Chapter 28
Jacob and I decided to host Christmas for his family at our house. The next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas were spent decorating and shopping for gifts. I planned the menu for our Christmas dinner, making a huge trip to the store to buy groceries. We both had the week of Christmas and New Year’s off, and then Jacob would have to leave for a conference. He would be flying to Wisconsin for two weeks.
We wanted to spend as much time together as we could before he left, so we took the days off that weren’t part of our holiday time. The weekend before Christmas, I spent baking and getting as much prep work done for Christmas dinner as I could. Jacob tried to help, wanting to take some of the workload off of me, but I soon shooed him out of the kitchen and out of my way.
He laughed, “OK! I get it. I’m going to run over to Josh’s house. He asked for some help with something.” He gave me a kiss as he put his coat on and left. I finally finished all the baking and got everything cleaned up before Jacob was back. When he came in, I was resting on the couch. He was carrying a huge Christmas gift in his arms, setting it on the floor next to the tree. It was so big it wouldn’t fit under the tree at all.
“Wow!” I said looking at it. “Someone has been good this year!” He put his coat and boots away and came back to sit by me.
“Smells really great in here,” he said.
Motioning to the coffee table in front of us, “I figured you wouldn’t be able to wait, so I made some extra for you.”
“Mm mm, I love you,” he said, through a mouthful of cookies.
I laughed, “So are you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?” trying to appear innocent, reaching for another cookie.
“Who is the large gift for? Is it for your mom and dad?” I already had a gift under the tree from Jacob, so I really didn’t think it would be for me .
“Possibly,” he replied. “I’m not going to tell. It will be a surprise, you will have to wait for Christmas to get here, just like everyone else. And don’t bother looking for a name tag on it, there isn’t one. I’m pretty sure I will remember whose gift it is.”
“I would certainly hope so,” I said laughing, slapping his hand as he reached for a third cookie. “You are going to ruin your supper!” I exclaimed.
“Maybe, but it will be worth it,” he stated as he reached again, leaning past me, managing to grab another one.
“No fair!” I cried. “You’re taking advantage of the pregnant lady’s inability to move very quickly or reach past her huge belly!”
Jacob laughed and looked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “I’ll take advantage of the pregnant lady after she feeds me. I’m starved.”
I laughed. We went to the table to eat the soup and fresh bread I made for supper.
“That was fantastic. You could open your own restaurant, you know? You are a fantastic cook!” He leaned back in the chair, patting his stomach.
“You keep eating like you are your belly will be bigger than mine!” I laughed. I started to stand up to clean up after supper.
“Nope, not tonight. Tonight, you go relax on the couch; I will clean up. You look exhausted. I hope you didn’t overdo it today.” He looked at me with concern.
“Thanks, Hon,” I replied. “I am a bit tired. Back is hurting a little bit today.” I went over to the couch, lying down, pulling the blanket over me. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep. I woke up about an hour later, stretching. Jacob was sitting on the couch opposite me reading.
“Hey, sleepy,” he said, smiling.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how tired I was.” I yawned.
“It looks like you are still tired.”
Rubbing my eyes, “I’m fine.”
He laughed. “Come on, let’s tuck you in bed. We have a big day tomorrow.” He got up, helping me stand up. After brushing my teeth, I changed into a T-shirt and then walked back into the bedroom. Jacob looked at me. “Oh man,” he groaned.
“What?” I asked.
“How is it you make a T-shirt sexy?”
I looked in the mirror at my big belly, “Oh, I’m sexy all right. ”
“Hey,” he said, coming over to me, “I’ve told you; you are extremely sexy to me.” He kissed me. I responded by wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. “Oh no,” he said, pushing me gently away. “As much as I would love to take you to bed right now, you are exhausted. We are going to have a houseful of people tomorrow. You need to get some sleep.”
Now it was my turn to groan. He laughed but led me to bed, making sure that I was all tucked in. He leaned over and kissed me. “I love you, Mrs.Vance.”
I was already falling asleep, “Love you too.” I murmured. I was sound asleep before he got to the door. He shut the light off, glancing back. Lucky was lying at the foot of the bed. “Come on Lucky, let’s go,” Jacob whispered. Lucky looked at Jacob, then put his head down, staying where he was. Jacob watched Lucky for a little while. When I moved, Lucky moved. Jacob finally left the room, shaking his head in wonder, then went out to watch TV for a little bit.
***
The next morning, I rolled over in bed. Jacob was lying there sleeping. I climbed out of bed quietly; it seemed my new favorite thing to do was go to the bathroom. I headed out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. As I was passing the French doors I stopped, looking out.
There was fresh snow overnight, everything looked so pretty, perfect for Christmas Day. As I was looking out, something across the lake caught my eye. There it was again, the glint of reflection that Jacob and I have both seen multiple times. I wouldn’t think anything of it, but it was always in one spot, I never saw anything like it from another spot around the lake. It could happen at any time of the day when the sun was out.
Maybe I’ll have to ask Jacob if he has a pair of binoculars to check out what is over there. Maybe there is just something metal there that catches the sunlight. That didn’t make a lot of sense though because the sun could be in different positions, and we could still see the glint. Shaking it off, I let Lucky out, continuing into the kitchen. I turned on the coffee, then pulled out the cinnamon rolls I made yesterday, putting them in the oven.
Walking back to the door, I looked out at Lucky. He was romping in the snow, but every so often he would stop, staring across the lake. The smell of coffee and cinnamon rolls started to fill the house; I heard Jacob stir in the bedroom. I stood there waiting for Lucky to stop playing around; pretty soon he was at the door, so I let him back in. Jacob came up behind me, putting his arms around me. “Have I told you how sexy you look in my T-shirt?” he asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” I said thoughtfully.
“Really?” he asked. “Well, how about I show you instead,” he said hoarsely as he leaned down, kissing my neck.
I leaned back into him, both of us letting out groans. Turning toward him, I snaked my arms up around his neck. He pressed my back against the glass, I felt the cold against my back. He slipped his hands down, then up under the T-shirt. They roamed over my stomach, up to my breasts.
He slid the T-shirt off over my head, lowering his head to my nipples, teasing them with his teeth while his hands slid down, slipping my panties down my thighs. I stepped out of them, kicking them aside. I slid my hands down his back, pushing his underwear down his thighs also. Jacob knelt in front of me kissing my belly, sliding his hand between my thighs. I moaned loudly. Jacob pulled me down with him, lying on his back. Straddling him, I took him right there.
Afterward, we lay on the floor together, breathing hard and holding each other. “Merry Christmas,” I whispered. “I love you.”
“Merry Christmas, Mattie,” Jacob replied hoarsely. “I love you too.”
We continued to lay there like that for a few minutes until the timer went off in the oven. I stood up, throwing the T-shirt back on, ignoring my panties. Jacob rolled over on his side watching me. I pulled the rolls out of the oven, shutting it off. I set the table with plates and coffee cups. I got a platter out, scooped all the cinnamon rolls on it, and then set it on the table, and then I poured us both a cup of coffee. All this time, Jacob just lay there on the hard floor, following me with his eyes.
“What are you doing?” I asked him smiling.
“Enjoying the view,” he said, smiling back. I looked at him questioning him with my eyes. His eyes went down the front of me. I followed his eyes but couldn’t see past my belly. I ran my hands down the front of my belly, realizing that my big belly pulled the T-shirt up so that I was completely exposed. Laughing, I walked over, grabbing my panties.
I slipped them on, saying, “Come on, let’s eat, I’m hungry. ”
It was at that point the doorbell rang. We looked at each other, both of us surprised that someone was here that early. Jacob quickly put his underwear on, wrapping a blanket from the couch around his waist. I grabbed the other one, wrapping it around me. The doorbell rang again, so Jacob walked over, pulling the door open.
“Merry Christmas!” I hear Josh and Randy yell. They walked past Jacob without noticing he was wrapped in a blanket.
“Wow,” Josh said turning to Randy. “I told you she would have…” He stopped speaking as he realized our current state of dress.
Randy slapped Josh on the shoulder. “And I told YOU we shouldn’t just show up uninvited!”
Jacob walked over to me, grinning. It was obviously a grin that told them exactly what we had been up to. Jacob points to the table, “Help yourselves. We will just go and, um… get dressed.” He led me to the bedroom; we could hear Randy giving Josh the riot act for showing up unannounced. Closing the bedroom door behind us, we burst out laughing.
We quickly showered and dressed, then headed back out to the kitchen. We got ourselves fresh coffee, joining Josh and Randy at the table, where we hungrily grabbed ourselves some cinnamon rolls.
Randy looked at us and cleared her throat a little, “I’m sorry if we interrupted anything. I told him we shouldn’t just show up like that.”
Before I could reply, Jacob said, “Oh, don’t worry about it. We finished about five minutes before you got here.” I slapped him on the shoulder as Josh burst out laughing.
“I forget you two are still newlyweds,” he laughs.
Jacob said, “Newlyweds has nothing to do with it. I would advise you never to come over unannounced because any chance I get…” He never finished the sentence because I cried out, “Jacob Lee Vance!” He grinned, and we all started laughing. At that moment, the doorbell rang again.
Jacob looked at me, “For crying out loud, has no one respect for the time of day.”
Josh looked at Jacob with a wicked grin, “We can’t help it if you are a horny bastard!” Randy looked at him in exasperation as we all laughed. Jacob went to the door, to let in Nora, Donald, Janet, and Jack. “What’s so funny?” Donald asked when he walked in .
Josh smirked at his little brother, “It seems like Randy and I interrupted something when we got here.” Jacob looked at Josh, “And I told you that you didn’t interrupt anything.”
Josh replied, “Oh, that’s right, you had just finished…” He trailed off as his mom flicked him on the ear. “Ow, Mom!”
Jacob laughed, “Can we just stop talking about our sex life? Merry Christmas everyone.” Everyone laughed.
Everyone had coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls. Turned out they all figured I would bake them for breakfast, so they invited themselves over. We all took our coffee to the couches and sat down. We sat around, discussing the usual things, the wedding, and everyone asking how I was feeling. At that point, Lucky walked up, placing his head on my belly.
Jacob said quietly, “Hey, watch Lucky.” They all watch Lucky respond to the baby’s movements until the baby stopped. Then Lucky went to lie down in his dog bed. The room was silent for a few minutes as everyone took in what they had just witnessed. We discussed how Lucky seemed to be really in touch with the baby and probably be the best protector of the baby.
I got up and put the ham I had prepared in the oven and also started the scalloped potatoes. I went back to the couch, and as I sat down, Jacob announced it was time we opened presents. He handed out the first round of gifts, made sure everyone had one, then we took turns guessing what they were and then opening them. Everyone had a great time; all the gifts were very thoughtful. I had given everyone handmade items along with something sentimental that made me think of them when I saw them.
Finally, the only gift left was the big box that Jacob had said would be a surprise. He looked at Josh, nodding at him. Josh stood up, helped Jacob pick up the big box, and then placed it in front of me. I looked at them in surprise. “What is this?” I asked.
Josh smiled, “This is all Jacob.” He sat down by Randy again.
Jacob looked at me, “This is for you. Well, it is more for our daughter I should say.” I looked at him, then started taking the paper off the box. Opening the top, I let out a gasp. I looked at Jacob, tears starting to stream out of my eyes. It seemed that only Josh knew what was in the box, he, again, helped Jacob pull the item out and move the box aside. They set the gift on the floor next to me where everyone could see it .
“It’s beautiful,” I cried. Everyone echoed my sentiments. “Did you make it?” I asked Jacob.
He nodded, “Yes, I made it by hand.” Sitting on the floor in front of us was a beautiful handmade cradle. On each end was carved a puppy that looked a lot like Lucky. “I love it so much,” I said, tears flowing.
I stood up, giving him a hug. “Jayden will love it.”
“Oh, I love that name,” Nora cried, tears in her eyes also.
Jacob smiled. “Yes, our daughter’s name is Jayden Lee Vance.”
“That is so perfect!” Randy said.
“How did you decide on the name?” Donald asked.
Jacob looked at me, “It was all Mia’s idea.”
I smiled at him. “I wanted something rather similar to Jacob, so Jayden seemed like a fit. Then I wanted to name her Lee after her daddy.”
“That is so sweet,” Janet said.
I left them to discuss the cradle along with our daughter’s name while I checked on our dinner. I cleared off our breakfast dishes and loaded the dishwasher and started it. Lucky had followed me to the kitchen and was watching as I moved around the kitchen getting our dinner ready.
“Can I help?” Nora asked, walking into the kitchen.
“Can you set the table for me? Normally I would insist you sit and enjoy visiting with others, but I’m not moving as well as I normally do.”
Walking up to me, she smiled, “Do you mind?” she asked, motioning to my belly.
“Not at all,” I smiled. She reached out, placing her hand on my belly. Lucky watched closely, ready to jump to my aid should he sense danger.
“She is very active,” Nora said, pulling her hand back.
“My insides are black and blue,” I laughed. Nora set the table while I finished our dinner. We chatted about the new cradle; I said the blanket I had just recently finished for the baby would look cute in it. “Oh, can I see it?” she asked.
“Sure, it is back in the nursery, hanging over the rail to the crib.”
She went back there, walking back out with it. “Oh, Mattie,” she cried. “This is lovely!” She showed it around to everyone. “The nursery is adorable,” Nora commented.
Everyone went back to see it while Jacob helped me finish up putting dinner on the table .
Later, after everyone had left, Jacob and I cleaned up the kitchen and dining area. I finished loading the dishwasher while he took the trash out to the garage. When the dishwasher was finally running, I went over and sat down on the couch next to the cradle. I ran my hands over it, feeling the smooth wood. I traced the carvings on the end of the puppy. Jacob came back in from the garage, washing his hands, he was watching me at the cradle.
He came over, sitting behind me, “Do you like it?” he asked.
“Oh, Jacob,” I replied. “I love it! You did such amazing work. Have you carved anything like this before?”
“No,” he replied. “I never felt like I could do this type of work. I can honestly say this was an act of love. I wanted to build something special for our daughter.”
I turned to face him. “I don’t know what to say, it is perfect.”
“We need to get a mattress for it, but I thought we could put it next to our bed, for the first few weeks of her life.”
“Yes, it will be nice to have the baby close to us, but yet sleeping in her own bed.”
“I was going to carve her name on the ends,” he said, reaching out, tracing the puppy with his finger.
“Why didn’t you?” I asked.
“Well, I didn’t think our son would want to sleep in a cradle with his sister’s name on it.” He said, smiling at me.
“Our son?”
“Yes, I am hoping to have lots of babies with you.”
I laughed, “Lots? How many is that exactly?”
He thought for a moment, “I think five or six would be nice. Eight would be even better, we could have our own football team.”
My eyes widened. “Do you mind if I deal with this pregnancy first, before we decide on the next baby?”
He leaned forward, kissing me. “On one condition,” he stated.
“Oh?” I asked.
He kissed me again, “We continue to practice for the next one.”
“Deal,” I whispered.