“They’re both bigger than a bread basket.”

I laughed, pulling his mouth to mine for a kiss. “You’re the best present ever.”

“That’s a sad statement indeed,” he teased, pulling my nightgown over my head. “I hope to rectify that. But later. Now you’ve distracted me,” he murmured against my lips.

A half hour later, I lay next to him, half asleep again. “I don’t ever want to get out of this bed.”

“Not even for your presents?”

“It’s not Christmas yet, Mason.”

“And that’s why I called them early Christmas gifts.”

“Can I try to guess what they are?”

“You can try, but you’ll never succeed.”

“Will you tell me what you have planned for the day?”

“I thought we’d go to a Christmas tree farm and pick out a tree together.”

My face broke out into a huge smile.

He grinned. “I take it you approve?”

“Yes. But we don’t have any ornaments.”

His smile wavered a bit. “You have two options. We can buy some at Wal-Mart, although those are probably pretty picked over by now. Or we can use the ornaments I found in the basement.”

“Dora’s?” I whispered.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s up to you, sweetheart. Whatever makes you happy.”

“I already am, Mason.”

“Then just imagine how happy you’ll be after you get your presents.”

“You keep talking about these presents, but I’m beginning to think they don’t exist.”

His face broke out into a mischievous grin. “Is that so?” He crawled over me and off the side of the bed, tossing the covers to the bottom of the mattress.

“It’s cold!” I giggled.

He picked my nightgown up off the floor and handed it to me as he got my robe. When I put the robe on, he tied the belt, grinning. “I can think of some fun for this sash later.”

“Mason.” I flushed, and he laughed as he pulled me close and kissed me again.

“I don’t think I can ever get enough of you, Rose. But I’d sure like to live a long, full life trying.”

I grabbed fistfuls of his T-shirt and smiled up at him. “I like the sound of that.”

“Present time.”

He took my hand and led me downstairs and into the kitchen. “Surprise.”

It took me a second to figure out what my present was. On the table, Mason had set out a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and a cookie sheet. I looked up at him.

His grin spread. “That’s not all.” He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl covered in plastic wrap. “Sugar cookie dough.”

“You made that? When?”

“Last night. After you went to bed.” He set the bowl on the kitchen table and stood in front of me.

“But you don’t cook.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Or bake. But Mom gave me the recipe, along with some pointers. And I may have called her at midnight and woke her up in my panic because I didn’t understand how to knead the cookie dough.”

“You did that for me?” I asked, tears in my eyes.

“This was your dream, Rose. To decorate sugar cookies with your family. We’re a family now. You, me, and Muffy. How could I not give it to you? I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you get all of your dreams.”

I started to cry.

“Hey.” He looked worried as he tipped my chin up to study my face. “Did I do something wrong?”

I shook my head. “No. You made everything perfect.”

I kissed him, showing him how much I loved him, pushing him backward until the backs of his legs hit the edge of the table.

“I have to warn you, Ms. Gardner, that it’s against the health code to have sex on the same surface you use to roll out your cookies, but now that I know that baking is so fun, I might have to become a pastry chef.”

We spent two hours rolling out the dough and baking the cookies, making the frosting, and decorating our bounty. When we were done, Mason pulled my back to his chest, his arms wrapped around my stomach as we looked at the cookies. I laughed at Mason’s, which were covered in globs of frosting. “You should definitely reconsider your new career path.”

“You’re just jealous of my savant-like talent.”

“Yeah,” I laughed as I spun around to kiss him. “That’s it.”

“You have another present,” he said between my kisses.

“Later.” I pushed him onto a chair and straddled his lap.

“It involves Neely Kate.”

I lifted my head in surprise. “What?”

He laughed. “I knew that would get your attention.”

“What is it?”

“It’s in my pocket. Reach in and get it.”

“That sounds naughty.”

“I hadn’t planned to give it to you this way, but your attempts to molest me caught me off guard.”

I shifted and reached into his pocket, pulling out an envelope. “What is it?”

“This one is actually wrapped. You’re supposed to unwrap it.”

“It isn’t wrapped,” I teased. “It’s in an envelope.”

He grinned, obviously excited. “Open it.”

I gave him a kiss, grinning against his lips. “You’re so bossy.”