Read Online Gift by Melissa Schroeder - Free Book Online Page B

kitchen, puttering around, getting things ready. He smiled. A man couldn’t ask for much more than having someone to look out for him the way Dee did—or to be able to return the caregiving. It was one of the greatest joys of his life to have someone to take care of.
    After cleaning up and pulling on a pair of shorts, he walked to the kitchen. He stood in the doorway and watched her. God, she was a beauty. All tough exterior and soft gooey center. He knew she could dropkick him without much effort, but he also knew she had a thing for puppies. His lips twitched when he heard her singing “Happy Birthday” in Hawaiian. The one thing she could not do well was sing.
    “Smells good.”
    She jumped and turned around. “I told you to stop doing that ‘sneaking up on me’ thing.”
    He chuckled as he walked over to her. “Sorry, babe. Old habits of very old bounty hunters die hard.”
    She rolled her eyes. “You’re not old.”
    He pulled her into his arms and sighed. “I feel like it. Rough ‘n Ready was crazy this month.”
    She slipped her arms around his waist and settled her head against his chest. It was always odd to remember how tiny she actually was. Dee projected herself as someone so much bigger.
    “We might need to hire a third key. You know someone past you and Wesley? I can’t function that way because we always want to be off together.”
    He nodded, knowing she was right. The club he and his best friend, Evan Chambers, had started several years ago now had two locations and a waiting list for membership. She gave him a squeeze, then stepped back.
    “Everything is on the table. Why don’t we go sit down?” she asked, smiling up at him as if she had a secret.
    He followed her into the dining area. Next to the bay window sat their first Christmas tree. Dee had taken such delight in getting the house ready for Christmas. As they sat down, he noticed a small box on his plate. It had a bow but no wrapping paper.
    “Ah, Dee, I told you not to worry about a gift.”
    She smiled. “But it’s your birthday. We have Christmas tomorrow, but I wanted something special for tonight.”
    He looked up at her. How did a man get so lucky? He grew up on the streets and was a self-made man, but it still amazed him every day that he had the love of his life to cherish every day. Considering that he had almost lost her, he knew how lucky he was. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. When he pulled back, her eyes were misting.
    He cupped her face. “Don’t cry, baby.”
    She sniffed. “When you look at me like that, it’s hard not to.”
    And he knew how much she hated showing that. Even now, even knowing she trusted him, Micah knew showing any kind of vulnerability was hard for her. That she allowed him to see it meant the world to him.
    “Open your present.”
    She was still sniffing and grabbed a tissue as she watched him. He untied the bow slowly, and she sighed.
    “You always take too long,” she said with a smile. He knew she wasn’t really complaining. Dee knew what his childhood was like and the fact that he rarely had birthday gifts. She made a big deal out of every holiday mainly for him.
    When he opened the box, he found tissue paper. He frowned as he lifted it away and found a pair of little white baby socks. He lifted them out and studied them, then he looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face, but she was smiling. His heart clutched as he held them in his hands.
    “Does this mean what I think it does?”
    She nodded. “What do you think about that, Daddy?”
    Micah tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he set the socks back down. Without a word, he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap.
    “How do I feel?” He cupped her face and wiped away the tears with his thumbs. “I can’t say. No one has ever loved me the way you do. Thank you.”
    He kissed her, brushing his lips over hers softly before pressing his open mouth against hers. Dee hummed against his tongue, and he smiled as he