A Heart of Stone Christmas (5 page)

Tristan kissed me so sweetly I wanted to cry. In all the months I’d been dealing with these feelings, I’d never told him the whole truth. After all that time, it felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

“Nina, I knew you were feeling self-conscious about the baby weight, but I didn’t know it was like this for you. I’m sorry. But you don’t have to change for me or anyone else in the world. You are as beautiful right at this moment as you were when I met you.”

“I just don’t feel beautiful. I wish I did.”

“I thought you were tired from dealing with the kids all day and didn’t want to be bothered with my work. I was hoping to change that with a surprise for you, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen today because of the storm.”

“I know about the trip to the new villas. That meant a lot to you, and I’m sorry this happened. If I hadn’t gone out to get you another gift to surprise you, we would have been on the plane already instead of stuck in this farmhouse in a blizzard. I’m so sorry, Tristan. This is all my fault.”

He pulled me close and whispered, “I knew you went to buy me another present. I may not know much about women, but I do know something about my wife.”

With my head pressed to his chest, I listened to his heartbeat so sure and steady and said, “I just wish your surprise for me had worked out. I wanted to see the new villas.”

“It’s okay. We’ll just fly out tomorrow. In fact, I’ll call the pilot and arrange that right after I call Jensen to tell him where we are.”

He kissed me and walked away to make his calls while I looked for something to light the fire so we didn’t freeze as we waited for the cavalry to arrive. In the corner of the mantel under some old magazines someone had left a handful of long matches, so I scratched one against the stone on the fireplace front and lit the remaining paper in the grate. There was some wood still left underneath it, so hopefully it would light and give us some warmth.

“Hey, you got the fireplace lit. Good because it’s going to take some time for Jensen to get here. He says the roads are impassable.”

“Are the kids okay?” I asked, suddenly feeling like the worst mother in the world.

“Yeah, Cara says they’re napping, so hopefully we’ll be back home by the time they get up.”

The fire behind me began to crackle, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking him, “Am I a bad mother, Tristan?”

He shook his head and frowned. “No. Why would you ask that?”

“Because for the first months of our children’s lives I didn’t want to be around them, and now that we’re stranded in this farmhouse with nothing but a tiny fire, I’m not wanting to race home just yet. I know I should want to, but as bad as this sounds, it’s nice to be out of the house. What kind of mother wants that?”

“I don’t think that makes you a bad mother, Nina. You’re in the house with them every day while I’m at work. It’s not surprising that you feel this way. I know you love our kids, and having three at once isn’t easy.”

“You’re so natural as a father, Tristan. I’ve watched you with them since they were born, and you so easily slipped into your role. I don’t know why I haven’t, but I want to. I really do. I don’t want our kids to grow up and think that their mother doesn’t love them. I love them with all my heart. It just feels nice sometimes to be something other than a mom. You probably can’t believe what I’m saying, right? You probably think it’s awful.”

“No, I don’t think you’re awful. They’re only a year old, honey. They aren’t laying in their cribs telling one another you don’t love them if you don’t spend day and night standing over them.”

“You joke, but it all seems so normal for you. From the moment they were born, you were right there holding them and showing how crazy you are about them. I want to be like you, Tristan. I see how you hold Diana and wish I was like that. Or when you tickle Tressa or talk to Ethan about what it’s like to be the only two males surrounded by all women, you seem so natural, like this is the role you’re perfect for.”

Tristan cradled my face in his hands and pressed his forehead to mine in that way that never failed to make me feel adored. Looking at me with those soulful brown eyes, he smiled. “You want to be perfect at this whole mother thing, but all you need to do is be the caring person you’ve always been and our children will love you. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, even me. Just be yourself.”

I rested my head on his chest. “I have gotten better at it since the depression ended. I just always feel like I’m not doing enough.”

“You’re great with all three of them. And you never favor any of them over the others like I do.”

I thought about how clearly Tristan always favored Diana and wondered aloud, “Why do you favor Diana so much?”

With a look of sadness in his eyes, he said, “Because I wasn’t sure she’d make it in the beginning. She was so tiny and so frail. I remember holding her in those first days and silently telling her that she just needed to be strong like her sister and brother. That if she could muster up that strength that I’d never let her go. So I still favor her now. I know I have to stop before they get old enough to see it, but I still worry about my little girl.”

Taking his cold hands in mine, I brought them to my cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you then, Tristan. You did all the worrying for the two of us, and I can’t tell you how much I wish that hadn’t happened.”

His face brightened. “You don’t have to be sorry. I always knew the Nina I loved would come shining through at some point. I could never do what you did—carry three children and go through the trauma of that C-section like you did. I’m physically strong, but I’m not sure I’d have the strength for that. You did, though. So you needed a little time off after. The least I could do is take over since you’d given me three beautiful children.”

“I never thought about it that way.”

“Well, you should. You did an incredible thing when you brought those three kids into our lives. And I’m sorry that you think I’m too protective with you, but this is who I’ve always been. You know that.”

“I know, and usually I love that whole protective Alpha male thing you have going on. It’s pretty hot actually. It’s just that I like being able to do secret things to surprise you and I can’t do that if someone’s always following me around.”

“Being Nina Stone means having people protect you, whether it’s me or the bodyguards and driver. I can’t change that.”

I knew he was right. All the wonderful things that came from being married to a powerful man like Tristan made my dislike for bodyguards and a driver seem pretty minor.

“I know, and I wouldn’t change a thing about our lives. I guess I could just shop online. Or maybe I could get myself a shopper like you have Angelo. Then I’d be able to surprise you whenever I wanted.”

He smiled in that sexy way that always made me want him. “You know I love surprises, right?”

“That’s sarcasm, Mr. Stone, isn’t it? What if I told you that I think we should settle in over there right in front of the fire and have ourselves a good time while we wait for Jensen?”

Tristan arched one eyebrow and ran his tongue along his lower lip. “Now that’s a surprise I can deal with.”

Tristan

The fire had barely warmed
the room to fifty-five degrees, but I didn’t care. The snow continued to fall, so we’d have the abandoned farmhouse all to ourselves for at least a few hours more before Jensen arrived to rescue us. Looking down into Nina’s blue eyes, I watched them sparkle in a way I hadn’t seen them look in far too long.

“Come here,” I said and pulled her by the hand until her body was pressed up against mine. “Do you know how much I love you?”

Measuring out about an inch between her thumb and forefinger, she said, “About this much?”

“More than I ever thought I could love someone. When I was out there driving around looking for you, the thought of what my life would be like if suddenly you weren’t in it anymore ran through my mind. For a minute, I felt hollow inside, like there was nothing left of me if I didn’t have you.”

She stood on her toes and kissed me. “I’m all yours, Tristan. I’ve always been all yours.”

I cradled the back of her head and pressed my mouth to hers in a kiss full of how much I adored her. She made my world complete, even if a few things she did drove me nearly out of my mind. She was the sweetness of life I’d been so sure I’d never get to enjoy again after losing everyone in my family.

Nina pulled her sweater up over her head and giggled. “Like my red bra for Christmas? I was going to surprise you with it and the matching panties later on tonight.”

“Matching? It must be a big day,” I joked as I gently tugged her jeans down her legs to reveal fire engine red silk boy short panties. “Mmmm….I like these. Have anything specific planned when you chose these this morning?”

She ran her fingers down the front of my shirt and stopped at the top of my pants to unbutton them. Looking up at me, she smiled. “Pretty much what we’re about to do now, except I never imagined we’d be in some abandoned farmhouse as a blizzard raged just outside.”

“This reminds me a little of that first time we were in Venice,” I said, referring to how excited she was making me.

“I loved that trip,” she said wistfully as she finished unbuttoning my dress shirt. “It’s still one of my favorite times we’ve had together.”

I shrugged out of my shirt into the chilly air and removed her red satin Christmas bra and panties. My fingers slid over her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “This is definitely the coldest place we’ve ever been together.”

Sliding my tongue over her lips, I teased the tip of her tongue as I stepped out of the rest of my clothes and eased her down to the wood floor in front of the fireplace. I sat and pulled her onto my lap to straddle me, wanting to finally feel her in my arms. She wrapped her legs around my waist and eased me into her like we were two pieces of one whole meant to be together.

“You feel so good,” she murmured as she slanted her lips to cover mine. I kissed my wife like the goddess I saw her as, loving the feel of every inch of her body as she gently surrendered to me.

“I love it when you ride me like this,” I groaned as she rose off my cock only to take me slowly back into her slick cunt, rocking gently against me.

“I miss feeling like this,” she said softly against my lips.

With my hands on her waist, I lifted her and then guided her back down onto my cock. “You never have to miss this. I’m all yours.”

I lowered my head to take one pink nipple into my mouth, and sucking it between my lips, lightly bit down on her tender skin. Her moans above me as she began to ride my cock faster told me she loved this as much as I loved making her feel this way.

She tugged me back by the hair to look down into my eyes, and I saw the sensual woman that all too often lately had hidden herself from me. “Tristan, this feels so good. Don’t stop.”

Kissing her hard, I groaned, “I won’t stop. I want to feel you come for me.”

Cupping the back of her head, I held her to me as she came, loving the feeling of her tumbling over the edge just as I flooded her body. When her thighs stopped quivering, she stilled on me and whispered, “Promise me you’ll always be there to rein me in when I get crazy.”

“Always. Promise me you’ll remember how much I love you when my ways drive you crazy.”

Nina gave me one of her sweet, gentle smiles and nodded. “Deal.” Sighing deeply, she added, “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that no matter what, I know you’re right there with me.”

“I’m always right there with you, princess. You’re my whole life—you and those beautiful kids of ours. I’d be lost without you.”

She kissed me sweetly and whispered in my ear, “I didn’t have my diaphragm in, Tristan. What if…?

I chuckled. “I was just telling Ethan the other night that we need another male in the house. He’d love a little brother.”

“What if we have another girl? Then you two will really be in the minority.”

I thought about us adding another baby to the family and couldn’t think of a better Christmas gift. “If we’re having another child, I don’t care what it is. I just want you and the baby to be healthy. That’s all that matters to me.”

Nina lifted her head and looked over my shoulder out the window. Standing slowly, she began to get dressed as I stretched my legs. A knock at the front door startled us, and I realized our stolen time alone was over. We dressed quickly and as I let Jensen in out of the cold, I helped Nina into her coat.

He came into the room where we’d been and looked at our fire. “Not exactly blazing. How did you two ever keep warm with such a meager fire?”

Giving Nina a sly smile, I watched her blush as I explained, “It wasn’t too bad as long as we sat close to the fire. It’ll be nice to get home, though, so lead the way, Jensen.”

We rode home in silence, but just before we reached the house, Nina leaned over to whisper to me, “You’re pretty slick, Mr. Stone. I bet he knows.”

I smiled and kissed her. “Knows what? That two people in love kept warm in an abandoned farmhouse?”

“You know what I mean, Tristan.”

“I do, but I don’t care who knows. There’s nothing wrong with a man showing his wife how much he loves her.”

She snuggled up to my side and wrapped her arms around me. “You’re right. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.”

Nina

I walked straight to the
nursery the minute we got home and found the babies playing on the floor with Cara. Tressa and Diana sat next to one another looking at their favorite storybook, and Ethan sat perched on one of the three rocking horses Tristan had brought back from his trip to London. When he saw me, he stood on his chubby little legs and squealed, “Ma-ma!” like he always did when he was excited.

Tristan joined me and I crouched down and asked, “How’s my baby boy this afternoon? Have you been good for Cara?”

Cara stood and walked over to stand next to me near the door. “Ethan has a surprise for you two. Are you ready Ethan?”