Wednesday (Timeless Series #3) by E. L. Todd

she was giving to me. While I appreciated anything she wanted me to have, I didn’t understand why she would give me a blanket. When I turned it over, I recognized the fabric. The blanket was constructed of different pieces of fabric, combined together in a collage.
    “My old t-shirts…”
    “I had a lot of them when you left. I still kept them. It was too hard to throw them away. I thought I would make this, so we can cherish those memories every day.”
    I gripped it in my fingertips as I stared at her. “You made this?”
    She nodded.
    “You know how to sew?”
    “It took me a while to figure it out, but I eventually did. Do you like it?” Hesitation was in her eyes, like she wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
    “Muffin, I don’t even know what to say… I can’t believe you kept them.”
    “I could never throw away anything of yours—no matter what.”
    Both of us decided to exchange gifts from our past. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I feared we’d never be able to recover from what happened, but somehow we had. And not only that—we were stronger.
    I dropped the blanket onto my lap before I looked her in the eye. The fire glowed dimly in the hearth and the Christmas ornaments reflected in her eyes. It was absolutely silent with the exception of the crackling flames. My heart thumped with too much blood but I felt oddly calm at the same time. She and I had something so special it couldn’t be described in words. It was supernatural and unbelievable. I had the love of a woman that wouldn’t just last till the rest of my days, but beyond that.
    I pulled her into my lap then wrapped the blanket around her naked body, enveloping her inside it. The locket hung from her throat, shining brightly in the light of the flames. Even though she was naked and on top of me, I wasn’t aroused. I felt something a lot deeper than that. The words that left my mouth were ones I hardly ever said. They simply weren’t necessary for the two of us. “I love you.” My arms hooked around her waist, and I rested my face against her chest, right where her locket was located.
    She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on mine. “I love you too.”

Christmas Day
    Francesca
    While Hawke and I wanted to see my family for the holidays, we really wanted to continue lying in front of the fire, making love endlessly to the sound of the flames. The blanket would be wrapped around us, enveloping us in warmth.
    We walked through the door with pies in our hands and greeted everyone. Axel and Marie were both wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, keeping up a tradition I don’t recall starting.
    Marie gave me a hard hug. “I’m so glad I have an excuse to spend the holidays with you.”
    “Me too.”
    “An excuse?” Axel asked. “Marrying a hunky man is an excuse?”
    Marie rolled her eyes then took the pie from my hand. “Yaya is in the kitchen…and she’s not alone.”
    “Say what?” I blurted. “That veteran guy is here?”
    “How’d you know?”
    “They met at the bakery.”
    “Yeah, he’s here. And he seems really nice.”
    “Awesome.” Yaya deserved a companion that made her happy.
    Hawke hugged Axel. “What’s with the sweater?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It’s just…interesting.” Hawke stared at the white unicorn on his shirt and the elves surrounding it.
    “It’s supposed to be ugly,” Axel said. “That’s the point.”
    Hawke hadn’t attended many Christmas parties in his time so he was clueless to the tradition.
    “Nevermind.” Axel brushed it off.
    I walked into the kitchen and greeted Yaya. “Merry Christmas.”
    She threw her arms up in excitement. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” She kissed my cheek before she hugged me. “So happy you guys are here.”
    “Me too, Yaya.” When I pulled away, I spotted the man from the bakery. He wasn’t wearing his ball cap this time, and surprisingly, he had a full head of hair. He had the same smile on his lips that I’d seen before,