Under the Mistletoe

"Hi, beautiful! I had an incredibly good time last night, and I can't wait to see you again. I forgot to warn you I'm insanely busy trying to learn the ropes at the firm, but one thing I've learned in life is people always make time for the things they value most. And seeing you is at the top of my priority list. So I'm not sure how we'll do this, but I'll do everything I can to make time for us. Talk to you soon!"

Kodi was momentarily disappointed but knew work was the only reason Layton was back in town. She also knew that while money can't buy happiness, not having any at all made for a very hard life. So she gave up her disappointment for a more mature emotion—support.

"Layton. I was SO happy to get your text! I had a wonderful time last night, too. As to work, I understand. Totally. I'll be happy to see you as often as possible, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen."

She thought for a moment then laughed at the thought of telling him how she'd fantasized about them. Instead she wrote:

"I dreamed about us last night. And, well, it was very pleasant. You know, just like being with you in real life."

She thought again then signed off:

"Love, Kodi"

Although Layton was swamped at work every day that week, he found time for Kodi even when it meant her driving to the firm to have a cup of coffee together out in her car. He apologized each day, but she told him she understood knowing he'd find time to see her for a little while each evening, too, as often as possible.

Kodi saw the wisdom in waiting as she learned more about her new boyfriend each time they talked, no matter how short their visit might be. And each time they were together, she realized she only loved him more.

"I was hoping you might join us for dinner on Friday," Layton told her Wednesday during coffee after his mom brought it up that morning.

Kathryn knew things were getting serious between them, and she wanted her son to know she was completely supportive. He told her how much he appreciated that and promised her he'd ask.

"I'd love to," she told him as soon as he asked.

Edward was still holding his own for the most part, although his short-term memory was losing ground. He was still more than sharp enough to know love when he saw it, and he'd always thought Kodi was a lovely girl wholly undeserving of what her husband had done to her. He listened carefully and commented when he could during dinner, and when it was over, he asked Layton for a moment of his time.

"Son? You're really getting up to speed at work fast. And while I love your dedication, you and that beautiful girl of yours need some time alone."

"I agree, and once I'm on top of things, that'll happen, Dad."

"No, you need time now, Layton. Look, I don't know how long I'll be able to run the firm effectively, but for now, I still can."

He smiled then said, "Well, as far as I can remember anyway."

His son didn't laugh, but he knew his father was using dark humor to lessen the severity of something very serious.

"I want you to take the next weekend off. Assuming Kodi has weekends off and the two of you can make full use of it."

He'd never heard his father talk that way, but the smile on his face assured Layton it wasn't the dementia. His dad was reminding him he still knew what it was like to be young and in love, and he was pretty sure Layton and Kodi hadn't had any time to...really get acquainted.

"Her weekends are free, Dad," Layton replied.

"Okay. So...go. Or at least ask her."

He wanted to say he'd feel guilty, but he also knew his dad had a valid point. Six months from now, he might not be able to handle the demands of the firm, and this was his way of showing he cared.

"All right. I'll ask her. And Dad? Thanks."

His dad extended his arms for a hug, and although Layton was surprised, he was grateful for the display of fatherly affection. When it ended, his dad started complaining about 'the dry in air' in the house as he blinked his eyes several times.

"Yeah, I've noticed that too, Dad. We need to get the furnace checked," Layton said rather than mention the real reason.

When they got ready to leave, Kathryn told Kodi how wonderful it was to have her join them.

"Please, please come back often, okay?" she told her.

Kodi looked at Layton then smiled as she said, "I'd love that, Kathryn. Thank you for a lovely evening."

Even Edward wanted a hug before she left, and Kodi nearly teared up herself knowing what he was facing.

"Take care of this one, son. She's a keeper," his father said as he looked directly at Kodi.

"Yes. Yes, she is," he agreed as they all said goodnight.

On the way home, Layton took Kodi's hand and asked what she thought.

"I think I was right when I said I love your family."

He smiled at her just as she said, "All of it."

He laughed then sprung the weekend plan on her.

"I uh, I have next weekend off, and I was wondering if you might want to spend it with me."

Kodi's body tingled from head to toe as his words registered with her brain.

"I would love that, Layton," she told him without hesitation.

"Yeah. Me, too," he replied with a warm smile.

They drove the rest of the way in silence as nothing more needed to be said right then.

"I'll text you soon, okay?" Layton told her on her front porch after walking her there.

"I'll look forward to it," she replied as she slid her arms around his neck.

"I love being with you," Layton told her as their eyes met.

"Same here," Kodi told him as he kissed her softly.

As their lips parted Layton said, "It's been very hard, you know?"

"It has?" she asked, not sure what he meant.

"Uh-huh. The waiting."

Kodi smiled and told him, "Oh, right. Yes. Yes, it has. Extremely hard. But I think it's been worth it."

"Me, too," he replied with a smile of his own.

"Well...goodnight, Layton," she said before kissing him.

"Goodnight...honey," he said very quietly and in a way she hadn't heard before.

As that word also registered, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"You just made me very happy," she told him as she tried not to cry.

"You make me very happy," he told her as Kodi pulled him close, dying to tell him she loved him.

They held one another for nearly a minute before Layton said, "I hate to leave, but..."

"Don't you dare say I need my beauty sleep," she teased as she tried to clear her eyes that were still a little watery.

They kissed one more time before Kodi let go and reluctantly went inside.

He was still standing there when the door closed, and once it did, he whispered, "I am so in love with you," before turning around and heading toward his car.

Layton made reservations at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver, BC, for that Friday and Saturday knowing it was one of the nicest five-star hotels in the area. It was 53 miles to Vancouver and nearly 90 miles south to Seattle, so Canada was the easy choice.

After a furious week at work leaving him little time for the new love in his life, Layton couldn't wait to spend a relaxing and romantic weekend with this older woman he loved so much.

When he arrived at 6:30 to pick her up, he was amazed at how beautiful she looked. He'd seen her in cocktail dresses and the simpler-but-elegant kind she wore to work, but he hadn't seen her dressed down too many times.

"Is this okay?" she asked when she saw him staring.

"Oh. Sorry. Yes. It's...it's perfect," he told her.

Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing jeans. Her makeup was minimal, and Layton loved the way it made her face look; a face that was naturally beautiful. She wore a soft, white, turtleneck sweater with a pair of pearl earrings and no other jewelry.

The same was true for him, and Kodi said, "I like seeing you the real you. Don't get me wrong, you look great in a tux or a suit, but I love the way you look in jeans and a shirt."

He laughed then told her, "Those were the very words I was looking for to say to you."

He moved closer, kissed her, then said, "Thank you, honey."

She smiled happily and replied, "You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Shall we?" he said.

Kodi grabbed her purse and a jacket while Layton picked up the two bags she packed, knowing better than to ask why she needed that much stuff for maybe a 48-hour trip.

They talked the entire way, and both of them were amazed at how comfortable they were with one another. It was cliché to be sure, but they both felt like they'd known each other their entire lives.

They arrived around 8pm, and checked into their room. Kodi hadn't been there before, but she knew it was a five-star hotel, and the room was spectacular.

"Wow. This is...amazing," she said as she set her purse down and looked around.

Layton walked up behind her and put his arms around her and said, "No. You...are amazing."

She put her arms over his as he nestled his face against hers from behind.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"I was, but suddenly I think food can wait."

She turned around, continued smiling, and then, as she put her arms around him said, "Because I think you and I have waited long enough for something else."

Layton smiled back and told her he agreed completely.

"So as nice as you look in those jeans, I can't wait to see how you look out of them," she said with an evil smile.

"Hmmm. Once again, that's exactly what I was thinking," he told her.

"You may want to dim the lights before I get undressed," she warned him. "In case you've forgotten, I've not...38...anymore."

Layton laughed at their inside joke and scooped her up and laid her on the bed as he stripped off his shirt.

"Oh, my God," Kodi said quietly when she saw his hard, muscular, 28-year old body.

"Your turn," he said as he playfully pushed her on her back causing her to laugh loudly just before he began tugging on her jeans.

"It might help if I unbutton them first, don't you think?" she asked as continued pulling to let her know how badly he wanted her.

"Just get those things off, would you?" he said just as playfully, but with a look in his eye that sent a massive flood of hormones and brain chemicals coursing through her body.

Kodi no longer cared if it was long, slow, and passionate or if he ripped her panties off and fucked as hard as he could. All she wanted was to be with this man she'd been in love with for what seemed like forever.

The jeans slid off, and in seconds his were, too. He didn't even bother removing the lacy panties that were little more than a patch of silky cloth covering the entrance to Valhalla.

"Easy or...not so easy?" he asked as he stood over her and smiled.

"Not...easy. Definitely," she told him, barely able to speak.

He pulled himself on top of her, kissed her hard, and pulled the silky fabric to the side before taking her as roughly as she'd ever been taken. Kodi was utterly lost in a sea of emotion and need as she begged him not to stop.

"God...YES!" she screamed as he filled her and loved her.

"More! Please!!" she begged as she wrapped her legs around him while he took her.

On the verge of cumming, he slowed down and looked at her. Her eyes were moving so rapidly between his he nearly smiled. Kodi was breathing hard and still wanting more, but Layton pulled out then slid between her legs and used his tongue and fingers until she was on the verge.

"Layton! Oh, God! I'm...I'm..."

He pulled himself back on top, and reentered her just as she said, "I'm cumming!"

He was right there with her and started to pull out again when she pulled him in so hard he had no choice but to stay.

"No! Cum inside me! Please!!"

Her words were choppy as the orgasm caused every muscle in her body to contract and spasm as it shuddered with relief even as she felt warm splashes inside her one after the other until he lay there motionless.

Kodi kissed his neck as he gasped for breath.

"Was that too much?" he asked, knowing it was too late if it was.

She pushed him up and made him look at her.

"Too much? Are you kidding? Oh, my goodness. Layton, that was...amazing!"

"I'd feel awful if I..."

"You didn't," she assured him. "I wanted that as much as you did, sweetheart. Okay?"

Layton had never once worried about a woman he was making love to. Then again, he'd never really made love before. All of it had been just pure, unadulterated fucking. And while he'd definitely just fucked her, he'd also made love to her, and Kodi knew it.

He kept looking at her and after it got uncomfortable, Kodi asked, "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all," he told her before kissing her softly.

"Then what is it, honey?" she asked, needing to know.

"I'm not sure I should say," he replied.

"Layton. Please," she said, nearly begging.

He looked at her for quite awhile again then said with more sincerity than he'd ever said anything before, "I...I'm in love with you, Kodi."

Kodi's eyes opened wide, and for a moment, Layton thought she was about to push him off and tell him to 'grow up' or...worse. But then they filled with tears as she spoke.

"I'm in love with you, too, Layton," she told him as the tears began to fall down her cheeks onto the bed.

"Really?" he said, suddenly not sure why he even said it.

"Duh! Are you really that...dense?" she told him as she did push him off before rolling over on top of him. "How can you not know that?"

"Because...I'm a guy?" he suggested, his eyebrows raised high.

Kodi laughed a happy laugh and told him that was good enough.

Then he rolled her back over and got more serious.

"I've never been in love before, so I think I just needed to be sure you really meant it," he told her.

"Well, I have been in love before, but I've never felt like this before. Ever."

"That's probably because I'm such an incredibly skilled lover," he told her, trying not to laugh.

Kodi did laugh then got serious.

"You are that," she told him. "In fact..."

She reached for him and felt him growing hard and said, "If that was the main course, may I please have dessert?"

Both of them laughed before they spent nearly an hour slowly exploring one another's bodies then making love in a more traditional way.

"So which do you like better?" Layton asked. "The entree or the dessert?"

"Yes," she replied before another round of happy laughter broke out.

"The truth is I like it both ways. And I'm glad you um...fed me the entree first," she told him, still smiling happily.

"Oh. So you like my...meat. And...potatoes, eh?" he said very seriously.

She got the innuendo immediately and laughed again.

As they lay beside each other, Kodi said, "I had no idea it was even possible to be this happy."

Layton took her hand and told her he agreed.

"So this is what it means to be in love, huh?"

"Uh-huh. I believe it is," Kodi replied.

"Then I see why people like it so much," Layton said as they both stared up at the ceiling.

"It is pretty wonderful, isn't it?" she said.

"Yes, it is," Layton said as he rolled over to look at her. "At least it is when it's with you."

The new lovers got up, showered together, and got dressed. They headed downstairs where they settled for something light as a kind of midnight snack then went back to the room for more 'dessert'.

The happy couple did some sightseeing the next day with frequent trips back to the hotel for the kind of 'sightseeing' people in love really enjoy, and by the time they left on Sunday afternoon, there was no doubt in either person's mind how they felt.

Finding time together was a challenge for the next two months, but by then Layton felt very comfortable sitting in the 'co-pilot's chair' at work and 'cut back' to 12 hours a day, six days a week.

A month after that, Edward had his executive assistant set up a 'business party' for the office. It was there, after everyone had had a drink or two that he announced that he was turning the reins over to his son the following week.

There were cheers and applause from everyone with one notable exception. Kodi's ex-husband wasn't at all thrilled. He knew it was a private company, and that Edward had the final say, but he felt he'd made his mark on the business, and at least deserved a shot. Even after Layton came home, he'd worked his butt off, hoping Edward would change his mind. But now? Now he was angry in a very big way.

Kodi nearly begged off going because she knew he'd be there, and when she saw him corner Edward after making the announcement, she told Layton she was worried.

"My dad can handle himself," he assured her as they watched her ex get more and more animated.

The entire room was now silent as virtually everyone watched the spectacle unfold.

The animation ended suddenly when Edward held up a hand and quietly said, "That's enough."

He paused then told the man, "I should have done this six months ago, but I'm doing it now."

He paused for effect then said, "You're fired."

Stunned, Kodi's ex stood there unable to speak as audible gasps were heard around the room.

"You may leave—now," Edward said just as quietly, before adding, "We'll mail you your final check."

The man turned and walked away, his fists clenched, not so much as looking at Layton or his ex-wife who was clinging to her boyfriend's arm so hard it was cutting off the flow of blood when the entire room burst into applause. There wasn't a single person at the firm who liked this guy who ran over everyone and everything in his way on what he assumed was his way to the top, and the women particularly hated him for what he'd done to his wife.

One of his peers who'd had too much to drink, called out, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out—asshole!"

That caused another round of loud laughter followed by a palpable wave of relief.

Edward, now holding hands with Kathryn, walked over and said to Kodi, "That was long overdue."

"Nicely done, Dad," his son told him.

"Let me say the same to you, son. On two counts. The first is how you've earned your place at the firm. You've worked your...butt...off seven days a week since you got back. You were rusty, but you did the work. No shortcuts. No asking for favors. And as a result, you're ready. And second—this beautiful woman...well, she really is a keeper, Layton."

Edward smiled and Kodi smiled back.

"As a matter of fact, that reminds me of something," Layton said.

He got up on a chair and called out, "May I have everyone's attention, please?"

The room got very quiet again as he thanked them before stepping down and standing alongside Kodi.

"I'm not really sure what to say after that spectacular performance by my father, but..."

There was another round of loud laughter before Layton got serious.

"Listen, I have no idea whether or not I'm ready to take over, but..."

Again, he was interrupted.

"You're more than ready!" someone called out.

"And you're not an asshole!" the same man who'd used the word before yelled causing even more laughter.

Layton laughed, too, then said, his arm around Kodi, "I'm still not sure about that, but I'll take your word for it. What I am sure about, though, is how much I love this beautiful woman."

There were smiles all around as he continued.

"I had no intention of ever coming home, and even less of ever settling down. But life had other things in store," he said as he smiled at the woman he loved.

"When you meet someone who makes you want to be with them every minute of every day, it changes you. And well, I stand before you a changed man."

The room went silent except for some gasps when Layton produced a small, fuzzy box and got down on one knee in front of Kodi.

"You're the reason for the change, honey. I cannot imagine my life without you in it, and I want to make sure that never happens."

Kodi was crying openly, her hands covering her mouth and shaking uncontrollably as her handsome boyfriend asked her to marry him.