The Boyfriend Deal(34)
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.