You Only Live Once

Chapter Forty-Three

As the alarm woke Jamie the following morning, she rolled over and buried her head beneath the blankets. "Seb..."

Sebastian reached over and shut off the alarm with a chuckle. "As cute as you are, we do have to get up, babe. We have to get ready and head out soon."

"How long is the drive?" Jamie asked from beneath the blankets.

"An hour, give or take. Most of that is fighting the traffic here in the city. Our rental is in the garage, so at least we don't have to brave the cold right away."

Jamie turned and peeked above the blankets. "Are you sure that the cookies we're bringing will be okay?"

"Yes," he sighed playfully, "They are fine. They are my mom's favorite."

She giggled softly. "Sorry. I know I've asked you a thousand times."

"I promise, everything will be fine. My stepdad is pretty laid back, and my mom is just happy to see me happy. They will love you," he reminded her, tossing his covers aside and sitting up. "Besides, she's never been excited to meet any of my ex's early on... but she is looking forward to meeting you. That should tell you something."

Jamie got out of bed and stretched. "She's excited to meet me?"

He nodded as he stood up. "Yeah. I was going to ask her about you joining us for the holiday, but she beat me to it," he chuckled. "She insisted I bring you."

Butterflies fluttered in Jamie's belly. "That's... wow. I feel kind of special."

"Which is why we don't want to be late," he said quickly. "You get ready, and I'll make us some coffee and breakfast sandwiches."

Jamie nodded. "I'll take a quick shower, but I'll leave my hair dry." She gathered the clothes she planned to wear and walked into the master bath, shutting the door behind her.

Sebastian walked out to the kitchen and set to work on their food. He made them each a couple of egg and sausage sandwiches, and a cup of coffee. Leaving it all set on the counter to cool, he used the spare bathroom to take a quick shower himself.

Once showered, Jamie got dressed, curled her hair and put on a little bit of makeup before walking out into the kitchen. "Ooh, coffee."

It wasn't long before Seb was walking back into the kitchen to join Jamie. "How is everything?" he asked as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Coffee is good," Jamie smiled then took another sip from her cup. "I just need to pack up the cookies."

"Sounds good," he said. "I'll make us each a cup to go, and we can head out."

"Sounds like a plan. Do we have any gifts that we're bringing too?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I surprise them with little things all year, so we don't really do much for gifts on the holiday. There is a card on the counter, though, if you want to sign it for them."

"Okay," she grinned. Jamie opened the card and added her name with a nearby pen. "You look really nice, baby."

"You look amazing, as always, too," he grinned. Seb pulled his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a couple of bills. "Here," he said, handing them to her. "You can add these to the card."

Jamie nodded and put them in the card before sealing it shut, she then turned and smiled at Sebastian. "Are you excited for today?"

"I'm excited for you to meet my parents, yes." He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm even more excited to spend our first Christmas together."