**edited 21/01/2021**

Ace

Tuesday 25th December 2018

         I was startled awake early on Christmas Day by my girlfriend throwing the duvet covers off of us and flicking the lights on, screaming "it's Christmas!" at the top of her lungs. I cracked open one eye and turned my head to look at her, she was dressed only in my t-shirt with a pair of black lacy panties on underneath. 

God, how did I get so lucky?

 I rolled over onto my side and pressed the home button on my phone, letting out an audible groan when I saw it was barely seven o'clock in the morning. "Come back to bed, baby. We can cuddle for a bit," I basically begged her, needing to get a bit more shut eye before I could function.

 Elle whined, shaking her head with her bottom lip poked out. "It's Christmas Day, Ace! Please can you get up, I bet my whole family is already awake!" She pleaded, rushing over to the bed so she could perch herself at the edge of the mattress, looking down at me with her large brown doe-eyes.

 I huffed out a sigh, giving in. How could I say no? "Okay, okay!" I said, sitting up in bed. I was immediately met by Elle wrapping her arms around my torso, pressing a long kiss to my lips before she pulled back. 

 "Mom's probably making her Christmas morning pancakes too," she grinned and I pecked her lips a few more times before I completely kicked the covers down my legs and slid out of bed. A smirk lifted onto my lips as I walked over to my suitcase and rooted for some clothes to wear downstairs with the obvious feeling of Elle gawking at me as I moved.

 She was a coy girl, she knew what she did to me and yet she seemed oblivious at the same time. Every time she sat on my lap and kissed me like there was no tomorrow, or wore her sexy little underwear and nothing else to bed I felt my dick basically strain out of my boxers and I had no clue if she even realised the effect she had on me or not.

 I knew what I did to her, not to be cocky but I could see her wide eyes gawking at me sometimes, and nobody could deny the pleasure I brought her when I used my fingers or mouth to coax her into a loud and blissful orgasm. I just wished I knew what was going on in that brain of hers, I never wanted to push her too far because I'd never forgive myself if I hurt her accidentally, and I didn't know if she was ready to be that intimate with someone after Carson. 

 I'd wait, though. I'd wait a million years for that girl without a question.

 "I got you something to wear downstairs, actually," Elle said hopefully and I suddenly straightened up and turned to face her, my eyebrows quirked.

 "You did what?" I asked her questioningly and she sheepishly walked to her wardrobe where she pulled out a small wrapped gift. "I thought we were doing gifts downstairs?" I asked her, taking the wrapped present from her hand.

 "Yes, but if you went downstairs like that to open this one, I think my mom would have a heart attack," she said and I smirked, observing how her eyes flickered down my body appreciatively. "Just open it, please!" 

 I thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay, but there is a present I want you to open up here... Away from your family," I said, swallowing back the doubt I had about the gift. There was an uncomfortable feeling in my chest whenever I thought about the gifts I got her and didn't know what it meant.

 I saw Elle's eyes widen slightly in panic. "What did you get me that my family can't see?" She asked.

 My eyebrows shot up. "God, no! Not like that," I said quickly, not wanting her to think I had gotten her some kinky sex gift. It was a thought that made me grin, but it was far too early for her. "It's just... Embarrassing. I don't want them to see it," I said nervously, not knowing how she'd react to that.

 She inspected my face for a few moments with her lips slightly parted until she nodded. "I actually have another gift I don't think you'd wanna open in front of my family, so that's fine," she said and I smirked at her comment, quirking my eyebrow at her which made her panic slightly. "Not a sex gift, I promise!" She said, rather flustered.

 I let out a breathy laugh. "I knew what you meant, Princess, I just like teasing you. But, I wouldn't have minded if it was a 'sex gift' either," I said with emphasis on the 'sex gift'.

 Elle's cheeks flushed red, and she pushed the gift further into my chest. "Just open this one now, we will go downstairs and open the ones we want to in front of my family. We will open our private gifts later on," she said insistently and I nodded, beginning to apprehensively tear back the paper for the gift.

 This was the first gift I had ever gotten for Christmas, my parents weren't exactly loving people and we didn't receive anything for Christmas at my home as a child. So, this felt odd, really odd.

 Once I got through the paper, I saw a bright red piece of clothing and when I pulled it out, underneath I saw another piece of clothing but it was white with red cheques instead. "They're pyjamas, I got us a matching set to wear for Christmas Day. It's stupid, really, you don't even have to wear-"

 "I love them," I said, cutting her off. Honestly, I didn't know if I liked them yet or not as I hadn't fully seen them but she was excited to see me in them and that's all that mattered to me. "Of course I'll wear them, if you are," I said to her and she eagerly nodded. "Thank you, baby."

 "No problem," she said shyly.

 I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist and dipped my head down to press my lips against her, folding our mouths together perfectly for a few moments to show her how truly grateful I was. She pulled back after a while and pecked my lips once more before heading to her wardrobe to retrieve her own pyjama set.

 I slipped on the shirt and bottoms, and then looked in the mirror with her beside me. We were both wearing a set of loose white and red checked pyjama bottoms with plain red long-sleeved pyjama tops that had a reindeer on. It was rather cheesy for me to be honest, but she seemed happy. 

(The pyjamas she got them above)

"Can I take a picture?" She asked, unsure, and I nodded.

 "Of course," I smiled. Quickly, she retrieved her phone and we stood in the mirror together as she proceeded to take a million different pictures of us together in our pyjamas. 

 "Are you ready to go downstairs?" She asked me and I nodded with a smile, going to my side of the bed to retrieve the bags filled with her family's wrapped presents from me. Hers were all under the tree already, but I had been too apprehensive to add mine to the collection in case there was a tradition of some sorts that I was unsure of.

 Elle kissed me one last time before we headed out of her bedroom and downstairs. I dropped off the presents in the living room before Elle dragged me to the kitchen, and as we got closer the scent of pancakes, cinnamon and chocolate wafted into my nose. Christmas was very different at the Matthews than what I was used to, that was clear.

 We stepped into the kitchen and saw everyone was stood around, drinking hot chocolate or coffee and chatting whilst Elle's mom cooked pancakes on the stove. "Merry Christmas!" Lydia, Elle's mom, greeted us immediately, wrapping her arms around Elle before she came over and hugged me.

 I still wasn't used to people other than Elle hugging me, but I was not going to push the poor woman off and so I just awkwardly patted her back as she embraced me. "Merry Christmas!" Elle said happily, and we both greeted her whole family.

 "Pancakes?" Her mom asked.

 "Do you even have to ask?" Elle grinned back, and then went to sit at the kitchen dining table with her brother Sawyer and his fiancé, Cady. 

 "I never know why this family wakes so early for Christmas," Cady groaned, resting her head on Elle's shoulder when she sat down and I smiled, agreeing with her internally.

 "Because it's Christmas!" Harley said whilst shovelling some maple syrup and chocolate covered pancakes into his mouth.

 "Yeah, Grinch," Sawyer chuckled, poking his fiancé's cheek. 

 "Ace, does your family insist on waking at an ungodly hour on Christmas?" Cady innocently asked me but a dark feeling spread across my chest and I dipped my eyes slightly, seeing Elle shooting me a worried expression.

 I got myself together quickly and shook my head. "No, we usually wake up whenever we feel like it and open presents together," I lied. "Sadly no Christmas morning pancakes for us, which sound and smell amazing by the way Lydia."

Lydia turned her head to look at me and pointed the spatula in my direction. "I like this boy, extra pancakes for you," she said to me and I smiled, letting out a small laugh.

 "Now that sounds like my family's Christmas, not forcing me awake at the crack of dawn," Cady said, glaring up at Sawyer, oblivious to my actual home situation. 

 "Here are your pancakes, boy, eat up," Lydia said to me and slid a stack of pancakes in front of me.

 "Thank you," I said to her, looking over at Elle to see she was smiling adoringly in my direction.