Here is the bonus chapter! :)

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Alek rushed down the stairs but slowed down once he neared the den, wanting to give the appearance of being calm.

Nataliya was patiently waiting, sitting in front of the tree with her hands folded in her lap, dressed in gingerbread pajamas. He could see that she had already started the fire and felt even more guilty.

"Sorry I'm so late. I was trying to wrap your gift and ran into some complications."

Instead of acting annoyed or teasing him, she stood to her feet and greeted him with a kiss. It caught him by surprise, so much that he didn't even have time to react. But she was already pulling him down to the floor beside her. "It's okay," she said sweetly. "Merry Christmas."

He returned the greeting, then handed her the present that was in his hands. She gave him his present too, but he didn't move to open it, not sure what to do now.

Nata broke the silence. "Er, I guess you can go first? Or should we open them at once?"

He shrugged and responded, "I don't care."

Really, he was nervous enough about her gift and kind of wanted her to go first but didn't want to admit that to her.

"Let's go one at a time, that way we can watch each other open our gifts."

"Ladies first," he gestured towards her, his heart starting to pound.

"I like this," she stated, staring at the box. Alek wished that she would just open it. "You did a good job wrapping my gift."

A flush spread over his cheeks when he remembered how much he had struggled with it, but thankfully Nataliya didn't notice. He watched as she carefully tore the paper open, then as she tried to open the box. Only she had trouble with the tape and an adorable frown crossed her face. Leaning over slightly, he assisted her. She smiled up at him, her eyes warm, and he momentarily forgot about how unsure he felt about the present. It wasn't until she took the lid off and looked down at the photo album that his heart started racing again.

And kept racing, because there was no reaction from his girlfriend.

Great, she hates it. She's trying to think of something polite to say. She—

Now she was lifting the album, flipping through the pages. "You made this?"

Alek wasn't sure what to say. Did she like it or not? Her face was unreadable as she went through the book, all the way until she got to the end. Then she turned to him, and he braced himself.

"Alek I love this. Thank you, it's perfect."

Relief poured over him but he asked to make sure, "Really? You're not just saying that?"

"Of course I'm not. I—" she cut off, then motioned towards his gift. He expected her to say more but all she said was, "open mine."

He obeyed but frowned, wondering at her tone. Trying to be careful, he peeled away the paper of her gift then glanced inside the box. Shock hit him at the contents, and at first, he didn't move.

"I guess we had the same thought this year for a gift," Nata stated with a chuckle.

He released a laugh as he lifted up another photo album, this one made by her, the irony hitting him. Going through the book, he was surprised to see really old pictures in it. Irina must have helped her. But when he got to the end and saw a few photos of him and Nataliya, his heartbeat slowed. They both looked so happy in all of them, but Alek's attention was caught by one that was only taken a couple of months ago. He had his arm around Nata and was grinning at the camera, but she was looking at him, an adoring smile on her face.

She really does love me.

Before he could stop himself he was tracing the photo and the few next to it, his thoughts racing.

I need to tell her how I feel. No more putting it off.

"What is it?" Nata's voice came to his ears, gentle, like she didn't want to startle him.

Fighting the emotion he was feeling, he turned to her. But when he met her eyes, dark yet warm, he had to look down.

Get yourself together and act like a man. You're going to make her think that something is wrong.

He lifted his gaze, looking her straight in the eye. "I need to tell you something. Well first, I want to say thank you for the gift. It means a lot to me."

Her face brightened at the words. "You're welcome," she said, breaking into the speech he was preparing.

Reaching over, he took her small hands in his own, loving how soft they were and how she squeezed them gently in response.

"But there's something else I want to say too—something I've felt for a while but have trouble saying for some reason," he admitted.

It was stupid really. He had always been straightforward. But when it came to his feelings, he froze up, kept them hidden. It was changing now, Nata deserved someone who would be open with her.

He looked at her now, was encouraged by the reassuring look she gave him in return and took a deep breath. This was it.

"You mean a lot to me Nata, more than I even thought possible. I know that it's only been ten months since we've started dating, but I want you to know"—suddenly needing her closer, he tugged her right up to him, where they were almost touching—that I love you."

There. He had said it. Now he waited for her reaction, every muscle in his body tense. But his girlfriend only blinked at him, and he let out a reflexive laugh, not sure what else to say.

Maybe it was too soon—

He felt her body suddenly against his, nearly making him lose his balance. She was hugging him? He still felt a little disoriented, not sure how to react, when her voice suddenly came to his ears. It was only a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear. "I love you too Alek."

"You do?" he asked, even as he felt himself relax.

"Yes."

She leaned back a little, a grin on her face and he couldn't help but return it. He felt light, happy, like he could do anything now.

"What's that?" Nataliya asked, bringing him out of his haze, but only slightly.

He looked over to see what she was talking about and saw that it was the smaller box that he had slipped out of his pocket when she hadn't been looking earlier. "Oh this is for you too," he said.

Earlier he hadn't been sure about it, but now, knowing that his feelings were returned, he was glad he bought it on impulse just two days ago.

"Another present?" Her brow furrowed. "But I didn't get you anything else."

"I don't care," he said, taking the object and handing it to her. "Open it."

She did so, and he had to laugh at the startled expression on her face when she caught sight of the ring box.

"It's not an engagement ring," he assured her—yet, he mentally added but decided not to voice it.

Alek watched her reaction as she opened the box and saw what was inside. A delighted look, almost like awe crossed her face. "It's beautiful. What kind of ring is this?"

He was a little surprised that she didn't already know. "A Claddagh ring. Do you know the meaning behind it?"

"An Irish ring that symbolizes friendship, love, and loyalty." Recognition lit her eyes as she lifted it out of the box. "I know how to wear it too."

His stomach did a weird little flip as he observed her putting it on her finger, indicating that her heart was 'taken'.

One day I want to see her move it to her left hand.

She looked up at him and he wondered if his thoughts were displayed on his face. But she kissed him before he could think too much more about it. "Thank you," she murmured but didn't pull away.

Alek wasn't sure what to say, so he spoke without words, shifting her slightly so he could pull her up against his chest. He smiled as she lifted her hand again to look at her ring, but still didn't say anything. After they had been sitting for a minute or so though, a thought came to him.

"What do we do now?" he asked, wondering if he was breaking some sort of protocol by just sitting here. "I'm not used to all of this Christmas stuff."

"Now we enjoy our time together. In a little bit we can go get Irina, but for now let's just stay here."

That seemed like a good idea to him. Placing his fingers on her cheeks, he angled her face so he could smile at her. "That sounds perfect," he stated. Then, because it seemed to fit, he added, "Merry Christmas Nataliya."

"Merry Christmas Alek," she said in reply.

He didn't say anything else, sinking back into the moment, but as he pulled her up to him again, he had to admit that this was one of the best Christmas's he had ever experienced.

—

Dun-dun-dun!

The end!