Christmas music was playing on the CD player. The fireplace roared brightly in the darkly lit room. The tree glowed with hundreds of lights and light reflected in a warm glow on the walls and ceiling around it. Candles added to the warm glow of the room.
The room looked like a Christmas card to me as I entered it. āFestive and invitingā I thought. He went to a lot of work to make the room look this way. He was trying to cheer me up for the holiday and he was doing a good job of it. The presents were stacked under the tree, many of them awaiting their owners the day after Christmas at our annual holiday party. We were invited to friends for the day but I didnāt feel up to being festive and jolly and I just wanted to spend the day alone.
I never really liked Christmas since I was a child, thanks to a dysfunctional family, but being far from my friends and family this year made it a little worse. I promised that I would celebrate Christmas when he got back from our friendās house, so I left the warm cocoon of our bed and came downstairs to see what he put together. A bottle of 86 Cabernet Sauvignon sat on the coffee table with 2 glasses. A platter of cheese and fruit with crackers sat next to it. I could smell something wonderful coming from the kitchen.
I followed my nose into the kitchen to find him hard at work putting the finishing touches to my favorite meal. He was really putting an effort into making me happy and feeling better about things. It had been a bad week for me and it probably would have been a lot worse if it werenāt for him.
I kissed him hello and wished him a Merry Christmas and he told me dinner would be ready in a few minutes. I sat down at the island and watched him serve dinner. He really out did himself with dinner. Cooking was one of his favorite things to do and we actually fought over who was cooking on a regular basis.
After a wonderful dinner, we went into the family room to enjoy the wine and relax and talk and just cuddle by the fire. I rested my head against his broad chest and the sound of his heart beating soothed me to no end. He was my world. He made me feel safe and protected for the first time in my life.
After an hour of drinking wine and making plans for the future, he kissed me. I kissed him back and turned to face him. He touched my face and kissed me more. The wine relaxed both of us and I was in a much better mood.
He asked me if I wanted to exchange gifts since it was close to midnight. We had been talking for hours without realizing it. He got up and got my stocking from the fireplace. I told him to get his stack of gifts from under the tree.
āEverything I got you fits in your stocking. I hope you donāt mind.ā He said. I took the stocking from him and started to take small boxes out. The first one I opened contained the prettiest pair of silk floral panties. When I took them out of the tiny box, something fell out onto my lap. I picked up the prettiest diamond ring I had ever seen and read the card: āThis is all I want you to wear for me tonight. I love you.ā I kissed him and told him I loved it then asked him to open up his gifts. I had gotten him a leather bound first edition of āAristotleās Rhetoricā to add to his collection of rare books. I had sold a couple of articles to pay for it without him knowing I spent so much on a single book. The excitement in his eyes when he opened it was enough redemption for me being sneaky behind his back. I also bought him a pair of Lakers tickets and the practical things one gets for Christmas, like clothes and computer games. He was like a small child opening gifts and it was more fun on Christmas to watch him open presents than to get them myself.
I kept twisting my hand so that my ring caught the light from the fire and the tree and sparkled on the wall. He made me open up the envelope that was in my stocking. It contained 2 tickets for my dream vacation to Ireland. I teased him about who Iād take with me and he tackled me on the couch. He kissed me hard as he held me down. I kissed him back as he slid his hand up my t-shirt to fondle my breasts.