••••
Christmas morning comes around fast. We sit in the lounge room and exchange gifts. There’s been no more talk of weddings, but we have agreed to get married before the baby comes along. I hate that he feels our child would be tainted if it was born out of wedlock, but if this is all I need to do to make him not feel that way, than I’d be selfish not to marry him.
Smiling over at my sexy-as-hell fiancé, I pass him his present. I had a diecast replica car made for him. It’s identical to his Monaro. I sent the guy who made it, photos of the exterior and interior of his car, and he copied it from that. It turned out great. It wasn’t cheap to have it custom-made, but I knew Carter would love it. He loves that car just as much, if not more than he loves me. Okay, not as much as me, but a lot.
Boys and their toys.
“Fuck me,” he says beaming when he opens it. “How?”
“I found a guy online. I sent him photos and he made it from them.”
“I love it, babe.” I smile as I watch him look over it. The doors, hood and trunk all open. He’s even matched the motor and interior of the car identical to Carter’s. It took months for him to order all the parts and put it together, but thankfully it was ready in time.
Ten minutes later he’s still holding it in his hand, opening and closing the doors whilst smiling like a little boy. It’s very amusing to watch. I’m glad he loves it as much as I thought he would.
“Umm … can I get my present now?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. He chuckles before finally putting the car down and grabbing the box I’ve been dying to open from under the tree. I’m all smiles when he passes it to me. I’ve been shaking it when he’s not around, trying to figure out what it is, but I have no clue. All I know is it rattles and it’s light.
Undoing the bow, I peel off the card that’s taped to the box. I know I should really open the card first, but I’m dying to see what’s inside. Opening the lid, I find a smaller box inside. That explains the rattling. He played me. My eyes move up to him. He’s smiling as he watches me.
Pulling the smaller box out, I unwrap it to find a black velvet jewellery box inside. I gasp when I open the lid. Inside sits a ring. An exquisite, large, princess cut diamond engagement ring. My eyes move back to his again. I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open. “Open the card,” is all he says. So I do just that.
To my dearest Indiana,
Once upon a time, right in the middle of my fucked up life, love gave me a fairy-tale. You. A second chance. You’re my fairy-tale, Indi. My sunshine. My air. The reason I look forward to waking up every morning. My life, without you in it, would be meaningless. I don’t want what we have to ever end. This is our first Christmas together, and I wanted to make it a memorable one that neither of us will ever forget. I love you completely, babe. With every fibre of my being. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Please say you’ll marry me!
Merry first Christmas.
Love Carter.
P.S. Please say yes!!!
Tears cloud my eyes when I close the card and make eye contact with him. He was right. He did want to marry me before we found out about the baby. This present has been sitting under the tree for weeks. I clutch the card to my chest as he crawls across the floor towards me. “Well, I’m waiting,” he says smirking. Saying yes is kind of mute now since I’ve already agreed to marry him. Nevertheless, I throw my arms around his neck.
“Of course I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier.” I cry into his chest when he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him. These damn baby hormones are making me so emotional.
He pulls back, cupping my face in his hands and wiping my tears away with the pads of his thumbs. “I love you so much, Indiana,” he says exhaling a large breath. “So fucking much.”
“I love you too, Carter.” Letting go of my face, he picks up the jewellery box off my lap and pulls out the ring, slipping it onto my finger. It covers my Carter tattoo, but I don’t care. I’m inked for life. Looking down at the ring on my finger, I smile.
I love it. I love him.
“You have one more present to open,” he says, crawling back over to the tree and picking up a long white box wrapped in a red ribbon. I didn’t see that present there before. He must’ve put it under the tree last night. He smiles when he hands it to me. Untying the ribbon, I remove the lid. When I lift the tissue paper I find a white silk dress inside. It’s simple, but very elegant. “I want you to wear this today when we go out for lunch with our parents.”
“Okay. It’s beautiful. Thank you,” I reply, smiling as I hold the dress up in front of me. Our parents and Carter’s grandmother are coming up to have Christmas lunch with us today. Carter has booked the restaurant on Merewether Beach. The one we took Meg to after our day of pampering. Carter and I have been back a few times since that day. It’s kind of become our place.
“Oh, I almost forgot. There’s one more present.” Once he retrieves it he passes it to me. The package is tiny. I squeeze it between my fingers. Whatever is inside is soft. I tear open the wrapping. Inside I find a tiny white baby jumpsuit. Tears rise to my eyes. “Hold it up,” he says. When I do, I start laughing. It has ‘My daddy is seriously hot’ embroidered on it.
“Yes he is hot,” I say in agreement. Fisting my hand in the front of his T-shirt, I pull him into me so I can kiss his lips. His hand moves behind my knees as he scoops me into his arms before standing.
“We have a few hours until our parents arrive, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to take my fiancée back to bed so I can show her how much I love her.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I reply.
“Merry Christmas, Indiana.”
“Merry Christmas, Carter.”
••••
Turning the blow dryer off, I run the brush through my hair. When I look up I find Carter standing in the doorway of the bathroom, watching me. He smiles at me through the mirror. He’s already dressed in a white button up shirt and a pair of grey slacks. He looks delicious.
“You look nice,” I say turning and walking towards him.
“So do you.” His comment makes me laugh.
“I’m wrapped in a towel,” I reply dryly.
“You’re still beautiful,” he says, pulling me into his arms and brushing his lips against mine. “Even more so without the towel.” I roll my eyes. Of course he’d say that.
“I just got a call from the Surfhouse. There’s a problem with our reservation. I’m gonna head over there now, but our parents are going to swing past here and pick you up on the way. I’ll meet you guys there.”
“Oh really?” I ask in a disappointed tone.
“It’s nothing I can’t fix. I’ll call you if there’s a problem,” he says reassuring me as he kisses my forehead. I hope so. I love that place.
After he leaves I slip into the dress he bought me. It fits like a glove. He has wonderful taste. I had my first ultrasound last week. I’m only seven weeks pregnant, so I’m not showing yet. I’ve had a few off mornings, but basically I’ve been pretty lucky with the morning sickness.
Half an hour later my dad arrives. He’s on his own. “Where’s Elizabeth and Evelyn?” I ask.
“I’ve already dropped them off at the restaurant. Carter called and said he was already there, so it made sense. Plus it gives me the chance to have some alone time with my little girl.” He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “I have a special gift for you. I wanted to give it to you when we were alone.”