21. “Finally, some indication that my baby bro has an interest in the opposite sex.” #2
“I can’t wait to show Dad next month!” he says, jumping up and down. “Will you help me build it, Uncle C?”
“You know it.” We bump fists, naturally ending with an explosion.
“I’ll go set it up.” He grabs the model plane box and bolts to the next room.
“Thank you,” Lisa mouths to m e, her expression soft. I nod in return. I try to be there for Owen as much as I can. With Jake being in the military, it’s not always easy for their family. Thankfully, he’s coming back soon, and he’ll stick around for a longer period this time.
“Now open yours,” I urge Lisa.
She peels back the paper, and her eyes light up when she sees the tablet. “Your way of getting Owen another gift, huh?”
I smirk. “You’re always complaining that he steals yours. Now he won’t have to.”
Lisa stands up and pulls me into a hug. “That’s very sweet,” she says, then turns to Aria. “And thanks for the wrapping.”
Aria laughs. “Actually, that one was all Caleb. Notice how pretty it is compared to mine.”
Everyone chuckles, and Lisa narrows her eyes at me playfully. “In that case, Aria, thanks for putting such a bright smile on my brother’s face.”
I swallow hard, trying to find the words to refute her accusation, but honestly, she couldn’t be more on point.
“Oh! This looks so delicious,” Gaby says, rummaging through her gift basket.
“See? We do have good food here in the US.” I wink.
She raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Is this a ploy to get me to move back?”
“Maybe.”
“Good thinking, son,” Dad chimes in, making everyone laugh.
Gaby rolls her eyes, but she can’t help but grin. “Come on. You saw how happy I am in Paris. I’m definitely not ready to move back, but I will gladly take all this food back with me.” She pulls the patriotic beanie over her head and beams. “Thanks, guys.”
She hugs me and Aria in turn. “And here is yours,” she says, handing each of us a gift. Mine is a blue sweater, and Aria’s, a pretty dark-red beret.
“Thank you,” Aria beams, clearly not having expected any gifts. “I love it, and it even has the Raptors red.”
“Thanks, sis.” I smile, touching the soft fabric of the sweater.
We continue our gift exchange, and Lisa gives me a build-your-own-Earth-globe kit and Aria a book. My parents pass around gifts as well. Beauty baskets for my sisters and Aria, and a new watch for me.
“I got you a little something too,” I tell Aria, reaching for the last present in the bag. But to my surprise, it’s not the last one. There’s another gift bag at the bottom.
I pull it out, confused.
“What— ”
“You didn’t think I'd miss the chance to buy you a gift, did you?” she says, her smile widening as she hands me the gift bag.
I shake my head with a chuckle. “Good thinking, not wrapping it.”
I carefully open the bag. Inside is an ice-skating rink LEGO set, customized with a huge Raptors sticker. My chest tightens. She remembered. She went out of her way to find me this.
“Whoa.” I turn the box over, spotting something else in the bag—a pouch filled with stickers, magnets, and keychains. “This is super cool.”
She shrugs, playing it off. “Well, since they don’t actually make Raptors-branded sets, I had to improvise.”
“It’s perfect,” I say, my voice quieter than I intended. Without thinking, I pull her into a hug. It’s meant to be quick, but she doesn’t step away immediately. I savor the warmth of her against me, the way her fingers lightly press against my back before she finally lets go.
“Thank you so much,” I murmur. “We’ll build it together.”
Her eyes gleam. “You bet.”
Lowering her gaze, she starts unwrapping her own present. Her eyebrows scrunch as she examines the box. “Is it a tablet?”
“Not exactly. It’s a digital notebook.” I pause, watching for her reaction. “I figured it’d be an appropriate gift for a future bestselling author.”
She stills, glancing up at me, and I detect a hint of something unreadable in her eyes.
“Oh, you write books?” Lisa asks, leaning forward to peek at the digital notebook. “That’s fantastic.”
Aria shakes her head vigorously. “Hardly. Right now, I’m just scribbling in a notebook.”
“She’s writing a novel,” I correct, meeting her gaze again. “It’s just in the early stages. I wanted to encourage her.”
A moment stretches between us. Aria blinks, then looks down, brushing her fingers over the packaging. “Thank you,” she says softly. “I love it already. I was running out of space in my journal, and it’s not very eco-friendly.”
“Don’t forget to include my name in the acknowledgements,” I joke, throwing in a wink.
And for the first time since dinner, her smile reaches her eyes.
“Uncle C, are you coming?” Owen calls from the next room over, and everyone chuckles.
“Better go help the little man build this thing,” I say, stretching my arms over my head.
“As if it’s a chore,” Lisa says, rolling her eyes.
“Right?” Gaby snorts. “You’re probably more eager than him. Building stuff is your jam. You were always obsessing over model kits as a kid.”
“And he’d throw them away once they were finished because they weren’t ‘interesting’ anymore,” Mom adds with an endearing tone.
Everyone laughs. “That’s my boy,” Dad says, fist-bumping me.
“Yeah, yeah. Are we done roasting me yet?” I sigh, glancing at the door. “Can I go help my nephew like the great uncle I am?”
“You may.” Lisa nods, and I jump to my feet.
“I’ll come with you,” Dad says, clearing his throat. “You know, to supervise.”
Chuckles ripple around the room, and I lean toward Aria. “Are you going to be okay here for a little while?”
She gives me a pointed look. “Caleb, your family got me presents and fed me an amazing dinner. They’re fantastic, and frankly, I never want to leave.”
Standing up, I smile, thinking it would be pretty amazing if she followed through on that.
The plane is fully assembled and is now being flown around the backyard playground by one happy pilot and his supervisor.
As for my mom, she’s back in the kitchen with Gaby, preparing dessert, and Lisa and Aria are casually chatting on the couch.
It’s crazy how Aria so easily adapts to every situation she’s thrown in.
Like a chameleon, everywhere she goes, she makes it feel natural. Like she belongs.
“What’s up?” I ask, sitting next to Aria. “Is my sister dishing all the dirt on me? Because it’s probably all lies.”
“Oh, we’re done with that,” Aria says, swatting her hand. “We’ve moved on to a more interesting subject.”
We all chuckle, and Lisa throws me a look that says, I like her .
Yeah, me too, sis.
I settle in next to Aria, the warmth of the room escalating and my heart beating a little faster.
“Enjoying yourself?” I ask in a low voice once Lisa is out of earshot.
“Very much so. Your family is the best. You’re lucky to have them,” she replies, her smile soft. But there’s a flicker of something—nostalgia, maybe—di mming her eyes. Just as quickly, it’s gone.
I nod, my throat tightening. “I agree. They’re pretty great.”
She glances down, where her fingers are absently fidgeting with the fabric of the couch. “Thanks for bringing me,” she says in a voice barely above a whisper. “It’s weird, spending such a family-centered holiday with strangers. I wonder what my family is doing right now.”
My heart breaks, and I scoot closer, my hand brushing against hers. The contact lingers just long enough for me to feel the tremor in her skin. “Aria, I can’t imagine how hard it must be, especially today. I wish there was something I could do.”
She glances up at me, her eyes exposing her vulnerability. “You’re doing it. It’s just hard not knowing, you know? And what if I don’t even have any family? What if I’m a terrible person, and everyone hates me?”
I blow out a breath. “Come on. That’s not possible. I don’t see how anyone could hate you, ever.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, drawing her into a side hug and breathing in the subtle scent of her perfume.
She sighs, her body relaxing slightly, molding against mine.
“You’re an amazing woman, Aria. Everyone who’s met you has immediately loved you.
I’m sure there are people, somewhere in the world, praying that you are safe and sound. ”
“Thank you for saying that,” she whispers as her head falls gently to my shoulder.
I’m glad I can bring her comfort in this moment, even if I know I should be safeguarding my heart.
Because one day, she could wake up and remember that she has a husband and two kids up in Boston, or that she’s engaged to a Marine.
Or that she likes blond guys with blue eyes and hates hockey players and beards.
She’ll realize she doesn’t belong in my world and will go back to hers, leaving me completely and utterly crushed.
I should keep my distance, but as she leans into me, a quiet exhale escaping her, the inevitable truth dawns on me. There’s no way that I can.