by Jude Ouvrard
“Communication, with a minor in English.”
He nodded his head in approval. “Good choice. When are you going to graduate?”
“I have one more semester before my graduation.” She said with a smile. “Then, I’ll find a job downtown.”
“Let me know if you need help, I could recommend you to a few places.”
“Oh, sure, thank you.” She smiled politely.
“Nix studies really hard. I’m sure she’ll be at the top of her classes.”
“It’s important that you do, Nix. What you are doing now is the base of your future. Levi went on a different path, but what he learned and the experience he got from working in a law firm will never be forgotten. He could have been a great lawyer.”
“Dad.” I said, embarrassed.
“But it’s true, son. Now, I look at his drawings and I also see outstanding talent. While I may not agree with the amount of tattoos he has, I know he has the brain to prepare for his future and to manage a company. Levi’s a smart man.” He talked to Nix as if I wasn’t sitting next to her.
“Thanks, Dad.” My cheeks heated with discomfort.
We ate quietly until Colleen showed up for the dessert. Awkward, that’s what came to mind as soon as I saw her. Even Nix seemed uncomfortable.
Colleen kissed my father on the cheek, and already I had seen enough. I didn’t think I could get used to this. My dad with another woman, I couldn’t erase the image of my mom flashing through my mind. I had to repeat in my mind that he was happy, I couldn’t judge him now. He had accepted a lot of shit for me.
“Hi, Colleen. So, should I call you my step-mom from now on?” Dad choked on his wine while Colleen flushed beet-red. “I’m sorry, that was a dick joke.”
Nix giggled at my side. At least someone thought I was funny. I kissed her cheek and she kissed me back. She had been quiet during the dinner, but I understood why.
“Levi.” She saluted me. “You must be Phoenix?”
“Yes, nice meeting you, Colleen.”
The way my dad looked at Colleen reminded me of the way I looked at Nix. I could see that he loved her and I also knew that he would never stop loving my mother. Their love inspired many; it was real and pure. While my mother had died, my father was still here and alive. Without Colleen he had a lonely life in a big house. He worked a lot and so did she. Maybe their relationship signified a good thing for him and her. Together, they could spend their free time and enjoy their lives. Even awkward, I couldn’t take that from him. He deserved to be happy. Dad had many good qualities and values.
Fuck that, was I having a double date with my dad? I chuckled at the thought and no, I wouldn’t say it out loud this time.
“I’m happy for both of you.”
“Thank you, son.”
Love was all we needed.
Chapter ELEVEN
A very thin carpet of snow covered the city of Seattle. A White Christmas, it was kind of beautifully perfect. While we were in the winter season, we never got much snow here compared to some other places up North in Canada or on the East Coast.
I remember in New York City, my plane landed in the middle of a snowstorm. I hated it and tried to get back home that same night, but then I met some guys and Mercedes at the Eccentrix tattoo shop. I blacked out that night, I had never had that much whiskey. These New Yorkers were freaking wild. And Mercedes, those days I missed her friendship because she was a cool gal, but I knew a friendship with her would only cause me trouble.
I shook my thoughts away, I had the most gorgeous woman right next to me, I had everything I needed right here. New York had to stay on the East Coast and not on my mind. I went there to try and get a shop open, but I ended up leaving empty handed with a girl who didn’t want to say goodbye. Mercedes caused my first fight with Nix and hopefully nothing like that would ever happen again. What Nix saw must have equalled a stab in the heart. She saw me saying goodbye for the last time to Mercedes. I asked her to stop pursuing me, I explained that I had found my soul mate and I didn’t want anything to ruin this. I found out minutes later that it was too late already. Nix had seen something and I had broken her heart. I hated myself for hurting her.
Shit, I had fucking tears in my eyes just thinking about it. This was our first Christmas together and I hoped it would only be the first of many. Her breathing calmed me, her body tucked against mine, I thanked God before I wiped my tears. Kyle would never stop laughing if he knew about this.
I couldn’t wait for her to open her presents. They were very personal and meaningful to me. It took everything in me not to give them to her earlier this week. Of course, she would have loved it because she kept staring at them under our small tree.
Her eyes started to open slowly and a smile on her lips appeared.
“Good morning, Creep.”
“Merry Christmas, Tease.”
“How long have you been staring at me?”
“Long enough, you’re beautiful.”
Her smile got wider, it reached her eyes. “Is it time, now?”
I knew what she meant, but I decided to play dumb. “Time to make love?”
“No, we did that last night.” She blushed. “Twice.”
“So?”
“I want to give you my present.” She moved away from me, her naked body still warm from our night together cuddling. I hate the feeling of the bed without her.
“No, babe, come back here, kiss me.”
She rolled her eyes and rolled back in the bed next to me. “Only one kiss, Mr. Munroe.”
My arms wrapped around her, her breasts pushed against my chest. “Kiss me, Phoenix.”
Our lips swept against each other’s until I bit her bottom lip softly and suck it into my mouth. The softness of her lips charmed me as if it were our first kiss. I wanted to keep kissing her until we were both too riled up to stop, but she pulled away with that cute smile again.
“You got your kiss. Now, it’s present time!”
“I need a cold shower, babe.”
“You asked for me. Now, come on.”
I put on my sweat pants trying to tame my little issue down there. God damn! She played a cruel game. I heard the sound of the coffee machine in the kitchen, Nix knew me well. Any morning would have a good start with a coffee cup. Waiting for the coffee to brew, I looked at our tree, the presents, and the apartment and I got emotional for an instant.
“Here, babe, your coffee.”
“Thanks, Rock Star.” I avoided looking at her.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh? Nothing.”
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s up?”
I sighed. Nix had no intention of letting it go. “I’m just happy, Phoenix.”
“About what?”
“You, having you in my life. Living here with you. You’re what I need in my life now and for the rest of our lives.”
“When did you get so emotionally romantic?”
I laughed, shy. “I don’t know. I guess this is what you do to me.”
She had that look on her face, like a little girl looking at a puppy. “Now, Mr. Munroe, I want you to open your present.” She gave me a box the size of a shoe box. She had wrapped it in a gold paper with silver stars designed on it. Quite appropriate if you asked me. I tore the paper and let it drop all over the floor. I remembered doing the same thing when I was a kid. Inside the box, I found a t-shirt with another smaller square box. I took out the t-shirt, it had the Black Shakers design up front and on the back it said, Nix’s property. I thought it was adorably funny.
“It’s perfect. I’ll have to get you one from the shop.”
I took the smaller box and I opened it.
Because of the size of the box, I should have expected something so little, something like jewelry, but I didn’t, and the sight of the ring had me astounded. I couldn’t freaking believe it. With shaky fingers, I removed it from the box and looked at it.
&nbs
p; “It’s a small black diamond. I figured you would prefer a black one and the band is made of white gold.” I knew she was nervous and I simply couldn’t find any words. Nix had me speechless.
She took the ring from my fingers and held my hand while her eyes locked with mine. “Will you marry me, Levi Munroe?”
“Absolutely.” I sobbed. “Yes, Nix. You know that.”
She pushed the ring down my finger and it fit perfectly. “Are you crying, Levi?”
“No, why would I? The love of my life gave me a ring and asked me to marry her, why would I cry?”
Her arms enveloped me and I silently cried in the hollow of her neck. I couldn’t recall the last time I had felt that good apart from when she said yes. I wanted to scream it loud and clear that Nix was the love of my life. My life with Nix would always be good, I loved her too much and she loved me too.
“Thank you, Rock Star, I really love it. It’s perfect. A little edgy, just enough.”
“I thought of you when I saw it, I had to get it for you.” I saw a spark in her eyes, the emotions of the moment got to her as well. “Merry Christmas, Angel.”
“It’s the best Christmas ever.”
I gave her one of my presents, but it failed in comparison to her ring.
She opened it as fast as I had opened mine. I had found a sexy black night robe with sparkly little stars all over it. I thought it represented her well and I couldn’t stop thinking about her wearing it so after two days of pure torture, I went back to the store and bought it.
“Do you want me to put it on now?”
I laughed thinking about what I was going to say to that. “I’m afraid that if you do we won’t be done unwrapping the presents by New Year’s Eve.”
“You’re such a man.” She rolled her eyes and gave me her next present, as if she needed to give me anything else after giving me a ring.
“It’s too much, babe. Seriously, you didn’t have to give me anything, apart from the ring. That was more than enough.”
Nix came up to me and sat on my lap, kissing the tip of my nose while I tried to unwrap my present. Inside the package, I found a smaller black t-shirt with the Ink Me logo on it. I turned it over, expecting something like my t-shirt. It said Levi’s wife.
Nix started laughing at her own joke. “It’s actually for me, but I thought you would love it.”
“I do, I want you to wear it at the shop, or anywhere. I love it.”
We continued exchanging our many presents. We had spent way too much money on each other but I loved what she had given me. She spoiled me rotten.
She loved the white bikini I had found for Los Cabos and it fit her perfectly. Like I had been thinking before, Brooke Shield represented no threat, Nix looked amazingly hot.
We had a family dinner at my father’s house with Colleen and my grandparents. At first, I was looking forward to it but now, all I wanted was to spend my day with Nix, cuddling and watching Christmas movies. She had turned me into a pussy-whipped boyfriend, I had to admit it. I loved her so damn much. Every day she seemed to be prettier than the day before. I didn’t want to share her, not even for a family dinner, but she looked forward to it.
This year would be her first Christmas without her family, the least I could do was share mine with her. Besides, my dad liked her and had mentioned to me that he wanted to get to know her better. The Munroe’s were very fond of the one and only Silverstone.
After watching Nix in her star-printed sexy robe all day, we had to shower, get ready and drive to my dad’s. I did meet her in the shower and enjoyed her curves and the feel of her leaning on me. She might have screamed my name too. I blushed at the thought.
“Levi, shake it off.” She laughed. “You’ve been smiling for an hour.”
“I know, but it really was amazing, Nix.”
She groaned and returned to her closet, trying to find an outfit. Unfortunately, most of her clothes were club-appropriate but not really a match for a family dinner.
“What happened to my normal clothes? What I used to wear before I moved here? I can’t believe I got rid of everything.”
“Why don’t you wear your black dress and just wear something over it, like a cardigan or something?” Geez, since when am I good at this?
“Well, I don’t know.” She picked her black cardigan and put it over the dress on the hanger. “Okay, maybe you are right. It could be fine.”
“Try it on.” I was sitting on the bed looking at Nix and waiting for her to decide what she would wear to choose my own outfit. She wanted us to match. I thought the idea was cute, but it had been over forty-five minutes since she started to try on clothes. At least, I had the opportunity to watch her flaunt her curvaceous body right before me. Not skinny, not chubby, just perfect, fucking perfect.
“Are you enjoying the show, Levi?”
“More than you think, pretty girl.”
She slid her legs into the dress and pulled it up to her waist before sliding her arms into the short strap. “Can you zip me up?”
“Of course.” I zipped her dress up, imagining a tattoo on top of her back. I had to stop doing that or she would be cover in tattoos by the end of next year. I laced kisses in between her shoulder blades while the skin of her back covered in shivers.
She pulled away from me slowly and put on her cropped cardigan. “I think it’s flawless, Nix. You are gorgeous.”
“Now, what are you going to wear, Mr. Munroe?”
“You are all dressed in black. Maybe you should marry Johnny Cash.” I laughed at my joke. “I’ll wear my black jeans and a nice shirt. We’ll be alright.” I got ready in no time since we were almost late for dinner.
When I drove my car up the driveway, I saw the Christmas tree standing in the middle of the living room window. Exactly like Mom used to do. The car on park, I turned off the engine, my eyes not leaving the tree. So many memories came back to me. Dad hadn’t decorated the tree since she had passed away. The fact that it stood in the house surprised the hell out of me. “I think my father’s in love because he hasn’t decorated the house in years. This can only be a woman’s idea.”
“It’s a good thing, Levi. Austin will never forget your mom, but being in love again makes him happy. He deserves to be.”
I shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.”
We got out of the car. I took deep breaths trying to be cool with the whole situation. I had known Colleen for years, I liked her, but I never imagined she would end up with dad.
Nix knocked on the door even though we could have simply walked in. My dad opened the door with a glass of wine in one hand and a freaking huge grin on his face.
“Welcome home, son, Nix.” He kissed her cheeks and shook hands with me. I went directly to the tree right after that. The curiosity nearly drove me crazy. It looked exactly like when mom was here. The fireplace had been decorated too with stockings and little houses covered in snow.
“It brings back memories, right?”
“Yeah, it’s almost disturbing. It feels like she’s here. I love it, Dad but I miss her too.”
Colleen came to greet us and so did my grandparents. I hadn't seen them in a very long time and despite the fact that most of my ink was hidden, their eyes were glued on my knuckles. I expected it when I got them inked but damn, I never imagined how disgusted my grandparents were going to be. I shook hands with grandpa and kissed grandma before I introduced them to Nix. In the past, I had learned to get past what the people thought pretty easily but this time, they made me feel self-conscious. My dad offered me and Nix a glass of wine and I drank mine within two gulps. Since I got here, my emotions had given me whiplash.
“Are you okay?” Nix murmured to my ear.
“Yeah, I'll be fine.” She stared at me questioningly.
“How's the business doing, Levi?” Grandpa asked.
“Very good, we have a full schedule most of the time and old customers keep coming back which is a good sign.”
“They are very talented ar
tists.” Nix added understanding the situation. “I work there too and I see them work. They are both professional with their customers and listen to their needs.”
“I should visit you sometime, I haven't been at your shop in years.” Dad mentioned.
“We changed a few things, but it’s mostly the same.”
“You would be an experienced lawyer by now if you hadn't quit.”
Dad learned to deal with my decision, but grandpa never tried understanding.
“I would be unhappy too and probably hating my job.” I paused. “When I decided to do something else with my life I had no hate toward the firm. I left at the right time. If I had waited longer, it could have been a totally different story.”
“I understand now, son.” Dad was trying to show his father that I had made the right decision and that he had accepted it. The discussion came to an end when Colleen offered us all another glass of wine.
We talked about different things before dinner. Nix never left my side and Grandma seemed to like her very much. She kept asking her questions about her classes and her family. I admired Nix when Grandma asked her questions about her family, and Nix looked Grandma right in the eye and politely said that I was her family. That she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else this Christmas, other than with me. She smiled shyly when she said this, and my heart swelled in my chest... my Star was perfect.
“Dinner’s ready.”
We approached the dining room where decorations overflowed the room. The red tablecloth was covered in gold designs and red flowers sat at the center of the table.
“Wow, this feels like Christmas.” Nix said, looking in every direction.
We sat at the table side by side and our plates were served minutes later. A traditional dinner including turkey, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and gravy.
“I’m famished.” I declared.
“Thank you for joining us. Merry Christmas to everyone. Let’s eat.” Dad said, looking at me the whole time. I guessed this year marked a new beginning for both of us.
