Page 73 of Santa's Baby

I dare to smile. “Am I forgiven? I assure you, I won’t do it again.” I push her phone towards her. “Please, cancel the postponements, if that’s what you want.”

“And what if I don’t want to?”

“Then I will compensate you for all of them.”

“With proposals, or just cash?”

I lock my eyes with hers. “Whichever you want. Just forgive me, Tiffany. Please.”

She looks at her phone, but doesn’t take it. She sighs, and rubs her eyes on the cuffs of my robe.

“How about neither?”

“Neither?”

“Yeah, neither. I don’t need the cash, Reuben. You’ve stalked my account enough to know that. I’ve got plenty stashed away.I don’t need to be paid, and you don’t need to book me up with proposals. So let’s just…”

“Let’s just what?”

She shrugs. “Do what we need to. Hang out together because we want to, fuck because we want to. Be around each other like normal people.”

I have to laugh at that. “Normal people? That’s an interesting phrase.”

It’s a relief to hear her laugh along with mine. “Yeah, alright, maybe not normal people.” She takes my hand. “Be around each other likeus.Just us. Reuben and Tiffany with no bullshit.”

I pull her into me, fuck the distance. I hold her like she’s a jewel, brushing her hair away so I can press my mouth to her ear.

“That’s exactly what Ineed, Tiffany.”

She relaxes in my arms. “Same. I’m getting used to being Tiffany, you know? I’m kinda liking it.”

“I’m getting used to being alive again. I didn’t know how dead I was until you lit up the grotto.” I smile against her cheek. “You could say I’mkinda liking it, too.”

The scarlet haired beauty pulls away again, tears drying. “So, what’s the deal? We’re gonna be Christmas sweethearts, are we? Have ahappy holidaysand go from there?”

“That sounds excellent to me. I can cook a really good turkey, you know. I just haven’t had the motivation for quite some time.”

“I can eat a really good turkey, you know. Can you do Yorkshire puddings with it? And mashed potato?”

“Carrot, peas, parsnips.”

“Roasters.”

“Cranberry sauce.”

“Gravy.”

“Christmas pudding for afters.”

“Twenty-seven boxes of festive biscuits.”

I chuckle. “At least.”

Her gaze turns serious. “Don’t you have anyone you usually spend Christmas with?”

I shrug. “Charities mainly.”

“What about family?”