"I'll carry Jack inside if you want to bring the presents in, Aaron," Erin said, smiling at him as he parked the car. "I can't believe he's fallen asleep already!"
"He was up at five this morning. I don't think he went back to sleep." They opened their doors and Erin went to Jack's door while Aaron opened the trunk. Picking up the two bags of gifts, he watched Erin carefully bundle Jack up into her arms. His heart clenched a little as she leaned down and kissed his son's cheek.
"He is so precious, Aaron."
"Isn't he, though?" Aaron managed to get the door open and she slipped in, going slowly upstairs as she kept her precarious balance. Aaron followed her, ready to catch them should she stumble. Once they were inside the apartment, she went into the living room, settling Jack in the recliner.
Aaron put the bags of gifts next to the Christmas tree and then tugged Erin over to the couch, pulling her down next to him. "I hope leaving my children alone together was a wise decision. My house could be the scene of World War III by morning."
He pulled her closer, kissing her temple. "I think Becca will keep a tight rein on things. She seems to have inherited your cool head in a crisis.
"That she did." Erin curled up into him, laying her head on his chest. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being you." She yawned and he felt her relax as she fell asleep. He ran his fingers through her hair, staring down at the top of her head as she slept. He must have fallen asleep himself, because he suddenly opened his eyes to look into Jack's.
"Hi, Daddy. Could we open our presents now? I've been waiting for you guys to wake up, but I can't wait any more." Erin stretched against him, smiling at Jack. "Miss Erin! I hope you like the gift I picked out for you."
"I'm sure I will, Jack." She slipped off the couch onto the floor, leaning back to look up into his eyes. "Why don't you bring them over to us, sweetie?"
"Okay." He scrambled over to the tree and began to make three piles of presents. He ended up with the lion's share of the gifts, but he waited until Erin and Aaron were opening a gift before tearing into his. Aaron grabbed the camera off the side table and took a few more pictures of Jack shredding paper, seeing Erin had bought him a lot of clothes, quite a few books, and some Lego sets.
"I went through the books you already had to make sure I didn't get any duplicates. I hope you like them. I'm afraid I'm kind of hopeless at superhero toys."
"That's okay, Mo – Miss Erin. I like books, too." He snuggled into her side, looking up at her in adoration. "Will you open your gifts now?"
"Okay, Jack." She slid her fingernail beneath the tape on the package in her lap and peeled off the paper to reveal an anthology of British poetry. "Thank you, Aaron."
"You're going to see a common theme." Aaron opened his gift from Jack and smiled as he saw he'd been given a Captain America t-shirt. "Thanks, buddy. I'll wear this under my shirt when I'm out catching the bad guys."
Jack beamed up at him. "That was the plan, Daddy. You guys are really slow at this. May I go up to my room and read for a while?"
"Of course, Jack." Aaron joined Erin on the floor, handing her the box from Jack. "But have Miss Erin open your gift first, okay?"
Jack nodded and sat next to Erin, watching her open the box carefully. "What is this, Jack?" she asked before she opened the box.
"Something I hope you like" he replied, smiling widely.
She chuckled and lifted the lid of the box, pushing aside the tissue paper to reveal the delicate, purple and gold accented, glass bottle. "This is so lovely, honey. Thank you!"
"There's more. Look underneath the tissue paper, Miss Erin!" She lifted the paper, handing it to Jack, who threw it away a she held up one of the vials. "It's perfume. Zak helped me pick out the perfect one for you."
Aaron hadn't even smelled the perfume and both he and Erin breathed in the delicate scent of roses as she opened the bottle. "Why this scent?" he asked his son.
"It smells pretty, like Miss Erin. Merry Christmas!" Jack kissed Erin's cheek lightly before carrying an armload of books upstairs.
Aaron and Erin continued opening their gifts until they got down to the last one. "Penelope helped me with that one," they said at the same time. Erin laughed and he couldn't help but join her. He opened the small gift and sucked in a deep breath.
"This is a Mount Blanc pen. Erin, I love it." He leaned over and kissed her, enjoying her blush. "Go on, open your present."
She obliged him, tearing the paper off the slim box and taking off the lid to reveal a sheer, navy blue, teddy and robe set. Erin smiled as she held it up against her body. "This will leave nothing to the imagination."
"That was the point. And why I needed Penelope – she knew your size."
"I see. Well, I have to make certain it serves its purpose to the utmost degree."
Aaron chuckled at the look she gave him, only to be silenced by her lips on his as she pushed him back against the sofa. His hands cupped her ass as she straddled him, pulling her closer to him. "Honey, we can't finish this here."
"I know. I'll meet you in the bedroom." She stood up, still holding the lingerie box and went down the hall, her hips swaying hypnotically.
Aaron quickly stood, leaving their presents in a pile and only taking time to set Erin's bottle on the coffee table. He went to Jack's room and found him reading one of the books Erin had gotten him. "Hey buddy, light's out when your clock says 10:30, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy. This is the best Christmas since Mommy died. I really want Miss Erin to live with us forever."
"I do too. But I don't know if she's ready for that. We have to grow accustomed to this change in our relationship first. That will be the next step, though." He kissed Jack's forehead as he ruffled his hair. "I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too, Daddy."
Aaron left the room and went across the hall to his own. He found Erin standing before his mirror, softy weeping. "What is it, Erin?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
She shook her head, wiping away her tears. "I feel guilty, Aaron."
"There's nothing to feel guilty about, sweetheart."
"But there is! My heart belongs to you now, not Erik, and I feel guilty that it happened so quickly. It feels so right, Aaron, when I'm in your arms or when you smile at me. And when I'm alone, I think of who I am, what I am, and I feel like I've betrayed you and him."
Her emotional honesty touched his heart, and he tightened his grip on her waist. "Erin, you've changed in the last six months, become, if Dave's to be believed, the woman you were before Wyoming happened. You're letting yourself be emotionally honest and that can hurt at times. I might hurt you, I might get angry, but I will never give up on you. I promise."
"Oh, Aaron," she sighed, turning in his arms, "kiss me." He bent his head to cover her upturned one, kissing her gently as he brought up a hand to cup her breast. She leaned into the embrace, letting him lead her to the bed. Together, they tumbled onto it, and Aaron spooned up against her body, still cupping her breasts, thumbing the nipples absently.
"Do you know, until you, I've been on exactly four dates after Haley died? Nothing felt right until that first time I kissed you. It was as if everything finally fell into place."
Erin snuggled back into him, pulling his hands down to her stomach. "How I love Christmas, Aaron. You and Jack and Georgia , and my children, have made this one so right for me." She turned in his arms, cupping his face in her hands. "I never realized rebuilding a life was so difficult. I wish, I wish Erik had been more patient, like you. Things might have been so different."
Aaron kissed her as he tugged open the robe she was wearing, sliding his hands down to her hips. "For the want of a gun…"
"A woman fell in love." Erin kissed him once more, helping him to pull off her teddy. Aaron didn't get a chance to say anything more as she made short work of his clothes and plastered herself to him, eagerly bringing him the pleasure he'd given to her the night before.