A Bridge in the Woods

The Frazier Fir was a little big and a little expensive for my preference, but I acquiesced and paid the man standing next to me with a perceptive grin on his face. After strapping the tree on top of my Jeep, we climbed in and I asked Lizzie, "Should we see if Toni wants to come help decorate it?"

Lizzie bounced in her seat and squealed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Stefani, "Just bought tree. U2 want to decorate tonight?"

She replied back almost immediately, "Yes, I'll bring chili."

When we got home, I untied the tree in the gravel driveway and did my best to shake out any loose needles. Before taking it in the house, Lizzie and I decided on a location off to the side of the great room fireplace and shifted furniture around to accommodate the tree. I then dug the tree stand and some boxes of decorations out of the basement.

After all the preparations were made, I brought the tree inside. Lizzie steadied the empty stand while I placed the base of the tree and held it upright while Lizzie tightened the stand's handscrews to secure it in place. With it tightened as much as Lizzie's little fingers could muster, I crawled under the tree and made little adjustments while Lizzie gave me left or right straightening instructions. When she was satisfied, I gave each of the handscrews a final tightening. We stood together admiring our work and congratulated each other on the job well done before she went get a container of water for the tree.

I spent the next couple hours on household tasks that I hadn't accomplished during the week, then decided to get cleaned up a little before Stefani and Toni arrived. I washed up, applied some fresh deodorant and cologne, then changed into a pair of casual khakis and an ugly but festive Christmas sweater.

*******

Stefani and Toni arrived soon after I changed. Stefani carrying a crockpot of chili and Toni carrying a bag full of accompaniments. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door and unloaded their hands as they shed their coats and shoes.

Stefani laughed at my sweater as she slid her coat off her shoulders, "Seriously?!?"

I feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "What?!"

With coats hung up and the crock pot plugged in, the four of us found our way over to the unadorned tree and began discussing how to decorate it. I opened the box containing light strands and said, "We have some multi-color lights and some white lights, which should we use ladies?"

The two girls discussed it for a moment then answered in unison, "All of them!"

I chuckled and started untangling the light strands and stringing them around the tree as Stefani and the girls explored the other boxes of decorations I had brought up from the basement.

I couldn't help but admire Stefani as she picked through the boxes and watched me wrap lights around the tree. She was wearing a loose-fitting cream color corded sweater, black leggings, and cream color fuzzy socks that matched her sweater. I'm sure she intended it as a comfortable lounging outfit, but it complimented her long, toned body very well.

I finished the last strand of lights and took a seat on the sofa while Toni and Lizzie continued unwrapping ornaments and laying them out on the floor. Stefani had found a tree skirt in one of the boxes and asked, "Should I put it on?"

I answered, "Sure. There should be another one somewhere in the boxes if you want to see it, but I think the one you have is the best."

She said, "This one is nice." then crawled over to the tree. She unfolded the skirt and reached under the tree while on her hands and knees to pull it around the trunk. Gravity slid the bottom of her oversize sweater above her hips and a few inches up her back as she leaned and stretched to adjust the skirt, presenting a wonderful view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. My gaze was fixed on the sensual, womanly curves that were only slightly veiled by the form-fitting legging fabric.

Stefani pulled the skirt edges outward and tried her best to smooth any wrinkles before asking, "How does that look?"

Still staring at her ass, I rallied courage to suggestively answer, "It looks incredible."

Curious about the overly enthusiastic response, Stefani looked back over her shoulder and saw me looking at her rear, not the tree skirt. She smiled mischievously, subtly wiggled her ass, then spent a couple more minutes unnecessarily straightening imaginary wrinkles in the skirt.

The girls were unaware of the adult exchanges and Lizzie innocently asked, "Can we start putting ornaments on now?"

I came back to reality and answered, "Sure, go for it!" as Stefani moved to sit next to me on the sofa.

The girls formulated a plan for shorter Lizzie to decorate the bottom of the tree, taller Toni to hang ornaments on the middle section, and Stefani and me to get whatever they couldn't reach.

Stefani nestled against my side as we watched the girls make trips back and forth between selecting ornaments laid on the floor and choosing the perfect location for each on the tree. Their happiness being together and sharing in the festive atmosphere was infectious, and I sat there feeling emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was very comfortable to have Toni and Stefani there with us. It just felt right.

With those thoughts swirling in my head, my hand reached to find Stefani's and our fingers intuitively interlaced. My heart swelled as Stefani snuggled further into me.

When the girls had their portions of the tree sufficiently loaded, Stefani and I finished decorating the upper portion and I added the crowning star. We all stood back to admire our work and I flipped the switch for the grand lighting finale. The girls cheered with delight while Stefani and I each put an arm around the other's back and shared a side-hug while appreciating the tree.

After sharing a few moments, Stefani moved on to serve dinner while I cleaned up the empty decoration boxes. We all shared conversation over the meal at the dining room table, then played some after-dinner card games.

I felt a pang of emptiness when it was time for Stefani and Toni to leave, and really didn't want them to go. That evening I felt a sense of family that I hadn't felt since Julie died. I didn't want to scare Stefani with the heaviness of my thoughts, and understatedly said, "I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope we can all spend more evenings like this together."

Stefani wasn't as subtle. As they were putting their coats on and heading out the door, she gave me a goodbye hug with the girls looking on, and whispered in my ear, "I didn't see mistletoe hung anywhere. You should get some."

*******

The week before Christmas was a whirlwind, filled with school holiday activities, Christmas shopping, and end-of-the-year accounting for my business. There wasn't time for play dates, but we did all see each other at the school holiday play and concert. Both girls had parts in the play, Toni as an ice skater and Lizzie tending a chestnut roasting cart.

Stefani and I found each other in the crowd of parents entering the auditorium and enjoyed the show side-by-side. I didn't know how she felt about the two of us being friendly in public, so I sat next to her playing the part of a plutonic acquaintance. It was Stefani who reached over and placed her hand on the top of my thigh, which I covered with mine and gave a squeeze of affection.

We all went to the downtown sweet shop after the concert where the girls both ate mountainous ice cream sundaes while Stefani and I sipped on decaf coffee. We shared another goodbye hug when we parted ways at the end of the evening. This time it was my turn to whisper in Stefani's ear, "We need to find some time alone." She inhaled sharply and shuddered a little when I discreetly placed a kiss just under her ear.

*******

On the morning of Christmas Eve, Lizzie and I made some final preparations for the big event, including retrieval of a formal set of china and crystal stemware packed away in the basement. We washed all the china and stemware before turning our attention to the table by spreading a white linen tablecloth, arranging the china and crystal place settings, and creating a centerpiece with some fir boughs and velvet ribbon. The crowning element was a forest of candles randomly spaced along the center of the table.

After finishing, I steered Lizzie up to her room to change clothes before doing a quick final clean of the kitchen and great room, then heading upstairs to freshen up and change. I opted for a slightly casual look with a sport coat and open collar button-down shirt. Lizzie went for an all-out, over-the-top look in a way only a third-grade girl can, with a long lace dress, heels, and an abundance of costume jewelry.

I heard gravel crunching under tires as I was complimenting Lizzie on her dress and looked out the window to see Stefani and Toni's car coming to a stop outside. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door. Lizzie with squeals of excitement for Toni, and me with a hug for Stefani.

With a long overcoat still on, Stefani said, "Presents and dinner are in the trunk of my car. Would you mind?"

"Of course not."

I didn't bother putting on a coat and swiftly walked out to retrieve hot trays of food covered in aluminum foil and packed in boxes. Toni held the door open upon my return to the house and I complimented her attire, which was on par with Lizzie's style for the evening.

I entered to see Stefani standing in the kitchen wearing a floor-length, deep burgundy satin evening gown. The off-the-shoulder cut drew attention to her lithe neck and sensually exposed collar bones and shoulders, while the deep-V bust line and her pendant necklace pointed directly to the shallow valley between her modest breasts. The torso of the dress was neatly fitted to her narrow waist then flared outward over her hips into the pleated A-line gown. It was the perfect dress for her body and she looked absolutely amazing. My admiration grew even more when she shifted position to purposefully reveal a long, toned leg through the full length slit in the side.

"You look incredible!" I praised while placing the boxes of food on the kitchen island and making a show of looking at her from head to toe. She feigned a shy, "Aww, thank you." and humbly said, "I wear it once a year for the company holiday party."

I turned to make another trip to her car and on the way out the door, I replied, "You should wear it more often. You make that dress look really good."

I made several trips schlepping boxes of food and Christmas presents. When I returned and put the last couple boxes on the kitchen counter, Stefani had begun unpacking an assortment of homemade Italian dishes, including chicken piccata, fettucine with clam sauce, an antipasto salad, and an assortment of other side dishes.

I exclaimed, "Wow, this looks and smells fantastic!" as I moved to steal a small clam off the top of the fettucine. She swatted my hand and playfully disciplined, "You need to wait, mister!"

The girls tasked themselves with lighting the numerous candles on the table as I dimmed the house lights. Meanwhile, Stefani finished plating the last few items and carried them to the table.

We dined by the soft glow of candlelight talking about good memories of Christmas, with Stefani and I temporarily ignoring the painful ones from our respective pasts.

At one point, as the girls were consumed with a conversation of their own, Stefani commented, "This china is beautiful. You have good tastes."

I didn't want to kill the mood, but I also wanted to be honest. "Julie picked it out for our wedding registry. She had an eye for the finer things in life."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! I should have known!"

"Please, it's okay. I wouldn't have used it if I wasn't ready to talk about it. I figured it was time to dust it off for a special occasion."

She meekly asked, "Is this the first time you've used it since...?"

"Yes."

Her beautiful blue eyes looked warmly into mine as her long slender fingers mindlessly twirled a lock of hair above her right ear. She spoke with layers of meaning, "I'm understanding more and more that Julie knew how to choose the finer things."

We shared an extended gaze across the table that was only interrupted by Toni asking, "Can we have dessert now?"

Stefani and I chuckled and she answered, "Yes, you may." before standing up to clear the table of dirty plates. I offered in my best butler voice, "I will service the table, madam, if you would like to prepare the next course for the Ladies of the Court."

The girls thought that was hilarious and started practicing their own stuffy accents, which only intensified as consequences of the sugary tiramisu and cannoli took hold.

When we had all finished, I announced in my Lordship voice, "Thank you Ladies, the food was remarkable and so was the company. Shall we retire to the parlor for after-dinner amusements?"

The girls looked confused, so Stefani clarified, "He means games." after which they scrambled out of their chairs to explore the cabinet housing our selection of card and board games.

Stefani and I cleared the table and generally tidied up the kitchen while the girls debated which games to play. We worked efficiently as a team, sharing a lot of unnecessary and 'accidental' touches as we moved about.

The girls finished their game selections and we played several games of 'Chutes 'N Ladders' before moving on to 'Sorry' and, finally, a very long game of 'Monopoly' in which they eventually lost interest and asked if they could go watch a movie in the basement.

Stefani started to object, "It's getting late. We should probably be going." before I gestured for the girls to go on downstairs. They didn't wait for Stefani's response and took off down the stairs.

She looked at me quizzically as I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. We trailed the girls down the stairs where Stefani silently absorbed what was before her. I had set up two twin beds in front of the downstairs television and created a makeshift tent out of some decorative tree branches, tulle fabric, and twinkle lights. It was a perfect sleepover paradise for two third-grade girls.

I put my arm around Stefani and whispered in her ear, "You're right, it is getting late. Maybe you should just spend the night."

She put her arm around my back and whispered back, "Mmmm...sounds nice, but..." as she nodded toward the girls. I responded not to her, but to Lizzie and Toni who were sitting on one of the beds scrolling through movie options on the DVR.

"Girls?"

When they both raised their heads to look at me, I announced, "We've decided to let you have a sleepover tonight so that we can all be here together for Christmas morning..."

They cheered and hugged each other before I continued, "...but there are a couple rules... first, you can watch a movie, then you need to get ready for bed in the bathroom down here and go right to sleep. The pink gift bags on your beds are special Christmas Eve sleepover kits with pajamas, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a few other things."

Lizzie and Toni scurried to check out the gift bags, but I interceded, "Wait a minute... the second rule is that you can't come upstairs until 7:00 tomorrow morning..." I said motioning to Stefani and I, "...we need a decent night's sleep. Do you both agree to the rules?"

They eagerly shouted in unison, "YES, YES, YES!!!!"

"Ok, we'll see you on Christmas morning!!!"

Before we could turn to leave, Toni asked, "Mom, where will you sleep?"

I anticipated the question and interceded with a little white lie, "She'll sleep in my bed. I'm going to sleep on the great room sofa so I can make sure you two don't try to sneak upstairs to look at the presents."

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni simply said, "Okay, goodnight mom."

We all said our goodnights, then Stefani and I made our way back up the stairs. I closed the door to the basement and motioned for her to wait for a moment. I reached up to a nearby shelf and very carefully removed an old set of sleigh bells, which I silently hung on the doorknob as an early warning system.

Stefani whispered, "Someone has been doing some serious planning."

I quietly replied, "Yes, someone has. Is it working?"

She answered by wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into our first slow, introductory kiss. Our lips separated briefly, we looked silently into each other's eyes for a moment, then our heads instinctively tilted and our lips came back together with a deeper, more confident kiss. One kiss blurred into two, then three, and continued until one was indistinguishable from the next. Our mouths opened wider and wider, yearning to feel the other partner's passion, before our tongues began a frantic dance between her mouth and mine.

My hands began exploring the soft curves of her lower back, just above where the satin dress flared outward over her hips, and her long fingers ran through my hair as her hands eagerly pulled me into our hungry kisses.

I lost all sense of time as we finally broke the passionate tension that had been building between us over the past months. I hadn't realized how much I missed an emotional and physical connection with a special someone, and I knew she felt the same.

Our faces were both flush with passion and gasping for breath when I reluctantly pulled away from our moment. Without saying anything, I gently kissed her one more time, took her hand in mine, and led her toward the loft stairs. Stefani understood my intentions and acknowledged her consent with a beaming smile and by clutching my arm close to her body as we walked up the stairs.

As we reached the top of the stairs, I motioned toward my bedroom door where a branch of mistletoe hung in the threshold. Stefani saw it and quickly moved to position herself as a gatekeeper in the doorway, saying, "I'm glad you took my advice."

I responded by taking her in my arms and resuming the passionate kissing and interplay of our tongues that had begun downstairs. Stefani draped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine as my hands slid down her back to feel the satin covered swells of her ass.

With our continued intimate contact, my cock responded and began to expand downward inside my pant leg, sandwiched against Stefani's pelvis as it grew. In her own expression of arousal, she extended one leg out from the full length slit in her skirt and wrapped it around the back of my thighs, intentionally pressing her skirt covered mound firmly against my restrained tool.

Our mouths frantically struggled to find new depths and my hands cupped her ass as she began urgently grinding herself against my cock. The fervor was only broken when we began to lose balance and Stefani returned to standing on both feet.

We both took the opportunity to occupy our hands in other ways, hers sliding between us to grasp at my cock and to unsuccessfully pull at my belt, and mine fumbling to release the back closure on her dress. Admitting defeat, we both paused and I moved behind her to take a different approach.

My hand brushed her silken curls aside as I placed soft kisses down the side of her neck and slowly loosened a series of clasps on the back of her dress. She uttered soft moans of pleasure as my lips explored her nape then concentrated on areas that drew the most response.

As I continued to expose more of her sensual back with the release of each fastener, Stefani crossed one arm over her bosom to hold the dress in place and reached behind herself with the other to caress the engorged flesh straining within the stretched fabric of my slacks.

When I finished the last of the clasps, she removed her hand from my cock and used it to push me backward onto the edge of the bed. I sat in rapt attention as she took a couple steps away from me and, with her back turned, stepped out of her heels to reveal neatly manicured toes with nails painted to complement the color of her dress.