He could have asked me to do anything in that moment and I would have.
When Ky finally allowed me out of bed, we were running late. I showered in the guest bedroom while he took the master shower. What in the hell do you wear to Christmas with parents? Seriously what the hell was I getting myself into? Last night after I complained for what was the hundredth time, he had told me that if I wasn’t ready that he was going to lock me out of his apartment and I would have to spend Christmas in the hall. Why the hell had my parents decided to be out of the country this Christmas?
Once I showered, I entered Ky’s bedroom with the towel wrapped firmly around my body with my hair and makeup already done. Simple yet pretty was the look I was going for. I styled my hair in loose curls that hung to the middle of my back; my makeup consisted of a little blush, mascara, and a soft pink gloss. My nerves were shot, and I kept imagining everything that could go wrong; I wasn’t a chatty girl at the best of times. Fuck, to outsiders I was sure I came across as a snobby bitch, and now I had to meet Mr. and Mrs. Crawford. Did I call them Mr. and Mrs. Crawford? Would Josh be there? God I hoped he’d be there. I had absolutely no experience meeting parents, but in a matter of an hour I would be walking into the family home of the guy who I’d been sharing my body with, and who had opened his bed to me, and I had no clue what I was to him beside his December.
“Eden we have to leave in ten—” Ky stopped in the doorframe and found me sitting on the edge of the bed. He was dressed in dark denim jeans, a dark grey sweater, and was wearing a black beanie over his thick brown hair. Why was it so easy for him to get ready?
“What’s wrong?” He took two steps until he stood before me and crouched down, resting his hands on my bare knees. When his concerned eyes met mine, my eyes glistened with the enormity of what was about to happen. Tears welled before spilling over and sliding over my cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” I whimpered in pure brutal honesty.
“Hey, come on now. What are you sorry for?” Ky took a seat beside me on the bed and grabbed both of my hands in his. My eyes dropped to our hands entwined in each other’s and that set my emotions off once again.
“What am I meant to do today?”
“I don’t know what you mean. You’ve got to give me something here.”
“Everything over the past month has just been crazy and fast and intense and now you are taking me to spend Christmas with your parents. That’s beyond insane. Ky, I’ve never met parents before. What happens if I have a flashback? What happens if I suddenly panic? What happens if I stutter the whole time? Fuck! What happens if they don’t like me?”
“You are so fucking unbelievably out of this world sexy when you ramble.”
My face dropped as another wave of insecurity hit me.
“Eden, listen to me. You are the sweetest, confusing, most intense, and most beautiful person I have ever met. My parents are going to love you; they already know about you. Josh and Aunt Carole will be there, and I won’t leave your side. If you need time out just squeeze my hand, and we will escape somewhere. I cannot leave you here on your own on Christmas, and I can’t spend Christmas without my family, so you need to come with me.” He pulled me to my feet and gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Can you please get dressed so we can go?”
All I could do in response was nod.
Ten minutes later I was sitting in his car, dressed in dark denim skinny jeans, a cream sweater, and a baby pink scarf. It would take about thirty minutes to get to his parents’ house. I sat in the passenger seat and let my mind fleet back to the moment when I first met Ky.
Never would I have imaged visiting his parents’ house for Christmas or that he could take over and rule my thoughts and body. I shifted in my seat so my back pressed against the door and watched him closely. His eyes focused on the road ahead and his lips were in a perfect pout as he concentrated on our destination. This man was becoming something so much stronger than just the guy paying for my photos; he was becoming the thief of my thoughts, the owner of my heart and my utter confusion. I was slowly but surely falling for him. After all of the internal battles I had, after all of the fight that I was determined to have, the idea of becoming something with him was now in the forefront.
It was scary.
It was exhilarating.
It was undeniable.
“I like you Ky,” I blurted out the moment he took a right hand turn and pulled into the driveway of a beautiful two story Victorian inspired home with pale grey exterior and white trimmings; a large wreath hung on the gleaming black double doors that I knew would lead to an even more stunning home.
I heard Ky’s sharp intake of air the moment my admission hit the space in the car. He turned toward me after he killed the engine and stared at me. His mouth opened and closed like he wanted to speak but no words came. A loud shriek sounded outside of the car, ceasing our stare off, and we both swung around to look toward the house. A beautiful lady in her early fifties rushed toward the car, arms flailing, with dark brown hair bouncing around her shoulders; her face was overtaken by the biggest smile I had ever seen.
“It’s time,” Ky muttered beside me. He opened the door and slipped out leaving me in a mass of nerves and confusion. I watched with a smile on my face as his mom wrapped her arms around him and his dad lovingly patted him on the back. Three sets of eyes then fell to the car, and I realized I was still in the passenger seat with the seat belt tightly fastened around my body.
With a shaking hand I opened the door and before I had a chance to put a foot on the ground I was being lifted and swung around excitedly in the air.
“You are even prettier than your photos sweetheart!” His dad’s strong voice hit my ears as he finally let me stand. “This one has spoken about you constantly. Now come inside, it’s freezing out here, and I want to get to know the girl who has my son so smitten.”
To say the day was nothing like I could have expected was an understatement. The Crawford family welcomed me with open arms and at no time did it ever feel like the first time meeting them. They fussed over me, fed me delicious food, and his parents even bought me a Christmas gift, which hung in pride of place around my neck. The moment Sue Crawford handed me the perfectly wrapped gift box, I felt a burst of unpredictable emotions hit me. What had I ever done in my life to deserve this level of kindness? Ky sensing my impending meltdown, pulled me into his lap and tightened his arms encouragingly around my waist as my body shook with emotion. As if forgetting we were around his family, a family who had been watching us for any indication of what was happening between us, he placed the most calming kiss on the side of my neck and encouraged me to open the gift. All eyes were on me and my hands shook as I lifted the lid from the box. Inside was a silver chain with an antique looking heart shaped locket dangling from it. I was at a complete loss for words. My fingers ran over the beautiful inscription on the back that read ‘The heart is there to be filled.’
As soon as I read the inscription, they hit me full force. My heart had been dead, locked up and the key thrown away, but then somehow Ky had picked the lock and my heart was open to so many possibilities. Ky was filling my heart with words, actions, soft kisses and quiet moments and what was once an empty heart was now threatening to overflow.
As day turned into night a ferocious snowstorm battered outside, with lashing winds and heavy snow fall. After dinner, James Crawford had informed us there was no way we were leaving that night and much to my shock Ky agreed without a fight. After I ate way too much food and drank my fair share of eggnog, my exhaustion hit at a rapid rate. I curled up on the sofa beside Josh, my head rested on his shoulder and what could have possibly been the most comforting hot chocolate of my life sat in my hands.