He stood there, muscles twitching, breathing hard and not noticing the passage of time until he felt the water run cold. Reluctantly, he pulled out and put her down.

“Oh god.” He realized why she’d felt so good, so hot and tight.

“What?” she asked, turning off the water and grabbing a towel and drying his skin.

“I didn’t put a condom on. I forgot. I brought one in here. It’s on the counter. It’s just when you ran your slick, soapy hands over me, I just lost it. I’m so sorry.” He searched her face expecting her to be upset.

She sighed and smiled at him, slapping his ass. “It’s all right. I wanted to make it a Christmas present but I went on the pill three weeks ago. It takes two weeks to work so I didn’t want to say anything until the time was up. We both got tested for STDs, it’s okay.”

He exhaled in relief. “Oh god, you feel so good without a condom. I’m so glad we won’t have to use them anymore. I wasn’t sure how I could bear to go back to being covered while inside of you once I’d been there bare.”

She kissed his chest and quickly dried herself off. “You do say the most unique but wonderful stuff, baby.”

Laughing, he took the lotion bottle from her hands and applied it to her skin himself. “I won’t be able to share a shower with you until we come back home so let me do this to tide myself over.”

“It’s just one night, Kyle. Sheesh.”

He backed her into their bedroom. “But not being able to hear you scream out my name is going to be hard to live without. Even for just one night.” His eyebrow went up and a frisson of lust twisted through her.

They ended up back in their bed for another forty-five minutes before stumbling up to get dressed.

The crowd at Polly and Edward’s was insane. Kyle took their bag upstairs to their room while she headed into the family room where people covered every possible surface. They were all going to a Christmas Eve service at church and then coming back for dinner.

Nan and Pop were gushing over their new great grandbaby and looking at Maggie and Kyle with sly smiles of expectation. Nan and Pop were Edward’s parents. Pop was something of a local legend. A war hero in the Pacific who lost an eye, there were no less than three buildings and a street named after him. They took to Maggie right away. Pop was a terrible flirt and Nan just grinned at her and made unsubtle hints about great grandchildren until Kyle just burst out laughing.

After the service, they laid out a huge buffet dinner of cold cuts and salads and then got down to the very serious business of game playing.

They cleared the dining room and set up some card tables in the family room. Two fast and furious games of canasta started. Kyle and Maggie were partners and their unspoken communication enabled them to kick butt. She saw that the Chase boys were as competitive at cards as they were in billiards.

In the end, after Kyle and Maggie won every round, Shane and Matt made a rule that they weren’t ever to be on the same team at cards again.

Christmas morning was total chaos. Despite the fact that everyone there was in their mid-twenties or older, the rush to the tree was reminiscent of a bunch of seven year olds. Maggie’s dad came over and settled in on the couch while Pop played Santa and handed out presents. The process took well over three hours as they waited while each person opened their present until the next one got distributed.

“This one is for Maggie, from Kyle.” He bought a large box and sat it before her.

She ripped it open only to find another, slightly smaller box inside. Unwrapping that one, she saw yet another smaller box inside that one. She did it five more times until a small box remained. She looked down at it and saw the card tied to it. “Open Me First.” She read it to herself.

Maggie, my heart never truly beat until the first time I touched your lips with my own. You are my everything. The air I breathe, the blood in my veins. You are my heart and my soul and I love you.

With tears welling up in her eyes she unwrapped the final package and saw the black velvet ring box. Stilling for a moment, she cracked it open with trembling hands, exposing a pear cut solitaire diamond that was at least a carat. Her eyes widened and the room remained totally silent.

Kyle, who was already sitting at her feet came up on one knee and took her ring from the box and then her left hand. “Margaret Elizabeth Wright, my sweet Red, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Her hands shook as she looked into his face and saw everything she’d ever wanted and dreamed of, sitting right there.

She nodded, tears running down her face. “Yes. Oh definitely,” she said and he slid the ring on her left ring finger and a whoop of joy sprang up from several people around the room. Kyle hugged her to him tight and she saw he was crying, too.

“I love you so much, Kyle,” she said into his ear.

“Ditto, sugar,” he answered with a grin.

“Hot damn!” Matt exclaimed, a goofy smile on his face. “I’ve got the loveliest sister-in-law to be in the entire state of Georgia.”

“Polly and I couldn’t ask for a better daughter-in-law. You make our boy the happiest we’ve ever seen him. Thank you, sugar.” Edward kissed her cheek and Polly, who stood at his side, weepy, nodded mutely.

She was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Kyle loved the watch as well as his new golf club and the clothes and music she’d gotten him. She couldn’t stop looking at how her ring sparkled on her hand as she sat outside on the porch after dinner watching the guys play a very rough game of football in the yard.