Dear Amber,
You have been a very good girl this year. I hope you like the presents that I brought you. Thank you for the milk and cookies, and Rudolph thanks you for the carrot you left for him.
Santa
I gave Dave a soft kiss and sent him to bed when I headed out into the storm to complete my rounds. I wished that I was crawling into the warm bed beside him to hold him and make love to him. Dave was everything to me, and I was damn lucky that he loved me.
I checked in with dispatch as I started up the cruiser and was advised that Interstate 80 had been closed between Cheyenne and Evanston, near the Utah border. I was advised to stay in Onyx and wait for any calls for emergency services. The snow was probably only two feet deep, but the wind was causing drifting up to five feet in lots of places on the road. I holed up under the lighted canopy of the Gas-N-Go and waited for dispatch in case of emergency.
My mind went to Natalie’s death. The officer said that she had died of an overdose of heroin, but was it accidental. I doubted that it was. She and Eply were in a hotel room together, and he was shot, most likely by Sonny, but why? I opened my file that was now my constant companion and started going through my notes. I came across my interview with Danny Phillips, and this part, at least, became clear. Natalie had stolen at least a hundred grand from Eply. It had to have been a revenge killing. Eply just made it look like she had overdosed. Now, what part did Sonny have in shooting Eply? Back to my notes, I read again from my interview with Phillips that Sonny Horton was the courier for the money Danny was supposed to send to Eply from the drug sale to Jessica.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave,” I said to myself as I continued to review my notes. Again, this had to be about money. Sonny’s mother said he had a temper when he was high. He probably thought he could get away with shooting Eply to keep the money he was carrying. The silence of the night was broken by the sound of a truck and yellow flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I pulled on my hat and gloves and climbed out of the Tahoe. It was Doug pulling in behind me in the tow truck.
“Merry Christmas, Nick,” Doug said, trying to shield his face from the sting of the blowing snow.
“What’s up, Doug?” I asked.
“Got a call from Triple-A about a slide off at Mile Post 33. Overtime and double charge for the weather, couldn’t pass up the money?” Doug said. “I saw you sitting here and was wondering if you would mind following me with your lights flashing. The tow truck is chained up, but I wouldn’t mind having someone to tag along, just in case.”
“Sure thing. The Tahoe should do okay. I got her chained up as well,” I said. The two of us took off, headed south. It was a slow trek, but we ended up at the location of the slide off. It was an older couple that had been on their way to their son’s house just outside of Onyx for Christmas. They were happy to see us. Doug hooked up the tow bar to the front of the car and had it free from the snow bank in a matter of minutes. The husband rode in the back of the cruiser in the transport cage, and the wife rode up front with me. They were relieved to have been rescued and thanked both Doug and me profusely. Doug dropped their car off at Karl’s shop and headed back to his house while I took the lucky couple to their son’s house. Christmas wishes were given, and I left to go home. I cleared with dispatch, and she wished me a Merry Christmas.
Chapter 9
I pulled into Grandma Betty’s driveway. She was ready for Christmas morning with the kids. I helped her into the cruiser and made sure she secured. She only lived up the street, but I wasn’t going to risk having her walk down to the house in this weather. Georgia and Karl were already there. Unfortunately, the weather had kept Sandy from driving to be with us.
Amber was awake, but Dave had confined her to her bedroom until Grandma Betty and I got there. Now she was free to come into the living room and find what Santa brought her. She surprised us by taking Noah’s hand and helping him sit in front of the Christmas tree and open his presents first. Whatever we were doing as a family, we were helping make this little person nearly perfect. Licorice was only interested in tearing up the gift wrap.
“Amber, did you see that Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk you left him?” Dave asked her.
She jumped up from the floor and ran over to the end table to see the empty plate and glass and found the note that Santa had left her.
“Dear Amber,” she started reading very slowly, “You have been a very good girl this year. I hope you like the presents that I, what’s this word, daddy?”
“Brought you,” Dave answered as he helped her along.
“Thank you for the m-i-l-k, milk,” she sounded out, “And co, cook, cookies, and… what is this next part?”
“Rudolph thanks you for the carrot you left for him,” Dave read.
“Rudolph was here too?” she said excitedly.
“Yup,” Georgia said. “Now it’s time for you to open your presents, Amber.”
Noah was only interested in chewing on a bow from the wrapping paper. I took it away from him, which made him scream in anger. I tried replacing the bow with a stuffed animal, but he was having none of that. Dave picked him and gave him loves while bouncing him in his arms. Amber continued opening her presents, laughing, and talking nonstop about each one.
Grandma Betty opened her present from Dave and me. “Oh, it's a lovely housecoat. You boys shouldn’t have,” she said.
“You’re right, we shouldn’t have, but we love you anyway,” Dave said with a sarcastic laugh, which brought a swift bat to the back of his head from Grandma Betty. However, she also leaned in to give him a kiss and a thank you.
With Dave’s help, Amber had bought a gift for both Grandma Betty and Georgia. The women fawned over the gifts they received from Amber which made the little girl very proud. We had made it a part of Christmas for Amber that giving of yourself was the true Christmas spirit. I knew she was too young to really understand, but we would continue with that lesson for as long as we had her.
Karl was his usual stoic self when Dave gave him our present. Karl unwrapped the toolkit of standard and metric wrenches and got a big smile on his face. We had chosen well.
I had told Georgia weeks before about my plan to give Dave a new Berretta pistol. She interceded and forced me to go shopping with her. I was glad she did once I saw what she had in mind. I was nervous and excited to exchange presents with Dave. This was our first Christmas together as a couple, and the whole family was with us.
I moved to give Dave my present, but Georgia insisted that Dave go first. His face was red, and his hand was shaking as he held up a small box wrapped in gold paper. I knew what was coming next and my face flushed. I held a similar small box in my hand. Dave dropped to one knee and opened the box to display a gold wedding band.
“Nick, I waited four long years for you to come home to me, and know that we are together, I am asking you to marry me,” Dave said with a faltering voice.
He placed the ring on my finger and stood to face me. I took him in my arms, and we kissed before I answered. “Yes, Dave, I will marry you. I love you more than anything,” I said as I opened the ring box for him. Georgia had set this whole thing in motion, and we looked over at her as she was crying tears of happiness.
Amber was dancing around Dave and me as we hugged. “I knew you two would get married,” she said. “This is the best Christmas ever!”
It may have been Amber’s best Christmas ever, and it was truly a wonderful Christmas for Dave and me, but Georgia was torn between being happy for us and sad about the death of her only daughter. After cleaning up the gift wrap and boxes. The family settled for breakfast and then I went to bed for a few hours. I would be working the graveyard shift again that night.
I woke up a few hours later to the wonderful smells of Christmas dinner being cooked. In the kitchen, I found Dave and Grandma Betty finishing up the pies and Georgia putting mini-marshmallows on the sweet potatoes just the way I liked. I pulled Dave in for a hug and a kiss. We were, afte
r all, officially engaged to be married. Grandma Betty shooed me away. “He has work to do. You go watch football with Karl, and I think Noah may need his diaper changed.”
Originally, we had planned on having dinner at Grandma Betty’s, but that was before the big snow storm. Karl and Dave had trudged through the drifts, up the street, and retrieved the turkey and fixings for dinner. The family was confined to the trailer for Christmas.
“Papa Nick, can we go outside and make a snowman?” Amber asked tugging at my leg.
“Sure, let’s get dressed warm, and I’ll help you build a snowman in the front yard,” I said.
Before building a snowman, however, I showed Amber how to make snow angels. She was having fun playing in the snow, and so was I. “Is my mommy a snow angel?” she asked me.
“Yes, baby, your mommy is definitely a snow angel, and she loves you very much,” I said. God, I wanted to cry, but I held it together. I had seen a lot of shitty things while I was in Iraq, but this little girl healed my heart and gave me hope. I loved her without hesitation.
The snowman was leaning a little when we were finished with our masterpiece, but Amber didn’t care, she was just happy that we had crafted a snowman with a carrot nose and charcoal eyes and mouth.
“Papa Nick, I have to go potty,” Amber announced.
Without hesitation, I rushed her into the trailer, pulling off her boots and coat and sending her running for the bathroom. Peeling off my coat and setting my boots aside, I took Noah from Dave so he could finish the mashed potatoes. Georgia carved the turkey and set the platter in the middle of the table. Dave and Grandma Betty brought in the side dishes, and we all sat at the table for Christmas dinner.
Grandma Betty was scrutinizing each one the adults around the table when her eyes landed on me. “Nick, would you please say the blessing on the food?”
It would be an understatement to say I was shocked. I wasn’t a religious person, and Grandma Betty knew that. I don’t remember ever going into a church, let alone saying a blessing on the food. “Oh well, he goes,” I thought.
Dear Lord,
Please bless this meal that we are about to eat and bless each of us at this table as we celebrate the birth of Jesus on this day. We ask you that you take Natalie into your arms and protect and keep her until we can once again be with her and comfort our family in this time of sorrow.
Amen.
“Amen,” everyone repeated, even Amber.
“Nick, that was a lovely prayer,” Georgia said with a tearful smile.
Dave was looking at me with love in his eyes. “Thank you, Nick, it’s no wonder I love you.”
I cut up some turkey and placed it on Noah’s tray. He was in his high chair next to me, and Dave was helping Amber put food on her plate. Amber was not a picky eater, but Noah had his own ideas about food. He liked the corn kernels I put on his tray, but it was more for the butter than the corn as he would suck each kernel for a second and then spit it out. He was making me laugh. Noah did like the mashed potatoes that I was feeding him from my plate, and surprisingly he liked the cranberry relish. Of course, he would pucker his little mouth and squint his eyes with each baby bite, but he kept begging for more.
It was great that we had excellent cooks in the family. Dinner was delicious, as always, and remarkably, everyone was in good spirits. I attributed that to having the kids around to keep our minds off the adult things with which we had to deal. During dinner, I told the story of the old couple running off the road in the wee hours of the morning and Doug and me rescuing them.
Dave and I got a group text from Josh telling us that he was having Christmas dinner with Deputy Braydon, his new love interest. They were all smiles in the picture Josh had attached.
“Who’s that with Josh?” Georgia asked, looking over at Dave’s phone.
“It’s Andrew Braydon. He’s a deputy at the jail. He and Josh hit it off and have been dating,” Dave answered his mom.
“That’s nice to hear. I like Josh. He’s a very stalwart young man,” Grandma Betty said.
“Depady Luker is my friend,” Amber said, joining the adult conversation.
Just then Noah flung a piece of turkey at Dave. “Dada,” Noah screamed, and then laughed.
“You little shit,” Dave said, taking Noah from his high chair and giving him a raspberry on his belly making Noah scream with delight and kick his feet.
“Did he get enough to eat?” Georgia asked.
“Oh yeah,” I answered, “He ate half my mashed potatoes and the diced turkey.”
While we were having pie, Grandma Betty entertained us with stories about people around town. Reva’s Cut and Curl was a hotbed of gossip, and Grandma Betty perpetuated most of the rumors. She never said anything hateful, but she knew who in town was doing what and most of it was just plain funny. Grandma Betty’s friend Claire was also an open book of information about who was sleeping with whom that wasn’t their wife or husband. Grandma had us laughing at the goings on around town.
Karl and I did the cleanup after dinner to give the other three a rest. Dave was playing Candy Land with Amber and bouncing Noah in his new bouncy swing. Karl dried dishes while I washed. He talked to me about Sandy and his plan to ask her to get married. Karl also told me that he was happy that Dave and I were going to get married. I had to laugh when Karl told me that he thought he was going to have to beat the shit out me when I got back and hadn’t made up with his brother.
Christmas Day was coming to an end, and Grandma Betty had enough. She put on her winter boots and coat and asked Karl to escort her home, just up the street. Georgia, too, was worn out. They had been at our house since early morning. I offered to drive everyone home, but Georgia and Karl didn’t want to ride in the transport cage in the back of the Tahoe. It was funny because Amber loved riding back there.
With the rest of the family gone, Dave and I put in a movie for Amber and put Noah in his carrier seat. I fell asleep on the sofa with Dave spooning against my back. I did wake up a while later to hear Amber telling Dave that Noah had made a poopy. Dave got up to change the baby, but let me continue to sleep.
It was almost ten o’clock when Dave woke to watch the news before I got ready for work. The news on the weather wasn’t good. The storm front had stalled, and it was continuing to snow and blow.
“Are you going to be okay out there tonight?” Dave asked.
“Sure, I probably won’t drive much. Last night I mostly stayed at the Gas-N-Go and waited for any emergency calls,” I said to reassure him. “Are you worried about me?”
“Not worried, exactly, I just don’t want you to get stranded out there,” Dave said as he smiled and slugged my shoulder.
“Ouch, fucker,” I said. I took hold of him, and we began to wrestle around on the sofa until we were kissing and humping away.
“Shh, we need to be quiet. I just got the kids to go to sleep. Let’s go in the bathroom, and I’ll help you shower,” Dave said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Behind the closed bedroom door, we were removing our clothes and fondling one another to the point of being like animals. Our lust was taking over our thoughts and actions. We had learned to be quiet, but that didn’t stop us from having great sex. Dave turned on the shower, and I sank to my knees to suck his manly appendage. He was hung and uncut, and I loved his cock. Blowing him got me so fucking horny, I just about lost it a couple of times, but I held back. He leaned forward with his hands against the back wall of the shower and motioned for me to finger him and get him prepared for penetration. I kissed his neck from behind and ran my fingers up and down his hairy crack until he was gently moaning. My index finger found his puckered hole and pushed forward ever so slightly until it popped inside. My left arm was around his torso, and I was jacking his cock as I slowly finger fucked his hole, stretching and probing his anal opening. I found the lube on the soap holder and squirted a dribble down his crack, then pushed my middle finger inside with the other one.
“I’m ready, Nick,
please fuck me,” Dave whispered as he turned his head to look at me. His pupils were dilated, and his voice was breathy. I knew he was ready. I lubed up my cock and rubbed up and down across his hole getting myself prepared for entry. My cock was leaking like a fucking hose. I wanted him, and I wanted him now. I pushed forward and slid inside, slowly at first as I heard his breath catch in his throat, but then his hands reached back and pulled my hips toward him forcefully. My cock plunged forward entering him fully. My hand was jacking him off as I fucked him from behind.
It didn’t take long. I felt the muscles in his legs contract, and Dave started to whimper, trying to be as quiet as possible. His ass ring contracted tight around my cock, and he started to blast his load as I masturbated his dick. Feeling Dave climax pushed me over the edge, and I shot my load deep inside his bowels.
“I love you. I love you. God, you are so wonderful,” I whispered in his ear as I kissed the back of his neck.
My cock popped out as it started to go limp. We were both giggling fools as we held one another and kissed. The warm water of the shower sprayed around us, and Dave started to wash me with a washcloth and shower gel. When he was done washing me, I gave him a luxurious rub down with the fragrant soap.
Exiting the shower, we towel dried each other but continued kissing and touching in very intimate ways.
“Were you surprised this morning when I asked you to marry me?” Dave asked.
“Fuck yes. I mean it was so romantic and everything, but I didn’t expect that from you. I knew I was going to propose and I was so nervous thinking about that I didn’t suspect that you were planning the same thing,” I said with a big grin. “Seeing on your knee asking me to marry you just made me love you even more if that’s possible.”
Waiting for You Page 15