Spark ( Book 3: Stronger Series )

31. Plans

When I was finished making sure every security measure was in place, and every plan set for tomorrow, I headed back to the room to check on Jaden and her progress with the Christmas tree. I was impressed with the speediness of the staff, considering I'd only given them barely two days' notice to ready the house. I surprised myself with how much money I was willing to spend on Jaden without even blinking an eye, but then again, the smile on her face when she first laid eyes on everything was fucking priceless. I'd give just about anything to see her smile like that again.

I nodded at the guard who was standing watch by the room and opened the door to find Jaden standing at the top of the short stepladder, leaning over far too much to place whatever the fuck was in her hand on the top of the tree. Only slightly panicking, I quickly made my way over to her just in time to catch her when the ladder to gave out and her body fell forward. My arms instantly shot out, catching her before she fell face first into the nicely decorated tree she'd just finished.

Jaden gasped in surprise in my arms as I pulled her securely to my chest. She turned her cheek around to look at me just in time to notice the glare I was sure I had plastered all over my face. I hated when she put herself in positions like this.

"Nice catch," she said. It was the closest I was going to get to a thank you.

"What the hell were you trying to do?"

She huffed, and I found it oddly cute. "I was trying to top the tree, but I can't really reach it with just the ladder."

I looked at the top of the tree, realizing it was, in fact, too tall for her to reach, and laughed. She could kick most men in the head with her adorable little feet, but she couldn't successfully top a tree without knocking over her stepladder.

My throat still filled with laughter, I righted her in my arms before lifting her onto my shoulders, giving her the height she needed to reach the top of the tree. She positioned herself the way she needed to without protest and placed her topper on the tree, adjusting it the way she wanted it.

"Done," she said, and I lowered myself to let her down. She then immediately stood tall and looked back to admire her work. "What do you think?" she asked me.

I took a good look at her work and found myself admiring her design. Her strategic placement of the bulbs and lights ensured that everything obtained its fair share of attention as the lights glowed and the ornaments glittered in contrast. I even admired the funny Santa hat that she had placed at the top.

"It looks great," I praised her. "But I think next time you should wait for me to top the tree."

"I would have been fine," she retorted with another huff.

"It's not you I'm worried about. Those are hand-painted bulbs. The crafters would kill me if I let anything happen to them," I said with a smirk.

She looked over at me with that adorable no-nonsense glare of hers. "Ha-ha," she said and went back to admiring her tree.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Not really," she said, a yawn now escaping her lips. "Just tired, I think."

"Bedtime it is then."

"But I wanted to explore the house," she pleaded.

I shook my head. "It's late. You can explore tomorrow while I'm working."

"You're still going to be working, huh?"

I nodded. "No rest for the wicked."

"Ha," she snickered, another yawn not far behind.

Jaden then went into the bathroom presumably to wash up for bed. I took another good look and admired her decorating skills, actually appreciating the warm colored lights that complemented the room. Removing my clothes, I pulled back the heavy covers of the bed and slid in, checking a few emails on my phone while I waited for Jaden.

When she finally emerged, her hair was brushed and soft, her subtle makeup gone, and she seemed relaxed. She even voluntarily stripped her clothing before sliding under the covers without me having to remind her. After turning off the lights, I reached over and pulled Jaden to my bare chest. Just feeling her against me was enough to relax me completely, and I couldn't help but let the pent-up exhaustion finally sink in. I hadn't slept much in the last few days, trying to get as much of my work done before I brought her out here so I could actually spend some time with her. And now that we were here, all I wanted to do was fucking sleep with her wrapped in my arms. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and I wanted to make this trip as memorable for Jaden as I possibly could, but I still had so much shit to do. It was never ending.

When Jaden's body finally relaxed and slumped against me, I knew she'd fallen asleep. I always waited for her to fall asleep first. It gave me a proper sense of security. Knowing she was asleep and safe beside me gave me the assurance I needed to relax and follow suit. Tightening my grip around Jaden's small frame, I closed my eyes and let the sounds of her soft breathing lull me to sleep.

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Do you ship them or no?