“Food. Christmas presents. Bed. In that order,” he said, nuzzling my neck as he carried me to his truck.

I watched him eat his first dinner of the night at a local diner, knowing he’d eat a full meal before bed too. Then, I held onto his arm while he pushed a basket through a department store and carefully chose gifts for Jenn, Brad, and each one of his siblings. I bought something small and easily shippable for my parents, Spenser, and Kansas, and then a little something for Trex, Sloan, Martinez, Kitsch and Harbinger. By the time we finished, though, I was also pushing a basket.

“This is the easy part,” Zeke said, sliding each gift across the scanner. “What sucks is wrapping them.”

“We still have like ten days before Christmas. I can wrap them,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t mind.”

“You don’t hate wrapping presents?”

I shook my head.

“What are you doing next Thursday? Because my schedule is wide open that day to marry you.”

I threw a box with one of the dozens of toys he’d bought at him. “If that’s all it takes, I shouldn’t try so hard.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re not a try hard. Not even close.”

I lifted one shoulder, trying to feign embarrassment when I was really bursting with pride. In truth, we were effortless. Once we got the few kinks ironed out, it just seemed right.

“That’s the last of it,” he said, placing a sack on top of the rest already in the basket.

He paid, and we pushed the carts to the parking lot, racing, of course.

“You sure you want to wrap all these?” he asked, stuffing them in the back seat of his truck.

“You sure you want to marry me on Thursday?” I teased.

“In a heartbeat,” he said without hesitation, white puffs coming from his mouth in rhythm with his labored breath.

“Quit it, you’re making me blush.”

His nose was beginning to get red from the cold, a contrast from his white teeth when he smiled. “You’d make it my best Christmas ever. I was a foster kid, you know. Do it for charity.”

I rolled my eyes. “You get no sympathy from me. You ended up with the best parents ever.”

He slipped into the driver’s seat next to me, our doors slamming at the same time. He started the engine, then held my hand between his, kissing it before rubbing my fingers between his to keep them warm.

“You’ll hear zero complaints from me about where I ended up. I go to sleep next to you every night and wake up next to you every morning. There is nothing better than that.”

***