Free Here at Last by Kat Lansby Page B

neck and said, “I'm never letting you go again."

 
    Chapter 1 4
    And s o it was that JT and I became a couple. It amazed me how much had changed since San Diego . JT was warm and loving . I couldn't quite put my finger on it , b ut, somehow, I felt like we were ready for one another .
    The next morning, I awoke to find him lying on his side watching me. I lay on my back with my head turned toward him and smiled , and he reached for me , wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the forehead .
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    “Mm-hmm,” I replied sleepily, turning over to face him and resting my head against his chest.
    “Sophia?” he said quietly , and I pulled back to look at him. “I don’t w ant this to be a one-time thing between us. And I don’t want just a physical relationship with you. I want this to be more. ”
    As h is words sank in, I smiled . “ I want that , too.” My life had changed overnight, and I was excited to see where this would lead . I kissed his chest, and h e smiled.
    “We’re on the same page then? ” he asked.
    I giggled. “Yes,” I said, touching his lips with my finger. “We’re on exactly the same page.”
    Grinning, he pulled me closer to him and kissed me , and we fell back a sleep.
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    When we awoke, again, it was nearly ten o’clock . I had taken the period between Christmas and New Year's off from work so I didn’t have to be anywhere. JT wasn’t due back in San Diego until January 2 nd . We had a lazy morning and planned to shower, dress , and eat breakfast.
    JT thought that he ’d have to wear his tuxedo , again, until he remembered that he had some gym clothes in the back of his sister’s SUV . After going outside to fetch his gym bag , he returned to the apartment and changed into a white t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants and sneakers . Meanwhile, I made blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup , and we reheated our hot chocolate from the previous evening before sitting down to breakfast.
    As much as we would have loved to have spent the entire day together, JT had to leave after breakfast to pick up his parents from the airport. They still got along well and were flying in from Houston and Boston to be with their two children for the holiday . JT would spend the evening with Denise and his parents and return to my apartment after lunch the following day.
    He invited me to join them on Christmas Day . Although I didn’t want to interfere with their family time together, he assured me that I would be a welcome addition and that he wanted me there . JT also asked if he could stay with me from Christmas Eve Day until we left for Denise ’s on Christmas morning; s ince Denise ’s parents were with her, he didn’t have to worry about leaving her alone and could spend time with me . I didn’t have to answer him. He could tell by the smile on my face that it was more than okay.
    He left shortly after breakfast, and I busied myself with loading the dishwasher and straightening up the house. Since I would be going to Denise ’s for Christmas, I realized that I had some shopping to do. After all, I couldn’t show up empty-handed.
    JT had given me a few shopping hints before he left, which were extremely helpful since I didn't know what kinds of gifts his family would like . I spent much of the afternoon making my way through the multitudes crowding the Magnificent Mile. The densely clustered shops along this mile-long shopping district made the day’s tasks much easier. I worked my way through the throngs that were going into and coming out of the Garrett Popcorn Shop before stopping in at Crate & Barrel and the Hershey's store. I picked up some wine for Denise , some chocolate for JT's dad, and cooking spices for his mother. For JT, I would need to shop elsewhere. I called around in advance and found the perfect gift for him at an antique store on the outskirts of town .
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    He showed up on Christmas Eve day with a container of soy nog in