Chapter 4
Seth could tell something was bothering Devynn after their Christmas Eve dinner at his parents’ house, but since she didn’t seem willing to volunteer any information, he decided to let it go.
She could have merely been trying to process the events of the evening and Charles’s apology, or she could have been worrying that they might not be able to make their escape before the fancy meal planned at the prima’s house on the evening of Christmas Day.
Over dinner, Abigail had insisted that they attend, and even though both he and Devynn had done their best to demur, she’d made it sound like a command performance.
Which meant the two of them needed to leave after Christmas morning breakfast at his parents’ apartment was done and they would ostensibly have some of the day to themselves before they had to head over to Mabel’s house.
At least Molly had said breakfast would be late, not until nine o’clock, so Seth knew he and Devynn wouldn’t have to worry about getting up at the crack of dawn to make themselves presentable.
They didn’t have any presents to exchange that morning, not when their “real” Christmas would take place many decades from now, but he was just fine with a more physical way of showing their love for one another, luxuriating in one another’s embrace until it was time to head into the bathroom and get ready.
Skies were bright and clear as they often were on Christmas in this part of the world, and the little snow that had remained from the storm a few days before they’d arrived now appeared to have mostly melted.
Devynn put on the beautiful red dress she’d bought from the seller on Etsy, and although Seth wore the same suit, he’d freshened it up with a different shirt and tie.
Getting ready in the primitive bathroom only reminded him of how much such things had changed over the intervening decades.
However, he told himself to consider the current setup as an adventure, sort of like roughing it at a campground out in the middle of the wilderness, rather than thinking of it as something he would have to endure on a regular basis.
All the same, navigating the balky plumbing and the ice-cold floors definitely helped him appreciate the twenty-first century that much more.
Once he and Devynn had decided on this trip back in time, they’d bought presents from an antique store down in Cottonwood — a fine watch chain for Henry; a pretty tortoiseshell comb for Abigail, who did have lovely hair despite her perpetual ill health; a silver-handled valet set for Charles; a gold locket for Molly.
Seth had put a photo of himself inside the locket, thinking he could leave that image with his mother, even if he couldn’t stay here in 1926.
One of the McAllister cousins had run the image through Photoshop so it looked like something that might have been taken during the correct time period, and he hoped Molly would like it.
Finding period-appropriate wrapping paper for the gifts had been impossible, so Devynn had suggested that they wrap each gift in a vintage handkerchief, which they’d also found at the antique store.
Possibly this was unconventional, but better the handkerchiefs than trying to explain where that crazy metallic wrapping paper had come from, or worse, the little paper gift bags she tended to favor because she’d frankly confessed as the holiday season began that she was terrible at wrapping presents.
They set out arm in arm, both protected from the chilly air by their overcoats. Despite the bright sun that shone down on them, it was still very cold outside, and Seth was looking forward to the fire he knew would be blazing at his parents’ apartment.
The scent of cinnamon rolls seemed to drift down the stairwell long before they approached the front door, and his stomach rumbled.
All he’d had so far this morning was a cup of coffee, and after his exertions with Devynn a few hours earlier, his body was telling him it needed a lot more fuel than that.
His mother opened the door almost as soon as he knocked. “Merry Christmas!” she exclaimed, and then hugged him and Devynn.
“Merry Christmas,” they replied almost in unison, and sent a goofy grin at each other.
Seth had been careful not to leave any marks on her neck during their lovemaking, but he still wondered if she looked a little too glowing and content for someone who supposedly had slept alone in a cold bed the night before.
Luckily, his mother didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary as she stepped out of the way so they could come inside.
A fire blazed in the hearth, just as he’d hoped, and in the corner, the ornaments on the Christmas tree glittered in its reflected light.
It wasn’t quite as brilliant as the trees he’d seen in the twenty-first century, with their myriad of electric lights, but still, he thought it had its own quieter sort of beauty.
He didn’t see Charles or Abigail, although his father had risen from his favorite chair to greet them, his hug almost as enthusiastic as Molly’s. An inquiring glance at his mother, and her shoulders lifted ever so slightly.
“Charles sent word that Abigail was feeling a little tired this morning, so they decided to stay in and rest up for her mother’s big Christmas dinner tonight.
” Although Molly’s tone didn’t shift all that much, Seth could tell his mother was disappointed by this development.
However, she only continued, still smiling, “And since we had them with us last night, I suppose we can’t begrudge Abigail the peace and quiet she needs. ”
“Then I suppose we’ll leave our presents for them under the tree here,” Seth replied, and Molly only tilted her head.
“No, you can just take them with you tonight, dear.”
Next to him, Devynn shifted her weight slightly. He knew what she was thinking — that there was no chance in hell that they’d be at the prima’s holiday dinner this evening.
However, he knew he couldn’t voice that thought aloud, so he just nodded and said, “Of course. But I’ll put them under there for now.”
And hope he could conveniently forget them in the bustle of leaving.
Then Molly asked if they wanted tea or coffee, and they both said tea would be lovely.
Once they’d been given their beverages, she returned to the kitchen so she could finish breakfast — namely, to scramble a big batch of brown eggs that Seth guessed she’d gotten from their cousin Emily, who had a large flock of chickens, along with frying enough bacon to feed a small army.
This was always how it had gone on Christmas morning — they would eat their fill, and then afterward, they would go and open their presents.
Or rather, this was the schedule the family had followed once the two boys were old enough not to want to immediately open presents and see what Santa had left them.
The McAllister clan might have followed the old ways and worshipped the goddess Brigid…
but they’d also made sure their children believed in Santa for as long as possible.
And although Seth was a little sad for his parents that Charles wouldn’t be there that morning, he was forced to admit that this gathering seemed much more cheery and relaxed with just the four of them.
To his relief, his mother didn’t seem inclined to probe too much into where he and Devynn had been these last six months, as though she knew she wouldn’t get any real answers.
No, she was much more interested in talking about what they planned to do next.
“You know everyone will want you to choose a date,” she said, and sent a significant glance toward Devynn, as if she knew it was the bride’s prerogative to make such an important decision.
Pink touched her cheeks, but she sounded even enough as she replied, “Probably sometime in the spring,” she replied. “Winter weddings can be nice, but I want something with flowers that didn’t come from a hothouse. So…maybe May?”
“It’s absolutely beautiful around here at that time of year,” his mother said, looking pleased. “Don’t you think so, Henry?”
Seth’s father had been in the middle of lifting a forkful of scrambled eggs to his mouth, so he waited until he was done chewing before he answered. “May’s a good time. It’s warm but not really hot yet.”
With that settled — in Molly’s mind, anyway — the conversation moved on to the all-important topic of the wedding dress.
Once again, Devynn flushed a little during that conversation, but Seth hoped his mother would think that was due to maidenly modesty and not because Devynn simply didn’t know all that much about bridal fashions of the 1920s.
And definitely not that the all-important dress had already been purchased and was hiding out at their friend Bellamy’s house.
Bellamy was Devynn’s maid-of-honor and had declared that their bungalow was much too small for the gown to be successfully hidden for so many weeks, so it had been spirited away just as soon as the final alterations had been done.
Seth still didn’t know whether all this top-level secrecy was required, but he hadn’t protested.
If nothing else, it would be fun to be utterly surprised when Devynn appeared and walked down the admittedly short aisle set up in the lounge at The Asylum.
After they were done eating — and after he and Devynn had insisted on clearing the table — they went into the living room. The fire had died down a bit, so Henry gave it a few expert pokes before they took their various seats.
“Sorry about the wrapping paper…or lack thereof,” Seth said as he picked up his parents’ presents. “We didn’t have time to go out and find some.”
“It’s fine,” his mother assured him. “Wrapping paper is wasteful, while your father and I will be able to use these handkerchiefs for years.”