From the Blythe College series
Author: Rochelle Paige
DRAKE & ALEXA
TANNER’S FIRST CHRISTMAS
Drake
I didn’t think life could get any better than the day Alexa became my wife. She’d knocked me off my feet when I first saw her from across the quad back in college, and it felt like I’d had to go through hell and back before I’d slid my ring on her finger. Had I known back then what I knew now, I wouldn’t have wasted a single second to hunt her down and make her mine. Thank fuck I’d had good luck the day I’d decided to leave town for my mom’s birthday party and booked my charter flight with her dad. I’d had a great life up until then, but Alexa made it perfect.
Having her by my side as I’d lived my dream of playing in the Olympics had made it that much better. But accepting my bronze medal didn’t even come close to the morning six months later, when Alexa handed me the little stick she’d peed on—the one that let us know we were going to be parents soon. I’d driven her crazy with my protectiveness, but after the difficulties Kaylie had had when she’d been pregnant with Kassidy, I hadn’t been about to risk anything happening to my Alexa.
When the nurse handed Tanner to me… Fuck. I just hadn’t even had the words to explain what looking at my little man for the first time made me feel. I’d made a promise to him, Alexa, and myself that day. I vowed to do everything in my power to make sure his life was as blessed as his mommy had made mine. Which meant his first Christmas was going to be perfect—even if he was only five weeks old and wouldn’t remember any of it.
“What is that?” Alexa asked as she peered over my shoulder.
Shit. I’d thought she would have taken longer to feed Tanner and I’d have enough time to get this set up and slip back into bed with her so she wouldn’t notice until morning.
“A train,” I mumbled under my breath as I finished putting the track together.
Alexa snorted in humor and walked away while muttering something about me being crazy. She might have acted like I was going completely overboard for Tanner’s first Christmas, but she was the one who had taken him to sit on Santa’s lap last week. Her dad had always taken her to see him when she was a little girl, so it was a tradition she wanted to carry on with Tanner. She’d also bought about a million outfits that had holiday sayings on them too. My favorite was the “Santa, I Can Explain” one. Like my boy needed to explain shit to anyone.
By the time I placed the train on the tracks and stepped back to watch my handiwork in action, Alexa returned with some hot chocolate for both of us.
“Let me guess,” she said. “You had to buy the biggest one in the store just so it would fit around the tree?”
I licked the whipped cream off the top of the mug and suggestively wagged my eyebrows at her. We had one more week to go until the doctor would give us the okay for sex, and not being able to sink my cock inside her was killing me. Seeing her pretty lips wrapped around me as she blew me wasn’t enough for me. I was sure I would lose my man card if any of the guys ever heard me say it, but if I could have fucked her just once, I would have given up blow jobs for the whole six weeks.
I set my mug on the side table and pulled Alexa’s from her hand to put it down too. Wrapping my arms around her, I nibbled at her mouth before moving along her chin, closer to her ear.
“I love you so fucking much,” I whispered.
Her body melted into mine and a sigh escaped her lips before she replied. “Don’t think you can sweet-talk me out of a conversation about the gigantic train under the tree.”
I was lucky she couldn’t see the huge grin on my face because I was sure it would have pissed her off. “Okay, so I might have gone a little overboard on the size.”
“A little?” she snorted.
“But,” I continued, “my dad got me one when I was little, and some of my favorite memories are of playing with that train under our Christmas tree. When I saw it in the store, I couldn’t resist. Not when I knew that it meant I’d get to share this one with Tanner.”
“Drake,” she gasped, pulling back from me to look in my eyes. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. “That’s beautiful.”
“Not half as beautiful as you,” I corrected.
“You know he won’t be able to play with it this year, right?” she asked.
I nodded as I wiped the tears from her face with my thumbs before flashing her a smirk. “I know, but I will be able to get a picture of him with it. Just like you did with Santa.”
Alexa laughed and rolled her eyes at me. “Do you think we’re going to spoil him shamelessly?”
“If you think we’re bad, what do you think is going to happen when my parents get their hands on him tomorrow afternoon?” I asked. “I’m sure my dad pulled my old train set out of storage and set it up. My mom will have a million gifts for him under the tree.”
“Don’t forget Auntie Drea,” Alexa reminded me.
My sister adored Tanner. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she showed up at the butt crack of dawn to be here when he wakes up.”
“Nah,” Alexa disagreed. “I talked to her this morning and told her you and I needed a little time alone with Tanner this Christmas. Just a few hours to enjoy our first Christmas as a family.”
“Baby, it might be Tanner’s first Christmas, but don’t think for a second that we haven’t been a family since our first holiday together,” I told her as I sat on the couch, pulling her onto my lap. “You might not have been my fiancée yet, but I knew you would be. That’s why I bought your ring when I was home for winter break. Even way back then, I knew we’d be sitting right here someday.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes, really,” I confirmed. “Those presents under the tree with my name on them? I don’t need a single one of them. You and Tanner are my everything.”
Missed Day 1? Click here to read the Epilogue to Kate Canterbary’s Underneath It All
