My Christmas Wish

Chapter 6

Duane Lee's POV:

I had spent most of the night with my family, eating and playing with all the kids, so when I woke up Christmas morning I was feeling very tired. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and got out of bed. Glancing at the clock I noticed it was only 6:30. "No wonder" I said to myself as I got dressed.

I saw Presley's pink bike sitting in my closet and rolled it out into the living room, wondering if they were awake yet. Taking the chance, I opened the door and pushed the bike across the hall, holding it to one side so they wouldn't see.

I knocked lightly and they both opened the door in matching Christmas PJ's. "Well, there's my two favorite girls." I say smiling.

"Merry Christmas." Amira says. I could tell Presley must have woken her up early, she looked exhausted.

"You know what Presley. The strangest thing happened. I woke up this morning and Santa Claus had delivered something to my house with your name on it." I tell her, bending down on my knee to come eye to eye with her.

"He did?" she asks very excitedly.

"He sure did, do you think he got confused? There are a lot of apartments here; I think he must have gotten us mixed up." I tell her and stand back up. Amira was eying me, looking very skeptical. I pushed the very pink, glittery bike around so that Presley could see it.

She screamed in delight. "A bike! He left me a bike momma. And its pink!" she says hopping on it and trying to ride it into the apartment. Amira stood with her mouth open, for once not knowing what to say. "Merry Christmas." I say following behind Presley. Amira closes the door behind the three of us and finds me sitting on the couch, adjusting the handle bars for her daughter.

"How did..." Amira starts to ask, but closes her mouth. "Santa." I say with a wink. Presley looks up

"Santa got my letter momma. He is real. He knew what I wanted." she says happily. Seeing the look on her face was worth every dollar that I had spent, maybe even more.

Presley busies herself riding around the apartment with her new bike while Amira and I talk. "How did you know Duane Lee?" she asks, still in disbelief.

"I told you, Santa. He knows everything." I tell her and pull something out of my pocket.

"It looks like he even left you something too." I say quietly, handing her the box. "Open it." I tell her, holding her hands around the box.

"Really? This is for me?" she says, her eyes wide with excitement. I nod as she starts to open the small box. Her fingers make quick work of the ribbon and open the box, she gasps in surprise. "Oh Duane...its beautiful." She says through her emotion. I take the bracelet out of its box and fasten it around her wrist. She shakes her head. "No.. Its too much. I cant." she says looking into my eyes. "But, its so beautiful." she says again.

"You can, and you will." I say before wiping a tear from her cheek.

She looks down at the diamond bracelet and twirls it around her wrist, smiling the whole time. "I’ve never had anything so nice before. No one has ever given me diamonds, I love it. I really do" she tells me.

"Santa knows what all the good girls love." I say pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you Santa" she whispers against my shoulder, her hands gripping the tshirt I wore. "Don't let go. Not yet." She whispers as I start to move. I hold her a little closer as I close my eyes, burying my nose in her hair. It had been so long since I had held a woman, I didnt want her to let go, but a moment later, she takes a deep breath and pulls away from me.

She opens her mouth to speak, but Presley comes bounding into the room. "I'm hungry mom. when are we eating?" she asks. Amira looks at me and rolls her eyes.

"Well, you know I'm cooking a big dinner today for us. Do you want some cereal for now?" she asks her daughter.

"Ive got an even better idea." I say interrupting. "How about we go over to my place and have omelets for breakfast. I make special Christmas omelets every year." I tell them both.

Presley promptly agrees and walks to the door. "Come on, I'm hungry" she says laughing. Amira and I look at each other and start laughing.

After breakfast we make our way back across to their apartment, and Amira starts to make Christmas dinner. "I'm glad your spending the day with us today." Presley says, coming to sit down beside me at the bar, where I was watching Amira cook.

"Me too sweet pea. I don't know if there is anywhere else Id rather be" I say to her.

She smiles and runs into her room and then back into the kitchen with a piece of paper. "When I go back to school..." She says trying to climb back into the barstool, I pick her up and sit her down. "When I go back to school, we're having a father-daughter lunch. Will you go with me?" she asks looking up at me as she hands me the paper.

Amira and I lock eyes, time seems to pass in slow motion as I try to answer her question. Presley looks at me expectantly, my heart was pounding and I felt like I couldn't breath. "I would love to go with you." I managed to tell her. She squeals and throws her arms around my neck and hops into my lap. I laugh and hug her. I felt alive again.

I look up and Amira is no where to be seen. "Why don't you go ride your bike for a little bit before we eat, okay?" I say sitting her down. I knock lightly on the bathroom door. "Can I come in?" I ask. The door opens slowly and Amira is there, sitting on the counter crying.

"Are you mad?" I ask leaning against the wall, across from her.

She shakes her head. "No. Not all. It’s just...hard. She loves you Duane, and it scares me." she tells me.

I come to stand in front of her, wiping her eyes with my thumbs and holding her face in my hands. "You have nothing to be afraid of. I would never hurt her, or you. You mean too much to me. I promise I'll never let you down. There's something I want to show you." I say, pulling Presley's letter to Santa out of my pocket and handing it to her.

She reads it and looks up at me. "I wanted to give her everything she asked for this year. I thought there would be this great long list, and I could play Santa and surprise her. But all she really wanted was for you to be happy, and that’s all I want for you too. You're an amazing woman Amira, and I love Presley with all my heart. When I read that part about a boyfriend for you, suddenly my heart started to ache. I didn't want you to be part of someone else's life; I wanted you to be part of my life and my future. Maybe this all sounds crazy and sudden, but I’ve fallen for you Amira, and I mean head over heels. There is no one I would rather spend every Christmas with than you and Presley." I pause for a moment and place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Move in with me?" I ask, my forehead still pressed against hers.

"I’ve been looking at houses the past few days. I found a great one near the school you want Presley to attend. It’s on the beach and it’s huge, please Amira say you will. I can’t move and leave you here."

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying as she took a deep breath. "You never cease to amaze me Mr. Chapman." she says with a small laugh. "I would be a fool to say no."

I pick her up from the counter and twirl her around in the small bathroom. She kisses me as I come to a stop, pressing her against the bathroom door as I deepen the kiss. A moment later, Presley knocks. "Momma, something is bubbling on the stove, do you want me to stir it?"

"Oh God...I completely forgot I was cooking." She says leaving me standing in the bathroom. I look at my reflection in the mirror and smile, knowing I had done the right thing. Ten minutes later we sit down to a lovely Christmas dinner. Amira raises her glass "To our first Christmas dinner together, may there be many, many more to come."

The End...