The three of them had been prepping for the past two days to get everything ready for their guests. Yesterday they’d even brought in the cook, Mrs. Biddington, to lend an extra hand. Christmas was still a week off, but this date had worked for everyone, and with the whole Valkyrie family here to celebrate together, they needed all the help they could get.
The work was worth it. Apart from all of them being together under one roof again, the best part for Kiyomi was the relaxed, joyous atmosphere surrounding the celebration.
There was no threat to contend with this time. No mission to plan or work up to. Just all kinds of downtime to spend together visiting, sharing meals, doing various activities, or nothing at all.
Marcus stood at the granite counter taking another batch of Yorkshire puddings out of a pan, looking delicious in a cream cable knit sweater that emphasized the muscles in his chest and shoulders. She couldn’t believe their first year anniversary was already days away. “Is this all?”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s four double batches. Why, do you think we’ll need more?”
She snickered at the horrified look on his face. He’d done all of this for her, had opened up his ancestral home to all these people once again, because he knew how much it would mean to her. Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly love him more than she already did, he went and did something that opened up a new depth of emotion inside her.
“Well, we’re talking about Chloe, so…” She dropped a kiss on his cheek before taking the puddings out to the dining room. They’d opened the pocket doors separating it from the library, and placed three long tables end to end down the center of the combined rooms in order to seat everyone.
Sitting at the middle one next to Heath, who had fully recovered from his injuries except for some lingering concussion symptoms, Chloe’s face lit up when she saw the puddings. “Yes! I knew he wouldn’t forget.”
“These six are for you, from Marcus. He says Merry Christmas.”
“Tell him he’s the best,” she said, already loading them onto her plate.
A high-pitched squeal came from Kiyomi’s right on the way back to the kitchen. She swiveled just in time to avoid impact with a running toddler.
Rosie was adorable in a little red velvet dress, her curls pulled up into a bow. Matt DeLuca swooped in to scoop his daughter up and blew a noisy raspberry on the side of her neck, making her squeal and belly laugh.
Kiyomi ruffled the toddler’s soft hair on the way by and returned to the kitchen. Marcus was carving the second turkey now, his face set in serious lines as he worked. The way he took control in the kitchen was almost as hot as the way he took control in the bedroom, which now happened a lot more frequently since their interlude in the stables.
Ivy finished pouring another jug of gravy and wiped her hands on the dishtowel draped over her shoulder, smiling at Kiyomi when a burst of laughter came from the dining room. “So, this is what an actual Christmas feels like, huh?”
It was only her second one, but that was more than Ivy had experienced. “Yes.” Noisy, chaotic, a whirlwind of activity and a lot of work over a short amount of time. But so worth it to celebrate with the ones she loved most.
Trinity and Briar came in to carry more dishes to the tables. Kiyomi took some mashed potatoes, and Marcus brought the second turkey.
She paused beside him at the head of the end table with a satisfied smile as she surveyed the scene before them. Everyone gathered together for this special meal, even Karas. The dog had strategically positioned herself under the table by Rosie’s place, trying to evade the eager, grasping little hands that weren’t always as gentle as they needed to be, yet still hopeful of something delicious dropping to the floor during the meal.
Marcus pulled out Kiyomi’s chair for her, seated her, then reached for his glass and stood behind his place at the head, his weight equally balanced now that his hip had regained its previous level of comfort.
“A toast,” he said, his deep voice carrying through the huge double room with ease while everyone watched him. “Kiyomi and I want to thank all of you for coming here to celebrate with us. Especially the new additions,” he added, smiling at Rosie and four-month-old Rory, who watched him with curious, dark blue eyes from the security of Trinity’s loving embrace. “Happy Christmas to all of you, and may this be only the first of many more we spend together. Cheers.”
“Cheers,” everyone chorused, and touched glasses.
“Cool, now can we do the Christmas crackers?” Chloe asked impatiently, shrugging at the looks she got. “I like how loud they snap when you do it right.”
“Aye,” Marcus said with a wry smile.
Everyone picked up their Christmas cracker from the top of their place setting, held one end in one hand, then crossed their arms and reached for the other half of the person’s cracker next to them.
“On three,” Kiyomi said when everybody was ready. “One. Two. Three!”
The resulting noise was a cacophony of snapping and cracking, sounding like muted fireworks around the tables. Chloe laughed and fished out her green paper crown, positioning it on her head like a queen before reading her joke aloud. It was terrible, making everyone groan, but that was part of the fun of it.
It was the best dinner Kiyomi had ever had. Roasted turkey, honey-glazed ham, roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon and onion and lemon zest, glazed carrots, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and of course, Yorkshire puddings. Everyone joked and talked as they ate, conversation flowing around and between all three tables.
After everyone had helped clear up the dishes, she and Marcus went back into the kitchen to get the desserts. She grabbed the bottle of brandy from the cupboard and liberally dosed both plum puddings she and Marcus had made using an old recipe from his family.
“You wanna light my fire now, or later?” she asked in a seductive tone.
His lips twitched, a wicked look heating his deep brown eyes. “Both. But especially later.”
Anticipation kindled inside her. Much as she was enjoying their guests, she was looking forward to being alone with him later tonight, in the private sanctuary of their bedroom while a fire blazed in the fireplace. Marcus was sexiest when he wore nothing but firelight on his skin.
He followed her to the kitchen doorway, dimmed the lights in the dining room/library, pulled out a lighter and flicked the switch, holding it near the pudding. The alcohol burst into beautiful purple and blue flames. Kiyomi carried it proudly through to the dining area.
“Oh, hell yeah, a dessert that’s on fire,” Chloe cried from halfway down the room, making everyone laugh.
Kiyomi grinned and set it in front of Chloe to admire, filled with blissful satisfaction. Ivy was right. This was what a real Christmas felt like. And it was hopefully just one of many more they would all share together.
—The End—