“Katherine, cut that out,” Jared whispered. “You're supposed to feel your way up the stairs, not up me."

She giggled. “Can't I do both?"

Her hand drifted down the hard plane of his stomach and over the cotton fabric of his jeans. “If you don't stop that, I'll die from frustration.” He stood in front of the bedroom next to hers. “I don't want to confuse Matt, or give him anything to think about on Christmas morning but his own excitement at opening presents and seeing the two of us coming out of your bedroom wouldn't help that. We don't know what time Matt's getting up."

Leaning into him, she touched his cheek lightly with her lips before going to her own bedroom.

“Sweetheart, you're killing me,” he whispered.

She closed the door softly and braced herself against it with a smile.


* * * *

Katherine ran into Jared's bedroom, put her hand on his bare shoulder and shook him.

“Matt's awake,” she whispered.

Jared's eyes flew open and he squinted against the dim, gray light.

“I'll stall him while you get dressed.” She hurried on, ignoring the fact that he wasn't moving yet. “Thomas is on his way with the puppy and my mother is already downstairs."

“What time is it?” he said, throwing back the covers. He hopped out of bed, slid into his pants and yawned.

“Five o'clock."

He rubbed his eyes, ran his hand over his hair, rumpling it. “Do I have time to shower?"

Katherine stared at him in horror. “No! We can stall him five, maybe ten minutes if you want to shave. So get going."

Ten minutes later Jared held Matt in his arms and headed down the stairs. “Close your eyes. No peeking. I'll tell you when you can open them."

Jared stood him in front of the lighted Christmas tree, and Grace and Thomas moved closer so they could see Matt's face.

“Open your eyes,” Jared said.

“Merry Christmas!” everyone shouted as Matt opened his eyes and squealed, hopping up and down and from foot to foot. Katherine practically did summersaults around the living room trying to get photographs of his joyful little face from every angle. “A perfect picture,” she exclaimed every time, aiming and clicking the camera.

Matt ran toward a bicycle. “A big boy's bike.” He put one hand on the handlebar and puffed his chest out with pride.

A scratching and sniffing sound came from a perforated box about to tip over. Hearing a sharp ‘yip', Matt's eyes rounded and his jaw dropped. Jared opened the lid and Matt bent to peak inside. He was quickly rewarded with a friendly lick and giggled as the collie puppy leaped out of the box. The puppy squirmed, wagged her tail, jumped up on its hind legs and knocked Matt off his feet, making him laugh.

After Jared helped Matt sit back up and settled the puppy on his lap, Matt's happy face turned to Katherine, eyes wide with excitement. “Look at her, Mom. Isn't she cool?” His berry-red, chubby lips smiled at her in complete happiness. When had she last seen such joy on his little face?

“Yes, she is,” Katherine agreed with a grin.

Jared urged Katherine to take a picture as Matt cuddled and hugged the pup. “Her food and water are in the washroom, along with her leash. She needs a name though."

Matt glanced at the beautiful porcelain angel on top of the tree and his eyes lit up. He turned to Jared. “I wanna call her Star. ‘Cause I wished on one and got you."

A tear ran down Katherine's cheek.

Matt reached under the tree and grabbed a gift-wrapped box. He ran over to her and Star followed close at his heels like a shadow. “Don't cry, Mom. I got you something special, too."

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and holding the gift he handed her.

“Thomas and I have set our wedding date for December thirty-first. We want a simple ceremony at the house so all our friends and neighbors can attend. We'd like Matt to serve as the ring bearer and Jared as best man.” Her mother took Katherine's hand. “And I'd like you to be my maid of honor."

Katherine hugged her. “Yes. I can't wait."

“What does a ring bearer do exactly?” Matt asked.

Katherine knelt beside him. “He walks down the aisle with a ring on a pillow and gets chocolate candy afterwards."

“I can do that,” he said, nodding.

Jared laughed. “I'll be proud to be your best man, Thomas, and you can be mine sometime in January.” He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Katherine. “I'm hoping she won't keep me waiting too long."

“Mom plans on taking a two week honeymoon. She'll need a couple of days to get back to earth.” Katherine could see Jared's gaze dancing across the wall calendar hunting their wedding day. “January twenty-first, if that's okay with Mom and Thomas."

Jared barely waited for them to nod. He pulled her against him and kissed her thoroughly.

When he released her, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small wrapped present and handed it to her.

She nervously tore the paper, removed the velvet box and opened the lid. Inside lay an exquisite emerald-cut engagement ring and a platinum wedding band. She squinted to read the tiny inscription inside the band, ‘My unchanging love. Always, Jared'.

“They're beautiful, darling,” she said to Jared, lifting her head and looking at him.

He coughed, and placed the engagement ring on her finger. “I hope Grace and Thomas don't mind keeping Matt for two weeks."

“Can't I go with you?” Matt pleaded.

“Who's going to look after Sweet Pea and Star?” Grace asked. “I thought we'd spend that time at your ranch in Katy."

Jared winked at Grace.

Matt squealed, jumping up and down and Star joined in the fun making circles. Star barked as Matt ran and placed another present in Katherine's lap along with two envelopes.

One envelope contained shredded paper and a letter from her business partners Roger, Ethan and Christopher. They had torn up her sales agreement and treated the money she had received from them as an advance against future earnings. The letter went on to say, ‘Don't argue with us’ and they wished her a Merry Christmas.

Katherine sniffed and grabbed a handful of tissues.

The second envelope contained a picture of Jared's ranch in Katy, and Matt riding Sweet Pea. The caption read, ‘Future home of Mr. and Mrs. Randall and their son Matt Randall."

Katherine wiped tears from her eyes.

Matt's arms went around her neck as he scrambled onto her lap. Star whimpered at their feet. Matt's eyes filled with concern. “Aren't you happy about us going to live on Dad's ranch? I love his ranch."

“I'm happy. That's why I'm crying."

Matt scratched his head. “Are you sure?"

“Oh yes, sweetheart, very sure.” Hearing a gasp, she spied the risqué pajamas Matt had given her mother and stifled a giggle. Thomas rolled his eyes and her mother blushed.

Matt gave Katherine a kiss on the cheek, and he crawled down from her lap to hand out more gifts.

When Thomas unwrapped the present from her mother containing his silk bathrobe and the silk sheets, Katherine smiled at the tender look they exchanged.

Her gaze flew to Jared. She bit her thumbnail and watched as he opened one of her gifts to him, the framed photograph that Mrs. Taylor had taken of Jared, Matt and Katherine at the birthday dance. Jared touched the picture. He smiled and glanced her way. Her breath caught at the love that reached across the room and enveloped her.

“Open this one,” Matt interrupted, poking a finger through the paper.

“What have we here?” Katherine asked playfully, ripping it open. Out popped hundreds of squiggly, squirming, squishy plastic worms. They covered her lap like a wiggling gelatin mold.

“We got everything to go with the worms,” Matt explained, pointing to one corner where fishing equipment sprawled against the wall. “Dad owns a boat and we're going fishing soon as it warms up. Aren't we, Dad?"

When Matt called Jared ‘Dad', unprompted and with complete sincerity, her heart overflowed with joy. As happy voices drifted around her, tears ran down her cheeks again.

“Dad, Mom's crying bad now,” Matt said with concern again.

Jared's arms wrapped around her and pulled her back against his chest. She went, and listened as her lover spoke over her head to her son, “Your mother's happy, son. Women cry when they're happy, too."

Matt folded his arms and studied the situation. “I'm really happy, but I'm not crying. Women should cry only when they're sad so we don't get confused. They're weird sometimes, aren't they, Dad?"

“Sometimes, but we love them anyway,” Jared agreed.

Everyone chuckled, except Katherine, who sniffled and elbowed Jared indignantly in the ribs.

“I bet we can make her laugh,” Jared said with mischief lighting his eyes. He bent and whispered something to Matt, who giggled.

Her mother and Thomas's eyes widened. “Oh, Katherine, you're in for it now. Run!” her mother yelled.

Katherine stood and Jared pretended to tackle her like they were on the football field and she was trying for a touchdown. His arms folded around her waist, and as they went down, he twisted his body to cushion her fall. She sprawled atop him gleefully and Matt jumped on them both. They wrestled playfully and their hands reached out to tickle her sides and under her arms. Katherine giggled and rolled, trying to escape, but Jared and Matt followed. Soon all three of them lay on the floor, laughing and hugging.

“Wait!” Katherine yelled from out of the melee. “You haven't opened your special presents from me.” She jumped up and handed each of them a gift.

Matt tore his gift open to find a pair of knight in shining armor pajamas like King Arthur in his storybook. His grin spread from ear-to-ear.