Chapter 19
Tuesday
It’s Christmas morning, the happiest I can remember ever feeling. My family surrounds me, things are going better than I’d anticipated with Alex, and Ricky is preparing to leave for medical school in a few days.
It has been tough keeping my relationship with Alex under wraps over the last six weeks, but we only have a few more weeks to go before he plans to drive to Norfolk and break the news to my brother. He hopes our love life won’t be such a big deal once Ricky is preoccupied with more important things.
“Look who’s here,” my mom calls from the front door. I can’t help my grin. We all know who it is. It is how she greets Alex every holiday. It’s hard not running to him. I’ve missed him. I haven’t seen him in the last few days because of holiday festivities, my volunteer job, and our work schedules. Thank goodness I’m off of school for a few more weeks.
“Have you had breakfast, Alex?” Dad asks.
“Yes, sir. I had it early with my family. All of my sisters’ kids were up early waiting to tear into what Santa brought.” He chuckles, carrying several wrapped packages in with him.
“Oh, those were the days,” Mom says in a sing-song voice.
“Don’t you two be in any hurry to start your own,” Dad scolds.
Ricky shakes his head, knowing that’s definitely out of the question for him. At least poor Julia is only a few hours away. But I know she wouldn’t want any surprise pregnancy to happen that could stand in the way of Ricky’s medical career. And there’s no way I’m ready. Heck, we can’t even tell anyone we’re dating yet. Any thoughts of marriage and children aren’t even on my radar.
Alex walks over to pat Ricky on the shoulder and hands him his gift. I don’t know why they bother to buy each other gifts. They each exchange a gift card to a local restaurant with the other every year.
Then he walks over to me. I can feel my pulse jumping to the point I wonder if everyone else can see it. “Hey, Sunny T. Merry Christmas.” He gives me a devilish wink and leans in to kiss me on the cheek before handing me his wrapped gift.
“Let me guess. It’s a book,” Ricky says.
My mother smacks him on the back of the head. “Hush.”
As I gingerly remove the pretty paper, I find a beautiful copy of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility . My heart soars as he knows this is one I’ve been hoping for. Turning the pages with gold foil edging, I find a pretty bookmark with a dark background covered in sunflowers.
“Thank you, Alex. I love it.”
“You’re welcome.” His grin is infectious.
Ricky shakes his head at Alex’s predictable gift. Every year, it’s a different classic. But until this year, I didn’t realize how much he’d paid attention to my conversations about my favorite authors. He’d let it slip one night when we’d been watching a movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion , that some years he’d have to pry it out of me when he couldn’t pick up any clues during conversations with my mother.
Flipping the bookmark over, I bite my lip to prevent gasping. Tucked into the plastic sleeve holding the bookmark is a gold sunflower pendant on a chain. It’s the first piece of jewelry he’s ever given me. Tucked away in a book. My eyes snap up to meet his, and the love emanating from him nearly brings me to tears. While neither of us has spoken those three little words, we both know it’s there. Like the joy in the air one feels during Christmas, voices as carols are sung but otherwise taken for granted. That feeling is simply there.
How am I supposed to not hug him ’til later?
“Your gift is under the tree.” I point beside him to the rectangular gift box wrapped in bold blue and silver gift wrap.
He gives me a sweet grin and reaches for the package. It’s not worth much. I don’t make a lot working part-time at the flower shop. Yet, honestly, I love that my family doesn’t do over-the-top gifts for the holidays. Well, except that cruise. The gifts are usually more personalized. Meaningful. Okay, maybe the ones between Alex and Ricky, not so much.
As Alex peels back the paper, he beams. I was able to catch a great shot of him and Ricky laughing together along the railing of the cruise ship. I know Ricky moving away is going to hit him hard, and it seemed like the perfect gift.
“Sunny T.” His voice sounds breathy. “This is perfect.”
Ricky leans over and grins. “Hey, I want one of these.”
“If you stop playing with the wooden puzzle we gave you, you might get to the other gifts still sitting under the tree.” Mom laughs.
“I think there’s five dollars in here,” Ricky tosses back, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he continues to try and solve the puzzle that will unlock the box.
Alex stands and comes over to where I’m sitting. “Thank you.” He wraps his strong arms around me, and I have to try not to swoon in front of my entire family. God, I’ve missed him. And he feels and smells so good.
“You’re welcome,” I say as he withdraws from me. Our eyes are having a conversation we can’t put words to in our present environment.
“Three more days,” he mouths. Three more days until we can spend a quiet evening alone.