by Debbie Zello
Briah’s eyes widened as he pulled a piece of carrot cake piled high with cream cheese frosting from the box. He grabbed a squeeze bottle and drew on a plate, then placed the cake on top. He brought it to the table and set it in front of Briah. It was heart shaped ribbons of caramel. “Oh my God, Aiden, this looks delicious.”
Aiden made coffee in the Keurig and set that down on the table before joining her. “I know carrot cake is your favorite. I also know you don’t eat it very often. I thought you might make an exception tonight.”
“I think I could do that,” she said digging her fork into the cake. She put the forkful into her mouth, closed her lips softly around it, and moaned. Once again, Aiden had to look away as he hardened, her every pleasure excited him. It was arousing enough just listening to her without watching her.
“You make eating look and sound erotic,” he said smiling. “If someone was listening at the window right now, they would think we were making love.” Her eyes widened as she stared at him. She swallowed her mouthful.
“Why aren’t we?” she said completely serious.
“Why aren’t we making love?”
“Yes,” she said quickly.
“Christ, Briah. I thought you would need some time. I mean…last night…I.”
“I love you, Aiden. I never stopped. You hurt me but I understand why you did. It wasn’t because you didn’t love me, it was because you did. We lost a lot of time. I don’t want to lose anymore,” she said putting her fork down and reaching across the table.
Aiden stared at her outstretched hand for a brief second. Then he grinned widely, took her hand and stood, pulling her up with him. He drew her into his arms and held her against his chest. His hand slid down her back to cup her bottom and he tugged her against him so she could again feel his desire for her.
Leaving the coffee to get cold and the carrot cake’s frosting to melt away, he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, with his lips on hers. He set her on her feet and gently held her shoulders. “I’m going to try to go very slowly, Briah. I’m going to try to prolong this as long as I can, but you should know, I could come right now just looking at you. Once you are naked and in my arms, I have no idea what will happen.”
“If I remember correctly, that won’t matter because there is a whole lot more where the first one comes from,” she said smiling coyly.
The knock at the door woke them at six, about ten minutes before Briah’s alarm would have. Briah disentangled her arms and legs from Aiden’s naked body as he groaned at the loss of them. She grabbed the bathrobe on the back of her bedroom door and shrugged into it tying the belt tightly as she was naked too.
She shuffled to the door, attempting to run her fingers through her hair to make it more presentable. When she yanked the door open, she was expecting to see some stranded motorist that had run off the road and needed help. Instead, it was Cindy, her neighbor. “Did I wake you up?” Cindy asked, walking in.
“Well, yes, I guess, but the alarm would go off in a few minutes anyway. Is something wrong?” Briah asked following her into the kitchen. Cindy got out two cups from Briah’s cupboard just as if she lived there and put one under the Keurig and slammed it down. Briah stood there still half-asleep.
“For the last two days there has been a strange car parked outside your house. Yesterday, I noticed it in the evening, but then it was gone in the morning. It came back last night and it’s still there. I thought we could keep an eye on it and see who it belongs to,” she said removing the first cup and repeating with the second. Briah took the cup from her and sat on the nearest stool.
“I can explain that,” Briah began taking a sip of the steaming cup.
“Please allow me,” Aiden said from the edge of the hall, scratching his head and wearing nothing but his boxers slung low on his hips. Cindy nearly swallowed her tongue when she turned to see him. She began to choke. Briah knew just how she felt; she had the same reaction every time she saw him.
Briah got up, filled a glass of water from the sink, and handed it to Cindy. Aiden took the now finished cup from the coffee maker and sat down with it, smiling at Briah. She retrieved another cup from the cupboard and began the process of making another cup for Cindy. She recovered her power of speech and sat down on a stool, still staring at Aiden’s chest and stomach.
“I’m Aiden Baldwin. Cherie and I have reached an understanding. I love her and she has forgiven me,” he said smiling at Briah. Briah was thrilled he remembered her new name. She visibly relaxed.
“I’m Cindy, her neighbor. This is the guy? The one from Florida that broke your heart?” Cindy asked shooting eye daggers at Aiden.
“I broke your heart?” Aiden said never having thought of that possibility. He stared at Briah willing that she would say no, that he hadn’t wounded her that deeply. Somehow, he had felt that she knew deep down that he had loved her.
“Why do you look so surprised? Did you or did you not tell her that she meant nothing to you? That it was all just a fling,” Cindy said with her hand on her hip. Briah pulled the front of her robe tighter around her.
“Yes, I said that. I was lying and Cherie knows that…now. I didn’t believe I had a choice at the time. I thank you for being a friend to her.”
“Yeah, great, you’re welcome. So now what? You’re going to waltz in here and everything is forgiven?”
“We’ve talked, Cindy. We’ve worked things out…for now. Every relationship has difficulties. I’m hoping ours are permanently over,” Aiden said getting up from the stool. “Please excuse me. I’m going to get dressed.”
Cindy’s eyes followed him as far as they could before he disappeared into the bedroom. Then she dramatically fanned herself with the LL Bean catalog that was on the counter. “That man is fine, girlfriend.”
“Yes, and I noticed just how well you two got along, my personal pitbull,” Briah said teasing her friend.
“I wanted him to know how badly he hurt you.”
“He knows. He loves me and I love him. I want him in my life.”
“Okay. I’m happy for you. Now, what are you guys doing for Christmas?”
“Friends of Aiden’s are here on vacation. They have invited us for dinner. I have to work but I’ll go over when I finish. What are you and Ryan doing?”
“We are going to his parents. They told me to invite you if you were going to be alone. No one should be alone on Christmas.”
“That is so sweet. Please thank them for me,” Briah said looking up at the clock. “I need to get going. I can’t be late with the hordes of people at the lodge this week.” She got up and placed her cup in the sink. Turning back to Cindy she continued, “Thank you for looking out for me. I appreciate your friendship more than you will ever know.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Briah got to work on time, in spite of her early morning visitor, or maybe because of it. If Aiden had had his way, they would have been making love, instead of having coffee and conversation with Cindy. Briah knew this, naturally, by the disappointed look on his face when she walked into the bedroom after Cindy had left.
He was stalling, and hadn’t even dressed yet. He had been in the bedroom at least ten minutes while Briah said good-bye to Cindy. There he was, sitting on the edge of the bed with the lonely puppy-dog look on his overly handsome face. Briah took one look at him and said, “Oh no you don’t! I’m not going to be late to work on Christmas Eve, mister. Get that completely out of your head right now!”
“I promise, I’ll be quick,” he pleaded.
“Well, thanks for that. You’ll be quick. I’ll be nothing except stinky and sweaty, and then I can go to work and spend the day that way. Thanks, but no thanks!” Briah said, as her voice attained a squeaky quality at the end. Her declaration was met with a dejected look from Aiden. Briah threw her hands up and walked into the bathroom to wash up.
The bedroom was empty when she finished in the bathroom. She was somewhat sad, as sparring with Aiden over sex, was one of the
things she missed about having him around. Aiden was ready anytime, any day, anywhere, but only with her.
Walking to the kitchen, she found him at the island, sitting on a stool, and drinking coffee. He smiled as she rounded the corner and went to the coffee machine. “I love you, you know. Neither one of us have much family to speak of. Pete and Clair are here, so are your friends Cindy and her husband. We can’t go back to Colorado. What do you say to us getting married here on New Year’s Eve?”
Briah continued to make her coffee, thinking about Aiden’s idea. She knew how much she loved him and he her. Still, it was a big step after so much distance, heartache, and time. When she didn’t answer right away, Aiden got up, picked up the small box next to his hand and stood behind her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.
The look Briah witnessed on his face almost made her cry. It was pure love, calm and radiating. His hand came to caress her cheek. He spoke softly. “A few days before that punk tried to kill you, I did some shopping. I knew exactly what I wanted and it was you. You’re everything to me. I love everything about you.
“I carried this around with me waiting for the perfect time to ask you to marry me. When I walked into the hospital I thought, this is it. I’m not waiting another minute. Life is far too fragile and too many crazy things can happen.
“When Brice called me into the empty room and delivered his speech to me, I put this back in the box and left it in my drawer. Pete’s phone call to me had me rifling through my drawer again to find it.” He dropped down to his knee and held her legs to his face in an awkward hug. Briah placed her hands on the top of his head and smoothed his hair with her fingers, smiling. His face was crotch height and he looked up and said, “God how I love to be right here.”
“That’s so romantic, darling. I love how you just threw that in there,” she giggled.
“Sorry,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly to rid his mind of the naughty thought. “Marrying you is the only thing in this world I want to do. The only thing I care about. If you would honor me with this, I could die a happy man. Will you please marry me, Briah Spencer?”
Briah’s hand cupped his cheek as she felt the goose bumps spread over her skin. She wanted to keep that look on his face forever. His hand held the sparkling outward symbol of their inside connection. She said softly, “In the entire world, there is no one I would rather spend my life with. I love you. I want to marry you. So, I say yes, Aiden Baldwin. I would love to marry you.”
As she stood at the cash register, opening it for the days’ purchases, she kept staring at the new and stunning ring on the third finger of her left hand. So engrossed in looking at her hand, she didn’t notice Tom walking up behind her. “Is that an engagement ring I see?” he said gazing at the dazzling ring.
“It is,” Briah said grinning.
“When did this happen? Do I know the extremely lucky man?”
“This morning and no you don’t.”
“Have you set a date?”
“He mentioned New Year’s Eve, but I had to leave for work so we haven’t really discussed it yet.”
“Do you want to get married here? I can make arrangements for you. A snowy backdrop. Maybe up on the mountain. I know how you feel about the mountain.”
“I actually like the sound of that. Sunrise on the mountain. Start of a new day and a new life. I’ll suggest it to Aiden. See what he says. Thanks, Tom,” she said, hugging him. She pulled away just as the phone rang. “Good morning, Mount Mansfield Sports. How can I help you?” Briah said cheerfully.
“Yes, good morning to you, miss. I was wondering what time you would be closing today?” the man’s voice said.
“We’re open until five today and every day. Can I help you with finding something?”
“No thank you. I just needed to know how much time I had. Thank you and have a nice day,”
“Thank you and you have a great day too. We look forward to having you stop in,” Briah said hanging up. She went back to her set up routine.
Roland pressed end on his phone and placed it back on the console. He thought that with the holiday, they might close early but that was evidently not the case. He had booked his flight back to Denver for the day after Christmas. Sadly, for Miss Spencer, that meant she had some thirty hours or so to live.
Briah took her first run of the day in the bright sunshine. It was a crisp and glorious day, absolutely perfect for skiing. The snow was fluffy and spread perfectly, never sticking to her skis. It was fast too, so the paying patrons would certainly get their money’s worth today.
Briah posted the excellent conditions and went back to her office to look over scheduling for the next week. If she and Aiden got married on New Year’s Eve, there was no way she was coming into work on New Year’s Day, or that weekend either. She wanted at least a few days off to be lost in her new husband. “Damn,” she complained aloud.
“What’s wrong?” Tom asked, sticking his head in her office doorway.
“If Aiden and I do get married next week, I will need coverage for my shift. I’ll want the weekend off. It doesn’t look like that will be possible,” she frowned at her computer screen.
“You let me worry about that. If you want to get married next week, you’ll get married next week. I’ll get the coverage if I have to call my grandmother and have her come in. You’re family Cherie, and we take care of family here. Make your plans,” he smiled.
“Thank you, Tom, really. I’m so happy right now. I’m sailing down the mountain on a perfect day like today. That’s how happy I am.”
“Good, you deserve to be that happy. Now plan your wedding for whenever you want,” he said with a wink. Briah smiled back and picked up her office phone and dialed.
“Hey beautiful. To what do I owe this phone call?” Aiden said.
“I just spoke with my boss, Tom, about us getting married on New Year’s Eve. He said to go ahead if we want. I’m calling to ask if you were serious about that.”
“Deadly serious. I’d marry you today if we could find someone to do it. I figured Christmas Eve, people are busy. I don’t even want to wait a week, but I will. I know you want some kind of a celebration. So, baby, let’s do it.”
“Okay, we have a date. Tom offered to have it here. He even said up on the mountain. I would really like that. Then we could have dinner and cake in the midway lodge.”
“Sounds perfect. Whatever you want baby, I’ll be there. I love you, so very much. You take my breath away.”
“Okay, New Year’s Eve on the mountain. I’ll marry the man I love in the place I love. That does sound perfect, doesn’t it? I’ll be home around six. Bye, baby.”
“I have some Christmas shopping to do today. I’m just leaving now. See you tonight,” he said hanging up.
“Shit, Christmas presents! Oh, crap! I forgot Christmas presents. What am I going to get for Aiden? Pete, Clair and the kids?” Briah said exasperated. She closed her eyes trying to think of how she could leave for a few hours to shop. Then it hit her, the lodge had gift shops as well as a Ralph Lauren Polo shop. She would find nice things there for them. This might be her first lunch hour where she actually left her office.
Briah found hoodies, hats, and Suncloud sunglasses for the kids. She bought a Go Pro Camera for Pete and Clair. Aiden was harder because the shops didn’t have any ‘I’m so in love with you I can’t stand still’ presents. She settled for two beautiful cashmere sweaters and a pair of lined black-leather driving gloves that looked hot in her estimation.
The ladies who worked in the shops were kind enough to wrap everything with gorgeous paper and bows. Truth be told, Briah wasn’t very good at wrapping presents. Holding several bags, she walked back to her car and placed them in her trunk.
The man drinking coffee from his thermos noticed her holiday merriment. He wondered who the presents were for and if she would live to give them out. He tried to imagine someone crying over receiving the gift posthumously. The ago
ny of holding the very last thing she purchased in your hands. He smiled at the thought. “Maybe I’ll just take them and spare them the anguish altogether,” he murmured to himself.
Briah finished all of her regular duties plus a few extra. All of the employees with children left early. The ones still at work were single or married with no holiday obligations. The staff would swap on New Year’s Eve, when the single staff could leave early to party. That would be her, too. She was planning a primarily private party.
Working the crick out of her neck, she walked swiftly to her car, after locking up. She couldn’t wait to get home to celebrate with Aiden. The dark colored car that was always parked a few rows away from her car, was there once more. Its driver increasingly vigilant in watching her every move.
When she pulled into her driveway, Aiden came out of her house to meet her. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her. As he set her on her feet he whispered, “God, I missed you today. I thought about you all day long and I couldn’t wait for you to get home.”
“It was the same for me all day,” she said placing a sweet kiss on his lips. “Can we go in? I’m cold and starving!”
“I lit the fire and made dinner. Come on and get warmed while I finish,” he said, holding her hand as they walked inside.
Roland watched them from across the street. He put his car in drive, figuring tonight wasn’t going to be the night. Tomorrow, one way or the other, she was done.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The dinner Aiden had made for Briah was delicious. They each had a Cornish game hen with herb stuffing, roasted red bliss potatoes with rosemary, and steamed asparagus. Briah could smell the savory spices as soon as she walked in. “Something smells wonderful,” she said hugging him.
“Let’s hope it is. Go sit by the fire. We’re going to eat there, it’s more romantic,” he said with a wink and a peck on her cheek. Briah did as she was told and sat next to the fire with her feet extended. She wiggled her toes as the fire’s warmth licked the soles of her bare feet.
