Forever After (Unrestrained 5)

I covered my mouth and my eyes filled with tears. This would be the best Christmas present Drake could get this year and I couldn’t wait to tell him. Then I had an idea – I printed a copy of the letter off and decided I’d slip it into a big empty box filled with tissue paper and put it under the tree. Drake would open it up on Christmas morning at my Dad’s place and it would make his day. Hell. It would make all our days.

I smiled to myself as I searched through the pantry for an empty box, so pleased to be able to give Drake this gift on Christmas Day.

Chapter 15 : Drake

The Thursday before Christmas, I spent my afternoon at the Foundation, finishing up some paperwork for a project in Africa providing equipment and supplies to a field hospital near the war zones in Sudan. Although they had removed my name from any promotional materials, I still wanted to be involved. Dave was there and updated me on his recent work. After our business was finished, I said goodbye and made my way to a jeweler not too far from the 8th Avenue apartment to see about my gift for Kate.

It was the same jeweler where I got Kate’s diamond collar and her anniversary earrings – a family business that went back to the 19th Century and was owned by old Mr. Naismith. This time, I was getting an antique locket inscribed for Kate.

We bent over the locket, which was underneath a magnifying glass. The locket was an estate piece that I bought at Macy’s. It was gold and had delicate filigree engraving on the front. Oval in shape, it was on a thin gold chain and would come to rest right above Kate’s delicious cleavage. The locket opened and I wanted to enclose a photo of Sophie and one of Kate’s mother, but I was having difficulty getting images of the right size. Mr. Naismith said he’d have his grandson resize the photos I brought to him.

“Did you decide on an inscription? It can’t be too long,” Mr. Naismith said as we examined the locket. “There’s not much room.”

“I have,” I said, remembering Kate’s favorite song that Mersey played. “And I love her.”

“Ah,” Mr. Naismith said, nodding. “The Beatles? A great choice and a great song.” He smiled and peered down at the locket. “It’ll be tight, but I’ll make it work.”

“You liked the Beatles?"

"I heard them play when they came to New York, in fact." He smiled at me.

"I know it’s late but I appreciate your work.”

“No problem,” he said and waved his hand. “You’ve been a very good customer these past two years. I’m glad to do this for you. It’ll be ready tomorrow afternoon. We’re open until five thirty.”

“I’ll be back,” I said and we shook hands.

Then I went out into the snowy Manhattan evening and home to my beloved wife and my sweet baby.

The next day, I swung by Naismith’s to pick up the locket and Mr. Naismith came out from the back of the store with the locket in a nice black velvet box, displayed with the locket open so I could see both tiny pictures inside. We stood at the counter and I bent down to examine the locket under his magnifying glass. One picture was of Sophie at about three months, taken just a few weeks ago. The other picture was of Kate’s mother, from a McDermott family Christmas picture, taken before she became ill. I turned the locket over and saw the delicate script:

And

I

Love

Her

It was beautiful. I hoped Kate would love it as much as I did.

“Thank you so much,” I said to old Mr. Naismith. I was so pleased with the results. I shook his hand and clapped him on the back when he came around the counter to hand me the box.

“My pleasure, Dr. Morgan.”

I tucked the box into my jacket pocket and left, satisfied that my gift shopping was all done and I had the perfect gift for Kate. I’d put the other gift under the tree – a beautiful cream satin and lace nightgown and robe along with a pass to the day spa she liked.

Kate had been a bit bedraggled after the accident, and then the adjustment to nursing, and getting used to Sophie’s sleeping and feeding schedule. I wanted to pamper her so I had ordered a day trip to the spa for her and Elaine and Christie, so the three of them could relax while I looked after Sophie. I included an additional gift certificate so Kate could buy whatever she wanted – soaps, lotions, and all the other products they sold at the spa gift shop. I wanted Kate to feel pampered like a queen when she returned.

I wanted her to slip into bed, wearing that beautiful full length lace and satin nightgown with spaghetti straps and a low bodice, so I could very slowly and very deliberately run my hands all over it. Then, I planned to strip it off her luscious body before making her come very hard while restrained with my new lamb’s wool cuffs for her wrists and ankles. They would be under our tree, not Ethan’s, on Christmas morning. I realized they were as much for me as Kate, and smiled when I thought about reintroducing a bit of kink back into our sex life, now that Kate was pretty much fully recovered from the accident.

Until now, I had been so careful with her, not demanding anything from her, letting her take the lead when it came to reestablishing our sexual and D/s relationship in the bedroom. Kate was ready to begin again and so was I, my body warming just at the thought of tying her up again. I was certain it would happen one day very soon, when I felt and she felt the time was right.

When I arrived home that night, Kate had a radiant smile on her face, and Sophie was bright eyed and smiled when she saw me. The two of them like that, greeting me when I got home after being away all day, did something to my insides. I almost felt like I had to pinch myself to be sure this wasn’t some fantasy I’d concocted when trying to get through the day.

It was real. Kate and Sophie were real.

“My two loves,” I said and after I hung up my coat and took off my boots, I went right over to them, pulling them into my arms for a hug and kisses. “How did I ever get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this happiness?”