WRAPPED: The Manhattan Bound Series, Book Two

by Juliet Braddock

  As she bolted back down the steps, her tiny body bouncing gleefully as she proudly toted his Christmas stocking, he could only manage to laugh. His dear and precious little one completed him. He’d never find another soul so akin to his own again. And he just had to let her know…

  That night, he planned to break with his own norm, and he decided that he’d open his gift first—just to make her wait a bit. He’d hung her stocking on the mantle with great care. If he had any guts to admit the truth, he was just fucking nervous.

  Out of breath, she put her hands on her knees and stood beside him. Reaching out, Drew smoothed his hand over her hip and then eased his fingertips just inside the hem of her silly Rudolph sweater.

  “I don’t believe that thing actually came from your closet, little one,” Drew teased.

  “Ben has the match to it,” she noted, then flopped down next to him. “But I guess he’s not quite as comfortable with Jeffrey yet as I am with you to wear it.”

  “Hell, you wore it in front of my entire family—and they still love you.”

  “Wanna give Rudy a kiss?” she said and shimmied to set off the red bulb.

  “No, but I’ll take one from you…” he leaned in and nipped her nose. “Silly little one…”

  “Well, I hope you enjoy this, Drew…” she said and passed along his stocking.

  “No one knows me quite like you, Maxine,” he whispered and winked. “No one…”

  Snuggling closer to Drew, she sighed so serenely. With the fire roaring before them and that huge tree lit in soft hues of blue, Maxine relished this calm that settled over them.

  While she was sure that her efforts weren’t nearly as grand as whatever Drew’s stocking for her beheld, she chose each small item carefully, right down to the tiny sampler of Drew’s favorite macaroons.

  First, he opened the framed photo of the two of them from opening night that she hoped he might add to his collection of mementos in his dressing room. “You still make my heart stop when I see you in this dress—even if it’s just a photo.”

  Weaving her fingers through his, she said, “That was such a special night for both of us…even though someone fell asleep on me…”

  “Made it up to you, didn’t I?” he challenged.

  “That, you did, Sir…”

  “Oh, Maxine…” he murmured as he opened the next gift—a carved, pewter ornament of the comedy and tragedy masks. “Our First Christmas, 2014—Love, little one. I can’t wait to hang this one up. This is beautiful.”

  “Had to get a little sentimental here,” she said, puckering up to return his kiss. “The next one is a bit more whimsical…”

  Reaching into the stocking once more, his eyes continued to mind her with wonder. Christmas was something that Drew hadn’t experienced until he was nearly six-years-old. Opening his gifts from Maxine brought him right back to that first holiday back home with Maggie and Declan. Every second was just pure magic.

  “Fuckballs, Maxine!” he exclaimed the second he opened the velvet box. “Where the hell did you find these?”

  A perfect silver replica of his beloved Mustang—in the form of silver cufflinks—glimmered before him.

  “A little shop in the Village,” she said modestly. “Ben and I stopped in one night after drinks, and I couldn’t leave without them.”

  “These are too fucking cool!” he said, kissing her twice more. “Now I can’t wait to get dressed up again.”

  “You could always just slip into your tux, and I’ll undress you,” she suggested.

  Pursing his lips, he almost retorted, but then pointed instead to her stocking. “Why don’t you see what Santa has left for you now, little one?”

  Slowly, she made her way over toward the fireplace, grinning all the while as she wondered what that devilish mind of his had brought together for her that evening. She was sure that he’d likely issued some sexual challenge within the folds of velvet, hence his need to chase everyone away that night. Perhaps he’d send her on another scavenger hunt that would end downstairs in the dungeon.

  Immediately, she knew that her senses had indeed proved her right as she pulled out the small, light gift, wrapped only in tissue paper.

  “Ho…ho…ho!” she chuckled as she unfolded the red see-through silk baby doll nightie with perfect bows on the shoulders and held it against herself.

  “I think Santa wants you to dress for him, so that you can sit on his lap and tell him what you want…”

  “I think Santa has a pretty damn good idea of what I want,” she said, then circled her lips with the tip of her tongue.

  “Undress for me, little one…”

  Slowly, she stripped away that silly Rudolph sweater, then kicked away her tight jeans. Out of habit now, she folded her clothes and neatly piled her bra and panties on top.

  “God, I wish I could just tell you to stop right now,” he groaned as Maxine stood before him, completely nude, her nipples rising and waiting for his touch. “But I’ve been fantasizing about that little holiday get-up there.”

  Slipping the tiny red sheath over her head, she popped her arms through the straps then allowed the silk to flutter around her body. Just the feel of that luxurious material against her skin brought with it a rush of desires throughout her veins.

  Oh, but she still had to get to the bottom of that stocking…

  Now, Maxine couldn’t stop herself from fantasizing about what else he tucked inside.

  “How cute is this?” she said as she held up a small leather paddle.

  “I went a little crazy at Agent Provocateur,” Drew admitted. “I could have bought you the whole damn store.” There were actually several more boxes waiting inside his closet in the bedroom. He’d indulge her after dawn broke.

  “You really didn’t have to buy me anything, Drew,” she said, her voice brimming with sincerity. “You know all that I really need is you—sitting right here with me on Christmas Eve with this beautiful fire and that gorgeous tree.”

  “I know, little one,” he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

  “I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend this holiday,” she said, then placed her palm on his chest, right over his thundering heart. She had no idea why his beat raced so quickly—why he turned away from her in a rare moment of awkwardness—as he reached for her stocking.

  “There’s a couple of other things in here, too,” he said, digging around. “Like this…”

  “Keys?” she said as he dangled them before her. Her inquisitive eyes surveyed the charm of the keychain, a letter M encrusted with tiny emeralds. “Are you sending me on another scavenger hunt? Did you buy the apartment next to our dungeon for an expansion?”

  “No, little one—they’re keys to this apartment,” he corrected her. “I’m trying to make this official here…”

  Still, she couldn’t comprehend what Drew endeavored to say to her, and she shook her head. “What are you talking about, Drew?”

  No matter how often or for how long he’d rehearsed for this one single moment, he knew he’d already blown it. This chance came but once in a lifetime, and now that the spotlight was upon him, he’d already managed to wreck the entire first act.

  “Maxine, I—”

  “Drew, it’s alright…talk to me…”

  “You have no idea, do you?” He noted the beautiful play of shadows cast by the fire against her porcelain skin, and he caressed her cheek. “Not a clue...”

  “Drew...what are you...”

  Scooting away from her, he paused for a moment, looking so intensely into her eyes as if he could see her soul...

  ...then stumbled off the couch and onto one knee, taking her hands in his.

  “Maxine, you are my entire world, my whole life—you saved my life, a second time,” he whispered. “I've never known what love truly was all about until you fell into my lap. And I, in turn, fell in love with you that very night. Your curiosity had no bounds. You're so very smart and almost too wise for your age. You're sweet...aff
ectionate. But you put me in my place when it’s deserved. You not only showed me what tenderness was—but you proved to me that I was capable of it, too.”

  Tears trickled into her eyes, and Drew stopped for just a moment to wipe them away with the backs of his fingers. “Don't cry, little one....”

  “You make me just as happy, Drew...”

  “This isn't about me tonight, Maxine,” he said. “It's about us.”

  “It always has been—from the beginning...”

  He stopped again to swallow the lump in his throat. “Yes, it has,” he agreed. “And I know it's only been a couple of months, but...I feel like we've already spent a lifetime together. And I'm hoping that maybe we can just extend that into infinity.”

  Every bone in Maxine's body began to tremble as he struggled with her stocking to pull out the tiny blue box. Drew continued to shake as he lifted the lid and revealed the ring inside—a splendorous Art Deco display with two beautiful carats of rare diamonds. The antique family heirloom, set in platinum, was an early twentieth-century Tiffany engagement ring. Within the intricate carvings, one large round diamond sat low as the focal point, flanked by three smaller diamonds on each side. It was the most delicate and pretty ring Maxine had ever seen.

  “My great-grandfather gave this ring to my great-grandmother nearly a hundred years ago, and they lived over sixty years of a delightful life together. I want sixty with you…and beyond…” he began. “Maxine, if I could be with you every second of the day, I would. I want to grow with you— grow old with you. Have a couple of kids running around here someday,” he continued, again searching her face to discern her thoughts. “I need you in my life, and I need for us to share that commitment to each other. So...little one...will you please marry me?”

  Along the inside of the band, he’d had engraved Maxine’s own words she’d first uttered on the night they professed their love for each other under the ghost light: All my everything.

  In her heart, Maxine knew that she loved every last nuance of Drew McKenzie. His angst. His tenderness. His protective nature and his all-encompassing desires. She adored their sweet, quiet mornings in bed, their nights on the town and their dark moments of play inside their new dungeon.

  Likewise, he encouraged her to live her life to its fullest, in spite of the hardships along the way. Now she couldn’t imagine her days without him in them. She, too, couldn’t shake him from her mind, so overwhelming was her love and passion for him. He brought her strength and stability, all the while carrying her to heights that she’d never dreamed possible. With Drew, though, everything seemed conquerable.

  There was not a single trace of doubt in her mind.

  “Yes, Drew, I'll marry you...”

  “You will?” he breathed.

  Again, Maxine couldn't stop herself from laughing at his astonishment. Oh, that Mack really did need to work on his own self-esteem issues when it came to her. But she loved him anyway.

  “Yes,” she kissed him on the lips. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  Never once did she ever see the cool Drew McKenzie shake as he did when he carefully placed the ring on her right hand.

  “I love you, Drew,” she kissed him again. “I love you so much...just one thing, my sweet man…?”

  “Anything for you, little one?”

  “Wrong finger…”

  Pressing his forehead against hers, their uproarious laughter mingled with the happiest tears.

  “Fuckballs, little one.”

  “Fuckballs indeed,” she said, raining kisses all over his face. “We have a story to tell our little McKenzies one day.”

  Still on his knee, Drew slipped the ring off. “Those mini-Macks better inherit their mother’s intelligence…” he shook his head, then readied himself to propose again. “Maxine Elizabeth Kirk, once again, will you please do me the honor…the joy…and everything else that comes with the role…and be my wife?”

  “I’d say yes to that a hundred more times, Drew,” she said as he eased the ring down on her left hand.

  “You've made me the happiest man in the entire world tonight,” he said.

  “All I need right here—right now—is this man on bended knee beside me!” she whispered. “You could have popped a quarter into a gumball machine, and I would have been just as thrilled. But the fact that it belonged to your grandmother and has been passed down through the family…it’s an honor and an inspiration to wear this ring.”

  “That's exactly why I wanted you to have it,” he said.

  “Drew,” she said, her voice filling with her tears of utter exuberance, “we could live in a shack and eat ramen noodles every day, and I would still find joy with you.”

  “You really do mean that...” he said, kissing her back. “Oh, Maxine, I love you.”

  “And I just can't stop giggling and crying right now...”

  “You just got engaged, Future Mrs. McKenzie,” he said. “I think that's the normal reaction.”

  “Mrs. McKenzie...” Maxine said, tugging him off his bended knee to join her on the couch. “That has a lovely sound to it...I’ll be Mrs. Mack!”

  Suddenly, just a slight twinge of sadness struck Maxine. Maxine Kirk. It was the singular connection to both of her parents that she would lose, particularly with her dear old dad. And while Tom remained supportive of their relationship, marriage was another commitment entirely.

  “Little one...what's wrong?” Drew wrapped one arm around her and cupped her chin with his other hand.

  “I...well...Daddy...”

  That smile was oh, so very wry. “What do you think we were discussing at the bar today while I left you at home with Vicki to wrap presents?”

  “You mean...?”

  “Do you really think that I would have proposed had I not asked your father for his daughter's hand in marriage?”

  Nearly breathless, she tried to gather her thoughts. “Wait a minute...you had every last second of this planned out, didn’t you, Mack?”

  He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps...”

  “So Daddy already knows...? That’s why he didn’t question leaving tonight?”

  “Yeah, we should probably Skype them all sooner rather than later,” he suggested. “They all know—and they’re all waiting.”

  “Uh…Skype?” Maxine tugged at the bow on the shoulder of her little baby doll nightie.

  “Fuck!” he scrambled, then tossed her sweater back to her. “Put Rudolph on! I’ll strategically hold the iPad to only get us from his nose up.”

  “You’re shaking, Drew!” she shouted as she hustled back into her sweater.

  “So are you!” he retorted. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, soon-to-be Mrs. Mack…sit still…”

  “Punish me if I don’t?”

  “Maybe,” he pondered her thought. “After Christmas.”

  And the second they logged in, Tom sat, literally on the edge of his seat on the McKenzie’s couch, anxious to hear the news as Vicki grinned and clutched his hand. It looked as if their own party had just carried on across town. Beside them, Declan and Maggie hovered in wait, and Jillian and Adam stood behind with Jeffrey and Ben huddling close to fit into the frame.

  “So, I have some news,” Drew said somberly, mustering every last lesson he’d learned about exuding emotion at Julliard. “She said no...”

  Silence fell over the Internet from the Upper East Side to the Upper West, and Maxine could see her father’s chest heave in disappointment. She knew that Tom was breathing haughtily through his nose as he often did when life displeased him. She felt badly that Drew was teasing them.

  “I'm kidding—you're gaining a son-in-law,” Drew said. “And a daughter-in-law!”

  “You, asshole! You didn’t tell me!” Adam shouted. “How the fuck could you keep this from me? Everyone else knew!”

  “Everyone else knew to keep their mouths shut,” Ben chuckled as he turned to find a red-faced Adam.

  “A toast to you both,” Declan said, already poised with his
glass of Irish whiskey. He gave Maggie an extra squeeze. “And we’re all thrilled to be blending our families together. We love you both.”

  “Congratulations, you adorable couple, you…” Vicki chimed in quickly.

  “Dammit, Maxie, are you there?” Tom called out. “That guy nearly gave me a heart attack there. Give him his Tony Award right now!”

  “Careful…” Drew minded her as he passed the iPad to Maxine.

  “I'm here, Daddy,” Maxine said. “And thanks for keeping Drew's little secret from me!”

  “Why would I ruin the biggest surprise of my little girl's life for her?” Tom asked. “I'm just so pleased for you both.”

  “Maxine, we just want to welcome you to the family—you and your dad here,” Maggie said. “I can honestly tell you that this is one of my happiest moments. Drew couldn’t have chosen a more perfect woman to spend the rest of his life with.”

  “And I second that,” Tom said. “Drew, you’re a good man. And you’ll make my Maxie an excellent husband.”

  Maxine was pretty sure that there wasn't a dry eye on either end at that point. Even Adam felt the intensity of the moment.

  However, it was the vague utterings of a small voice singing “Santa Baby” that suddenly lured their attention to the corner of the small screen.

  “Oh, good Lord…” Drew said, pointing to Aunt Frannie as she stepped into the frame with her sherry glass in hand, shimmying and shaking, begging that old man in the red suit to drop through the chimney.

  “See where my bro gets his singing talents?” Adam shouted suddenly.

  “On that note….Princess, you go celebrate with my son-in-law this evening, okay?” Tom said. “And you, Drew—you take care of my little girl over there in that big penthouse. You hear me? That's an order.”

  “Tom, I wouldn't question your authority over Maxine for anything...” Drew said. Yes, the one man to whom Drew deferred his power over his fiancée was indeed Thomas Kirk. There was simply no point in challenging him. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  “We love you guys,” Maxine called out. “And Merry Christmas!”