Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Madeleine
Istare at the black tank in my mother’s front yard, positioned next to three camouflage-colored ones, my mouth agape in disbelief.
“You’re insane,” I mutter, still trying to process what I’m seeing.
“You don’t like it?” Vin asks, his expression shifting to a slight frown.
“I…” My eyelashes flutter as I glance around at my brothers, searching for backup.
Leo scratches the top of his head. “Where are we supposed to store them?”
Vin grins proudly. “I had one of the warehouses enlarged specifically for this reason.”
“You bought us official military tanks…for Christmas,” I state, walking up to the black one and placing my hand on the smooth exterior to ensure it’s real.
“Well,” Vin begins, clearing his throat, “after our home was attacked, I thought this would be an appropriate gift. But now that I’m standing here, taking it all in, I realize it might seem a little extreme.”
“A little?” Alex interjects. “I could maybe understand one, but four?”
“Five,” Vin corrects.
“Come again?” Alex arches a brow.
“Well, obviously, I had to get one for myself,” Vin says matter-of-factly.
“Oh, Jesus.” Alex removes his glasses and drags a hand down his face.
Mauro bends over, gripping his knees as a strangled sound escapes him.
“Oh my God. Is he choking?” I ask, patting his back.
But when he stands up straight, there’s a giant smile on his face and tears in his eyes. He’s laughing, and for some reason, it makes me start laughing uncontrollably, too.
A chain reaction occurs as Leo and Alex join in. The four of us are in such high spirits, reveling in the absurdity of our Christmas gifts—gifts that only Vin would ever think to get us.
“You four don’t deserve these. I’ll have to return them,” Vin mumbles as he spins on his heels and strides toward the front door of our mother’s house.
“Aw, come back, Vin!” I wipe away a few stray tears. “We love them!”
“Yeah.” Leo grins, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Maybe we can have weekly races.”
That gets us all cackling, especially when the front door slams shut behind Vin.
“Do you think he’s really going to return them?” Scarlett asks, trudging through the snow in her boots.
“No,” Leo answers. “He has too much pride to do that. Just be thankful he got you those first editions you were looking for.”
She smiles softly. “I’ve already added them to my library.”
I interlock my arm with hers. “Let’s go inside. Every part of me is frozen!”
Once we enter the house, Scarlett and I head to the kitchen, where we’re greeted by the mouthwatering scent of all my Christmas Eve favorites.
“So,” my mother says, standing beside the chef with a glass of wine, “what did you think of your gift?”
“You knew he was getting those for us?” I ask. “I would have preferred some new slippers.”
She lifts a shoulder. “You know how stubborn he is. Once he sets his mind on something he wants, there’s no stopping him.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I respond.
“I do blame your cousin, Caine, though. He’s the one who put this idea in his head.” She takes a sip of her wine and glances between me and Scarlett. “Do you both have everything you need for the party tonight?”
Every Christmas Eve, my family hosts an annual party for all the workers and their families on the Alarie Estate. Aside from our Halloween party, this is the biggest event of the year, with hundreds of people in attendance.
It was my dad’s favorite day of the year. He always enjoyed giving back to his employees in any way he could, and after his passing, it became a tradition that we knew we would always uphold.
“Of course. We’ll be there early to help set up,” I tell her as I grab two wineglasses, and Scarlett steals a bottle of wine from the wire rack.
“The pantry?” Scarlett asks.
“The pantry,” I repeat, heading straight for the chef’s pantry—a place where the two of us used to hide out when we were kids.
Some things never change.
I turn on the light and shut the door behind us before we both plop our asses on the tiled floor. Scarlett pours us each a generous serving as I reach overhead for a bag of chips.
“Cheers,” we say in unison as we clink our glasses and take a sip, the hints of cherry hitting my taste buds.
“I wish Alina could be here.” I stretch my legs out and cross one ankle over the other.
“I know,” Scarlett replies as she places her glass beside her and unbuttons her coat. “But she said she’ll try to stop by at the party. She wanted to spend the day with her dad.”
I nod and lean against the wall behind me. Scarlett digs into her coat pocket and pulls out a small, neatly wrapped rectangular box, then tosses it to me. I watch as it lands softly in my lap.
“I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts until tomorrow?” I ask, eyeing the box with suspicion.
“It’s not from me,” she answers, a smile tugging at her lips.
That piques my curiosity.
Furrowing my brows, I finish my wine and set the glass aside. Warily, I unwrap the red plaid wrapping paper, revealing a white jewelry box. “Who’s it from?”
“You’ll find out as soon as you open it.” She nudges my shoulder playfully before refilling my glass.
Opening the lid, I find a note lying on top of white tissue paper that reads…
This was my special item.
-Eli
My heart flutters as butterflies freely fall inside my stomach.
For a moment, I completely forget where I am or what I’m doing.
“What is it?” Scarlett asks.
“I—I don’t know,” I reply, my hands trembling as I carefully peel away a thin layer of tissue paper.
Beneath it, I find a silver necklace. My fingers wrap around the sturdy beaded chain, holding it steady in front of me.
A worn-looking dog tag hangs from the center, noticeably thicker than I would expect.
The engraved name, Eli Lyon, stands out against the scratches and dents on the metal.
I run my thumb across it, feeling my throat go dry.
“I think…” Scarlett leans closer for a better look. “I think it opens.”
I run my finger along the edge and feel an indent. With two fingers, I gently pull on each side until it clicks open.
Everything freezes.
My heart.
Earth.
Time.
Everything.
Nothing else in the world matters as I stare at what’s inside the locket.
“It’s me,” I whisper, completely overwhelmed.
On one side, there is a simple engraving that reads, “My Princess.” And on the opposite side is a picture of…me. A photo that Eli took of me years ago.
“Why?” I ask, looking up at Scarlett as tears stream down my cheeks, and I don’t bother to stop them. “Why would he give me this?”
She smiles warmly. “I think you know the answer to that.”
I swallow hard, clutching his dog tag in my hand. “But I… But we can’t… I mean, I’m—”
She reaches for my hand, intertwining our fingers. “He asked me to give this to you before he left. Said it was important that you knew what he always kept over his heart when he was on the other side of the world.”
Me.
He kept a picture of me over his heart.
Tears tumble down my cheeks one by one like an overflowing river rushing down my skin.
“I have to see him,” I whisper, every part of me urging me to get up and move.
To run to him. To kiss him. To tell him how I feel—how I’ve always felt.
I reach for the shelf above me to pull myself up.
“I need to tell him—” I freeze as my heart shatters, my engagement ring staring back at me, reminding me why I can’t go to the only man I’ve ever loved.
“I can’t.” My voice breaks as I drop back to the floor.
“I’m engaged.” I wrap my arms around myself, the necklace pressed against my chest.
Scarlett slides closer, her eyes filled with genuine concern. “But you love him,” she states as if it should be obvious.
I look down, brushing away my tears. “That’s exactly why I can’t go to him.”
“I don’t understand,” she says softly.
“I know.” I hide my face in my hands. “You just have to trust me on this. It’s the right thing to do.”
“I do trust you. You know I do,” she responds. She reaches for one of my hands, taking it in her own. “I just wish you knew you could talk to me about whatever it is that’s going on.”
“I wish I could,” I breathe. “You have no idea how much I wish I could.”
She reaches out, gently tucking my hair behind my ear. “You’ve always been there for me. I just want to be there for you now.” I nod, unable to find my voice. “Which is why, as your best friend, I’m not letting you spend Christmas here.”
I let out a deep breath. “Scarlett—”
“No.” She shakes her head firmly. “You deserve to be happy, Maddy. And right now, you’re so far from it that it’s not even funny.”
I shrug. “Can’t argue with that.”
“So.” She stands and holds her hands out for me, which I take. “It’s time to get your butt moving. The pilot is waiting for you.”
“What?”
She brushes her fingers across my cheeks, wiping away the rest of my tears. “I talked with the pilot and arranged a flight for you to England. Think of it as my Christmas present.”
I shake my head. “But what—”
“No buts,” she interjects firmly. “You’re going to get your ass on your family’s plane and fly across the damn ocean to get to your man.”
I laugh at her attempt at being bossy. “But what about my family? My brothers will notice pretty quickly if I’m gone.”
“Alina is ready to play the part of a sick friend who needs you by her side. And the pilot knows not to utter a word if he wants to keep his job.” She winks. “We thought of everything.”
“You guys really are the best friends I could ever ask for.”
“I know, I know.” She laughs. “Now go! They’re about five hours ahead over there, and the flight is about seven hours. If you leave now, you’ll make it in time for Christmas morning.”
I wrap my arms around her, feeling so thankful for her. “Thank you.”
“We all deserve to be with the one we love, even if it’s just for a few days, right?” she asks.
“A few days is more than I could ask for,” I tell her.