by Jean Joachim
Carrie stood up and took her bags of gifts and placed them under and around the tree. Then she did the same with the two bags Jenna had brought in. Afterward she rejoined Fran.
"Let's go over the schedule for today and tomorrow." She pulled a small journal out of a large pocket in the apron and opened it to a clipped page.
"The open house has been moved to 2:30 to 7:30 so anyone who wants to can go on the Santa sighting hayride. Grey," she said, turning to face her son, "Carrie has never been on that. It's not long, about twenty minutes. Might be fun. Then we have our one-present exchange at eight o'clock."
Grey nodded at his mother and directed his gaze at Carrie, who smiled at him in return.
"Dad is doing brunch this morning…what are we having John?"
"Pancakes and link sausages. Chocolate chip pancakes 'cause Grey said those are Carrie's favorite," John smiled directly at her.
Carrie blushed at the attention.
"Okay, he's going to start that in about five minutes. It's nine thirty now, hmmm. We need to get the ham in the oven by one o'clock. So let's eat then divide into teams. We got most of the cleaning done before you got here, Grey…" Fran said, checking a list she pulled out of her pocket.
"Gee, I'm disappointed!" He made a mock sad face. Colin threw a pillow at him.
"Right! I've saved a few choice tasks for you, though," Fran smiled at him, her eyes twinkling.
Grey groaned and rolled his eyes.
"I think I have all the food and I've been baking cookies all week. They're in tins. Still, I didn't get around to lemon bars and you know Emma always asks for those."
Silence fell on the room. Fran gave a quizzical look. Barbara stood up.
Why did everyone clam up when Emma was mentioned? Bet Grey knows.
"Then we have a lot to do, so we'd better begin," she said, tapping Earl on the shoulder.
Everyone got up and went to the kitchen. Together they set the big table in the dining room while John whipped up pancake batter. Barbara cooked the sausages on the grill on the back deck. Grey and Carrie disappeared into their room to unpack.
"Why did everyone get quiet when your mother mentioned Emma?" Carrie asked Grey as she slung her small suitcase on the bed and unzipped it.
"Don't know. Emma's a family friend. She and Matt."
"Matt's her…husband?"
"Yup. They've got a kid, too."
"But she comes here every year for your family's Christmas open house?"
"They come on Christmas day, in the afternoon for an hour or two."
"What aren't you telling me?" Carrie opened the top dresser drawer, folded her lingerie and placed it inside.
"Okay, okay. She was my first…and I was hers. But it's ancient history."
"Ancient history with you or her?"
Carrie picked up her hairbrush and watched Grey in the mirror while she gave her hair a few strokes.
"Both of us." Grey inserted a hanger in a flannel shirt and stepped over to the closet.
"Losing your virginity is a big deal. Someone you usually remember." Carrie stopped, her hand poised in the air, holding the brush. Her gaze followed Grey.
"I have you. I moved on and I assume she has, too. Or Matt's going to have a problem," he said, hanging up the shirt in the closet.
"Perhaps your sibs don't agree. Otherwise why did everyone clam up at the mention of her name?" Carrie put down the brush, folded some shirts and added them to the drawer, then closed it.
"She likes to flirt with me. It used to make Matt mad, but I think he gets it's only Emma being Emma and it doesn't mean anything." Grey took all his socks in one hand, opened the second dresser drawer, and dumped them in.
"Is she pretty?" Carrie took a dress out of her bag and shook it out.
"I guess. Haven't thought about her in a long time. She's not as pretty as you are,"
"Oh?" Carrie hung up her dress.
"What?" He stopped and stood still with a fistful of boxers.
"Do I need to worry about this woman?" She whirled around to face him, her brow furrowed. In two strides he was in front of her, enveloping her in his arms. He hugged her tightly to his chest.
"Honey, you don't have to worry about anything. I love you and only you. I'm not interested in anyone else. You're mine and I'm yours. Don't let her visit ruin our first Christmas together."
"Hey, yeah. It is our first Christmas together," she let out the breath she was holding and rested her head on his chest. A smile curled her lips, her eyes closed.
"Looks like we'll have to move our 'date' tonight to nine, instead of eight."
"Still gives us plenty of time…" She closed her mouth and glanced up at him.
Grey grinned at her and dropped a kiss on her lips.
"Hey, you two, get outta bed…Breakfast is ready!" Colin called up the stairs.
Color rose to Carrie's cheeks as Grey took her hand, leading her into the hall.
"Colin can be a real jerk sometimes," he murmured as he headed for the stairs.
Chapter Three
Breakfast was a noisy meal with everyone talking, often at the same time. Fran tried to divvy up jobs but her children had minds of their own. Grey volunteered to stock the bar with his dad. Colin agreed to vacuum the living room. Jenna and Barbara offered to cook with help from Carrie and Fran.
"You'll be okay, right?" Grey asked Carrie as he wound a wool scarf around his neck.
"Of course. What could happen?" She stepped up to him and zipped up his jacket.
"I don't know but leaving you here with my idiot little brother makes me nervous."
"I'll be fine."
"I won't be long." He bent over and kissed her quickly, then moved in closer for a longer, deeper kiss.
His father came up behind him and gave a tug on his jacket collar.
"Let's go, Casanova," John chuckled, patting Grey's shoulder.
By one o'clock, all the food was ready except for the ham, which was in the oven slow cooking. Carrie snuck upstairs to grab a nap before meeting the local friends at the open house. She'd enjoyed cooking with Jenna, Barbara and Fran. They treated her like a sister; kidded her and ordered her about like they did with each other.
Though Carrie warmed to being part of the family, her head was now pounding with all the noise and the strain of making sure to say the right things and not put her foot in her mouth. Fran was the first to retire for a rest, then Jenna. Bill came in from walking the dogs and when he found out Jenna had retired, he followed her.
Getting a little, eh Bill? Carrie snickered to herself as she watched Bill pass her on the stairs then disappear through the doorway to the room he shared with Jenna. The door closed quietly. Carrie continued to climb the tall staircase, gripping the banister and slowing her steps as she reached the top. Their room was the first one on the left. The door was open. Her eyes sought the beautifully wrapped present Grey had waved in front of her but refused to give to her until their "date" at nine. It had been on top of the dresser but it wasn't there now. Maybe he hid it so I wouldn't peek. She smiled to herself as she closed the door.
Flipping off her shoes, Carrie slipped her fleece pants off and hung them over the back of a chair. She left her fleece top and bra on as the chill in the air made the room too cold for sleeping topless. She climbed into bed, snuggled under the down quilt and closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly.
****
Grey opened the door quietly and tiptoed into his room. He noticed his private present for Carrie was gone and wondered if she hid it intending to take a peek later. He chuckled to himself over her insatiable curiosity. Forget trying to hide anything from her, ever!
He toed off his shoes and hung his jeans over a chair. Slowly peeling down the covers he slid into bed next to Carrie. She moved slightly as the bed dipped under his weight. After she rolled over on her stomach, he inched closer to her and put his head down on the pillow.
But he wasn't tired. Grey warmed his hand under his chin then placed it underneath
her fleece sweatshirt, resting his fingers on her back. He loved the feel of her soft skin as he glided his hand up slightly then down to the edge of her panties.
A month ago we were apart. I was alone and now she's going to be my wife...my own Christmas miracle.
His fingers toyed with the lace before ducking under the edge and cupping the firm flesh of her behind, giving it a gentle squeeze. Carrie turned her head toward him, stifled a yawn and cracked her eyes open.
"Hey, sleepy," he said, pulling his hand out from under the covers to caress her hair.
"Hey, you." Carrie blinked up at him, squinting.
She flipped over onto her side and faced him. He moved his hand down, stroking her shoulder on the way to her breast, where he rested it. His fingers closed around the soft mound commencing a light massage.
"Did you have something in mind?"
"No time, honey," he replied, his gaze searching her face.
"Copping a feel?"
He nodded but did not remove his hand.
"Don't get me started, if we have no time…"
"Guests due in about half an hour." Still he did not remove his hand.
"Oh!" Carrie nudged his fingers away. She cupped her hands around his face, kissed him, then threw back the covers and pushed out of bed.
"What's the hurry?"
"Got to get dressed. The ham…the dips have to be…and the veggies aren't washed."
"They've got you well trained already," he sighed.
"Nine o'clock you're mine, Mister," she said, shooting him a wicked grin.
"I'll be here…with bells on."
"And nothing else?" Her brows arched as she turned her gaze on him.
"Your wish is my command," he said, tipping an imaginary hat.
Grey pulled back the covers and got out of the bed, heading for the chair to grab his jeans. Carrie ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed down her fleece top. Stepping close to him. She slid her hand down below his belly and patted him while her other arm snaked around his waist.
"Now who's getting who started here?" asked Grey, his hands on her shoulders.
"Checking to make sure I'm not leaving anything…unfinished."
"Not exactly, but you will if you keep that up…and if you were?"
"I might have to do something about it."
"Damn! If I'd known that..."
"Too late." She moved away from him, chuckling and reached for her lipstick.
He laughed and pulled her back into his arms, holding her tight.
"Touching you wasn't about sex," he whispered near her ear.
"No?" She cocked her head and stared straight into his eyes.
"Maybe…uh, most of the time, yeah. But not this time."
Her eyebrows raised as the corners of her mouth dipped down in disbelief.
"I just…" he felt heat rising from his neck to his face. "I like touching you. You're so…so soft and all and you're mine and…I just like it. It's not always about sex."
She buried her face in his chest, her words muffled by his flannel shirt.
"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said."
When she picked up her head, he lowered his mouth to brush her lips with his.
"I love you," he murmured, giving her another kiss.
"Me, too, hunky guy." Carrie brushed her hand through his hair.
"I'm the luckiest…"
She put her finger over his lips. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have you."
With those words, she slipped out of his arms and through the doorway.
Grey put on his jeans, combed his hair, and straightened the bed before going downstairs. As he turned the corner in the foyer to enter the living room, he heard his name called.
"Grey! Could you help me…please?"
He spied Carrie in the kitchen archway, her hands full and a pleading look on her face. He reversed his path and headed for the kitchen.
"Would you mind taking this into the living room…on the coffee table, sweetheart?"
Grey reached out and gripped each end of the large, glass divided tray with crudités, olives and dip. Carrie smiled up at him and he gave her a quick kiss but lingered for a moment, then kissed her again.
"All right Casanova of the County, move on, move on. You have your assignment," Jenna said, shooing him away from Carrie with a dish towel.
He chuckled and turned away, walking carefully toward the living room.
"Engaged couples…" murmured Barbara, busy at the kitchen counter, a smile curling her lips.
"I heard that!" He called from the living room.
****
At two forty-five, the doorbell rang. Fran poked at her hair, took off her apron and hung it on the front hall closet doorknob before she went to the foyer. John was already there and opened the door to four people on the front steps, shivering from the cold.
Grey bounded up off the sofa and extended his hand to Carrie to follow. She shot back a nervous smile and stood up slowly to join him. Together they went to the door. Laura Dailey gave Grey a hug and her husband Barney slapped him on the back.
"Long time, Grey, long time," Barney said as he shrugged out of a down parka.
Grey took everyone's coats and piled them on the sofa in the den on the first floor and quickly returned to introduce Carrie. A young man with a slim but powerful build turned around when Grey entered the living room.
"Gavin!" Grey extended his hand which was taken by the handsome, dark-haired young man with clear blue eyes.
"Grey. What's up?"
"Getting married. Who's this?" Grey's gaze settled on a pair of delicate hands, with pearly polished nails which appeared from behind Gavin to grip his waist while the woman remained hidden.
Gavin looked down, chuckled and did a half turn, taking one of the feminine hands and guiding the woman around to stand next to him.
"This is my wife, April McKenna."
"April McKenna Dailey," she corrected.
Grey laughed and color rose to Gavin's fair cheeks.
"It's only three months…not used to it yet," he mumbled.
Grey smiled at the pretty brunette clinging to Gavin's side and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet the woman who caught this guy. The Casanova of the County they used to call him."
April shot a sharp look at Gavin.
"That was his nickname," Gavin said, pointing to Grey.
Carrie wandered over and put an arm around Grey's waist, smiling at Gavin and April.
"This is my fiancée, Carrie."
Gavin and April shook Carrie's hand.
"Who will seduce all the women in Jefferson County now that you two are taken?" Jenna asked, as she breezed by on her way to the kitchen. She stopped momentarily and took a bite of one of Laura's homemade gingerbread cookies to stifle the laugh that bubbled up in her throat while her eyes darted from man to man.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment after Jenna left. Gavin looked at the floor and Grey's gaze roamed the room. April stared at Gavin, her mouth drawn into a thin line.
"You told me that was a lot of lies."
Grey burst out laughing.
"You should talk. You had the title first," Gavin said.
"How about some food?" Carrie put in, steering Grey away from Gavin.
The four went to the buffet table set up in the dining room and filled their plates with ham, scalloped potatoes, Laura Dailey's cauliflower and cheese casserole, salad and Barbara's homemade biscuits.
Gavin joked April out of her bad mood and soon the newlyweds were so close they could share one chair. Grey watched April feed Gavin then the firefighter placed food on his fork for her. They seemed barely able to keep their hands off each other and Grey chuckled to himself. That'll be me soon enough. While he thought they looked a bit silly, the idea of behaving a little like a lovesick fool pleased him. Am I like that already?
He'd never admit it to anyone but he liked to be fussed over a little. He thought every man did but w
ould never say so. Gavin appeared to be enjoying himself when April brought him a refill of his favorite dishes and actually held a cookie up to his lips. What a ladies man he was and look at him now, docile and grinning.
Grey had been the first at everything in this small town, football, schoolwork and especially women. He was older by four years. But Gavin was a quick study and always on Grey's heels, learning, admiring, and looking up to him. Now the roles were reversed. Gavin had himself a beautiful wife. Rumor had it she was smart and feisty, too. Grey could see how happy his friend was as the smile never left his face and his hand rarely left his wife's. Maybe a Casanova can make a good husband. Relief and hope washed over Grey. He relaxed, settled into the sofa and turned his attention to Gavin's tales of woe about his new house.
As the party was winding down, Carrie and Fran walked up to Grey at the same time. He put his arm around Carrie's shoulders.
"Do you have any other presents you're hiding in your room?" Fran asked him.
"Mom…what the? The present in my room…where is it?" Grey began.
Fran tilted her wrist to get a better view of her watch.
"Don't worry, I've got it. Time for the hayride. Coats on, kids. Where's Jenna?" She asked then turned on her heel to find her younger daughter.
John came around the corner with their coats slung over his arm and before any further discussion about Grey's present for Carrie, they were caught up in the tide of activities.
"Here you go. Have fun," he said, depositing the coats over Grey's arm.
It wasn't until they were snugly settled into the hay in the back of Barney's wagon that they had a chance to talk.
"So you didn't take that present?" Grey asked, pulling Carrie closer.
She shook her head. "I thought you hid it to keep me from shaking the box."
"Funny. I'll get it from Mom when we get back," he said, lost in thought for a moment.
He shrugged and settled back against the side of the wagon and looked up. The midnight blue of the sky showcased the glittering stars on the clear, frosty evening making them appear more brilliant than usual. Or is love causing each star to smile right at me?