And then he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom so he could show her exactly how much and in how many ways he loved her, and always would.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

Nash

Christmas Morning…

The moment of truth had arrived.

Nash had woken up before the sun. Had there been a noise? Had Sir Hiss pounced on him in his sleep again? Who knew, but he was 100 percent awake without the aid of coffee or an alarm clock, watching the sky outside his old bedroom window at Gable House go from pitch black to soft pastels to the bright winter blue that promised snow later in the day. Tucked in against his chest, Chelle snored quietly. However, from their spot at the foot of the bed, Mary Puppins and Groucho Barks sawed logs loud enough to wake the dead.

Of course, those snores turned to ferocious barking when some dumbass pounded on the bedroom door.

“Get your ass up,” Dixon hollered through the door. “It’s time to open presents.”

Nash had flung the comforter aside and was halfway across the room while Chelle was still trying to blink herself awake—the woman needed a vat of coffee every morning just to function. He yanked open the door to find Fiona and Dixon standing in the hall. Fiona looked just slightly more awake than Chelle.

“I kept him in our room as long as humanly possible,” Fiona said, her voice still rough from sleep. “I’m sorry.”

Dixon didn’t look sorry in the least little bit. Instead, he just smiled his shit-eating, I’m-gonna-win grin and let out a sharp whistle.

“Who wants breakfast?” he asked as he headed for the stairs, the pugs hot on his heels. “I can already smell the bacon Griff’s making.”

Fiona let out a tired sigh and shook her head before shuffling down the hall, tailed by Sir Hiss, who stayed a respectful stalking distance of three feet behind her.

“I’m gonna murder your cousin in a book,” Chelle said as she got up from the bed, adjusting her sleep shorts and cropped tank top as she did.

“I’ll buy a hundred copies,” he promised.

Chelle chuckled and started to go through her morning series of stretches that gave Nash tantalizing glimpses of her thighs, stomach, and phenomenal tits when she moved.

“I guess we better get down there,” she said as she rolled her head from side to side.

It took Nash a second to remember they had obligations outside of their bedroom, when all he wanted to do was toss Chelle back onto the bed and strip her down. That, however, he was going to have to wait for—his cousins would make sure of that.