“What the hell is this?” Lane questioned as he pulled a small box out of the larger box he’d just spent the last five minutes trying to unwrap. The smaller box had been hidden in the folds of a Realtree T-shirt. Truth was, Lane would’ve been content with the shirt.
“Open it and you’ll find out,” Gracie informed him, snickering as she glanced over at Grant. “You, too. You have to open yours at the same time.”
Grant looked as though he was having as much difficulty as Lane was and that made him feel a little better.
As it was, he wasn’t sure what to expect from her. At first, he’d figured He was in trouble here, he could feel it.
Placing the larger box on the ground beside him, Lane went to work on the smaller box, doing his best to get his fingernails beneath the tape. Apparently, his girl thought she was funny when she’d wrapped the box and then secured it with a freaking roll of tape.
Finally managing to get the smaller box opened at the same time Grant managed to pry his own open, Lane peered inside to find . . .
“Holy shit.” Looking up at Gracie with his mouth hanging open, Lane tried to understand what he was looking at. Well, in his defense, he knew what it was, but for her to have bought it for him. He wasn’t even sure what to say.
“Is this…?” Grant asked, his expression reflecting the same shock Lane felt.
“Please tell me you like them,” Gracie said, her eyes glassy with tears.
“It’s . . . incredible,” Lane assured her.
“And now it’s official,” she told them. “I’ve got my ring and y’all have yours. I know you probably can’t wear them when you’re workin’, but I wanted you both to have somethin’ that shows who you belong to.”
Gracie’s smile lanced Lane’s heart.
He’d considered this Christmas the best one yet, and that was for the simple fact that he had Gracie and Grant by his side. But this . . . it was more than he expected.
“Now the only question is . . . When are we gonna make this official?” Grant asked, his eyes narrowed as he glanced from Lane to Gracie and then back again.
Lane shrugged. “As soon as she sets the date, I’m there.”
Gracie grinned. “Let’s just say that 2015 is lookin’ like a good year for the three of us.”
Crawling over to Gracie, Lane crowded her until she was flat on her back, giggling while Grant joined them. “I’m thinkin’ 2014 has been pretty damn incredible.”
“No argument from me,” Grant stated. “But I can think of a few ways to make it even more memorable. Starting right . . . now.”
“Hell yeah,” Lane agreed. “I’m all for makin’ memories. Especially naked ones.”