Austin had asked her to call him when they arrived so he could help her carry their things up. Maneuvering the box of gifts along with the overnight bags was not going to be an easy task. They had to get in the elevator and down the long hall before making it to his door. Before stepping out of the car, she pulled her purse into her lap and began digging for her phone. After a few moments, she found it and dialed Austin. He answered on the first ring.
“We’re here. Can you come and help me please?” she giggled into the phone like a schoolgirl. She was so happy to feel this way again, excited and nervous at the same time. Austin was slowly bringing back feelings that she thought had been long ripped from her life.
“On my way. Hang tight,” he chirped back.
Within a few minutes the elevator door across from where they were parked dinged open. Austin was standing there with a big smile on his face, looking rather edible. He was wearing faded jeans and an off white cable knit sweater. He had a red apron tied around his waist and was stuffing an oven mitt in the pocket.
“Merry Christmas,” he said breathily as he swung open her car door.
“Merry Christmas,” Melanie returned as she stepped out of the car and rose on her toes to place a kiss to his cheek.
She stepped around to the back of the car and unlocked the trunk as Katie jumped out from the passenger side. Austin leaned in and grabbed the large box of gifts.
“This one looks like it’s the heaviest, so I’ll carry it,” he winked at her.
“Okay, let me grab my bag and we’ll follow you,” Melanie grinned and leaned into the backseat to grab the small duffle.
When her top half was fully submerged in the back of the car, Austin smacked her playfully on the backside. She yelped and jumped. Once she managed to grab one of the handles, she spun on her foot and looked at him, wide eyed.
“What was that for?” she blushed.
“Sorry, my hands often have a mind of their own,” he shrugged guiltily and grinned. “Did I hurt you? I’ll kiss it better later if you want,” he whispered quietly in her ear.
Melanie swallowed and shook her head from side to side. The wheels were already turning in her head on how she would get him back.
“Come on. Food’s cooking and I don’t want anything to burn,” he offered her his hand and began walking towards the elevator with Katie trailing behind them.
Once they got up to his floor, she sniffed and thought she could smell the faint aroma of food. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. Yep, it was the smell of a warm Christmas dinner. It smelled like a mixture of home and love. When they finally arrived at his door, he pounded on it and yelled for Hannah.
“It’s me Hannah, let us in. I didn’t bring my key!” Austin groaned.
As Hannah swung the door open, the delicious aromas of their Christmas dinner pleasantly assailed Melanie’s nose, and the soft Christmas music filtering through the house on the sound system created a heavenly atmosphere. She followed Austin into the kitchen and sat down while he moved back to his spot in front of the stove. He’d made a huge spread. There was a ham baking in the oven, beans, potatoes, and apples cooking on the stove, and a basket with fresh bread sitting on the counter. Melanie looked around and couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Where’d you learned to cook like this?” she cocked her head to the side. “I figured you’d have someone that did this kinda thing for you.”
“Various restaurants. I worked in a ton of them while paying for school,” he shrugged. “Contrary to what you’ve probably heard about me, or read somewhere. I didn’t come from money. I worked my ass off to get to where I am. My parents were considered poor by today’s standards, and I’ve been on my own since I was 19.”
Melanie had a pained look on her face, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“It’s ok. You didn’t know. I am glad that you like me for me and not my money though. It’s hard to meet people that want to be with you for you. As soon as someone finds out who I am and what I’m worth, I have no idea if they really like me for what’s on the inside.”
He handed her a glass of wine as he turned around and pushed the bread basket in her direction. The girls had made themselves comfortable in the family room laughing and talking.
Austin chuckled as he tried to change the mood in the room, “I’m glad you guys could come, Hannah doesn’t have any cousins so this is her first Christmas with someone her own age. It’s usually just adults and her. My wife‘s parents live out west. They usually come and spend the holidays with us, but they‘re getting up in years now. They‘ve been coming less and less frequently.”
“Thanks for having us,” Melanie blushed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Christmas like this. We’re usually at my mom’s in Beacon Hill, but last year my sister, Claire, started hosting. She’s quite perturbed that I’m skipping out on them this year, but she’ll get over it. She’s the oldest, and she thinks she’s a second mom to me sometimes,” she shook her head and laughed.
Austin knew without asking that she meant a Christmas like a real family at home around a big spread. He came around to where she was sitting and pulled her to a standing position. Handing her a wine glass, he then clinked his to it. “To many more Christmases to come.” He smiled as did she, and both took a sip of wine.
Later the group of four was seated around the table and heaping their plates with all the delicious food that Austin had cooked. They laughed and shared stories of past Christmases. Both adults found that the girls liked to remember events that had been not so pleasant when they occurred.
“Hey Mom, remember that year the fire department came?” Katie gasped through a fit of giggles.
“Oh lord,” Melanie shook her head and blushed with embarrassment. “Yes Katie, I remember that all too well. I think you remind me of it every year.”
“Do tell,” Austin glanced over at her, clearly amused, but gently rubbed the back of her hand.
Katie clutched her belly and gasped for air trying to quell her laugher so she could start. “Well, it was about five years ago. We were planning to stay in New York that year. Mom couldn’t get enough time off work to come back here and go to Grandma’s. She wanted to make it special for me. We’d been eating takeout all week because she’d been so busy at the hospital. So, she decided that she was going to bake an apple pie. She put it in the oven and then went to sit down on the couch and watch TV. She was so tired that she fell asleep. I was in my room talking to one of my friends on the phone and didn‘t know that the timer had gone off on the oven. The next thing I knew, there was smoke coming down the hall and the fire department was breaking down the door. One of the neighbors had smelled smoke and called them,” Katie started laughing again and gasping for breath as she tried to continue. “Mom jumped up off the couch and yelled at the fireman. She was so out of it she thought they were trying to break into the apartment. That was the last time she attempted a pie,” Katie was laughing so hard at this point that she‘d given herself the hiccups.
“I was exhausted,” Melanie sighed. “I’d just pulled a double shift at the hospital and I could barely keep my eyes open.”
Austin chuckled and smiled at her.
“I don’t know what you’re laughing at dad, you’ve had crazy Christmases too,” Hannah smirked.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Austin laughed.
“Oh I do,” Hannah giggled. “Remember last year?”
“Oh, right,” Austin shook his head soberly.
“What happened?” Katie cocked her brow.
“Well,” Hannah giggled. “We were supposed to go over to Mr. Simon’s for dinner. Dad was bringing things out to the hall and making a pile to take to the car. I was right behind him, and he asked me to pull the door shut because I was letting all the heat out. Well, he failed to mention that he’d already locked the door, so I didn‘t happen to grab his keys. When I pulled it closed, I successfully locked us out. Without a phone, I might add. We wa
lked down and knocked on the surrounding doors, but no one was home – everyone had gone places for the holiday. So we sat in the hallway for a while hoping that the neighbors might come home and see us. We could hear the phone ringing inside, but couldn’t get to it. After an hour passed, Dad gave up and broke that small window out right there,” she pointed at the little square in the door,“to get in. He cut his hand, and we spent Christmas in the emergency room while he got stitches,” Hannah shook her head.
Austin held up his hand and brushed back his sleeve showing Melanie the scar that now graced his right wrist. Melanie giggled and shook her head.
“I guess we all have our moments, huh?” she mused.
After dinner was finished, Melanie helped Austin carry the dishes into the kitchen and load them into the dishwasher. The girls went into the family room and flopped down on the couch to gaze at the tree. When the kitchen was clean, Austin and Melanie soon joined the girls.
“We have a tradition in our family that we read “A Christmas Carol” on Christmas Eve,” Melanie turned to Austin as she pulled the book out of the box of gifts she’d brought.
“Sounds nice,” he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Give me just a minute.”
He rose from where he was sitting and moved over near the fireplace on the far wall. Leaning over, he moved some items out of the way and turned a switch. A hissing noise began as he leaned in with an Instaflame and lit the gas logs.
“We just started using the fireplace last week,” he shrugged. “I thought it’d be nice tonight.”
“Sounds wonderful,” she sighed as she drew her feet up under herself and settled onto one end of the couch.
When the fire was blazing, Melanie shifted until she was comfortable and opened the book to begin reading. The group of four spent the next several hours listening to her read. Austin was completely lost in the story as he listened to her voice. He kept thinking he could listen to her forever.
As the rhythmic cadence of her voice filtered through the room, he slowly began to drift off, and his head lolled against the back of the couch.
It was so realistic that it couldn’t be a dream…
He was coming in from a long day at work and pulling at his tie to loosen it. He could hear soft singing in the background and laughter coming from the kitchen. He glanced around the house at the toys strewn about and chuckled. The evidence of a happy family surrounded him. When he rounded the corner, there she was. She stood by the counter, stirring something in a large bowl, singing to herself as a little boy sat playing on the floor with some pots and pans. He was laughing as he drummed along. She was singing a nursery rhyme along with the banging as she caressed her swollen belly. Flour dotted her face and the large t-shirt she was wearing. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head with a few stray pieces flying wildly about. She laughed as she swayed from side to side.
“Dada,” the little boy cheerfully clapped his hands together.
“Hey buddy,” he smiled as he picked up his son.
“You’re home, how was your day?” she spun and kissed him on the cheek.
He stood there not speaking as he surveyed his surroundings, trying to take it all in.
“Austin?” she looked at him quizzically. “Austin,” he felt a nudge. “Austin,” wake up.”
His eyes slowly fluttered open to see Melanie leaning over him as she shook his shoulder. Had it really just been a dream? It seemed so real. He looked around trying to get his bearings. He was on the couch in the loft. It was just a dream... he sighed to himself. He looked over to see Katie and Hannah both fighting to stay awake. Katie was just releasing a huge yawn when Melanie turned to her, urging her to go to bed.
“The sooner you go to bed, the sooner it will be morning,” Austin told Hannah.
The girls pulled themselves off the loveseat and trudged back to Hannah’s room calling “goodnights” over their shoulders.
“I’m really glad you guys decided to stay here tonight,” Austin pulled Melanie against his side, still thinking about the lingering dream. It had to mean something.
She snuggled up to him and leaned her face onto his chest, “Thanks for having us.”
“It’s no problem,” he trailed a finger down her cheek and gripped her chin, pulling her into a soft kiss. “I love having you here.” He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Well, we have another tradition that I want to do tonight with just the two of us.”
Melanie stiffened as she thought back to his playfulness in the parking garage. She pulled back slightly and made a move to pull away from him. Austin tightened his grip, “Where are you going?” He reached in behind him and grabbed a box that was hidden beside the couch, “Here, open it.”
She looked at him and wrinkled her brow.
“We always got to open one gift on Christmas Eve in my family. I want you to open this one tonight. Just the two of us,” he smiled and pushed it toward her encouraging her to open the box.
She visibly relaxed as she observed the box. It was a small and wrapped in silver paper with a red bow tied around it. She picked it up and ran her fingers along the ribbon.
“Go ahead, open it,” he coaxed, his eyes soft and full of love.
She smiled at him and began tearing the paper. When she got the paper off, a small blue Tiffany box was revealed. Melanie gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Her brain was moving so fast through all the possibilities that the little box may hold. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for this.
oooooooooo
Austin silently took the box from her hand, opened it, and grinned at her. He then moved to turn and face her.
“Melanie, I love you. I want to be with you more than anything in the world. I want to wake up with you and go to sleep with you beside me every night. I want eat breakfast with you and share the morning paper with you everyday. I want everything with you. I never thought I’d find love again, and I was ok with that. I never thought that there’d be another woman out there that would make me feel complete again, but there was. You complete me, Melanie,” he moved to the floor, “Will you marry me?”
She glanced from him to the ring and back to him. With tears in her eyes, she nodded wordlessly and threw her arms around his neck, launching herself at him.
“Yes,” she whispered in his ear as her body pressed into his. She pulled back just in time to crash her lips to his. He plunged his tongue in to meet hers in a fiery kiss as his hands reached around her back. She surrendered to the fire burning its way through her body. Everything yearned to be acknowledged by Austin’s touch. A shiver went up her spine as she pushed herself further into his embrace. A laugh escaped his lips as they toppled backwards onto the floor. The ring box tumbled to the side, now forgotten, as the fire between them grew. A groan made it’s way up his throat as she ran her hands up through his hair and gave gentle tug. He rolled to the side, effectively pinning her down with his hips as he kissed his way down her jaw and throat. She giggled and gasped when she felt his erection pulsing against her leg. When he brought his lips back to hers, she nipped at them playfully.
“Oh god Melanie, I want you so bad,” he gasped as he felt her rock her hips underneath him.
She giggled again and broke the kiss, leaving him panting and desperate for release. “Me too, but we have to stop. I want our wedding night to be special.”
She kissed him softly on the cheek and pushed herself up on her elbows. He shook his head vigorously to try and come out of his lustful haze.
“I do, too,” he moved to sit on his heels and helped her to rise to a sitting position.
He reached over to the tiny blue box and lifted it in his fingers. “Hard to believe that this little thing can have such an effect on you,” he chuckled.
He opened the box and removed the ring. Lifting her shaking hand in his, he slid it onto her finger. It was a beautiful, one-carat, princess cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. She tilted her hand from side to side in the firelight admiring it.
“It’s beautiful, Austin,” she smiled and kissed him again.
“Time for a new tradition,” he winked.
She looked at him, confused, as he pulled her up and moved to the area between the fireplace and the tree.
“Dance with me,” he whispered in her ear.
The two stood there barefoot in the firelight, swaying to the music on the stereo. Austin pulled her as close as he could, pressing her hips into his as she looped her hands around his neck and placed her head on his chest. She could feel the evidence of their make out session as his body had yet to calm all the way down. His heart was still thundering in his chest, mimicking the pulsing going on below as he hugged her to him.
Unbreak Me (Second Chances #1) Page 21