Contract Marriage starring Love and Revenge
Chapter 37. Duke’s present.

Chapter 37: 37. Duke’s present.

I look up at the small wooden clock and it’s just fifteen minutes to midnight. Fifteen minutes to Christmas.

When I remember my Christmas celebration for the past years, it was always lonely, unless I spent it with Mary and her family.

"Rowan was not Christian," I finally break the silence between us, "so I believed that’s why he never agreed to celebrate it with me." I continue talking while staring at the dancing flames in the hearth.

"Now that I think about it, he was probably spending the day with Alicia, don’t you think?" I turn my head and stare at him with a fake smile. I let out a soft chuckle before turning my head back to the hearth.

"After my parents died, I moved in with my aunt. Since apart from grandpa, she was my only living relative. And I guess for me that was when Christmas and birthdays stopped."

"I still remember it clearly, my first birthday and Christmas in that house. Grandpa was supposed to come visit, but he couldn’t make it due to tbe heavy snow storm. It was the year I turned six." Why am I even telling him this? Is he even listening?

I turn my head to check and our eyes meet. He’s staring at me... He’s listening.

"And on my own birthday, out in that heavy snow, my aunt said Alicia wanted to play with me in the snow, that she wanted to make some snowmen." I remember it so clearly.

"I was dumb and young, and very happy to hear that Alicia wanted to play with me because I’d been so damn lonely. So yeah, foolishly, I went out into the snow, thinking Alicia would come out with me too. They told me, Go on, Alicia will join you in a minute. So I started making snowmen while waiting for her in the cold. But then minutes turned to hours and I don’t even remember how long I was out there, foolishly waiting for her."

I turn to stare at him, to show him a fake smile that would indicate I am perfectly fine now, but the look in his eyes is one of pure anger. He seems like he’s going to explode anytime soon.

"Don’t let my words vex you so much." I say while rubbing his arm. "I’m okay now, really." I paste a bright smile upon my face before turning back to my cup.

"Christmas after that year was no more pleasant. It was like they always found a way to torment me during that time. After marrying Rowan, I thought I would finally get a chance to have a proper birthday and Christmas like Mary’s family, but then, I always had to celebrate it alone. He was always busy."

I place my cup down on the small table in front of us and turn my entire body to face him, "Duke,"

"Oh, come on Pagne, not again." He says as he places his own glass down too. "You’ll fill up a well at this rate." He jokes as tears stream down my face.

I wipe them off with the back of my hand and continue, "This was the first and best birthday I’ve had since my parents passed." I confess and the words alone make me cry.

"Seriously stop."

"I’m just so happy I can’t stop."

"I don’t know why you keep being nice to me. I really don’t know... Why you keep doing things for me, you keep allowing me to depend on you when I’ve always depended on no one but me. And I am so grateful, I want you to know it."

"Thank you." I wipe my face with the back of my hand again, "Thank you for choosing me, and thank you for this birthday party that I really wasn’t expecting but realized I always wanted. Thank you for bringing me into your family and showing me familial love. This was hands down, the best birthday party I’ve ever had."

"Even though I didn’t give you your birthday present yet?" He suddenly asks.

"What could I possibly wish for again?" I mean, I’ll be a greedy person if I ask for more.

"Oh Dearest," His hand reaches up to my face, wiping the tears from my wet cheeks. "You need to learn how to be a little more greedy." He says.

"Close your eyes dearest," he instructs, and I want to ask why, but something tells me to just be obedient so I do as he says.

Is this what I’m thinking? D_does he want to give me a gift? A_and could that gift probably be a_ a_a kiss?

Oh my gosh, I’m suddenly feeling hot as his hand snakes around my neck. Call me dirty minded, but why else will he ask me to close my eyes? Huh?

He clearly wants to kiss me!! Oh my gosh!

But what is that cold thing I feel on my neck?

"You can open them now." Huh? That’s it? No kiss?

Champagne!!! What were you thinking of?!

Slowly I flick my lashes open and he uses his head to gesture toward my chest and I look down only to realize he never planned to kiss me!

The gift is a necklace...

A necklace of a glass of Champagne, "Hah," I chuckle as I stare at him, because if I don’t laugh right now, J will cry again, "Is this—" I chuckle again, "Is this real champagne?" I ask.

"The finest."

"Oh Duke, I_ I don’t even know what to—"

"Don’t say anything, just accept it." To think that a man li(e this exists is unbelievable. After being with Rowan all these years, to think a man can treat me like this is really unfathomable.

It’s so unbelievable that I don’t even know what to say. I don’t even know how to say thank you, because at this point those words are not enough to convey anything.

"Do you like it?" Is that even a question?

"You, you are really too much." I say. I need to show my gratitude, somehow.

I need to... I need to make him understand that I not only like his present, I love it. I love it so much and he has to know.

I need to let him know how much I love it and how much I am grateful for it and—

Huh!!! I open my eyes which I didn’t even realize I had shut close and I realize what I just did!!

I place a palm over my mouth as I shift back from him.

D_did I just kiss him? On the lips!!

Champagne!!!

Now he’s staring at me, speechless.

"I_ I didn’t mean to do that. I just—"

"Let’s try it again," he suddenly pulls my hand, pulling me to sit atop his lap, "and if you mean it this time..." my hands fall on his chest and my eyes are seeing nothing but him, his breath so close to my lips is teasing me and my entire body is screaming, "let me in."

His lips envelopes my own and his words resound in my head. All I have to do is let him in...

The moment I do that, we will be crossing a line that no one bothered to draw in the first place.

And right now, I don’t think I just want to cross that invisible line...

My arms wrap around his neck as I pull closer to him and my lips... I part them.

And I let him in.

Dear God, I want to erase the line completely.

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Hey guys, author here.

I’ll be dropping an image of Champagne’s necklace in the comment section, hop in there to see it.

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om