There is a knock on the door and I race to open it, already knowing that it’s Sophia. The family she’s staying with doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Something tragic happened to their son on Christmas Day many years ago. With the mood morose, as Sophia put it, I invited her over to spend the morning with us.
“Merry Christmas,” I say, hugging her.
She hugs me back, handing me a small present. She’s holding another which she hands to Mom.
“Thanks, Sophia,” Mom exclaims, wrapping her arms around her. “Have you spoken to your parents?”
“Yes, they phoned me last night,” she says excitedly. “My brother is surprising me by coming over to visit me. He’ll be here this afternoon. Well, it’s supposed to be a surprise. He wanted to make sure I’d be home.” She claps her hands together, the love for her brother radiating off her.
The smell of bacon drifts through the kitchen as Mom places the sizzling meat amongst the vine-ripened tomatoes. Sophia sets the toast on the table and I scoop the eggs into a dish.
We sit around eating and opening presents all morning. Mom has a shift today, which is okay, because I plan to spend most of the day holed up in Eli’s bed.
After breakfast, Sophia rushes off to meet her brother at the airport and Mom leaves for work. I take my time getting ready for Eli, prettifying myself with the new perfume Sophia bought me. I dress in my new jeans and fitted coral sweater, a gift from Mom, then I carefully wrap the present I got for Eli, complete with a perfectly tied bow.
“Merry Christmas, sexy.” Eli grins at me as he leans on the doorframe, his dark eyes twinkling at me.
I laugh and squeeze past him, planting a kiss on his lips in the process. “How was your morning?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I saw Dad and the girls. The kids were funny. I could’ve saved myself a lot of cash and just given them cardboard boxes,” he chuckles.
I laugh and bring my hands around in front of me, his gift sitting on my palms.
“I hope you like it,” I grin.
He smirks, taking the box from me and walking over to the living room. “Your gift is in here.”
I race over to join him, immediately noticing the two small presents sitting on the sofa.
“You’re so cute when you’re excited,” he chuckles, taking my hand.
We sit down, our gifts on our laps, and I tear into the wrapping paper. The first gift is a bright pink cashmere scarf and gloves set. I giggle and pull them on, leaning over to kiss him.
“I love it,” I say.
“The other one is your main present,” he laughs. He holds up his gift, a smile on his face. “Now this is awesome.” He examines the handcrafted leather bound wallet, running his finger over his initials, which are stitched onto the front.
“I’m glad you like it,” I say as he kisses me. “Honestly, I had no idea what to get you.” I tear into my next present. A small box falls into my lap. I pick it up and open it. Inside is the most beautiful set of pearl earrings I’ve ever seen.
“They’re beautiful,” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth.
He reaches for my hand. “You’re beautiful,” he responds, his voice husky. “There is another present waiting in my bedroom for you.” He stands up, pulling me into his arms.
I laugh as he leads me into the bedroom, and just as I suspected, the bed is empty.
“Where’s this gift you promised me?” I tease.
He grabs me around the waist and throws us onto the bed as I howl with laughter.
“You’re so cheap,” I mutter, my lips finding his.
We fool around most of the afternoon, only breaking to eat some dinner—leftover turkey from Eli’s lunch with his family. As soon as we’re done we are back in bed, watching movies and snuggling.
I couldn’t think of a better way to have spent my Christmas—except for Dad being home. The more time I spend with Eli, the more attached I become. I’m falling in love with him, I don’t doubt that, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.
All I can do is hope that love is enough for our relationship to survive.
Chapter Fifteen