Chapter 9
Candy
Lying in front of the fire, Jackson wrapped around me, both of us naked, my head resting on his arm, I let out a little contented sigh. Who knew anything could feel as good as this?
“I could stay here forever.” I whisper. Jackson hugs me tight, planting little kisses along my shoulder.
“Do you mean that, Candy?”
I turn over in his arms to face him. He is looking serious and waiting for my answer.
“If you'll have me, I would stay here forever. All my life, I’ve not had much and so instead of wishing for more I just concentrated on being grateful for what I do have. My apartment. My car, my trailer. If I kept concentrating on those things then I could be happy enough just being on the sidelines of life, watching other people have their happy moments.”
Jackson kisses me, reassuring me. “Go on.”
I smile up at him. “My dad always taught me to appreciate the glass half full. Or as he said, it doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty, if you’ve got a glass then you’ve got something to be grateful for. And so that’s how I lived. But secretly I wished for more.”
Jackson hugs me to him. “It’s okay to want more.
I think your dad’s ethos was a good one, but he wouldn’t want you to settle for less than be gloriously happy.
Just like me, I’ve always been the older brother, the Deputy Sheriff, looking out for everyone else.
But now I’ve found you and I want my own slice of the pie.
You. This. Us. And I’m going to try to be less serious.
I love how much you love life and cookies and festivals and Christmas. I want to share in that joy with you.”
I laugh. A laugh of pure happiness. Running my hands over his chest. “I don’t think you are all that serious. Except for putting me in jail when I drank too much…”
“I didn’t!” He interrupts but I go on.
“You laughed with me when we turned over the trailer. And you enjoy arguing with me as much as I enjoy arguing with you.”
He kisses me and I can feel the grin on his lips. “That’s because you rock my world. Literally and figuratively.”
We both laugh between kisses.
And when he rolls on top of me, his kisses turning slow and sensual, my whole body goes warm and soon hot for him.
“We should stay naked forever.” I whisper, loving the feel of his hard body moving over mine.
“Agreed.” His voice is muffled as he kisses the side of my neck. “At least until Christmas. You should get dressed for Christmas so that I have something to unwrap on Christmas morning.”
As it was only two days later, we were, in fact, in much the same position on Christmas morning. Making love by the fire, talking, sharing, laughing together. When I got up saw it had snowed overnight, leaving a layer of pristine white snow over everything, Jackson joined me at the window.
Seeing my joy at the winter wonderland, he suggested we get dressed and go for a walk.
It was beautiful. Christmas card perfect.
Though it was a little hard to walk in Jackson’s huge borrowed boots and we were soon laughing.
Picking me up as though I weighed nothing at all, he carries me back to the cabin.
I could not wish for a more perfect Christmas morning.
But it was later that evening as we joined his family for Christmas dinner, when I met his brothers and sister, his cousins and his mother and saw how they all teased and loved each other.
A real family. A real family Christmas dinner.
They all welcomed me with so much warmth and love.
That’s when I felt it. Something in my heart whispered.
My cup runneth over.
This is the life and love I have wanted for so long. And here it is. Found in a small mountain town at Christmas.