“This coffee tastes exceptionally good right now,” Amelia said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m freezing and it feels good to have something hot.”

“I can warm you up and inject you with some hot liquids if you’d like.” I smiled.

“I’m going to take you up on that offer when we get back to your place.”

“Move in with me,” I blurted out.

“What?” She laughed.

“I’m serious, Amelia. I want you to move in with me.”

“I already practically live there,” she said.

I grabbed her hand from across the table. “It’s not the same. I want all your stuff there. Your clothes, your makeup, all your girly things. I want it all to invade my bathroom and closet space. I want you in my bed twenty-four-seven and I want to know that there isn’t any other place for you to go. I want my home to be your home, our home.”

“Oh my God, that’s so sweet,” some girl sitting at the table next to us said. Amelia looked at her and laughed. “Why don’t you ever say things like that to me?” the girl said as she reached across the table and smacked the guy she was with.

He looked over at me. “Dude, thanks a lot.”

I chuckled as I squeezed Amelia’s hand. Her beautiful blue eyes, which put me in a trance every time I looked into them, stared at me.

“Yes. I will move in with you and the only reason why is because you give amazing sex!” She winked.

The girl at the table next to us reached over and once again smacked her boyfriend.

I stood up with the biggest smile on my face and wrapped my arms around Amelia. “I love you so much, baby. Thank you.”

“I love you too.”

I hooked my arm around her and we walked out of Starbucks. All the way down to FAO Schwarz, I kept kissing her cheek and pulling her into me. We stepped inside and I saw Julia and Jake by the stuffed animals.

“Hey, sis,” I yelled.

She smiled as she held up her arm and waved us over. I bent down and gave Brayden a kiss as he lay asleep in his stroller. “He’s such a good boy,” I said to Julia and Jake.

“I’m happy you think that. I’ll be calling you tonight when he’s up screaming his head off at three in the morning.”

“Ah, no thanks.” I chuckled.

My mom and dad walked up behind us and my mom kissed my cheek and then looked at me strangely.

“You have that look.”

“What look?” I asked.

“The same look your father gets when he’s really happy about something. What’s going on?” She smiled.

I looked at my dad and he rolled his eyes. “Well, I do have some news that I’m really excited about.”

“Please tell me Amelia’s not pregnant,” my dad said with seriousness.

“NO, Dad! I’ve asked Amelia to officially move in with me and she said yes!”

I watched as my dad let out a sigh of relief. “Congratulations, son. Congratulations, Amelia.”

“That’s wonderful,” Jake and Julia said.

My mom stood there and stared at me with tears in her eyes. “Mom. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m happy for the both of you. It’s just my little boy is a man now and you’ve moved out and—”

“Aw, Mom,” I said as I hugged her.

“Come on, Ellery. Let’s take our grandson to see Santa,” my dad said as he put his arm around her.

As Julia pushed the stroller and we followed behind, I saw the Big Piano. “Julia, look!”

She stopped and smiled when she saw it. “Remember when we used to play that as kids?” she said.

“Come on; let’s do it.”

“Okay!” she exclaimed.

The two of us stepped on the piano. “Do you remember what we used to play?” I asked.

“I sure do,” she said as she stepped on a note.

My mom stood in front of us and took a video with her phone. My dad stood next to her with a wide smile across his face. When we finished our song, Julia and I pulled Jake and Amelia in with us and we goofed around, playing all kinds of tunes.

“Excuse me, children, but there’s a baby here who wants to see Santa and the line is getting longer by the minute,” my mom said.

We laughed and stepped off the piano. When Julia set Brayden in Santa’s arms, he screamed and I couldn’t help but laugh. As soon as they took his picture, I called Amelia and my family up and we all had our picture taken together with Santa.

****

“Merry Christmas, baby.” I smiled as I rolled on top of her and kissed her lips.

“Mhmm... Merry Christmas.”

I rolled off of her and reached under the bed where I stored one of her Christmas gifts.

“I would like you to open this now.” I smiled as I handed her the small velvet box.

“Collin.”

“Just open it.”

She slowly tipped the lid up and stared at the ring that sat inside.

“It’s a promise ring. I hope you like it.”

Tears filled her eyes as she took it out of the box. “I absolutely love it.”

“Read the inscription.”

“I promise forever with you,” she read.

A tear fell down her cheek. I took the ring from her and held her left hand. “Would you wear it on your left hand?”

“Yes. There’s no other finger that I’d want to wear it on,” she cried.

I placed the ring on the finger of her left hand and brought it up to my lips as I softly kissed it. “This ring is my promise to you. A promise of a future together and a promise of me being with only you. This ring also is my promise to marry you some day because I can’t see spending my life without you. With this ring, I promise you forever and always and my forever love.”

I held on to her hand as she cried and wrapped her arm around me, pulling me down on top of her. “You have changed my entire life, Collin. I was in a really bad place and, somehow, you were the only one that brought me back from it. I promise you that I’ll never take off this ring. You have my love forever.”

I smiled as my mouth crashed into hers and we made love for the next hour. Of course, we were late getting upstairs to celebrate Christmas with my family, but when we walked in and my mom saw Amelia wearing the ring, she smiled and kissed me.

Chapter 31

We were on the plane headed to California and Jacob was in his glory with the new X-box games I had bought him for Christmas. He and Jake played on the plane while Julia and I had a conversation.