Maybe she did and maybe it was the ghosts of Christmas present and future, because as far as I’m concerned that’s all there is anymore.
There is no past. All my thoughts are of this moment, and the future we’re going to have with our own family.
All the years of getting them off to bed so Santa can bring their presents, and we’re going to have the best kids ever and spoil them every chance we get, but not so much that they’re not good little people that grow up to be big people.
I never understood the appeal women have for little things. Babies, puppies, kittens…I didn’t get it.
Until now.
Now the thought of something so tiny, so fragile, that the two of us made together is mind blowing. Something so small that it has no choice but to give us its complete trust that we’ll do everything we can not only to make sure it’s safe and warm, but grows up to be an amazing person…just like its mother.
Because everything in my life, and there’s, will always start and end with the matriarch.
Her. The best Christmas gift I could have ever received.
But she’s not just my Christmas gift…she’s my everything.
CHAPTER 16
Madison
Not only is this the steamiest night I’ve ever had, not that I have anything to compare it to, but still, it’s also the most fun I’ve ever had.
Somewhere in-between cuddling up on the couch watching bits and piece of Christmas movies, eating gingerbread cake, and playing Christmas songs we get the crazy idea to run outside and build a snowman.
There’s a part of Austin’s small yard where no one can see in, and of course we build it there. No way is Austin letting anyone else put their eyes on my uncovered body.
The first run out we’re still hot from all the friction from our bodies rolling around on top of the sheets, and we only get the bottom ball of the snowman made.
We run back inside for another romp and some gingerbread cake “fuel” and then back out to add the second ball.
With still the head to go we curl up on the couch and start watching the classic film, A Christmas Story.
We fast forward to the part where the twelve-year-old Haverford boy gets his tongue stuck on the pole after accepting a “triple dog dare” from his classmate, Ralphie.
“We could try that,” I say leaning my head around to look at Austin. “I know I’d like to try putting my tongue on your pole, and you don’t even have to triple dog dare me.”
Moments later I’m moving into position so I can taste him for the first time.
Now I know why he was losing it when he first put his mouth to my middle. He may not be sweet, but that’s the last thing I want out of my man.
His salty, musky goodness fills my throat moments later and I swallow it all down, accepting his gift and already looking forward to doing it again.
Our bodies are hot again, but not that hot since we weren’t making so much skin-to-skin contact. This time we put on only our ugly sweaters and boots and run out into the yard to complete the snowman.
The whole thing is too funny, and I can’t believe I feel more like a kid on what has now turned into Christmas morning, than I ever did when I was young.
My childhood was great, no doubt, but doing these things so unexpectedly as an adult is just a whole other level of fun…not that I got naked and built a snowman as a kid mind you.
And of course once we’re inside and I ask Austin for a candy cane, he offers me his very own.
I had no idea there could be so many sexual innuendos tied to Christmas, and I even joke that he should use some of the wrapping ribbon to tie my hands behind my back, which he does and it leads to a mind-blowing climax.
“You’re going to need to re-examine all of me for bruises after tonight,” I say as he cuts me free. “Do I need to schedule a follow-up appointment, doctor?”
“All you need is me, and you’ve got me. And in your case, and your case alone, I’ll always see you via house call.”
“Thank you,” I say, winking at him.
“And for the record I’ve been examining you all night and I must say you are the most perfect female specimen the world has ever scene.”
My cheeks heat, and I can’t help but blush at his words.
“So perfect in fact that the thought of never waking up on Christmas morning, or any morning, and not having you by my side is something I don’t ever want to ever have to think about. I want you as mine, this morning, and every morning and every day and night and all the times in-between…forever.”
He drops down to one knee and, from where I don’t know, pulls a small, black, velvety box, opening it up showing me a sparkling diamond ring inside.
“All I want for Christmas is you. Be mine this Christmas and always. Marry me.”
My hands shoot up to my face and I feel the tears streaming down. I go to open my mouth and say the words but nothing comes out. I’m still in complete shock. I can’t even believe this is happening.
How did this girl get so lucky?
Easy, because I got him.
I nod, and finally my vocal cords remember how to do their job as I say, “Yes.”
He slides the ring on my finger just as the lights on the tree change from the slow on and off to blinking very rapidly as if a celebration is in order, and one most certainly is.
With my newly ringed ring finger, I place my hands on his face and lift him up to me, kissing him hard.
“I’ll be yours this Christmas all right…and forever, because I love you.”
“I love you,” he says.
CHAPTER 17
Madison
Sitting on Austin’s couch completely naked eating bacon with my fingers, one sporting a huge diamond, is not how I expected to spend my Christmas morning, but is it ever great…because we’re doing it together.
We’ve got Christmas music turned on again in the background. It’s playing very lightly as we watch the snow fall outside.
I hear a strange vibrating sound and my eyebrows furrow.
My phone?
“Oh shoot,” I say, realizing I totally forgot to call my parents. They’re surely expecting me to be home by now.
I run for my phone and get it on the fifth vibration.
“Where are you?” my dad asks.
“I’m on my way,” I say.
“You’re supposed to spend the holidays with your family. You know that. What’s gotten into you?”
I swallow hard and try not to laugh. Technically I am with my family…my new family. And in regards to what’s gotten into me? Him…a lot!
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll be over shortly.”
“Hurry up. Your brothers and sister are waiting on you so we can start opening gifts. Do you have any idea how hard it is to tell a five and an eleven-year-old they can’t open their presents when they’ve been staring at them since five in the morning”
“I’m sorry. Coming now,” I say, hanging up the phone. I can imagine five-year-old Maverick going crazy being able to see his gifts but not open them. Maya, at eleven, is probably just as anxious to get going. Luckily for my parents, Mason is eighteen and “too cool” for Christmas at his age.
My dad is right. I do need to get home even though I want to stay here. This transition from being single to engaged happened so fast, even for me. Now I have to come up with a way to ease my family into it.
Considering I’m going to come strolling home, or their home, sporting a huge rock on my finger is going to go over about as well as an old shoe in the Christmas punch bowl.
“Everything okay?” Austin asks, leaning against the doorjamb completely naked, looking sexy and masculine as hell.
“I’m so, so, sorry, but I really have to go home.”
“I’ll go with you, and don’t worry. I completely understand.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Are you kidding me? We’re a team now, officially. We do things together and go places together, not
to mention face challenges together. No way I’m going to send you over to your family by yourself and let you give them the news all alone. That’s definitely not the kind of guy I am. Plus I want to see the smiles on your parents faces when they hear your dad’s best friend and his daughter are engaged.”
I knit my brows and look at him curiously. “You think they’re going to be happy to hear that?” I ask. Does he know my dad that much better than I do, because in no way do I expect that kind of reaction.
“Honestly? I’m trying to be positive, but in reality I know we’re about to walk right into the eye of the hurricane,” he says.
We both laugh, but our laughs quickly turned to concerned looks as we know this Christmas morning we’ve got a surprise gift for my family that their first thought will be to take back for a full refund, but there’s no going back, just like Austin said.
And now I have to be prepared to get yelled at, possibly cursed at, and we may have to come right back over here to avoid the accurately described eye of the hurricane.
I’m no weather girl, but I know this hurricane is going to leave a complete mess in its wake, and there might even be some serious destruction.
Time to show my parents I am an adult and I can be with whoever I want, even if he is eighteen years my senior and my dad’s best friend.
I swallow hard. Yeah, this isn’t going to be good.
“I got you, woman,” he says wrapping his arms around me sensing my growing anxiety.
“We’re gonna get through this together. Just let me take the lead and everything will be okay. I’ll make your dad see that this is real, true, and perfect.”
CHAPTER 18
Madison
“You what?” my dad says, his stance widening as he growls at Austin.
“Mike, please sit down,” Austin says, but my dad’s thinking the exact opposite.
He flies across the room throwing his fists wildly at Austin who catches the first mid-throw with his bare hand, but the other lands right in Austin’s gut. My dad is almost as big as Austin so this is like watching two grizzly bears go at it on National Geographic.
And I hate it.
“Stop!” my mom yells, but it’s no use.
Austin tries to wrap up my dad, refusing to throw a punch at him while my dad tries to break his arms free throwing punches wildly, but he’s too close to Austin to get anything on his punches, not to mention Austin’s muscles are too thick to take much damage from short jabby shots that mostly graze him or he deflects.
“Calm down, Mike,” Austin says.
I hate watching this, but I can’t take my eyes off it at the same time.
“Go to your room,” my mom says scurrying the kids off out of the living room.
She turns to look at me as she’s hunched over trying to maneuver my brothers and sister away from the ruckus, and just shakes her head at me.
That’s actually the worst part of this…feeling that my mom is so disappointed in me while this crazy melee plays out right in front of us.
I feel like I’m having an out of body experience, my feet stuck in quicksand as I see everything that’s happening around me but I’m just frozen in place.
In a way it’s like time stands still and as crazy as it sound I can see that Austin’s ability to keep a cool head, even in an absolute crazy time like this, is going to be huge when we do have our first kid.
Knowing he won’t get rattled over all night crying, or multiple diaper changes, or any of the other tough parts of being a parent is very comforting.
My dad on the other hand?
He looks like an absolute basket case right about now.
“My Poinsettias!” my mom says a few seconds later as she comes back in the room just as Austin has my dad wrapped up from behind, but my dad digs in his heels and pushes off backwards sending both men flying onto the dinner table.
The smell of mince pies fills the room as I see the dish strewn out all over the tiles. Mince pies? Is my mom trying to be Mary Poppins this year? I do have to admit I am digging it though.
Now they’re both on the ground and thanks to my brother’s UFC obsession, and how much he talks about it, I was expecting this to be over quickly.
Boy was I wrong.
Unlike the UFC where once the fight “goes to ground” and one of the men often has an advantage, this one is still squarely a tie.
And to make matters worse apparently my mom had already lit a candle on the dinner table and my dad’s ugly Christmas sweater, guess it runs in the family, turns out to be flammable.
“Mike! You’re on fire!” my mom yells running for a pitcher of punch and a big box of baking soda.
She just starts throwing everything she’s got on my dad but it’s not working.
Now I’m freaking out.
Austin jumps up as the two men come apart. Grabbing a rug from the kitchen Austin runs back in and tackles my dad, who for some reason stood up.
Austin rolls him like a snowball across the floor and then back again.
Quickly he opens the rug and all that comes out is some smoke.
Austin grabs my dad’s sweater and yanks it up and over his head, quickly examining my dad’s torso for burning.
My dad’s chest is heaving and he has a look in his eyes like he thought he was just about ready to meet his maker.
In a roundabout way it’s good, because he doesn’t move and Austin can do what he needs to do.
“Turns out that ugly sweater made in some cheap factory in who knows where was damn near as flammable as lighter fluid, but you’re going to be okay Mike. It caught the outside of it, but it didn’t burn through.”
I look at my dad realizing he doesn’t seem to have any signs of being burnt.
“This is literally a Christmas miracle,” my mom says.
She moves in to my dad putting her hand on his cheek as tears stream down her face. She gives him a kiss, and without realizing it I’m doing the exact same thing to Austin, in the exact same moment. The only difference is my dad is on his back looking like he’s practically in shock, and Austin and I are standing.
“I’m really sorry about this, guys,” Austin says looking toward my parents.
“It’s not your fault, Austin,” my mom says. “We…we’re the ones who shouldn’t have acted this way. We caused the trouble that led to this and if anything we owe you an apology and a debt of gratitude for what you did for us. The thought of something happening to Mike is devastating.”
I notice something in my mom’s words that maybe I never picked up on before. When she refers to what my dad did she said, “we,” although clearly my dad was the aggressor who was responsible for everything.
But my mom’s always got his back. They’re always a team.
And I really like, respect, and appreciate that.
And that’s exactly how I feel about Austin and I.
“Can we open our presents now?” I hear my little five-year-old brother Maverick say, and turn to see him and my other two siblings heads peeking out from around the side of the doorjamb.
I can’t help but smile and then I look around the room and see all of the adults smiling. The joys of being a child on Christmas morning. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can get in the way.
“Come here,” my mom says.
Maverick goes running towards my mom in his Spiderman pajamas with the feet.
She wraps her arms around him. “Yes, honey. Just give us a couple minutes to get this fixed up and then you can open them.”
“Is Austin staying to watch?”
My mom looks at my fiancé, and then gives him a slow, small nod.
“Yeah buddy. I’m staying,” he says.
“Yeah!” Maverick says as he goes running towards Austin who scoops him up under his armpits and lifts him in the sky.
“You’re flying Spidey!” he says.
“Of course. I’m Spiderman. It’s what I do,” Maverick says.
We can’t help but all laugh at my little brothe
r.
Even my dad cracks a smile.
We may have gotten off to one heck of a bumpy start, but this is exactly how you’re supposed to spend Christmas morning.
Together…laughing, loving, and appreciating those that matter most. It’s not the material gifts that you give each other, it’s the gift of love that come from the heart.
Possessive Doctor's Christmas: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Know What He Wants Book 89) Page 7