Levi still looks sad and this isn’t how I planned our day together at all.

“
Hey, why don’t we just drive around a bit and then head back?” I suggest. “This way we would’ve hung out and that will make your dad happy. Plus, we won’t be that far away from him and can go back.”

Levi takes a deep breath, slams on the breaks, and pulls onto the side of the road. He puts the car in park and looks over at me. I think he’s mad, but then I see his eyes are sad.

“I’m sorry, Smarty.”

“
For what?”

“
I’m just...sorry. Look, let’s have a great day together, okay? I think we both need it.” He leans over and kisses me.  When he pulls away from me, he has that amazing smile that I love, plastered on his face. He puts the SUV into drive and we head off.

Our first stop is a shopping center in the middle of town. I’m still undecided on what to get Levi and Victor for Christmas and I’m thankful that we’re going shopping. Levi holds my hand the whole time and I can’t help but smile. I love spending time with Victor, but I want some alone time with Levi too.

“Hey, I’m going to head over to the sporting goods store.” We had been shopping for over an hour and I was looking for the perfect gift for Levi.

“
Um, okay.” He turns and heads that way.

“
No, I want to go by myself. I need to get a gift...for Trevor,” I stammer.

“
And I can’t come? I thought this was a day about us being together.” He looks at me with a confused expression.

“
Levi, please.” I pout slightly because I know that he can’t say no to it.

“
Fine,” he huffs. “I’ll run over to the drug store real fast and we will meet back here.”

I give him a quick peck on the cheek and head across the street. I walk through the whole store to see what would be perfect for Levi. Then I find it. It’s behind the counter in a glass case.

“May help you?” the man behind the counter asks.

“
I want to purchase that.” I point to the Sidney Crosby edition hockey stick. It’s larger than a hockey stick, and it has Sidney’s face on it, along with his accomplishments on the shaft. I know Levi will love it. 

“
Will this be a Christmas gift?”

“
Yes, could you wrap it?”

The associate nods and takes it down. I pay for it and I’m very thankful he put it in a box so you can’t tell what it is. I also grab a gift card for Victor, because I know he needs some new hunting gear.

Levi is leaning against the SUV, waiting for me. I put the stick in the back and when Levi asks me what it is, I just say it’s something Trevor wants.

“
Where to next?” I ask.

“
Let’s just drive and see where it takes us?”

I nod, because I like that idea. Levi heads out onto the street. As he drives, I look out the window and see what a beautiful town this is. It makes me think of when I visited the first time when Trevor and Dad lived here. It seems like a lifetime ago and I can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’m in college and in love, and even though it’s not the same as being with my family during the holidays, I feel as home here with Levi.

“What are you thinking about, Smarty?” Levi squeezes my thigh.

“
Actually, I’m thinking how happy I am right now.”

Levi smiles and I can’t help the butterflies I feel from being with him.

He drives me all over town showing me places that were special to him. I can just imagine him running the streets, playing hockey, and being, well Levi. We finally make it home and we bring our bags in.

Victor is asleep in his chair when we come in, and I can see some relief on Levi’s face now that we are home and he can see Victor. We take all the stuff upstairs and I flop on the bed. Levi laughs and lays next to me.

“Did you have fun?” I turn over to look at him.

“
Well, let’s see. I spent all day with you shopping and driving.” He thinks for a second. “Meh. Guess it wasn’t too bad.” He smirks.

I slap his shoulder and laugh.

Levi

While Presley was shopping alone, I managed to find her a present. I didn’t really know what to get her, but I think she’s really going to like the two things I bought. If all works well, I’m going to really like it too. She’s getting a gift card for some lingerie and another for shoes. I picked up a blank card too, so I can write something. Tell her how much she means to me. Tell her how thankful I am to know her and to have her in my life. Just a few simple words to let her know.

“I need to go to the store,” Pops says from his recliner.

“
Why?” He doesn’t need to be out and about, walking around for hours at a time.

Pops glares at me. “Are you asking because you think I need your permission, Levi?”

“No, sir,” I answer quickly.

“
Good. I need to go to the store, so I can fix Christmas breakfast for Presley. We can go tomorrow.” There is a not-up-for-further-discussion tone in his voice.

“
Yes, sir.”

Presley squeezes my hand and Pops says he’s heading to bed. When I stand to follow him up, just in case he needs any help, he tells me to sit back down. I plop back down, straining my ears to listen. After a few seconds, I hear his door shut.

“What else do y’all do on Christmas day? Besides breakfast, I mean. Do you do anything on Christmas Eve?” Presley asks as she moves to lay down with her head in my lap.

“
We have dinner on Christmas Eve and usually watch movies all day. On the big day, we have breakfast, open presents, drink hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it, and hang out together. Nothing special. When I was little, even my parents had as many presents as I did. We would sit in a line on the couch with all our gifts at our feet and we would take turns, opening one present at a time. Every year, I begged Mom to let me start.”

Presley turns to lay on her back, so she can look at me. “Did she let you?”

“Of course. It was me, her, and then Pops. Holidays were always fun with Mom around.” I look at the TV before Presley grabs my attention once more.

“
Are they starting to be fun again?” she asks softly.

“
Between you and Pops? Tons of fun.” I grin.

~ ~ ~

I keep a careful eye on Pops as we walk around the grocery store. We’re getting food for dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow, and anything else we will need. He hasn’t appeared to be tired yet though. Somehow, I’ve managed to keep my mouth shut from asking how he’s feeling. Anytime I get the urge to ask, either Pops gives me a small glare or Presley squeezes my hand and asks me a question about something else.

After about two hours and once we’ve paid for everything, we head back home. My dad is insisting on cooking tonight and tomorrow. Apparently, I can’t get the job done as well as he can. I guess it will be good to give him something to do other than sitting around watching us cook. I just hope he doesn’t over do it.

“He’s fine, Levi,” Presley says quietly.

I look back at her, wishing she hadn’t caught me looking towards the kitchen from the couch in the living room, which is where we are. Pops has just started cooking supper.

“I was just checking, Smarty.”

“
Well, you’re supposed to be watching the movie.” She gives me a sweet, little kiss. “With me,” she adds. Smarty lightly trials her fingers over my knee and then up my thigh. “Don’t you want to take a nap?”

“
You’re a terrible girl, Smarty.”

Presley giggles. “I mean an actual nap, Levi. Get your mind out of the gutter for once.” She shakes her head and I laugh.

Standing, I grab her hand and call out to my dad. “We’re going to take a nap, Pops.”

“
Okay. It’ll be ready in about an hour and a half.”

We head upstairs, and then lay on the bed without worrying about getting under the covers. I gather her in my arms and kiss her softly. Presley’s lips buzz slightly against mine as she hums from my kiss. I can’t help my smirk. Pulling away, that lower lip juts forward into that little pout and I chuckle.

“Let’s take a nap, Smarty,” I whisper, closing my eyes.

After a second, she wiggles slightly in my arms. “I don’t want to take a nap anymore,” she says just as quietly. “I want to take a
nap
.”

I smile, but I don’t open my eyes. “Too bad, Smarty. Now, let’s go to sleep for a bit.”

A warm huff of air hits my neck before she nuzzles into me. My last thought before I doze off is how she’s such a crazy girl, but she’s all mine.

~ ~ ~

The aroma of delicious food wakes me up two seconds before Pops knocks softly on my door and steps inside.

“
Supper’s ready, Levi,” he whispers.

I nod and he leaves. Leaning back to get a better glimpse of Presley, I see her pretty red lips are slightly parted and her eyelashes are fanned across her cheek. I run the back of my fingers over the side of her face and then kiss her forehead.

“Time to wake up, Presley,” I say quietly. Surprisingly, she stirs, rolling away from me to do that cute little stretch she does before turning to face me once more with a smile on her face.

“
That was a good nap.”

“
Better than our other nap?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Presley doesn’t change her features as she tells me, “Way better.”

She rolls over and gets out of bed, leaving the spot next to me devastatingly empty. I get up as well, walk up behind Presley, and grab her hips, pulling her against me. I press my lips to her neck. She tilts her head and I love that she did that, so I slowly swirl my tongue against her skin.

With my lips brushing her skin, I say, “You’re going to regret saying that.” I let go of her as soon as I’ve said it and step around her, leaving her behind in my room as I go downstairs. Pops has all our food set along the counter. “Looks good, Pops.”

“Thanks, son. Where’s Presley?”

“
Right here,” she chirps as she comes to stand beside me.

“
Let’s eat then.”

Pops fixed our usual Christmas Eve dinner which consists of ham, a bunch of side dishes, and an apple pie. Everything smells so good and it all looks delicious. Once we fill our plates up, we sit at the table to eat. Pops clears his throat and then speaks.

“I have really enjoyed having you both here. It means a lot to me that y’all are spending your time with me.” Pops focuses on me. “I’m proud of you, Levi.” He pauses before he looks between me and Presley. “I love you both. Let’s eat.”

“
We love you too, Pops.” I give him a half smile.

“
Yes, we do, Victor, and there isn’t any other place we rather be.”

Pops smiles, nods, and then we eat. There’s small talk, and of course, Pops has to share stories from my childhood, all with some level of embarrassment included. It’s tons of fun though, and they laugh almost the entire time. Afterwards, Presley helps me clean up while Pops goes to take a bath. I’m washing and Smarty is rinsing. She bumps into my hip and I look down at her.

“You are looking very sexy, Captain Carr.”

Smirking, I say, “Of course, I am.” Smarty giggles and shakes her head. I kiss her temple just to touch her in some way. “I love you,” I add.

Presley grins. “Eh, I guess I love you too.”