Just Pucking Money [COMPLETED]

Chapter 59 - A very merry Christmas

Lily

I wake up next to Ethan and for a moment, I wonder if I'm dreaming. The memories of last night slowly catch up to me and I realize where we are. I sit up.

Ethan groans and reaches out for me. There's laughter and screaming from outside. Tony. Something about presents.

I inhale sharply. "Ethan. Get up, you're not supposed to be here."

He pulls me down and kisses me deeply, still half asleep.

"I'm sorry. I'll sneak out."

We get up and start getting dressed when there's a knock on the door.

"Lily. Wake up, there are presents here for you."

"Coming," I say and wave at Ethan to hurry up.

"If Ethan is still here, he can have cookies for breakfast as well."

My shoulders drop as Tony runs away and Ethan laughs. "So much for sneaking out."

I pull on a pair of comfy pants and search through my dresser. "Come on, let's get out there."

"Sure." Ethan turns away and puts on his pants and shirt, and I pull his jersey over my head. When he faces me again, for a moment, it looks like his heart stops.

"Am I festive enough?" I ask with a smile.

"Perfect," he says, sounding all choked.

He kisses me, and for a moment, I think we won't get any of those cookies. Then Tony knocks on the door again.

"Hurry up, mom says we can't open presents without you."

I smile and together we open the door and follow Tony to the living room. He runs up to the tree and studies a couple of the gifts, then he hurries to the window to look out.

I notice that the gifts I got are under the tree and take a seat on the couch. Ethan sits next to me. Ginny comes out of the kitchen with a tray of coffee mugs. Four mugs.

I raise my eyebrow at her and she blushes. At the same time, the doorbell rings.

"Finally," Tony yells and runs to open it before any of us can react.

He returns, dragging Damon by the hand.

"Merry Christmas," Damon says and holds up a couple of presents. "I think Santa dropped these off at the wrong house."

Tony rolls his eyes. "I haven't believed in Santa in four years." Damon shrugs and puts the gifts under the tree. That's all the waiting Tony is willing to do. "Mom, can we start?"

Ginny nods. "Yes, be sure to check the names."

He starts reading names on presents and hands them out accordingly. Every time he finds one for himself, he acts like the happiest kid in the world and opens it immediately.

I lean my head on Ethan's shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything." Him being here for Christmas was never a possibility in my mind.

He kisses the top of my head. "I already got the greatest gift of all. But I did get you something."

"You did?" I smile up at him. "Oh, the flowers? I love them."

He smiles. "Now that we're officially official, I'm going to be showering you with gifts. And you better get used to it." He pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to me.

I shake my head. "What's this?"

I peer at him suspiciously.

"Well, it's not the real thing, and there are still a couple of formalities left. But I got you a house."

I laugh and smack his shoulder. "No, you did not. What does that even mean? That's just silly. You can't just buy me a house. I refuse to accept it." I try to hand back the folded piece of paper.

"You might want to take a look before you say that."

I roll my eyes and unfold the paper.

My eyes immediately go to the picture of the house. And my heart stops. My eyes overflow with tears and I bring a hand up to stifle a sob. It's my house. The house I thought was lost forever.

"Ethan?" I look at him, confused. I have no idea what this means. "Did you buy it?"

He looks at me, and I see worry. "Yes. Do you not want it?"

I can't even answer him. I'm crying too much.

"Don't cry. If you don't want it, you can sell it. I'm sorry. I thought I was being romantic. It was supposed to make you happy."

I still can't speak, so I throw my arms around his neck and almost strangle him.

"Lily. Babe. Let me breathe a little."

I move my hands and grab the sides of his face. Then I cover it in kisses, wet from my tears.

He laughs. "So you want it?"

I kiss him on the lips. "Yes, I want it. But it's too much. I can't accept this. I can't let you buy it just like that. It's not in good shape and I'm pretty sure Alice asked for way too much money and she probably didn't tell you about all the issues it has."

He studies me calmly. "Well, that changes things." He takes the paper from me. "I can't give you a faulty gift."

I feel the house slip away from me once more. "Ok."

"I'm just going to have to fix it up before you get it."

Fuck, I love this man. I grab his face again and kiss him. "I won't ever be able to repay you."

"I have some things in mind." He wiggles his eyebrow.

I laugh.

"Actually, I do have a favor to ask you. But it might be too much, too soon."

He actually looks nervous.

"What is it?"

"Will you come with me to my parents' Christmas dinner?"

That's the last thing I was expecting. "What?"

"It's a lot, I know. But I want them to know that I'm serious. That we're serious. I was hoping if you meet, they would understand that I didn't break off the engagement for shits and giggles. And you're part of my life now. And I want you to be part of all of it."

Dread creeps up at seeing them again. "What if they don't like me?"

He shrugs. "That doesn't change anything. Except how often they'll get to see me. But I wouldn't worry. Now that the engagement is old news, they're going to love you."

I take a deep breath. This is scarier than sleeping in the car. "Yes. I'll go with you."

"Great. And don't worry, I'll have us in and out in under two hours. It's just dinner."

I smile and instantly wonder what I've gotten myself into.