Don't Give up Hope

On Christmas Eve morning, Ryan was my wake up call, which I wasn't expecting. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered, kissing behind my ear.

"Hmmm, Sleeping Beauty, huh?" I asked, stretching.

"Of course; I mean, Prince Charming does need his princess after all." I opened my right eye slightly to look at him. He was smirking down at me. "And I'm thinking I have a present for the princess if she'll just wake up..."

"I thought we were going to save our present exchange until tomorrow," I said, sitting up on my elbows.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I just couldn't wait anymore. I'm getting impatient."

I laughed at him shaking my head. "You are so silly."

"But that's my best quality," he said, giving me a cheeky smile. "Plus, I've been wanting to give this to you ever since I bought it."

"How long ago did you buy it?" I asked, confused.

"About a month ago." My eyes went wide. "I walked by and saw it one day and knew I had to get it for you." His smirk was now replaced by his soft smile. The smile that always made my heart melt and my knees go weak. "Now, open it." He handed me a small box wrapped in red paper. There was a black bow wrapped around it, and by the way it was put together, I knew he had done it all by himself.

I untied the bow and tore off the paper. When I opened the lid of the box, my stomach churned when I saw the black, velvet box that lay under it. I looked back at Ryan who was giving me an anxious smile. His eyes were urging me to open the box. Once I did, my heart stopped.

In the velvet box was a diamond heart hanging on a silver chain. It was absolutely beautiful and not what I was expecting him to get me. "Ry... It's amazing," I said, giving him a soft smile. "Thank you so much." I leaned over to give him a kiss.

He pulled away, the grin seeming permanantly plastered on his face. "Let me put it on." I turned and pulled my hair out of the way so he could put it around my neck. When it was clasped around my neck, he turned me back around. "It suits you," he said, smiling and nodding his head.

"You're so good to me, Ry," I whispered, pressing my forehead against his.

He took my hand in his, rubbing soothing circles on the top of it. "But you're even better to me." He kissed my forehead, before standing up. "Alright, I have to get a few things done before the party tonight."

"Tell your mom I'll be over in a few to help her."

"Will do." He gave me a quick kiss, before leaving.

I really did like spending time with Gretchen. My mom and I aren't exactly on speaking terms, so she's really the only mother figure I have. Of course Tony's like a father figure to me, but I don't get to see him that often, which is always a downer. I'm just happy I'll get to spend some time with him tomorrow on Christmas.

"Kane, could you get me the veggies out of the fridge, Buddy?" I asked him, as I grabbed another platter.

"Sure!" He was such a great helper. Whenever I cooked, he loved to help me.

"If only you could get all three of them to do the dishes," Gretchen said, giving a small laugh.

"Give me a couple more weeks. We'll have them cleaning the house," I gave her a wink as Kane looked at me as if I had three heads. "I'm just joking, Kid!" I laughed, ruffling his hair.

"Hey, everyone," Ryan greeted us as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, is that my eldest son deciding to finally greet us with his presence?" Gretchen said, looking over at him.

He simply rolled his eyes. "Sorry I've been so busy lately, Mom. You knew I'd be here to help set up, though."

"You got here just in time to help me put the food together," I said, sending him a smile. Even though Kane loved helping me, Ryan didn't always jump at the gun though.

"Really now? And what are we putting together?" He asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me.

"Everything that you see in front of you on this counter," I said, nodding to the counter.

"Duh," Kane said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, Mr. Attitude," Ryan said, pushing Kane's head softly. "So you really like your necklace?" He asked quietly starting to kiss my neck.

"Yes, Ry I love it," I smiled, turning my head to give him a small kiss. He had other thoughts though, because he started to deepen the kiss.

"Mom and little brother in the room," Gretchen said softly as she reached for a towel next to us.

I broke the kiss from Ryan, trying to hide my red face. "Go do something useful and stop trying to distract me," I said, nudging him away.

He smirked as he grabbed a grape and gave me a wink. God this man was going to be the death of me...