The unexpected gift, p.1
The Unexpected Gift, page 1
part #1 of Unexpected Series
The Unexpected gift
The Unexpected series, book #1
DL Gallie
Can an unexpected gift change your life?
The Unexpected Gift, book 1 in the Unexpected series
Copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
Published by DL Gallie Author
First published 30th March 2019 in the Calendar Men series as ‘December’
Second Edition, 3rd November 2019
Edited by Karen Hrdlicka, Barren Acres Editing
Cover Design by Dana Leah of Designs by Dana
Created with Vellum
Contents
The Unexpected Series
Also by DL Gallie
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Extended Epilogue
Sneak peak at The Unexpected Letter
Acknowledgments
Also by DL Gallie
Contact the author
About the Author
Could an unexpected gift change your life?
They call me the Grinch, and they’re right; I hate Christmas.
So why am I volunteering to help with the charity toy drive? I’ll tell you why, Marlee ‘Oh so sexy’ Adams
As soon as we crashed into each other, I was done for.
Her ass. Her eyes. Legs that go on and on.
𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘀?
She’s the perfect present for this Christmas Grinch…𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿.
Little did I know, Marlee was an unexpected gift I didn’t know I needed.
The Unexpected Series
The Unexpected Gift
The Unexpected Letter
The Unexpected Package
The Unexpected Connection
Also by DL Gallie
THE UNEXPECTED SERIES
When it comes to love, expect the unexpected
The Unexpected Gift
The Unexpected Letter
The Unexpected Package
The Unexpected Connection
THE CASTAWAY GROVE COLLECTION
Love has arrived in the Grove
Oasis
Unequivocal Love
Five Words - available for preorder, coming 13 January 2020
I’ve Loved You Since Forever - Coming April 2020
THE LIQUOR CABINET SERIES
Liquor has never been so disturbingly saucy
Malt Me (Book 1)
Tequila Healing (Book 2)
Wine Not (Book 3)
The Final Shot (Book 4)
The Liquor Cabinet: Series boxset
STAND ALONES
Out of Nowhere
Antecedent
Seven Nights
Titanic Tales, a charity anthology (no longer available)
Gone Coastal, a sizzling summer beach anthology
Leave Me Breathless: The Lilac Collection
A note from the author
This book was originally published n March 2019 as December, book 12 in the Calendar Men series.
It is the same story but this version has a new title and an extended epilogue giving you a peek into Gage and Marlee’s life after the original epilogue.
To Chloe, thank you for everything
Prologue
There was a point in time when I loved Christmas. The snow, the cookies, the songs, the tree; I loved it all. Then one year, my world shattered and I hated everything about it.
One Christmas I met someone and everything shifted. December and Christmas became the most magical time of year again for me. Who knew the gift of love had the power to change the course of my life?
This is the story of my unexpected gift.
1
…December 20th, 1998
…twenty years ago
The snow was late arriving this year; Ma was worried that there would be none for Christmas. It was already December and only a few flakes had fallen, which was highly unusual for Chicago. The air outside was chilly; the sky was gray, indicating that snow wouldn’t be too far away, so I started to get excited for the impending snowfall. I’d never had a Christmas with no snow; that would be weird, but also awesome at the same time. I don’t know how those in Australia do it. We’d just learned about Australia in geography class; when I’m big, I want to go there and ride a kangaroo.
I’m on the floor in the living room, sitting by the fire playing with my trucks, when Dad comes stumbling in, he’s drunk…this has been happening more often lately. Even though I’m only ten, I can’t remember the last time he came home sober. It all started going downhill rapidly when he lost his job at the factory three months ago. I don’t know how Ma puts up with him, but she loves him unconditionally. The wind outside is howling and the air blowing in the open door is freezing. “Ma, I think it’s gonna snow,” I excitedly say, jumping up to look out the door that Dad has left open.
Before I make it outside, Dad reaches out and grabs me by the scruff of the neck. “Where you going, Son?” he slurs.
“Outside to see the snow fall.”
“Don’t be such a pussy. It ain’t gonna snow ‘til later, didn’t your Ma teach you nothin?” He shoves me to the side and walks into the kitchen. He swings open the fridge door and growls, “Where’s my beer, woman?”
“At the store, dear,” Ma replies. “Gage and I are going to run out just as soon as the cookies for the church bake sale are done.”
“What the hell did you do all day? I want a beer now.”
“You’ll just have to wait. The world doesn’t revolve around you, dear husband,” Ma says in reply, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Dad grins at Ma and it’s nice to see his features soften and his eyes reflect love toward her; that is until he opens his mouth again. “I remember a time when this house was spotless. There was always beer in the fridge. Dinner would be in the oven waiting for me when I got home.”
“Times change, dear.” The oven timer dings. “Look at that, I can head to the store in a few moments and get you your precious beer.” She looks over to me. “Gage, go and put your shoes on and grab our coats, please. As soon as I have placed these on the cooling rack we can go.”
“Yes, Ma,” I say, beginning to pack up my toys.
“Ma, you can drop me at The Grand and pick me up when you’re done,” Dad interjects, completely ignoring me. The Grand is the local pub closest to where we live, it’s Dad’s second home. Which is what I prefer, if he’s not ignoring me, he’s picking on me—“You’re too small, Son. You’re too tall, boy. You’re such a pussy. You’re a disgrace,” that’s my favorite one. There’s no pleasing him.
“Yes, dear,” Ma agrees, as she begins to place the cookies on the cooling rack. Ma placates him all the time. I may only be ten, but I know he treats her like shit. If I ever get a wife, I’ll never treat her like he treats Ma. Sometimes I wish he was dead, but I know that would crush Ma, she loves him unconditionally; assholeness and all.
Ten minutes later, we head out and walk to the car. It's freezing. I look to the sky and see it’s grayer than before and gloomy, there’s definitely snow coming tonight. I can feel it in my bones. With a pep in my step at the impending snow, I climb into the back seat of Ma’s Volvo and put my seat belt on.
Ma has just put her belt on when Dad bellows, “Put the heater on, woman!”
“It is, dear,” she pats him on the thigh and they lovingly smile at one another, “it just takes a while to warm up.”
Dad growls and mumbles to himself. The car is silent on the five-minute trip to The Grand. Dad is opening the door to jump out before Ma has even stopped. “I’ll make my own way home,” he says to Ma, as he climbs out. He slams the door shut and waddles his fat ass into the pub.
“Have a good time, dear,” Ma cheerfully says, even though Dad doesn’t hear because he’s long gone.
Ma waits until Dad is inside and then pulls away from the curb. We drive up to a red light and she turns the radio on. A Christmas song is playing. Ma and I sing along with it. When the song finishes, I ask, “Ma, who sang that? It's my favorite Christmas song.”
“It’s called ‘Winter Wonderland’ and it’s sung by Dean Martin. And guess what, buddy?”
“What?” I eagerly reply.
“It's my favorite too.”
With a smile on my face, I sit back in my seat and stare out the window, when all of a sudden it starts to snow. “Look, Ma, it's snowing.”
“Well, look at that, it is too. It's a Christmas miracle.”
We pull up at the mall and climb out. Looking up to the sky, I let the snowflakes fall on my face. “Quick, let’s get this done and we can get home and watch the snow fall.”
“There’s no rush,” she says, grabbing my hand and squeezing it like she always does. Lifting my head, I look up at Ma. She is beautiful. Curly golden blonde hair that goes to her shoulders. Vivid blue eyes, just like mine, and a smile that lights up her face.
“Yes, there is, because tonight’s the night,” I excitedly say, “the snow is here.”
Tugging on Ma’s hand, I pull us toward the stores. As we enter the mall, she looks down at me and gives me a smile; it's a smile I will always remember. I grin back up at her and link my fingers with hers. I love my Ma so much.
As soon as we are inside, I hear Christmas music. I can smell roasted chestnuts. People are chattering. Santa is yelling, “HO! HO! HO!” There’s a huge tree and everything is adorned in either tinsel or Christmas lights. It’s magical. It’s wonderful. It’s Christmassy.
We quickly get what we need, Pa’s beer included, and then we make our way back to the car. We load the shopping into the trunk and climb in. Ma lets me sit in the front this time, I like sitting up front, you can see so much more from here.
We pull out onto the main road and head toward home. We turn the radio back on and catch the tail end of a song. I’m eagerly awaiting the next song when disaster strikes. We are around the corner from home when Ma hits a patch of black ice and she loses control. The car spins and spins, there’s no stopping it; we are out of control. The car crosses the centerline and we veer into oncoming traffic, there’s a truck coming straight at us. There’s nothing we can do.
The sound of the two vehicles colliding is deafening. Metal crunching. Glass shattering. Screaming from both Ma and me. Ma screams in a way I will never forget. Up until this moment, I had never heard anything like it before. When the car finally stops moving, my eyes open, I hadn’t realized I had closed them. Blinking a few times, my vision comes back. Looking over my body, I sigh when I realize I’m unhurt, even though my head is bleeding furiously. Glancing over to Ma, my eyes immediately fill with tears and my heart shatters into a million tiny fragments, just like the windshield. Her hair is no longer golden and beautiful, it’s matted and stained dark red. Her face is covered in blood. Her arm is bent the wrong way and her eyes…her eyes are wide open and vacant. It looks like she’s staring at me but she’s not seeing me; she doesn’t seeing anything anymore. Her eyes are no longer vivid blue but a dull gray. Until the day I die, I will never forget that vacant, blank look staring back at me, that image will forever be etched in my mind.
A scream erupts from me when I realize that Ma is dead, and I’ll be left alone…with him. I try and move but my seat belt is cutting into me and I’m trapped. Panic begins to set in and I start screaming and shouting. The fear coasting through me causes my vision to blur. The last thing I remember before I pass out is Ma and her vacant gaze staring back at me.
The next time I wake up, the sun is rising and I’m in a hospital bed. Pa is sitting in the chair next to me, he reeks of beer and cigarette smoke. His eyes are red-rimmed, I don’t know of it’s from the booze or over Ma. When he notices I’m awake, he sadly smiles at me. “You’re awake. Let’s go.”
He doesn’t ask how I am.
He doesn’t offer me any sympathy at all.
He’s indifferent…he’s Dad.
He signs my discharge papers and we make our way home…silently…just the two of us.
When we arrive home, I look to the counter and see the remnants of Ma’s baking from yesterday, and it’s in that moment, it all comes crashing back into me.
I’m all alone now.
The one person in this world who cared for me and love me unconditionally is gone…this Christmas will forever be known as the one that ruined my life.
2
…December 3rd, 2018
…current day
The sound of Christmas music rings through my ears as I quicken my pace through the food court and back to the office. “I fucking hate Christmas,” I mumble to myself as I round the Christmas tree in the foyer. Thankfully the elevator is there and I climb into the waiting car. The doors close and I smile as the Christmas music fades, and I’m now listening to the drab elevator music as I ride up to WFOX-FM. I’m the marketing director and have been here for coming on fours years now. Seriously, I will take drab elevator music over Christmas tunes any day. Hell, I’d even take silence over Christmas tunes, anything to do with Christmas sucks ass.
Thank God Christmas only comes around once a year, but must all the major retailers start with that shit right after Halloween? It’s like they are trying to punish me. Trying to make me remember that fateful day earlier and earlier each year.
The elevator doors open and I step out into the foyer of WFOX-FM and I crash—literally—into a warm svelte body. Glancing over, I see an angel before me. Her eyes are hypnotizing, her legs go on and on, and her ass, which my hand is currently resting on, is phenomenal. “Shit, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Umm, yeah, I’m fine, but if you could kindly remove your hand from my ass that would be great,” she huskily says, her eyes fused to mine. She swallows deeply as her eyes roam over my face.
“Shit, sorry,” I say, No, I’m not, as I remove my hand from her perfect ass. Pulling her up into a standing position. My eyes subtly rake over her body. Her oh-so-fucking-fine body. My eyes eventually land on her face and I notice her cheeks are pink—pink with desire. When she realizes that I caught her checking me out, her cheeks darken further, and I can’t help but smirk.
“I’m so sorry about that…” I pause, willing with my eyes, hoping she will offer me her name.
“Marlee Adams,” she says with a smile that lights up her face, reminding me of Ma, when she’d smile at me.
“Pleasure to crash into you, Marlee, I’m Gage Grainger.” I stretch out my hand for her to take, and as soon as her soft delicate palm touches mine, I’m a goner.
“Nice to meet you, Gage.” My eyes rake over her body once again, and I decide I need to have this woman writhing in pleasure beneath me. I raise my eyebrows suggestively and notice her swallow deeply. With a smirk, I ask, “Can I help you at all?”
“I’m here about the WFOX-FM charity toy drive,” she cheerfully says.
Fucking Christmas, I think to myself as I plaster on a fake smile, the desire of wanting to be with her dwindling at the mention of Christmas, toys, cheer, and all that Christmassy bullshit. “You’d be after Kasey and Chelle, let me escort you to them.”
“Thank you. I’ve been thrown into this at the last minute. Hence why I’m in a fluster right now.”
“Here I was thinking you were in a fluster due to me,” I playfully reply.
She looks up to me and once again, her cheeks darken and she swallows deeply.
“I…umm, ahh…”
“I’m joking, Marlee.” She visibly relaxes at my reply. “Sort of,” I quickly add.
“And will you be assisting us with this year’s drive?”
Before my brain registers what I’m saying, I blurt out, “Of course, I am.” What the fuck, Grainger? I internally scold myself, but when I see the smile light up Marlee’s face, I think maybe it might work in my favor. Work closely with her. Wine her. Dine her. Unwrap her, then fuck her. I’m currently thinking about her legs wrapped around my head while I feast on her pussy; my cock likes these thoughts as it twitches in my pants.
