His Xmas Surprise (5 page)

Cooch is officially dead, I knew she
was gonna get it, I kept trying to tell her to calm down but no, did she
listen, uh uh.

Now I'm laid out on the bed like a
wet noodle while he lies with his head on my tummy.

One little kiss to my navel and I'm
throbbing between my legs already.

"We have to call your dad."

"It's too late he's
asleep."

Yeah right, I just did not want
anything to spoil this most beautiful day.

"I've got news for you babe,
Washington is four hours behind, it's only six o'clock there, get a move
on."

"Oh alright, I don't see why we
can't wait until tomorrow though..." He stopped me short as I made to roll
out of bed.

With his fingers clasping my jaw, he
looked me square in the eye.

"Anna-Maria, there's no way for
you to know this so I'll tell you now, I don't like being argued with, if I say
we're doing something then that's what we're doing, I'll let you slide for a
while, but please try to learn that, it'll make it easy on your little ass in
the future."

What, what did he mean by that?

"Whaddya mean?"

He just looked at me sternly until I
swallowed, and sat back. Sir yes sir.

"You have a sassy mouth, I like
it, but if you buck up against me too often, you might find your ass over my
knee, I'm accustomed to giving orders and being obeyed, I'm not gonna stop
being that way anytime soon so it's something you'll have to get used to."

He slapped me on the ass after his
little Napoleonic speech.

Cooch was trying to put some effort
into raising her head but it was a no go, that last pounding had taken it out
of her, besides she shouldn't encourage him.

"Up little Anna."

I rolled out of bed being sure to
keep my grumbles below hearing level. Damn, who knew the man was such a
dictator.

He threw his t-shirt at me and I'm
such a girl it made me feel all tingly and warm that he wanted me to wear his
shirt.

When I was through pulling it over my
head he was there next to me, with his arm around my waist, fingers resting on
my ass, he lead me from the room and down the stairs.

I became physically ill as soon as I
saw the phone, no joke, bile rose up to gag me and my stomach rolled.

I made a mad dash for the closest
washroom as Tanner followed behind me.

He was holding my hair while I
brought up my dinner, oh joy to the world.

I noticed what a great caretaker he
was though, so something good came from the experience.

He didn't utter a sound as he cleaned
me up, helped me brush my teeth with a new toothbrush he'd found in the cabinet
and then he just sat on the commode with me on his lap.

Of course the caveman couldn't keep
that up for too long.

"Does your father hit you?"

Geez dead Steven that tone alone was
killer.

"No he does not, he's a good
dad, a little absent minded maybe, but meh, he's no abuser."

"Why did you become so ill
then?"

"Uh, Tanner, I ran away from
home two days ago to get away from marrying the guy he chose for me, now you
want me to call him and tell him I'm getting married to someone else just like
that, he's going to lose it.

I hate it when people get mad at me,
I can’t help it, I'm a wimp."

"You're not a wimp, I see what
you're saying, but I'm not the type of man who hides, so we'll come to some
sort of compromise ok?"

"Okay, what, like we can get
married first then tell him?"

"First tell me what you're
afraid of."

It took me a minute to get the words
out, what I was about to say would reveal so much, and it seemed so hokey, I
mean we've only just moved our relationship to this point, and although we both
claimed to have had the hots for each other all these years, it felt sort of
rushed to admit what I was about to.

"Speak up beauty."

"What if he stops us from
getting married?"

"Not going to happen so if
that's your only fear put it behind you, nothing and no one is going to stop
that. Look at me."

I turned my face up to his, well I
had no choice really since he helped with a finger under my chin.

"I take care of my own, no one
stands in the way of what I want, ever, remember that, now I'll hold your hand
while you talk to your father, then I'll talk to him myself okay."

"Okay."

I can't believe she actually got
sick, seems she has a soft heart, she's one of those please everybody types,
it'll be fun to see how we work together because I'm one of those, don't give a
fuck who's pleased or not types.

I guess they're right, opposites
attract, I'm waiting to see how things go with her dad, then we'll go from
there, if he gives us shit, I have no problem finding a justice of the peace on
the mainland and getting the deed done, we could always have a real ceremony
later for family and friends.

She sat on my lap as she dialed her
dad's number.

"Speaker."

She reached over to press the button
just as a gruff voice answered.

"Dad..."

"Anna-Maria Coulter, I'm going
to tan your backside, are you trying to kill me?"

I tensed under her but she shook her
head and held her hand up, she actually looked more relaxed which made no
sense.

"Dad, I'm sorry...."

"You're sorry, until Cynthia
came and gave me that note I was on pins and needles, the one time I chose to
look in on you and you weren't there, what the hell?"

"Dad you wouldn't listen to me
so I had to do something drastic."

"What do you mean wouldn't
listen to you..."

"About marrying Mark, I tried
telling you for months..."

"Girl I thought you just had
cold feet, I didn't realize, look Greg and I thought you two liked each other
that way since you've been joined at the hip since birth...I'm not talking
about that part anymore, but any way, after Cynthia gave me the note and a
swift dressing down, you’re right by the way, she's a meddling pixie, anyway
she lit into me for being a bad father, you would've thought I sold you at
birth the way she carried on.

"Close enough..."

"Don't you start, any way like I
was saying, Greg and I confronted Mark and he didn't want to get married
either, wish you two had spoken up sooner. So where the hell are you anyway,
for once I couldn't get something out of her, and she's been avoiding me ever
since."

"I'm with Tanner."

She was tense again I ran my hand up
her back to her neck where I massaged the tension until her shoulders relaxed
again.

"Who, who's that, your little
boyfriend? Why didn't you just say you had one of those instead of making me
waste Sue's time planning that shindig...?”

"Dad are you serious right now?
You were like a man possessed, all you talked about was the wedding and how
great Mark and I would be together."

"That's because I thought that's
what you wanted how the hell should I know, you teenagers make me crazy, no
means yes, bad means good, who the hell can keep up, look tell me about this
Tanner, do I know him, is he nice, does he play any sports?"

She looked back at me bewildered while
I tried to hold in my grin.

"It's Cynthia's older
brother..." She crunched up her shoulders to her ears as if expecting him
to blast her.

"Who...the SEAL...?
HooYah."

"Hello Dr. Coulter, this is
Tanner Reid."

"Hi there son, I don't think
we've met except in passing but your old man sure likes to talk you up."

"He does does he?"

"Yes sir, that was a nice job
you boys did down there in that hellhole, I know you can't talk about that
stuff but I just wanted to say thank you all the same. Now as to you and my
daughter, what exactly are your intentions?"

"OMG dad..."

"Quiet, go ahead Mr.
Coulter."

I squeezed her hip as she sat on my
lap and kissed her temple.

Things had gone completely different
from what she expected and I think she still expected her father to change his
tune.

After the way she'd acted I'd half
expected a showdown myself but the doc seemed to be onboard.

I guess it helped that he knew what
kind of man I was from my dad so that was half the work done.

"I plan on marrying her as soon
as possible, we're just calling to get your blessing, I know it's kind of
sudden, but I've been waiting for your daughter for a long time."

"So you two didn't have some
sort of relationship going on or something?"

"No sir, your daughter was too
young, but now she's of age more or less and my fighting days are over so I can
be a husband to her, so I figure now's as good a time as any."

"Well hell son, you almost
didn't make it."

I looked at her, her beautiful little
face, those eyes that went from light to dark according to her mood that became
a deep purple when I was buried inside her.

My heart actually jerked in my chest
and did a little trip before settling back into its natural rhythm.

"No sir, I don't think so, I
think we were destined for each other, there was never any danger of her
marrying someone else."

She smiled at me and laid her head
against my shoulder.

"Well now, sounds like she's in
good hands, we still need to meet and have a chat maybe over a beer or two,
listen son.... you watch sports right?"

Anna rolled her eyes as I laughed.

"I'm a red blooded American
male, of course I watch sports."

"Good man..."

"I even have season tickets to
the Mariners and the Seahawks games, maybe we could catch a game
sometime."

"Welcome to the family son, yes
indeed, when's the wedding again?"

"We haven't worked out all the
details but we'll let you know as soon as we do."

"Good enough, Anna you did good,
I'm still going to tear a strip off your hide for scaring me half to death but
all in all you did good."

We made some more small talk before
ringing off.

"That was relatively painless
wasn't it?"

"I'll say, I thought for sure
dad would throw some threats around or something, but, nothing, sold out for
some season tickets, that's a shame."

"Hey you still get me in the
bargain, what're you complaining about huh!"

"Nothing at all."

We shared a kiss that promised to
turn into so much more but we weren't quite finished yet.

"We have one more call to make
love."

I dialed my sister from memory she picked
up on the second ring.

"So am I planning a wedding or
what, or do I have to leave you two stranded on that island for a few months
together until you come to your senses?"

"You took a chance there
sis."

"We'll talk about that later,
first tell me if I'm planning a wedding or not."

"Looks like you are."

She screamed loud enough that the
people on the mainland could probably hear her.

"I knew it I knew it I knew it,
so...deep breaths Cynthia...okay, I've already taken care of everything, Xmas
was too risky so I planned it for the stroke of midnight on New Year's
Eve."

"What if we hadn't fallen for
your little scheme?"

"Please, I know you both better
than you think, the way Anna has been mooning over you for the last like three
years, please, and you big brother, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure
out why you started acting so strange whenever she was around."

"Wow, you saw a lot."

"It's because I love you both so
much, I paid attention."

"So what do we need to do?"

"You have to be home a few days
before the wedding, I already have the forms for the license, the officiate is
already on board, the reception is taken care of, even the guest list, everyone
just thinks they're coming to a formal party that night, oh this is going to be
so much fun."

"I guess my old tux still
fits...."

"No way, I got you a new one and
Anna's dress is all ready..."

"How do you know what dress I
would like?"

"You picked it yourself."

"I did?"

She frowned at the phone.

"I'm pretty sure I would
remember that."

"Remember when I told you I was
looking at dresses for myself and I had you play that game of make believe, and
I got you to choose your favorite? Well there was this one dress that you kept
going back to, that's the one I got you, it's so perfect Anna, squeeeeee, I can't
wait till we're sisters..."

She went off on a tangent about
something or the other but Anna and I were once again lost in each other, our
mouths moving together.

"Are you guys there?"

"Later Cindy."

"Eww, gross..."

I cut her off before she could
finish.