December 22nd, 1970

            The past six weeks had been exhausting. Though not much had happened, the toll of Sylvia’s situation and my recent miscarriage had been weighing me down. I had put on a brave face when Cameron and I visited my great-aunt Lily ten days ago for her birthday.
    We spent the day with her and, despite her protests at the cost, took her to an upscale restaurant for dinner. Lily had enjoyed the day, and I was glad to be there with her as it was the first birthday she had celebrated with family in a long time.
    The next week was spent mostly preparing for Christmas. Lily had declined our invitation to spend it with us in Cairnie, saying she would spend it with her widowed neighbour as she usually did. It would be just me and Cameron on our first Christmas together, and I felt I had a nice, simple gift for him that he would love.


    I woke in the morning and moved to look at Cameron. He was sleeping deeply, his face soft and relaxed. I smiled; my heart filled with joy. I knew I was lucky to call him my own, and I had to tell him.
    “Cameron,” I whispered. I softly touched his cheek with my hand and stroked his skin with my thumb.
    A deep hum came from his lips as he turned his head and kissed my palm.
    “You are so beautiful,” I told him quietly.
    Cameron chuckled and opened his eyes to gaze back at me. “Are you losing your sight?” he asked sarcastically.
    “Don’t you dare fight me on this,” I warned. “Because I’ll win.” I leaned towards him and pressed my lips onto his.
    Cameron wrapped his arms around me in response and pulled me closer to him. He held me in the embrace until we decided to get out of bed and make breakfast.


    It was a few hours later, nearing mid day, when returned from a short walk. We’d spent an hour or so in the woods around the house, walking along various paths and talking about different things. As we entered the house, I told Cameron how happy I was to be spending Christmas with him.
    “As am I, Emily,” he answered me in a sweet voice. “And I’m comforted to know that it won’t be our last spent together.” A shy smile crept into his features as he spoke.
    “The first of many,” I assured him. “I hope you’ll like your present. It’s not much, but…”
    “You don’t need to worry about that, Emily.” Cameron took my hand in his and squeezed. “You’ve already given me the only gift I’ve ever wanted.”
    He asked me to wait for him, then, as he went upstairs. I sat on the couch and waited until Cameron came back with a small wooden box in his hands.
    “This is your gift from me,” he said as he sat beside me. “I can’t wait much longer for you to have it.”
    He handed me the box and I smiled at him before accepting it. “I’ll open it, but open yours first,” I insisted.
    I stood and retrieved a small gift bag from a drawer in the table in the hallway, then returned to the couch and handed it to Cameron. He smiled at me before removing the tissue paper and pulling out his gift.
    “This is wonderful!” he exclaimed. The tie he held in his hands was made of colourful fabric depicting keyboards, pianos, and synthesizers on a gradient background. “I love it.”
    “I’m glad you love it,” I answered. “I guess it’s time for mine, then?”
    Cameron nodded, so I picked up the wooden box and untied the ribbon around it. I lifted the lid and saw something beautiful. A silver medallion lay inside on a small cushion.
    “Cameron, this is beautiful,” I breathed in amazement. I gently picked up the medallion and inspected it closely. In the center was a large stone surrounded by six smaller ones. The back was smooth and at the top was a loop to attach it to a necklace. “Where did you get this?”
    “I had it made,” he told me softly. “At a shop I know of in town.”
    “It’s beautiful,” I repeated.
    “The middle stone is lapis lazuli,” he explained. “A symbol of truth and wisdom. The other stones are diamond and peridot.”
    “Our birthstones?” I asked quietly as I put the medallion back into the box.
    Cameron nodded and put his hand on my thigh. “It’s meant to be… a charm of sorts, I suppose.”
    “I love it, Cameron.” I put the box on the end table beside the couch and turned back to Cameron. Before he could say anything, I climbed onto his lap and put my hands on his shoulders. “I love you.”
    I kissed him passionately and he responded the same way. His hands went to my waist and I shifted my position so I was straddling him. I trailed my lips down to his jaw and neck before I murmured his name, my lips barely off of his skin.
    Cameron inhaled deeply instead of answering, so I pulled away and looked into his eyes. “Can I give you another present?” I whispered.
    He blushed slightly, and his eyes widened a little before he nodded. I kissed him again, harder than before. Our lips parted at the same time, and before long, I had unbuttoned my shirt and removed his.
    “Come to bed,” I said in a near moan when Cameron’s lips met my chest. The look on his face when he met my gaze was powerful, but he listened. I slid off of him and took his hand in mine to lead him to our bedroom.
    “Take your clothes off,” I ordered him. “Get on the bed.”
    Cameron chuckled but did as I said, tossing his clothes on the floor as I did the same. He sat on the bed and I sat on top of him, our hips meeting and my chest pinning him down. I shifted my hips and could feel him aching against me. He groaned my name, pleading with only one word.
    I bent forward and kissed him softly, slipping down onto him as our lips touched. He moaned once more, making me giggle. I began to rock my hips, and put my hands on the headboard to steady myself.
    Cameron’s face full of pleasure gave me a spontaneous idea, and I voiced it while looking into his eyes. “I’m going to ride you,” I told him in a soft voice, “until you’re shaking.”
    It didn’t take long before he was groaning with almost every rock of my hips. His hands along my sides and on my breasts made me moan, as well, and soon we were moving as if one body.
    “Dear Lord,” he mumbled. The look on his face was unmistakeable.
    “You can just… call me Emily,” I replied between heavy breaths.
    The chuckle he responded with turned into a low moan as he told me he was close.
    “Let go, my love,” I breathed without slowing my movements. “I want to feel it.”
    Cameron’s eyes closed and his mouth opened, a small sound coming from him as he shook beneath me. I slowed my hips but didn’t stop completely.
    “Good?” I asked after a moment, a cheeky smile on my face.
    Cameron laughed and shook his head. “Good doesn’t even begin to describe it.” He kissed me for a long moment before I moved off of him and lay beside him.