Special Occasion Stories - 3. Louis and Cade - Christmas Special

Christmas Eve

“Calm down love she’ll be here soon,” Cade says, grinning at the way his mate is pacing around the living room, straightening the cushions for the umpteenth time.

The adoption had taken months to sort out. They had had to make completely sure that there was no family willing to take in the little girl and then they had to prove they were capable of caring for her with their job commitments. Cade being the senior elder didn’t mean they didn’t have to follow the rules. As much as the rule chafed they wouldn’t have had it any other way. The safety of a child being adopted was always paramount.

“But, what if she isn’t happy here? Or what if some family pop up and decide they want her? Or—” Cade cut off Louis’ thought by kissing him until he melted in Cade’s arms.

Sitting Louis on the couch Cade put his hands on his shoulders. “You need to calm down and breathe. The social worker said they would be here at midday. You have made enough food for lunch to feed an army. You’ve cleaned, and dusted, decorated, and cleaned again. You. Need. To. Calm. Down.” He placed a kiss on Louis’ lips between each word. “We have done everything that has been asked of us. We’ve answered their questions. We’ve let them poke into all the corners of our lives. We’ve even taken medical tests to prove we are who we say we are, and that we have no diseases. All the forms are signed, sealed and delivered. She is coming. She is staying with us. She will be ours.” Cade was gripping Louis’ shoulders hard by the time he stopped talking.

Louis smiled up at him. “I know all that love. But I need to keep busy or my mind is going to explode. Until now I’ve believed that I would never have a partner, never have a family, never even be loved or wanted. Now I have you my mate. I have a home and job I love. And lastly I almost have the family I have always wanted. This is everything I dreamed of but never thought I would have.”

Cade sat beside Louis and pulled him into his lap. “I will do everything in my power to make sure all your dreams will come true,” he whispered into Louis’ ear. “Tell me more. What other dreams did you have?”

Louis snuggled into him and answered, “I dreamed of taking family holidays to the beach. Watching children playing in the sand and water. Of romantic dinners and long mornings lying in bed.” Louis turned to face Cade, tears in his eyes. “I want to give you and our children everything. To make sure any child we take in never knows a moment of true fear. To make a loving home where we will grow old together.”

Cade sniffed and wiped the tears from his face before pulling Cade into a long sensual kiss. “We will give our children all that and more. Just you wait and see.”

He was just leaning in for another kiss when the sound of a car approaching reached them.

“They’re here,” Cade grinned.

***

A car door slammed and running feet preceded the doorbell ringing over and over.

Louis jumped up and ran for the door. As soon as he pulled it open he found his arms full of wriggling little girl. Stumbling slightly under the unexpected weight he righted himself in time to stop them both crashing to the floor. Then Cade was there, joining them in their hug and stabilizing the weight.

“I get to stay this time, don’t I?” Sherry’s excited voice sounded in their minds.

“Yes little one,” Cade answered kissing the top of her head. “you are staying this time.”

The supervised visits had been hard on the little girl, especially when it had come time for her to return to the hospital for the night and she didn’t want to leave. They had been hard on the mates too. They loved Sherry so much and it broke their hearts to let her go each time.

Now she was hoe to stay.

A cough intruded on their moment and Louis looked up to see the social worker looking awkward by the door.

“Both your access authorizations have been updated so you can get any of Sherry’s details you need. You’ve both also been added to her birth certificate as her adoptive parents. I will say good bye and good luck.” She shook Cade’s hand and shut the door behind herself.

Louis let Sherry drop to her feet.

“Do you want to see an early Christmas present?” he asked her and took her high pitched squeal as a yes. Sometimes the fact she actually spoke or made noise around him and Cade now wasn’t so wonderful.

Taking her hand, he led her to a door that had a red ribbon tied across it.

Bouncing on her toes Sherry ripped the ribbon away and pushed the door open.

“I love it,” she sent and moved further into the room, spinning in a circle to get the full effect.

Louis and Cade had spent three full days decorating and furnishing the room. The walls were pink and one wall had a castle painted on it. Complete with a drawbridge that was attached to the wall and could be lowered down to reveal a knight guarding the gateway. Her bed was a four poster with pink gauze curtains. The room also had a dressing table with mirror. On it was a glittery hairbrush, comb, and handheld mirror. The bed was made up with covers showing Sherry’s favorite, something about a girl who could shoot ice and a dancing snowman—Louis still didn’t get kids programs, give him a good book anytime.

“Sherry,” Louis called silently. “Come here a moment.”

Sherry turned from where she was investigating a cuddly toy on her pillow and bounced over to him.

“Why, don’t you show her what the wall can do?” Louis directed at Cade.

Cade nodded and moved to face the wall painted with the castle.

“Hello the castle,” he called out.

A shimmer went over the wall and the people who had been painted looking out windows or climbing ladders started moving. More than that they started talking. The women leaning out the windows waved, calling out, “Hello,” and, “Look there’s the princess, she’s arrived.” The guards on the parapets stood to attention and saluted. The children climbing a ladder on the wall turned as much as they could and waved, laughing and asking Sherry to join them.

Sherry just watched open mouth at what was playing out in front of her.

“The spell was given to me by some friends. They’ll be here for boxing day. You can activate it by saying or signing ‘Hello the castle’, but, it will only work between nine in the morning and six at night. We didn’t want you to be tempted to say help in the middle of the night.” When he finished talking he found his arms full of child again.

They spent the afternoon and evening watching sappy movies and playing board games. They sent out for pizza and finally laid an exhausted Sherry in her bed.

Dimming the lights Louis and Cade tiptoed out the room and headed for their bed already yawning.

“She is everything I dreamed of when I imagined a family,” Louis sent to his mate and received a passionate kiss as an answer. They were both too tired for anything other than snuggling, but, it felt good to cuddle up knowing their child was sleeping in the next room.

***

Christmas Day

Cade and Louis were woken in the early morning by Sherry jumping on them.

“Wake up. “wake up. It’s Christmas.”

Louis heard Cade groan and he silently agreed. “I’ll get coffee, if you grab her,” he offered and after getting a grunt he took as a yes he slipped out of bed. Glad they’d remembered to leave their boxers on to sleep. He grabbed a pair of sweat pants and head out the room with Sherry’s voice still ringing in his mind.

Within half an hour they were all sitting on the living room floor with piles of presents on front of them.

Louis’ friends from Chapmistres View had sent parcels over for them all and friends they’d made recently had also given them stuff. Sherry was bouncing and jabbering in their minds about what Santa may have brought her.

Cade handed out the presents and Sherry started ripping off paper. She ooh’d and arh’d at what she got. The things ranged from doll’s with moving limbs to ones that wet themselves. She got lots of art stuff, such as paints, pens and pads of paper. Lastly she got a fair bit of jewelry from the ladies of the community.

“This is for you, love,” Cade whispered in his mind handing Louis a small box.

With trembling fingers Louis opened it to find a beautiful white gold ring.

“You’re jacket you wear at the hospital covers your mating mark. I checked the rules, you’re allowed to wear a wedding ring so…” Louis gasped as Cade dropped to one knee in front of the couch. “Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Louis couldn’t stop the tears running down his face. “Yes,” he answered.

“You’re getting married?” Sherry asked and when Louis nodded she rushed to hug them. “Can I be a bridesm…hang on no… a Groomsmaid?”

“You can be whatever you like,” Cade assured her.

Sherry went back to her presents and Louis gave Cade his present of a cookbook—which earned him a headslap when Sherry wasn’t watching—and a pendant with a picture of him and Sherry on it—this earned him a big hug and brief kiss, with a promise of more later.

After the paper was cleared away they settled in to watch a DVD. Louis looked around at his family.

This was what Christmas should be about. Spending time with people you loved and who loved you.

Merry Christmas Everyone