Page 31 of Home for Christmas

He picks me up and swings me around the room in his arms. Then the knob turns and our moms are piling into the room, laughing and crying and high-fiving one another.

“We have so much to do. We need to make alterations to the dress.”

“What dress?” I ask Kate.

“Your mother’s wedding dress. She’s been keeping it for you for years.” My mom is nodding when I look over at her, “You want to wear it, right?”

“What?”

“We can get her a new one, Kate. Maybe one she…”

“No! Mom, I want to wear your…you guys have been planning this?”

Kate answers me, “For years sweetie! For years and let me tell you…it’s about damned time! When Tannen asked for his grandmother’s ring on the morning of the twenty-fourth I nearly shouted the walls down with glee.”

“Do you think you guys could get a wedding together by New Year’s Day?” I gasp and look up at Tannen. “I think me and Marley have waited long enough to be together.”

“Tannen! That’s…only seven days away.”

“Of course we can! I have a florist friend and…”

“I have a minister I used to date that will do the ceremony. It ended well so he won’t mind doing a favor for me.” My mom winks at me.

“Excellent, Ruby. Speaking of exes I have…”

They drift down the hall and down the stairs as their heads are bowed together busy making plans and scheming with one another. Tannen sticks his head out to make sure they are indeed going downstairs, before closing the door and turning the lock.

“Now, where were we?” He turns to me with a big smile on his face. “Oh, yes. I was letting you know how much I love you by making your little body sing and you were going to let me make love to you so I can do just that.”

“Was I? See, I thought I was going to tell you how much I love you by wrapping my mouth around your long, thick…”

“Don’t tease me, sweetheart! I’ve been thinking of slipping inside you since I woke the fuck up.”

He’s already yanking my top over my head and pulling my pants down.

“You’re fucking lucky I didn’t throw you over the back of the couch and started taking you right there in front of our moms.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Oh, yes I would and you know I would. The only reason I didn’t was because I was worried about why you were so sad. I thought maybe…you might have regretted our night together and it killed me, baby. It gutted me.”

“I would never regret being with you. It was the most magical, most perfect night of my life. It was everything I could have ever dreamed of and more.”

He gives me another grin that sends butterflies fluttering through my belly.

“This time,” he lowers his mouth so he can whisper in my ear, “I want you on your belly.”

“What? How would we…?”

“You just crawl on that bed, baby, and lay down on your tummy.”

“Do you want me to take…?”

“No. Crawl up there.”

I do as he asks and lay down. Behind me, I can tell he is taking off at least some of his clothes because I hear the rustling as he takes them off. The bed dips down as he crawls on it too. I yelp when his hands move my legs apart and run up the backs of my legs.

“Do you know why I call you Peach, love?”

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