Chapter 12
Nate
ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The minute she folds her arms over her chest, I know she’s pissed. “I’ll let you know when I find something I’m not the best at.” She grabs the stand and turns back to smile at the clerk. “Thank you and have a blessed day,” she says, looking directly in my eyes.
Oh yeah, I try not to laugh at her, she’s past the pissed-off phase.
She is in the I’m going to fuck shit up and then maybe I’ll ask all the questions I should have asked before.
I know pretty much everything about Elizabeth Morrow, and that’s because I’ve been a part of her family my whole life.
More so in my teen years when I felt lost and all I wanted was somewhere I could feel like myself.
Somewhere I didn’t have to fake being happy or like I was okay.
My grandparents did the best they could, but they were also grieving, and I wanted to put very little stress on them.
So, I spent the majority of my teenage years living with her family, so I pretty much know everything that sets her off.
The downside to that is, I also know everything that makes her smile.
“Thank you,” I tell the girl behind the counter.
“You have your hands full with her.” Her smile goes even bigger.
“Oh no, we aren’t together.” I shake my head, and my mouth also wants to say it’s her choice, but instead I turn and see Elizabeth with Joshua and Jack.
The three of them are posing for a picture.
Elizabeth is in the middle with the two guys crowded over her as they smile at the camera.
I know this picture will make its way on the wall above the mantel in the house by next month.
“Where is Nate?” Zack says, looking around and I hold up my hand. “Get in there.” I stand next to Matthew.
“It’s the kids.” I point to them chuckling.
“You had your clothes in my laundry basket; you are considered one of my kids.” He motions with his head, and I smirk and shake my head. Zack nudges my shoulder. “And you ate more food than my kids.”
“That is not true,” I refute, walking over to them and standing beside Jack, who puts his arm around my shoulders and slaps one.
“That’s going in a frame,” Denise declares. “Can we get the wives in there?” She looks around. “Soon-to-be wife anyway.”
We rearrange the group and now I’m standing beside Elizabeth, and she looks up at me and smiles at me.
The same smile she gave me that night. It was that smile that made me forget everything, and all I wanted was to make sure the smile stayed on her face the whole time.
I shake my head and put my arm around her shoulders and pull her to my side, like I’ve done many times when we were younger.
She looks down at our feet and then reaches around, putting her hand around my waist and the other around her brother.
“Smile for the camera,” Denise says. “Everyone look here,” she says and I look down at Elizabeth for a second when she looks up at me and I wink at her, making her smile even bigger.
“Elizabeth, look over here.” She calls her name, and she looks up at the camera.
“This one is going to be blown up,” Denise announces to everyone.
“Okay, now, everyone inside,” she says and then turns to hand the phone to one of the workers as the fifty or more people all crowd into the picture.
Denise and Zack are in the middle as we crowd around them.
I stand behind Elizabeth. One hand is on her shoulder, the other hand is hanging to the side when I have to squeeze in more, and her hand grabs my leg.
Then, like it’s always meant to be, I slide my hand in hers.
Our fingers intertwine like they were made to be held together.
We take three pictures and then everyone moves away, including us.
Her hand slides out of mine and our fingers try to hold on to each other, but then our hands fall to our respective sides.
I’m sitting at the table with her father and uncles when she comes over to us and looks at me. “When are you thinking about leaving?”
“Answer right now,” Matthew says under his breath, as he covers his mouth with his mug of hot chocolate.
“Now.” I take his advice and stand up, grabbing my jacket from the back of the chair. “I was waiting on you.”
“Oh, dude.” Zack shakes his head. “Just say sorry I kept you waiting.”
“Okay, well, sorry I kept you waiting while I was waiting for you to finish,” I state, knowing I can’t let her win. But also knowing it’ll probably piss her off.
“Well, I’m ready.” She doesn’t give me attitude, which should be my first sign to not poke the bear. “Bye, we’ll see you all tomorrow, I guess, for another round of Jumanji.”
“I think it’s called Groundhog Day at this point,” Matthew says. “I feel like I’ve been at this wedding for fifteen thousand years.”
We laugh as we say goodbye to everyone, Joshua giving Uncle Matthew the stink eye. We walk out with my jacket under my arm and my hat in my hand. I take out the keys to my truck and unlock the doors.
I open the back door, tossing my jacket and hat in the back seat, as she gets into the passenger seat and rubs her hands together.
I start the truck and turn up the heat. “Should we order pizza?” she asks me as I pull out of the parking lot and head down the path heading to the main road.
The lights on the trees are all sparkling and it looks almost magical.
“We can,” I reply, getting on the road and looking over at her as she is on her phone.
“It says it can be at your house in forty-five minutes,” she says and then looks over at me. “Is that enough time?”
“Why don’t you order it when we get home?” I look back at the road. “We still have to unload the tree.”
“Oh, that’s right.” She puts her phone away and for the whole ride she looks out the window.
We get home and then she reaches for the handle. “I’m going to order it now,” she says, “I’m starving.”
“That sounds good,” I tell her and get out of the truck and walk up the steps to the front door. Pressing in the code, I then open it up and see Whiskey coming out with his tail wagging behind him.
“Are the cats not going to run out?” she asks me and I shake my head.
“They tried that once,” I tell her, walking to the back of the truck. “Seems they are not cut out for living on the street. Baby Cat literally belly-crawled her way back in and Bean didn’t like the grass under her feet.” I open the back of the truck and see the tree is tied all the way around.
“Why does it look like it’s sick?” she asks me, standing next to me and taking in her tree.
“We had to tie it all the way around for the drive home. Once you cut the rope, it’ll open up again.”
“It better,” she mumbles to me.
“Don’t you get a tree at home?” I ask her and she shakes her head.
“I do not. There is a tree in the staff lounge in the hospital and that is enough cheer for me to have.”
“So you don’t have one at home?” I question, shocked.
“I work the extra hours during the holidays”—she shrugs—“so it would be a waste of time to put up a tree.”
“But it’s Christmas,” I retort, shocked as I pull the tree closer to the edge.
“Yeah, so I’ve been told,” she mumbles. “What do you want me to do?”
“I think I have it,” I assure, trying to pick it up by the twine that’s tied around it. I grasp it tightly and lift it over one shoulder.
“Just close the back of the truck.” I motion with my chin to the tailgate as I walk across my lawn to the front door. The whole time I feel the pine needles falling down and know I’m going to have pine needles in my house for the next six fucking months. It’s why I never get a real tree.
Whiskey backs up when he sees me walking up the steps, the cord feeling like it’s cutting into my skin.
“Out of the way, Whiskey.” I give him the command and he runs inside the house.
“Did you bring in the stand?” I look over my shoulder and she turns around and runs to the truck.
“You had one job!” I shout at her what she would have shouted to me.
“Technically,” she huffs out when she runs back into the house, following me, “I did my job by cutting down the motherfucking tree.”
I can’t help but laugh as I look at her when I get to the clearing. “Where do you want this motherfucking tree?” I ask her, knowing even if I chose someplace to put it, she will probably tell me I’ve chosen the wrong spot.
“Where do you usually put your motherfucking tree?” She giggles when she says it.
“Elizabeth,” I say her name between clenched teeth, “the twine is going to cut through my flesh.”
“Fine,” she huffs. “Put it in that corner,” she directs to the corner of the living room that faces the big window.
“You need to put down the stand,” I hiss at her and she raises her hands nervously.
“Shit, shit, shit.” She runs past me, taking the metal stand out of the box it came in. “Wait.” She puts it down. “I have to put in the screws.”
“By all means, take your time.”
“You’re rushing me,” she throws over her shoulder as she tries to go as fast as she can. “Okay, put it in the hole.”
“That’s what she said,” I mumble and she snorts.
“I led you right into that, didn’t I?” she says as I turn the tree down.
“You’re going to have to guide it in.” I turn the tree down.
“That’s what he said,” she comes back with her own joke, and now I’m the one snorting at her.
“Walked into that one,” I tease as I feel the tree being moved and I try to hang on. “Hurry.”
“I’m going as fast as I can,” she hisses at me. “There are five screws,” she informs me, working around me. “Okay, let go.” I let go and it starts to fall over to one side. “Shit,” she hisses as she moves over to the side to make sure it’s as tight as she can get it. “Okay, let go again.”
I release my hand slowly and then wait for it to tumble, and it doesn’t. “I did it!” she crows, lifting her hand in the air. “You’re welcome.” She smirks as she shrugs off her vest, and I walk over to let Whiskey out, who has been bouncing at the back door.
She sits on the couch as she unties her boots and pulls them off. “Okay,” she says walking to put her boots at the front door, “let’s do this.” She heads into the kitchen and goes to the drawers as she looks for scissors. “Let’s get her open.”
“That’s what he said also.” I walk over to Whiskey’s bowls and put some fresh water in one, then put in a cup of his kibble in the other before walking back over to the door to let him in.
He runs in and goes straight for his bowl as if he hasn’t eaten for five days. “Are you ready?” she asks me and I look at her confused. “I’m about to let her loose.”
“Can’t wait,” I say to her as she goes to the tree.
“Do I cut bottom and then work my way up?” she asks me and I shrug.
“From the top,” I instruct her and she gets on her tippy-toes as she tries to reach the top of it. I lean on the counter, holding my chin in my hands, as I watch her try with all her might to cut the top rope.
“Do you need help with that?” I try not to laugh at her as she turns and glares at me.
“I think I can get it,” she hisses at me as my eyes go from her hand trying to cut the rope to the way her sweater moves side to side, and then I see her ass. She has to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever been with, and she has no idea how sexy she is.
“Yeah, if you grow maybe a couple more inches,” I goad, pushing off of the island and heading toward her.
Pine needles have already started to fall and there is a trail from the front door to the corner.
“Give me the scissors.” I stand behind her and lean over her, fitting my front to her back.
I put a hand on her hip, waiting for her to hand me the pair of scissors.
“Thank you,” I say, letting go of her and cutting the top.
“Don’t do them all,” she orders me and I look down at her, cutting one more to give her back the scissors.
She grabs the scissors from me and her head looks back as she stares into my eyes. “Thanks,” she mumbles as she pushes her back into my chest.
“You’re welcome,” I say softly, our eyes are on each other as we both hold the scissors in our hands. My free hand wraps around her waist and I pull her more into me.
“Nate,” she says my name in almost a whisper or a moan.
I don’t know, I’m too far gone to figure it out.
Being here in my home with her and being so close to her, everything starts to fade away.
The hurt I felt the morning after our night together.
The hurt I felt when I heard she was leaving and didn’t tell me.
The hurt that she left without looking back.
It’s all faded into the back because now she’s here and she’s in my home.
“Elizabeth,” I whisper as my head moves down and I’m almost about to kiss her.
Almost seven years after our first kiss, I’m about to kiss her again; the thumping of my heart echoes in my ears.
The room spins all around me and the only thing I can focus on is her.
I lick my lips as I get closer and closer to her.
I can taste it, and just when I’m about to kiss her, the doorbell rings, making Whiskey let out a bark.
She jumps in my arms and the hand that was on her stomach now falls to the side. “That’s the pizza,” she says and turns in my arms. “I’ll get it.” She rushes away from me and out of the room, giving me a moment to get myself together.
I look up at the ceiling and close my eyes. “Don’t be dumb,” I tell myself. “She’s leaving in less than two weeks.” I rub my hands over my face. “Two weeks and she’ll be gone again, and you’ll be left alone...again.”