14. Blake

Chapter 14

Blake

The next morning, the soft beams of daylight filtered through the window, fully waking me. Riley's warmth nestled against me made my heart swell, remembering the joy we both felt after last night's revelation.

We were going to be dads.

I gently kissed Riley's forehead. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

Riley stirred, and a sleepy smile spread across his face. "Merry Christmas, alpha."

We took our time waking up, but I wanted to get coffee going and put cinnamon rolls in the oven. Eventually, we got up and headed out to start our first Christmas together. The living room was bathed in twinkling lights, and the tiny potted tree Riley brought in from the woods was adorned with a mishmash of ornaments and ribbons we pulled from the box of decorations.

"Ready for presents?" Riley could barely contain his excitement. He’d refused to take my credit card when I offered it to him to go shopping. But he did slip a few things into the cart when we were at the home supply store last week, so I’d been curious about what he had in store.

“Definitely.” I kissed his temple and pinched his ass. “Give me two minutes in the kitchen and I’ll meet you at the tree.”

“I’ll get the fire going.” Riley jogged out of my arms and disappeared down the hall. Even from behind, his bedhead made him look adorably rumpled. I just loved that guy.

After getting everything going for breakfast, I sat down in front of the fire and then handed Riley the package I had stored for him under the tree. "You first."

His eyes widened as he tore away the paper, revealing the sleek laptop. "Blake, this is... it's perfect! How did you know?"

"Just a hunch.” I chuckled, remembering all the napkins and receipts I'd found covered in Riley's doodles. He was really talented, and with the right tools, I was confident he could create something amazing. “Now you can bring those comic strips you like drawing to life properly."

Riley hugged me tightly and peppered my face with kisses, then reached for a flat, wrapped package. "And this is for you." He cleared his throat and shrugged. “It’s not as nice as a computer, but… ya know.”

I did know. “I don’t need a computer. I don’t need anything, Riley. Just you and our family.” I pretended to shake the package, even though it was obviously not shakable. “Wonder what it could be.”

With my heart racing in anticipation of what he’d come up with, I unwrapped the package. When I saw the framed comic strip inside, I gasped. It was a perfect depiction of our first meeting at the shelter. He was bundled up in his car, and I was drawn as a tall and handsome hero. The exaggerated features made me smile. “If only I were as buff and sexy as that dude.”

Riley chuckled. “You’re way hotter than that guy.”

The rest of the frames showed him playing in the snow with my bear, us cuddled up together in bed, and then a final image of us with a tiny bear cub in front of a Christmas tree. “Next Christmas?”

He nodded. “It’s a bit aspirational, I guess.”

I put it down and pulled him onto my lap. "It’s incredible. I'll always treasure it."

We curled up by the fireplace, savoring warm cinnamon rolls and sipping spiced apple cider. The flames crackled merrily as we talked about the future.

"Next Christmas, we'll probably need a better tree since we’ll have a little cub to spoil." Riley’s hand rested on his still-flat tummy.

I nodded, my mind filled with an image of three stockings and all those cute “baby's first Christmas” ornaments they sold in the boutiques. "That sounds amazing." I covered his hand with mine. “I’m so lucky I found you.”

Riley scoffed. “Considering I was the one about to freeze to death, I’d say I’m the lucky one.”

“Let’s call it a draw.” There was no point trying to convince him that I was the winner that night. But I planned to make him believe he made the right choice by coming home with me for the rest of my life.

As the day passed, we made plans for the nursery, debated baby names, and dreamed of the future in front of us. Our first Christmas together was perfect, but our best days were yet to come.