"You know, the few times I've come here with my parents, my dad has always ordered for my mom. Not because she can't decide for herself, but she works so hard to take care of all of us that he wanted to take care of her for the night."
She blinked at me. "You want to order for me?"
"Only if you trust me."
She smiled a little. "I trust you. Just nothing with red sauce. I don't want to mess up my dress if I accidentally spill anything."
The waiter came by and I placed an order for both of us, and asked for an appetizer of fried ravioli, something I thought Hadley would like. She didn't have to eat it with sauce if she didn't want to.
Dinner went by almost too quickly and I paid with the cash my dad had given me, making sure I left a generous tip. Then I helped Hadley bundle up in her coat and escorted her out to my truck. I waited while she buckled in then leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers.
"Love you, Red."
She smiled and kissed me again.
Once I was behind the wheel, I flashed her a smile before driving to our next destination. And the fates were smiling on me because just as I pulled into the entrance of the Christmas Village, it started to snow. Not a heavy snowfall, but enough to make it an enchanted evening, just like I'd hoped for.
Her eyes lit up when she saw all the lights, and she unbuckled and scooted closer to me. "Is this my surprise?"
"Well, the dinner was part of it, but yes … the Christmas Village is another piece of your surprise. We have one more place to go after this."
She laced her fingers with mine and smiled brightly as we drove through the lights. It took nearly an hour to drive through the entire thing, but her excitement was worth every minute. Besides, I got to spend time with my girl, and that's what was important. We arrived at the bluffs a short time later, and she leaned her head against my shoulder. I wasn't sure how much she could see in the dark, but she seemed content.
We watched the snow fall in silence, only the sound of the heater blowing filling our ears. I hoped she'd had a nice night. I knew it was one I'd remember for a long time to come. Christmas was only a week away, and until this morning, I hadn't bought a gift for Hadley. Nothing had seemed right. I knew Mom had bought her a sweater and some new gloves to match. But I'd wanted something more personal.
"Red, how would you like to spend Christmas Eve at my house?"
Her lips parted and her eyes widened. "But I always spend it with my family."
"They're invited too. Mom is going to have a party and invite some of the neighbors; Colin and Robert will stop by at some point, and she is going to ask your parents to come."
"You really want to spend Christmas Eve with me?"
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with that night. I thought you could open your gift then, in case I don't see you Christmas day."
Her cheeks flushed. "I'll be there, even if my parents can't make it."
My lips brushed against hers and my hand slid around the back of her neck. She opened to me and I deepened the kiss, wishing I could feel like this forever. Being with Hadley was amazing.
"I'd better get you home." I couldn't resist kissing her one last time.
"Thank you, Tyler. Tonight was perfect."
"Every night with you is perfect."
She smiled so wide, I worried she'd hurt herself.
Chapter Eleven
Hadley
The Christmas Eve party at Tyler's house had been in full swing for over an hour when he took me by the hand and led me up to his room. I saw colorful lights in a corner in the shape of a tree and it made me smile. I wouldn't have pegged him for the type of guy to have a Christmas tree in his bedroom.
"I put the tree in here for you," he said.
"For me? You knew I would end up in your bedroom?"
"Well, I hoped you would. I figure we have about half hour before we're missed, and I kind of wanted to give you your present in private. You have something downstairs from Mom that you can open whenever they do the gift exchange."
"Mom mentioned something about a Secret Santa."
"Yeah, my parents do it every year. It's never anything big, but it builds suspense during the night. They usually open the gifts toward the end of the party."
"I have something for you, but it isn't much. I … I wanted to buy you something really special, but when Mom took me to the mall, I couldn't see any of the things I looked at. Not well enough to make a gift decision anyway. I hope you aren't disappointed."
Tyler tugged me down onto the side of his bed and pressed his lips to mine. "Red, you're the best gift I could have ever received."
"I love you, Tyler."
"Love you more, Red."
I couldn't help but smile. I dug into my purse and handed him the gift card and the envelope with his detail package inside. He handed me a small brightly wrapped package, but I didn't open it right away. I waited to see what he thought of his gifts.
He laughed when he opened the envelope. "This is great, Red. But are you trying to say my truck is messy?"
"You mentioned the other day you hadn't had time to clean it, so I thought I'd help. Maybe one day I can help you clean it for real, after I've adjusted a bit better. When they told me about my eyesight, I didn't realize how difficult everyday things would be. I struggle from the moment I wake up until I go to bed at night, and if Mom didn't help me with my clothes, I'd never be able to dress myself."
"Hey, no sad thoughts tonight. I know you've had a hard time, and if I could change that I would, but I think you're doing really well, Red." His nose brushed against mine. "Now, open your present."
I unwrapped the small box and dipped my fingers inside. They brushed against something silver and cool to the touch. I pulled it out of the box and realized it was a necklace, but I couldn't make out what exactly it was. Looking at Tyler expectantly, I waited to see if he would describe it for me.
"It's an infinity symbol in white gold and one side of the twist has your name on it and the other half has mine. Tyler and Hadley forever."
Tears gathered in my eyes and I held it out to him. "Help me put it on?"
I turned so he could loop it around my neck and fasten the clasp. It settled against my collarbone and touched it reverently. No one had ever given me such a wonderful gift, and I knew I would cherish it always. A present like this definitely deserved a kiss.
I tunneled my fingers into his hair and brought his lips to mine. Warmth spread through me as my mouth moved against his. When his tongue stroked mine, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. First, a wonderful present and then a wonderful kiss. I didn't resist as he pulled me closer, but before things got too out of hand, his mother came into the room and cleared her throat.
Tyler pulled away, but it didn't seem like he wanted to.
"We were just swapping gifts, Mom," he said.
"It looked like you were swapping more than that," she said with a bit of humor to her voice. "Hadley, your parents are looking for you. Your dad has been called in to work, and they need to leave early."
I was disappointed I wouldn't get to spend more time with Tyler, and it must have shown on my face.
"Mom, I could take her home after the party's over," Tyler offered.
"That's up to her parents, but if you want to run her home later, I won't object. You know we like having Hadley around here."
I warmed at her words and took Tyler's hand, letting him lead me downstairs. When we found my parents, he made his offer and Dad agreed. Mom seemed a little hesitant, but in the end Dad tugged her to the door and they left me behind. Of course, now that they were gone, I wasn't sure what Tyler and I were going to do for the next hour or two. Unless he planned to take me back upstairs so we could pick up where we'd left off. That certainly had possibilities.
Instead, much to my disappointment, we made the rounds and talked with neighbors and friends. When it came time for the gift exchange, I thanked his parents for the sweater and matching gloves. Tyler opened something from my parents and I waited anxiously to see what he thought of it. Dad had picked it out and I wasn't convinced a teenage boy would appreciate it.
"An emergency kit for the truck?" he asked. "I've been meaning to put one together, especially with the snow that's started falling this past week. I'll have to thank your parents. This is great!"
"Really?" I asked, unconvinced.
His lips brushed my cheek. "Really, Red. Being a girl, I guess you can't appreciate something like this, but it's nice to know if something happens while I have you in the truck with me I'll be prepared. I already stuck a blanket in the backseat in case the heater goes out or we get stalled on the side of the road."