Page 28 of Ribbons and Roses
Dad retreats to the den to read a book by the fire. Sasha and I decide to focus on readying some of the preparations for our Christmas Eve feast tonight and wrapping the last-minute presents we need to put under the tree.
“How are you doing after what went down last night?” Sasha asks.
“You mean with Marcel? What can I really say? My brother decided he was going to try to ruin our Christmas.”
The wrapping paper crinkles as Sasha snips some more from the roll and tugs tape off the tape dispenser. I’ve carefully placed the shiny metallic bow on the last present I’ve wrapped, which happened to be a gift for Salvatore. It’s as I set it down on top of the pile of other wrapped gifts that I notice I have several missed calls.
All of them from Marcel.
My brows knit closer, my heart skipping a beat. I quickly select his number to return his call. The phone rings in my ear over and over again until I’m reaching his voice mail.
“Marcel, you’ve called me five different times. What’s up?” I ask, pacing back and forth. “Is everything okay? Give me a call back.”
“You sure he wasn’t just calling to let you know he reached his destination?” Sasha asks.
“Five times? With no voice message?”
She shrugs. “Girl, maybe he knew you’d be worked up. He could be doing it on purpose.”
Though she could be correct, it doesn’t chase away the latest premonition that strikes me. I check my phone again and then sigh. Part of me hopes what Sasha says is true; it could be more of Marcel’s petty games.
Or it could be something else altogether…
Christmas Eve dinner runs late into the night. The kids are nodding off at the table by the time we’ve dug into the desserts. We scoop them up and take them upstairs to tuck them in before returning downstairs to finish our sweets and drinks.
Salvatore and Stitches are full of stories about today’s sledding excursion. They tell us about how Dominic and Bryce were serious about their race down the hill. Neither boy won as they both tipped over in their sleds and face planted in the snow. Both Sasha and I react in instant worry before Salvatore and Stitches tell us about how they dusted themselves off and demanded to go again.
“You kidding? Those boys got right up!” Stitches says with a swipe of his arm. “They got up faster than I did when I face planted. Took me five minutes and a kick in the ribs from Psycho.”
“Then there was Rena,” Salvatore says proudly. “She demanded she steer the sled we were in. I let her, and we damn near crashed.”
“But she was giggling nonstop! You’ve got some daredevils for kids, Mrs. Phi.”
I lean into Salvatore and smirk up at him. “Why am I not even surprised? They take after their father.”
“Andtheir mother,” he adds. “Who has been known to cause some trouble.”
Dinner officially comes to an end with me warm and tipsy from the occasion, feeling better than I did earlier in the day. Salvatore helps me in the kitchen with putting away the dishes and leftovers.
“Tomorrow morning’s the big day,” he says, waggling his brows. “You sure you’re ready?”
“More like are you sure you’re ready for your present?”
“If it’s got you purring like that, I’m more than ready.”
We meet midway for a kiss with his hand immediately palming my ass. He eagerly squeezes the soft, curved flesh and then tells me to get my ass upstairs. Simple words that do the trick in getting me to quickly obey and do as he says.
The moment the door’s shut, Salvatore’s like a wolf who’s returned to his den with his prey. I giggle and let him overtake me, dropping kisses onto my neck and shoulders. His fingers are as skillful as ever as he quickly undoes the buttons on my blouse and pushes the silky fabric off me.
It will never cease to amaze me how hungry he is. His instant eagerness, as if we haven’t been together for nearly a decade.
Longerthan that if you count our relationship when we were young.
Sometimes our excitement rivals those days, like we’re still two young adults exploring each other.
In a way, it’s true—we’ll always evolve as people and always need to learn these new versions of ourselves together.
Salvatore helped me do so when we first became parents. I was experiencing some mild postpartum difficulties that had me feeling less sexy, less like myself. He loved me through every moment of it, showing me how irresistible he still found me.