I find the small red box I asked Mom to have ready before I even landed and shove it under my pillow.

My pulse trembles like the night I proposed. The way I love her continues to shock me every single day. We were kids that night. Eighteen. But our parents didn’t try to tell us to slow things down.

I’d warned Libby we’d get married, back when we were in pre-school. I held out only until she was legal. She’s three months younger than me, and at eighteen, those few months waiting for her to catch up felt like forever. I’m the only man she’s ever known, and she’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted to touch.

The bathroom door opens.

She walks into the room wrapped in a big, fluffy cream towel.

“Don’t bother putting on a nightgown unless you especially want me to ruin another.” I grin and pat the space beside me. “C’mere, I’ve got your present waiting for you.”

“Oh, yeah. Is it your belt again?” Her lips quirk, and she saunters closer with all her secret sauciness that only I am privilege to.

My heart back-flips. Fuck me. This woman. “Better.”

She lets out a husky laugh and shucks off the towel, before climbing in beside me. “Your belt’s going to be hard to top.”

This will.

With all her clean, naked softness so close it’s hard to remember that this really is important.

I take the box out from under the pillow and hand it to her. “Merry Christmas, baby girl.”

Her lashes beat. Don’t think she expected an actual physical present.

She gifts me a smile and tugs at the bow, opening the box. Then she squints. “What’s this?”

She lifts out the silver key.

I can’t speak. My throat’s so thick with six months of things I’ve wanted to say. Wish I was good with words or a pen, like she is.

The best I usually manage is, “Miss you, baby girl.”

Except this time, I don’t plan on ever having to miss her again.

“It’s the key to Dad’s store.”

Her mouth opens wordlessly. She stares at the key, and I can see the conclusions forming, but she can’t quite believe it yet.

There’s a reason I had her move back to our hometown before I got here.

No more moving house. This one is it for us.

“I’ll start in the New Year, once we’ve had some time to ourselves.”

Her face changes color, pink first then red with rising emotion. “Is this real?”

Libby’s a proud military wife. She reminds me in every letter she writes that she’s honored to be mine.

But this year has been different for us.

“Are you sure?” She stares at me with eyes half filled with tears.

She knows what my job means to me. Enough to bring me to actually leave every time. But not anymore.

And I’m all good with this. I gave my best to my country, but now I can’t serve the way I used to, it’s time I give my best to my family.

To my perfect, patient, loyal, gorgeous wife.

She knew my injury would have repercussions, but we haven’t discussed how.

“Two-fucking-hundred percent.”

She slams the box and the key down on the side table and throws herself at me. I hug her, but the moment her curves hit me, hugging isn’t enough. I want to drown in her.

Need to shower her with all the affection she’s been missing and deserves.

I roll us over. “Honey, I hope you’re not sleepy, because I need to eat you for at least the next hour.”

She laughs, and I’m pretty sure her parents are going to hear more than Santa’s bells ringing out before Christmas morning.

But let her scream if she needs to. I don’t care anymore.

Tonight is all about her.

Her thighs spread underneath me, and her eyes get her lusty, dreamy look. I slide down her body between her legs.

Damn. She shaved while she was in the shower. Not the whole thing, just the underside, leaving me the sexy triangle I love above her pussy. Now her hairless lips shine with her arousal, and I’m going to eat it all.

“I love you so much, Matty.” Her soft words reach me before I can touch her.

I look up at her. “I love you, baby girl, with everything I am.”

She honors me with her love-struck smile. The one that’s a little lazy and completely fucking adorable.

“You’re never going to have a moment without me again.” I shove two fingers in her cunt, and she’s soaked.

Knew that would get her off.

Knowing that I’m here for good. She’s stuck with me for eternity and more. That’s what soul-mates do.

“Going to eat you and fuck you senseless every day until we’re a hundred and eighty.”

She moans, her tight pussy already clamping around my fingers. But she freaking better not dare come before I taste her.

I run my tongue between her folds. Her sweetness has my cock ready to tear through the mattress. But my cock will wait out the next hour just like I will.

I rub my tongue on her clit, under the hood where she can never take it very long. Her hips buck. She clamps around my fingers with a soft cry.

Her juices flood my face. I devour her, sucking as much of her pussy as I can into my mouth, but let her have this one easy. The next few orgasms she gets, will be much more punishing.

With that in mind, I slip a finger, all lubed up from her arousal, to the tight pucker of her ass.

She gasps and grabs a fist full of my hair as I shove it inside. There’s many, many naughty things she wrote me. Put all kinds of nasty ideas in my head. I’m not taking her ass tonight, but I’m going to spend the next couple weeks getting her ready for when I do.

I go back to tonguing her now oversensitive clit.

Her breaths shriek. I know from experience she gets more worked up each time she comes. I don’t rush this one. We have all the time in the world.

My finger moves in her ass.

She goes wild, squeezing my face to her pussy and grinding on me. I work her over until she begs, and her next orgasm has her shaking from her head to her cute little toes.

I’m not only indulging her fantasies for Christmas. I’m fulfilling them forever.