Domestic Wife: Christmas

All characters are 18 years old or older. This may be the end of this story (if I feel that there is no more to say). Thank you for all the lovely comments and for all of your support. Writing this story has been very helpful for me. So, if there comes a time when I stop writing it, I suppose the story has served its purpose. I hope that it may also help some of you. Feel free to email or comment if you have a new story idea that you think would be interesting for me to write about (nothing sadistic, please). I always love hearing from you. As always, enjoy!

*****

The snow fell atop the small cabin. The windows laced in white ice obscured the view of the smooth freshly laid snow outside. If she looked hard enough, Darcy could see the trail of footprints leading away from the house. Jesse stood at the end of the trail. He was wearing a thick winter coat and boots. The red hat and scarf his wife had made him was a welcome touch. Darcy watched as he chopped more wood. The snow had been coming and going for the past couple of days and it was only getting colder.

Darcy curled her slender fingers around the blanket as she pulled it more tightly around her frame. It was made of a thick, soft fabric. The house was warm inside as the fire crackled behind her. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, she sipped her peppermint tea. The room smelled like cinnamon and cranberries and freshly baked bread. The scent of rosemary and freshly laundered clothes blended sweetly in the air. They hadn't gotten a tree, but Darcy had made two stockings to hang over the fireplace. Inside of her husband's she had placed a small notebook filled with stories she'd written. She'd been so thankful to him for teaching her over the past year and helping her to find her passion. There was a fulfillment she gained through writing that she never had known was possible until Jesse helped her to see that she could create stories.

The door behind her opened. A cold breeze swept through the house. The flames stirred in the fireplace until the air settled again. Jesse was taking off his coat, leaving a little pile of snow around him. Darcy helped him unwrap his scarf and took his hat. She smiled at the snowflakes in his beard as she left to hang his things by the fire to dry.

When she'd come back, he'd taken off his boots.

"I love you," she told him as she opened her arms to envelop him in a large, blanketed hug.

Jesse leaned down. He loved holding his wife, the way her small body fit perfectly beside him. She was warm and smelled sweet. His hand brushed over her waist to her hip. He adored the feeling of her in his hands. His other hand came up to gently cup her cheek, drawing her into a soft kiss.

Her lips were hot as he pressed himself against her. He could feel his heart beating faster as she kissed him back, parting her mouth just slightly so she could run her tongue across his lip.

"I love you too," He pulled back, kissing her forehead and wrapping her up in her warm blanket. Darcy followed him to the table where they sat for breakfast.

"Are you excited for Christmas, my love?"

Darcy looked up from her drink. "Yes," she said with a pause, "but it is going to be strange not spending it with my family. It's the first time I've spent the holiday without them."

"You must miss them a lot,"

"I do," she nodded briefly before looking back up at her husband, "But, I'm so happy to spend it with you."

Jesse knew that although her expression seemed sincere, she did miss her family greatly. He'd thought of taking her to see them, but wasn't sure. Truly, he'd wanted her to tell him what she needed. He took a seat beside her at the table as she poured him a warm cup of tea.

Steam poured out of the spout, he could smell the fresh peppermint mixed with the bitter herbs. Its minty aroma filling the air between them. Just then, Jesse noticed the journal on the table.

"Have you written anything lately? Or were you just looking over old stories?"

"I wanted to," Darcy replied, "But, I'm not sure where to start."

"Hm," Jesse replied, "Maybe leave it be for a while. We can come back to it after you open your presents."

It was reflexive, the way that Darcy's eyes lit up. When she was growing up, her parents had had very little. It wasn't uncommon for Christmases to come and go without exchanging any presents. Usually her mother had made sweet desserts and roast with vegetables. For Darcy, that seemed a better present than any toy or game. On occasion though, Darcy would see her friends after christmas, playing with new dolls or games or with a new sled. She was ashamed to admit it, but she harbored a small seed of jealousy towards them. Perhaps she harbored a bitterness too, towards her parents. Why could they not give her the things her friends had? It was childish to think that way, and as Darcy grew up, she began to see that.

Even so, it couldn't stop her from feeling excited at the thought of gifts. She felt like a child again as she sat by the fire opening her presents. the first was wrapped in a silky red cloth, tied neatly with a golden ribbon. She smiled as she carefully untied the ribbon and unfolded the cloth. Setting it to the side, she opened the box to reave a stack of papers with envelopes. Each paper had a small bunch of flowers printed at the bottom.

"I thought you might like to send your family and friends something pretty," Jesse said sweetly, "instead of the usual plain paper."

"Thank you so much," Darcy said, her skin glowing warmly beside the light of the fire.

They sat there like that for a long while, opening gifts and laughing together. Eventually, Darcy crawled over into her husband's lap. She rested her back against his chest, feeling his deep breaths. After a while of talking, he sighed.

"You are happy with me here, aren't you darling?"

Taken aback by his question, Darcy sat up and turned to face Jesse. "Of course. Why would you wonder about that?"

He paused for a moment, "Sometimes, I just need to hear you say it I think."

Darcy leaned in to kiss him, gently pressing herself against his body, their lips touching softly but urgently. She pulled away slowly, meeting his gaze.

"I love you very much." she said firmly, "There's nowhere else I would rather be."

Reassured, and a little embarrassed at his question, Jesse smiled. Nodding, he pulled Darcy close to himself again and let her rest against him. The feeling of her weight against him was comforting. Her hair smelled sweet. He ran his fingers through it gently as he watched her grow more tired. Soon her eyelids had closed and her breaths became deep as she sunk into sleep.

Every so often Jesse could hear the creaking of wood in the old house. His wife would stir beneath him, but she looked so pleasant resting against him that he could hardly move her. He ran his thumb over her cheek lightly, thinking of how wonderful she was. Darcy was the most precious, most beautiful, most kind woman he had ever met. He was intensely proud of her accomplishments, and even more proud of her perseverance. He was truly lucky to be able to call her his wife.

It was usually very dark outside, except for the tiny pinholes of light that shone brightly against the deep velvet blue night sky. Tonight though, there were no stars to be seen. Despite the bitterness of the cold outside, it was warm peaceful there in the cabin. The only sounds were of the fire crackling and the heavy winter snow falling on their tin roof.