Brick by Brick

Part Forty Two

That made her laugh, but her giggles faded against her lips as he kissed her again. Something he didn't think he'd ever stop wanting to do.

Usually Eleanor was the first to wake in the house, but Sammy was woken by two arms snaking around her, pulling her back into a warm and familiar body.

"Morning gorgeous," Joel murmured against her ear and in sent ripples of sensitivity through her body. Chuckling at her shudders, his fingers splayed over her bare stomach, and with that small gesture all humour evaporated. Despite the lack of sleep, she lost count of the amount of times they made love, she was immediately responding to his touch. As she pushed her breasts into his hands, the action forced her buttocks back into his pelvis, and his moan at the contact matched her sigh as she appreciated the extent of his hardness against her hip.

"Got something in mind Mr Edwards?"

Rolling her over until she faced him, he nodded, "oh very definitely yes."

She was powerless to resist his kisses or the caresses from his wandering hands; in fact she met each touch and responded as fervently as he. His delight as he explored her body didn't seem to wane no matter how many opportunities he had to feast on it. But she could quite easily admit she felt the same way. It was a no chore exploring him, and when she took him in her mouth he quite literally exploded.

As they lay, collapsed against the pillows, wanting nothing more than to cuddle up and snooze for another hour, when the grunts appeared from Eleanor's room, the grunts that preceded the shouts and wails that alerted anyone in the house that she was awake.

Joel sat up and reached for his boxer shorts, "I'll get her; you can cuddle whilst I'm in the shower."

She shook her head, "don't think so Mister. It's Christmas morning. We have gifts to unwrap...and a turkey to cook. Make yourself decent, I'll be taking photos!"

Eleanor was equally as enamoured with the lights on the Christmas tree as she was with the wrapped gifts. But within half an hour they were sitting down to breakfast, Eleanor overwhelmed with her gifts, and Joel wearing the sweater that was one of the gifts from Sammy.

As he filled their glasses with Bucks Fizz, there was a knock at the door, and he insisted Sammy stay eating whilst he opened the door. To Monica.

She hadn't drunk alcohol during her treatment, and as someone who liked to imbibe she eyes the bottle of Prosecco almost greedily.

Sammy hugged her mother then asked, "you ok to have a glass?"

Monica shrugged, an unusual honesty, "not sure, but if I can't at Christmas with my daughter and granddaughter, then when can I?"

A fair point.

After breakfast they headed to the lounge and exchanged gifts, she hadn't bought a Christmas present for her mother since she was a much neglected child, but somewhere over the last six months she'd become the mature, caring, older person, her mother in her ways, but also her illness had become the dependent, so whilst it felt strange, the maternal part of Sammy insisted that she let bygones be just that.

She had bought her mother some scarves, which were her chosen headwear since she'd lost her hair; and a gummy photo of Eleanor from her granddaughter.

She had no expectations for anything back, and was happy to watch Eleanor receive a dozen gifts, toys, clothes, a spoilt young lady, deservedly so, and Sammy didn't care, that she'd never had that, never remembered a Christmas even a fraction as happy as this already was, all she wanted was the best, everything that she hadn't had for Eleanor...she glanced across the room at Joel, his face lit up, his eyes sparkling as Eleanor showed him a new pink doll. The three of them deserved it; this was the start of the rest of their lives, starting new traditions, making history as a threesome. That was what the three of them deserved.

Three days later, Sammy stood looking out of the kitchen window at the rough winter sea pounding the coast, the windows rattled with the wind, the trees were blowing almost horizontal, but she didn't think there was anywhere as beautiful as the storm ravaged coast in front of her, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or the Iguaçu Falls had nothing on it, not in her eyes.

The garden gate swung open and Joel came rushing in, wrapped in his winter coat, rain pouring off him. As the door opened and he started to unrobe, she turned to him, "told you it wasn't a good idea."

He dropped a selection of magazines onto the kitchen table, "holiday ideas...we have the next four weeks whilst Corinne is away to plan a holiday."

"You went out for holiday books?"

He shook his head, "not just that, I met with an estate agent." That piqued her interest, and he grinned at her, "I'm looking to invest my money, the profits from the business...and there's a huge amount of land around here."

"You've bought land?"

He laughed, "I've discussed it. The fields up around the point..."

Sammy gasped, "the Old Bridger Farm?" It was her favourite place in town, but it wasn't for sale, was it?

"The very same. It's expensive...but we're having a look around there tomorrow..." he saw the confusion in her eyes and added, "it's prime land, it'll not lose money. My vision is a beautiful family home, big enough for all of us."

"Really?"

He nodded, taking her hands, "I know it's early days, but I really don't see me living anywhere else, not really. This house is great, but it's not the biggest...would you..."

Suddenly he was nervous and she grinned, "I want to go wherever you are Joel, and a bigger place is a great idea..."

He sighed with relief, "that was my gamble. But then new home...it can be my project, give me something to do for a few months...and we could think about renting this place out as a holiday home? I have SO many ideas."

Sammy smiled, "I just love that you see such a future..."

Pulling her into his arms he kissed her long and hard until she was breathless and leaning against him, "future? I see NOTHING without you Sammy, you have to see that."

looking up at him she studied him for a moment, he had brought so much hope to her life, so much happiness, she couldn't imagine a future without him, "I do..."

He stooped to stare into her eyes, "I sense a but?"

"I've got the appointment tomorrow, at the hospital."

With eyes widening it was his turn to study her intently, "the blood test?"

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded.

He grinned, "I'm glad. You NEED to know Sammy; WE need to know so that we can do whatever is needed. Then we can build on the future that we know we'll get. You see that?"

"I want what you see, what you plan."

Nodding, he pulled her back into his chest, "we just need you, healthy, without a risk hanging over us. That's all."

As his lips descended on hers, devouring her, she knew that his plans were hers, whatever she had to face, she could do it with him, with his support and love. That was all she needed.

"I love you!"

She dragged her lips from his and blurted the words out before she could think, and he smiled for a moment before dropping his lips back to hers.

That was Joel, no fuss, no occasion, letting his actions speak louder than his words, and she melted against him.