Chapter Seventy-Seven

Mac looked at the plus sign on the stick that looked like a thermometer, and it dawned on him what this meant. He looked up at Grace and, with misty eyes, asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"Yes, although I thought you'd be more excited. Merry Christmas, you're going to be a father."

She turned away and tried hard to hide her disappointment, but tears spilled down her cheeks anyway.

Mac picked Grace up and twirled her around. "Oh, sweetie, I just didn't know what I was looking at. I'm beyond excited; I'm gonna be a dad!"

He held her in his arms and kissed her tenderly, wiping her tears away.

"Almost a year ago, you were my escort. It didn't take long for you to become so much more than that. Now, you're the mother of my child. Grace, I couldn't be happier or more excited. You were wrong; your gift is far grander than mine. I love you so much!"

Relief washed over Grace, followed by joy. He was happy and excited after all.

"I love you, too, Mac. I went to the doctor yesterday to confirm this test. Keeping this a secret for the past two days has been the hardest thing I've ever done. But it was so close to Christmas that I thought it would be a fun surprise to wrap up the pregnancy test as a gift."

"It's a wonderful surprise. I have to admit; I was starting to wonder if I was shooting blanks," Mac said as he put his arms around the mother of his child. "I'm so happy."

"Me too."

"Should we cut back on the crazy amount of sex we've been having?" he asked.

"Not unless you want a crabby redhead in your bed," she laughed. "The doctor says there is no need to back off on sex."

"Good!" Mac said, grinning. "I think I hear our sheets calling us upstairs for a rousing round of Christmas Eve sex if you're up to it."

"That should be part of our annual traditions, too."

"You’ll get no argument from me there. Stairs or elevator?”

“Mmm, elevator. We can use the ride to the sixth floor as foreplay and get naked on the way up.”

The minute the elevator doors closed, they stripped each other with frenzied, frantic moves. Their hands were all over each other and, by the time the doors opened again, Mac had captured a tender nipple between his teeth.

He picked her up, carted her into their room, and placed her on the bed. Opening her legs, he teased her inner thighs with a plethora of erotic kisses until she begged him to feast upon her nectar.

“Oh, God! You have the most amazing tongue! Don’t stop! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Grace cried out as Mac brought her to orgasm after orgasm until she thought she might die of intense happiness.

When he finally relented, Grace surprised him by flipping him on his back with her strong, sexy legs.

“Mine turn to feast on you,” she said wickedly as she looked at him with a devious look in her eyes.

“I was gonna take that sweet pussy and pound it hard, baby,” Mac protested weakly.

Grace raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. “Are you turning down a blow job?”

“No, ma’am,” Mac chuckled. “I’m all yours. You do whatever you want with me.”

“That’s more like it,” she said before cupping his sac and guiding his stiff rod between her lips. She teased the tip for a bit before making his shaft disappear, an inch at a time, into her willing mouth.

“I’d argue that your tongue is even more talented than mine,” Mac said as he watched his dick slowly make its way into what felt like heaven. “Fuck, Grace! You’re so fucking amazing!”

Grace nodded and moaned what sounded like a muffled thank you while she devoured Mac’s cock. Once she had worked him into her throat, her tongue lapped at his balls, eliciting moans of pleasure from her man.

He truly had intended to fuck his wife, but there was no turning back from her fabulous oral skills. He couldn’t stop if he wanted to, and he’d be an idiot to want to.

He took two handfuls of her gorgeous red hair and fucked her throat as a man possessed. It didn’t take long before he felt the familiar tightening, followed by the intense release of his sperm into her luscious mouth.

She surprised him by opening her mouth to show him his cum before she swallowed every drop. It was like having a hot little porn star for a wife, only she was all his and his alone.

"You’re so fuckin’ hot, Gracie,” he murmured contentedly as he pulled her up into his arms.

“Merry Christmas,” she replied as the clock struck midnight.

“It’s the merriest Christmas of all,” he said, hugging her tight. “You’ve given me so many gifts, Grace. But the most precious one of all is your unconditional love. I wasn’t an unhappy man before you, not really. But I wasn’t happy either. I existed until I met you. Now? Now I am alive and feel joy in every fiber of my being.”

Then he bent down and kissed her belly that had just a hint of a swell. How had he not noticed this before now? “And I love this child already, although it’s probably no bigger than my thumb.”

“I was concerned that I had chronic indigestion, but it turns out that I am just pregnant,” Grace laughed as she reached for an envelope and pulled out the sonogram of the tiny beginnings of their baby and handed it to Mac.

“This is our baby?” he asked, misty-eyed.

She nodded. “So, I’m a little further along than I thought. What I assumed were very light periods was just some spotting. Nothing to worry about; it’s not abnormal. Anyway, I’m already eleven weeks along. My doctor said at sixteen weeks we can do another ultrasound to find out if this peanut is a little Grace or a little Mac.”

“I hope it’s a girl,” Mac blurted out. “A little redhead with big blue eyes that looks just like her mama.”

Grace smiled. Most men wanted a boy, an heir to carry on the family name. But it didn’t surprise her that Mac wanted a girl; he wasn’t like most men. She’d had her doubts in the very beginning, but she knew there was a wonderful man underneath the rigid, aloof demeanor. She was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion as their early days came flooding back into her mind.

Mac saw her eyes glisten with tears that threatened to spill. “Hey, what’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing. I’m just so incredibly happy. But I’m going to warn you right now; if you thought I was an emotional person before, these hormones are gonna kick my ass and make both of our heads spin.”

Mac laughed. “Baby, bring it on. We’re in this together; we’ve got this.” He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. “I worried once that I wouldn’t be a good father because I had such a horrible role model with Marcus. Knowing that Dominic is my father has helped me feel more confident in that role. He’s always been my dad in every way that counts. I’m so glad he will be here tomorrow to spend Christmas with us.”

“You mean today; it’s after midnight. We really should get some sleep. Dad and Addie will be here around ten.”

Her hand brushed his thigh, and he felt the pulse of an erection growing again. “Let me make love to you first; then, I promise I will let us sleep.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she answered slyly and gave herself to him with passion and pleasure.

Chapter Seventy-Eight

It was close to two o’clock when sleep finally took them. So, when the alarm on Grace’s phone sounded at eight, she hit snooze.

Mac pulled his sleepy wife into his arms and whispered, “Maybe we should just stay in bed all day.”

“That might make it awkward when Dad and Addie show up,” she reminded him. “Ugh, I should have said eleven. Ah well, if I’m tired this morning, at least it was well worth it. You were incredible last night.”

“You were too, my love. Care for an encore?”

“They will be here in two hours, and we have no staff on today since it’s Christmas Day. I need to shower and at least have some tea and scones ready for when they arrive.”

“You need any help in the shower?” Mac asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“You’re incorrigible! No, you’ll slow me down, and I need to have time to dry all this long hair you’re so fond of.”

“Pity. I could have rocked your world while I washed your back,” he teased.

“Raincheck, baby,” she said, laughing as she headed into the bathroom.

Two hours later, Grace was steeping the tea when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Mac said.

He hustled to the door to open it, cognizant of the fact that it had been many moons since he had spent Christmas day with any family. The truth was, he was beyond excited that Dominic had chosen to come to celebrate with them.

“Hi, Dad,” Mac said as he greeted his father with a hug. “And you must be Addie. Welcome to our home; we are so happy to have you.”

Addie smiled nervously as she shook Mac’s hand. She was keenly aware that she was only a few years older than Dominic’s son, and she was worried about how that might be received. But within seconds, she could see that Dom had been right. His son was warm and welcoming.

When Grace stepped into the foyer to greet them, Dom smiled. “Grace! Come meet Addie.”

Grace could see that Dom hadn’t been kidding when he’d said his girlfriend, Adelaide, was tall with long, brown hair. She was a knockout. They looked quite lovely together.

“Hello, Addie. Welcome to our home. We are so delighted you could spend Christmas with us!” Grace said as she ignored the hand that Addie offered and hugged her instead.

“Thank you so much for having us,” Addie replied. She exchanged a look with Dom that made them both relax. Despite their rather stark age difference, it was clear that Mac and Grace seemed very accepting of their relationship.

“Please, come in, let me take your coats. Mac, I have the tea and scones set up in the living room. I turned the tree on so our breakfast would feel festive.”

Grace poured tea for everyone once they were settled in the living room. Addie smiled when she saw the tray of scones and said, “Oh, scones! I love scones!”

Grace’s face lit up. “Well, I made enough to feed an army, and there are only four of us, so please don’t be shy. There are blueberry and apple cinnamon.”

Addie made happy, yummy sounds as she bit into the delicious pastry. “You made these? They are delicious. I must have your recipe.”

“Technically, it’s Claudette’s recipe, but I made them myself. I’m sure she won’t mind if I share the recipe with you.”

While the women were busy getting to know each other, Dom sipped his tea and smiled. “Thank you for opening your home to us, Mac. It means a lot to me.”

Mac’s brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t we? I’m hoping that this will be just the first of many holidays that we get to celebrate together.”

“Technically, our first celebration as father and son was Halloween and Grace’s birthday, but it’s nice of you to include Addie this time.”

“If we’d known about Addie, we would have invited her then as well,” Mac replied.

“So, you’re sure that you’re okay with our relationship?” Dom asked quietly.

“Hey, if the twenty-year difference isn’t a problem for you two, far be it for me to make it an issue,” Mac answered honestly.

“That means a lot to me. I know Addie was so nervous before we got here. It’s lovely that she and Grace seem to be hitting it off so well.”

“Indeed, they are! Look at our women; they are already friends, so you’d better not screw things up,” Mac laughed.

Dom chuckled. “Fancy that, you telling me not to screw up a relationship. Boy, how times have changed, huh?”

“I’m getting a lot better at saying and doing the right things. I kinda like not being a pretentious asshole anymore.”

“Like my brother, Marcus?” Dom joked. “Have you spoken to your mother lately?”

“Nope, no need to. As far as I’m concerned, the three of you are my family,” Mac said.

“Well, I’m pretty fond of Addie, but I…” Dom stopped when he saw the look on Mac’s face. Realization set in slowly that Mac had spoken out of turn.

“McKinley, is Grace expecting?” Dom asked in a hushed tone.

Mac said nothing, realizing that his silence was more an affirmation than a denial. Suddenly, Grace looked up from her conversation with Addie, the sudden quiet between Dom and Mac indicating something was up.

“Everything okay?” she asked, wondering what had transpired.

“Everything is just wonderful, Grace,” Dominic answered. “Shall we open presents?”

Mac blew out the breath he’d been holding. He didn’t want to say anything until Grace said it was okay. So, he was grateful to his father for changing the subject.

Grace sat on the floor, looking festive in her Christmas leggings and a red sweater dress. She handed the first present to Addie.

Addie loved the lovely set of bath salts that Grace had picked up for her in the Wielickzwa Salt Mines on their recent trip to Poland, as well as the chocolates from Amsterdam.

Mac unwrapped a framed photo of Dominic and McKinley from when he won a Pinewood Derby race as a Boy Scout when he was a kid. Mac grinned. “Gosh, I remember you were helping me make that car, and then my dad, I mean Marcus, tried to swoop in and attend the Derby with me. Boy, was he pissed when I said I wanted you to go with me instead! He insisted on going and then ended up being late, arriving when the race was over. Thank goodness you showed up even though he was an ass about it. I’d forgotten we had this picture taken. Thank you so much, Dad. I will treasure this.”

For Grace, there was a photo album of pictures of Mac through the years as he was growing up. “I doubt much that Lorraine ever bothered to put together a collection of photos and, if she did, she’d not likely share it with you. So, I had copies made of the many photos I had, and Addie helped me put them into a nice album for you.”

Grace felt overwhelmed with emotion. “This is such a wonderful gift! I love it.”

She handed a red metallic package with a silver bow to Dom. “Here’s a gift for you, Dad.”

He opened it and discovered that his son and daughter-in-law had a similar thought pattern. It was a lovely photo album as well. Only instead of childhood pictures, it was photographs of their wedding.

“Looking back, we wish you could have been there, but we figured this was the next best thing,” Mac said sheepishly, hoping his father was pleased by the gift. Then he noticed an additional page that Grace must have added before wrapping it.

Dom looked at the pictures on the page and grinned. There, before him, was a photograph of the pregnancy test and a copy of the sonogram. Underneath was a caption that said, “Congratulations, Grandpa.”

Dominic looked up and flashed a smile that mirrored the one on Mac’s face when he figured out what the plus sign had meant. “Well, now, isn’t this the best present ever!”

Grace went over to Dom and hugged him. “Your son said the same thing when I told him last night.”

Addie stood and hugged Grace as well. “How exciting, a summer baby!”

Mac suddenly flashed back to a moment last summer when he watched Grace with the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark, and realized how much they had experienced together in such a relatively short amount of time. He recalled his fears and how their driver, Bjorn, had reminded him to celebrate and enjoy the little surprises he would discover about the woman who would become his wife. Now they would be parents, and he felt the bond between them strengthen even more.

Grace saw Mac’s eyes mist up. “Hey,” she said, taking his hand in hers, “are you okay?”

“I’ve never been happier in my whole life than I am at this very moment. It’s sort of like my world was black and white before I met you. Now, life is like an overload of technicolor and vibrancy that I didn’t know was possible.”

Grace felt a warm sensation wash over her. “I feel exactly the same way.”

Chapter Seventy-Nine

Dom and Addie ended up staying until New Year’s Day, enjoying the ball drop in Times Square with Mac and Grace before they wrapped up their lovely visit.

“Thank you again for allowing us to stay longer than we’d planned,” Addie said as she hugged Grace goodbye.

“Of course,” Grace replied warmly. “We enjoyed having you here so much and were pleased when you took us up on our offer to stick around for a few extra days.”

Grace watched as Mac hugged his father goodbye, happy that they’d had time to do some more father/son bonding. She hugged him too and waved as they got into the car and watched as Randall pulled away to take them to the airport.

Grace put her arm around Mac. “You know he’s probably going to marry her.”

“You think so? I just assumed they would live together. I mean, he’s sixty-five; why get married now?”

“Why not? Doesn’t your father deserve to have a wife that makes him happy?” Grace asked.

“When you put it like that, I guess it seems logical. Addie’s an old soul, and she makes him ridiculously happy. I like her way more than I thought I was going to.”

“Yeah, me too. I mean, I figured I would like her. But I actually think I’d be okay with thinking of her as a mother-in-law,” Grace commented. “Or at least a very good friend.”

“It’s still a little odd for me. I mean, Addie’s only two years older than me. But I guess it isn’t completely weird because I grew up thinking that Dominic was my uncle. I don’t know. It makes my head spin a little bit if I think about it too much.”

Grace laughed. “So, now that the house is empty again how about you give me the gift I really wanted?”

Mac looked baffled for a moment. How did she know about the painting? Then he saw the devious look in Grace’s eyes and realized she was talking about sex. God, he loved her! “Get your slutty little ass upstairs to the library and strip off your clothes.”

Within minutes, Grace gripped the railing of the library’s balcony that overlooked the living room. The scene beneath them was festive; the Christmas tree was still up, and the lights glimmered as they reflected off the shiny ornaments. But above this heartfelt scene was one of lust and desire as a very naked Grace held firm to the rails as she bent over and spread her legs, opening herself for Mac.

He took a moment to take in the sight of his sexy wife, her ass in the air and her juicy pussy glistening. It was just begging him to enter, so enter he did.

He unzipped his pants and released his hard cock but remained clothed. Somehow, that made this seem more decadent. Last night, or in the wee hours of the morning, he had made sweet, tender love to her. They had climaxed together, and it was blissful. But that’s not what Grace wanted now. She wanted to be taken like a slut, and he was more than happy to oblige.

He gave her creamy cheeks a sharp slap before grabbing hold of her hips. Then he plunged into her from behind and moaned, “Ah, nothing better than fucking a married pussy. Except, maybe, fucking a pregnant, married pussy.”

His strokes were slow and deliberate, but there was nothing tender about him now. Grace wanted to be taken, so he would give her what she wanted and make her scream.

“You like that cock in you, my slutty little wife?” he moaned.

“Oh, fuck yeah!” she cried out. “God, yes, keep fucking me like this. It feels so damn good!”

Her cries and moans filled the air and echoed over the balcony as he picked up his pace and fucked her sweet, juicy pussy hard, fast, and deep.

“Oh, Goddddd, fuckkkk!” Grace screamed. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m fucking cumming! Maaaaac!”

“Cum hard baby, I’m not stopping until I fill your hot, married pussy with my seed.”

He pumped into her like a man possessed and felt his balls tighten. They came together in an intense climax that left them both shaking and breathless.

Afterward, Mac took Grace into his arms and kissed her. “It’s truly remarkable how many different women you are all wrapped into one. My wife, my lover, my partner, and my best friend. And with your insatiable need for sex, I am one lucky guy!”

“I’m the lucky one, Mac. Damn, that was fun to be able to scream out your name while I came. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve grown very fond of having a house staff to take care of things. But I cherish these times when it’s just the two of us.”

Mac knew that she valued their privacy. It was one of the main reasons he had stopped having Bentley spend three nights a week at the house. That only started when Mac found the place too quiet, all alone at night. But he wasn’t alone anymore.

“I have one more gift for you,” Mac said.

“I don’t think I can handle another orgasm quite yet,” Grace joked.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Gracie. It’s a present that I had hoped would be for your birthday, but it took a bit longer. And shipping delayed it so that it didn’t even make it for Christmas. But I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait.”

Grace’s brows furrowed in puzzlement. There was a large package leaning against her favorite chair in the library. How had she not noticed that before now?

“Can I put my clothes on first?” she laughed.

Mac chuckled. “As much as I love seeing you naked, I imagine those goosebumps on your arms mean you’re chilly. I can start a fire if you’d like.”

“No, I’m not that cold. It just feels awkward to open a gift while I’m completely naked and you are fully clothed. It was decadent while you were fucking me. Now it just seems…”

Mac cut her off by crushing his lips to hers. Their tongues danced momentarily, and the kiss lingered. Mac broke it off eventually and said, “Get dressed so you can open your present.”

Grace quickly threw her clothes on and gently tugged at the ribbon wrapped around the large package. She tore off the paper and found a plain, unmarked box.

“It’s not a giant television, is it? We have plenty of those already.”

“Open the box, Grace.”

She opened it and took out a framed painting. “Oh, my goodness! It’s us! It’s…”

Her words got stuck in her throat as she started to cry.

“It’s a painting I commissioned Ruth Moloney to paint for us from one of the pictures that we had taken down on the Dun Laoghaire Pier while we were in Ireland.”

“Oh, Mac! It’s beautiful! I love it! Can we hang it in here?”

“We can hang it anywhere you like. I’m so glad you love it. I’m just sorry it took so long to get here.”

“Good things are worth waiting for,” she said wistfully. “Look at us?” She turned to face him. “I used to think I had missed out on the chance to love and be loved. I didn’t realize I just hadn’t found you yet.”

Grace threw her arms around Mac, both of them treasuring this moment together.

Chapter Eighty

The next few weeks flew by as the new year began with Mac and Grace focused on business by day and pleasure by night. Pregnancy hormones made Grace even needier in the bedroom, which was no hardship for Mac. He enjoyed the subtle changes in her body as her breasts became fuller, and her abdomen showed the beginning of a tiny baby bump.

They decided to postpone their trip to Fiji, choosing instead to mix some business with pleasure by traveling out west to the Scottsdale, Arizona, and Los Angeles, California offices. Grace suggested that it would be a way to escape the cold and snow of New York without falling behind at work.

“First stop should be Arizona,” Mac suggested. “It’s a small office, but a busy one. Jeff Duncan runs it for me and his wife, Elle, is the office manager there. Good people. You’ll like them.”

Grace nodded as she sipped her tea.

Mac continued, “Next, we will head over to L.A. and meet the staff led by Daniella Armstrong. She’s wonderful and does a great job running one of the largest branches of our firm.”

“I will have Avery make our travel arrangements and set up some business meetings,” Grace said as she sent him a quick text.

“Not that I don’t trust him, darling, but make sure you give final approval on whatever he sets up.”

Grace looked up from her phone and raised an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, Mac raised his hand to stop her.

“Sorry, I should know you would do that anyway without my saying so. It’s just that I got used to your very efficient ways of doing things.”

Realizing that he meant it as a compliment, Grace let it go.

“No worries, I will make sure everything is to your liking. I will also build in extra time to do some fun stuff in both cities.”

Mac smiled. He’d spent plenty of time at both offices without having done much in the way of sightseeing. He looked forward to seeing things for the first time with Grace.

They enjoyed a casual dinner in the dining room of their private sixth-floor suite. Mac remembered making an off-handed comment about making this room a nursery when the time came. He wondered if Grace was still cool with that.

Grace checked her phone when it buzzed and saw a text from Avery.

I have your hotel accommodations set. The Presidential Suites at both the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and the Hotel Bel-Air. Here are links to both so you can check them out and give your final approval.

“See? Our competent admin has our accommodations under control. King beds in both places; I trained him well. Now, what do you want to do besides have sex when we aren’t working?”

Mac grinned. “Whatever you want to do. But make sure there is time for lots of sex. Oh, and some lounging around the pool time. Did I mention plenty of sex?”

Grace giggled. “Yes, I think we are on the same page. I will be sure to pack some sexy lingerie and a few toys.”

“God, I love you, Gracie!”

“I love you too. Now, how about we practice the sex part?”

Mac’s eyes narrowed. “Why, Mrs. Stewart, you naughty little nymph. Are you seducing me?”

“I thought maybe we could find a room in the house we haven’t christened yet. Sound like fun?”

“Before long, this very room we are sitting in might be remodeled into a room for our baby. How about we check this one off the list while it’s still a dining area/closet space?”

“Why, Mr. Stewart. Are you suggesting that I take off my clothes and get on the table?”

“It’s like you read my mind,” Mac said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Well, then, push those dishes out of the way and make room for me. I’d better do this sex on a table thing before I get too big, fat, and clumsy.”

“Darling, if the time comes when you can’t climb up on a table for me, I will simply have to do things the old-fashioned way and take you in our bed.”

“Just promise me that you won’t stop making love to me as this baby grows,” Grace said, suddenly looking very serious.

Mac brushed her lips with his and whispered, “Unless your doctor says otherwise, there’s not a chance in hell that I will stop enjoying your body, Gracie.”

Grace smiled. “You’re such a sweet talker. Now, stop talking and use that talented mouth on some part of my body. I’m horny as fuck!”

Mac grinned. “Well, aren’t we in luck? I’m horny as fuck, too!”

Then he spread her legs and proceeded to devour her.