Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
The scent of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and coffee wafted through the Parkes family estate, drawing everyone to the dining room for Christmas breakfast. Camilla entered hand-in-hand with Jade, both still flushed from their cold morning walk.
As they took their seats at the table, Camilla smiled at the excitement buzzing around them.
She could finally relax and be entirely herself and that felt wonderful.
Emma and Jack were practically vibrating with anticipation, their eyes continuously darting to the great room where a mountain of colorfully wrapped presents were scattered beneath the Christmas tree.
Even as one of the staff members set a plate of golden-brown cinnamon rolls in front of them, their attention remained fixed on the gifts.
"Now, remember," Theresa said sternly, catching her children's wandering gazes, "we open presents after breakfast. And that means eating everything on your plates."
Emma's face fell at her mother's words. She had a notorious reputation for being a picky eater, often leaving most of her vegetables untouched. The young girl's eyes lit up as Jade leaned in conspiratorially.
"Hey, Emma," she whispered, just loud enough for Camilla to overhear, "I bet I can finish my plate before you can. But if you win, I'll let you open my present to you first. What do you say?"
Emma's eyes widened with excitement. "Really? You promise?"
Jade held out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise."
With a determined nod, Emma linked her pinky with Jade's, sealing the deal, and Camilla watched in amazement as the girl attacked her cinnamon roll and scrambled eggs with newfound vigor, even tackling the small serving of fruit salad she would normally push aside.
Theresa's eyes narrowed as she observed the interaction, her lips pressed into a thin line. It was clear she didn't appreciate Jade's influence over her children, but with the entire family present, there was little she could do without causing a scene.
“You’re great with kids,” Aunt Lara remarked. “Do you want children?”
Jade looked caught off guard by the question, her eyes widening slightly as she glanced at Camilla.
"Oh, well," she stammered, "I do love children.
I'm definitely open to having them someday.
" She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts before continuing, "Camilla and I have discussed it,” she lied, “but we're still undecided.
For now, we just want to enjoy each other's company. "
Camilla nodded in agreement, grateful for Jade's quick thinking, but before she could add anything, Theresa's sharp voice cut through the conversation.
"But you've been enjoying each other's company for three years already, haven't you?
" she asked. "Surely you must have made up your minds about having children by now. Most people would have."
Camilla felt a flicker of irritation at her cousin's probing. "Well, we're not most people. We believe in taking our time with important decisions like that.
“Yes, having kids is a big deal," Jade added, then pointed to the cinnamon roll on her plate, smoothly changing the subject. "By the way, these are absolutely divine.”
“It's one of my old family Christmas recipes,” Aunt Lara said.
“I used to make them with my mother when I was younger. Nowadays the staff makes them and I’m a little out of practice with baking, but I'd be happy to share the recipe." She leaned in over the table and smiled. “You know what? I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at baking again. Why don’t we make them together tomorrow?”
"Sure, I'd love that," Jade replied enthusiastically. "I still bake with my mom whenever I visit my parents. We usually make chocolate chip cookies or brownies - basically anything chocolate-related. It's become a bit of a tradition for us."
As Jade chatted away with Aunt Lara, Camilla listened intently.
She had learned to distinguish between Jade's truths and her necessary fictions over the past few days, and she could tell this story was genuine.
She tried to imagine Jade in a cozy kitchen with an older version of herself, both of them laughing as they mixed cookie dough or poured brownie batter into a pan.
Then her mind drifted back to Jade's response about children, and she realized that Jade hadn't lied about that either - she truly seemed open to the idea of having kids one day and somehow, she liked that idea.
Her musings were abruptly interrupted by Emma's excited shout. "I'm finished! I'm finished with my breakfast!" She held up her empty plate triumphantly. "Can we open presents now? Please?"
Jack, not to be outdone, quickly swallowed his last bite and raised his own clean plate. "Me too! I'm done too!"
The adults chuckled at the children's enthusiasm, and Uncle Robert stood up, clapping his hands together. "Well, I think that settles it. Shall we move to the great room for presents?"
Emma and Jack let out squeals of delight, bouncing on their toes as Uncle Robert began distributing gifts. Despite Theresa's earlier admonishment about sticking to their agreed-upon limit, it was clear that several extra packages had found their way under the tree for the children.
The room soon filled with the sound of tearing paper and exclamations of joy. Jack's eyes went wide as he unwrapped a drone, complete with a camera for aerial photography.
"This is so cool!" he exclaimed, immediately starting to examine the controls. "Can we try it out today, Dad? Please?"
Mark nodded, a rare smile crossing his usually serious face. "Of course, son. We'll take it out after lunch."
Emma, true to her promise, opened Jade's gift first. As she tore away the wrapping paper, her face lit up with pure joy. "Yay! It's an art set!" She threw her arms around Jade's neck, nearly knocking her over with the force of her hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Jade laughed as she hugged her back and shot Camilla a wink over the girl’s shoulder. "You're very welcome, Emma. I hope you'll show me some of your artwork later."
Camilla chuckled. Jade had no idea what Camilla had brought in terms of presents from her and in all honesty, the art set was a surprise to her too.
She’s instructed her assistant with a list of the kids’ hobbies and ideas for the adults, and she’d clearly done a good job.
It was cheating, of course, but she simply hadn’t had much time and besides, there wasn’t much fun in shopping for presents alone.
Maybe next year she and Jade could do it together.
As the gift-opening continued, Camilla was touched by the thoughtfulness of her family's presents.
Aunt Vivian had gifted her a luxurious silk scarf from her latest accessories line, while Uncle Robert and Aunt Lara had chosen a first edition of her favorite classic novel.
Even Theresa, despite the tension between them, had selected a beautiful pair of leather gloves.
Finally, it was Jade and Camilla’s turn to open the presents they’d bought for each other. Or rather the presents Camilla’s assistant had bought.
"You first," Camilla said, handing Jade a sleek, rectangular box.
Jade made a show of shaking the package, pretending to guess its contents before she unwrapped the gift, revealing a velvet jewelry box. She opened it to find a delicate gold necklace with a small, intricately designed star sign pendant.
"Oh, Camilla," Jade breathed. "It's a libra sign. It’s beautiful."
"I thought you might like it," Camilla said, making a mental note to give her assistant a Christmas bonus.
"Thank you," Jade said. "I love it."
Camilla helped her fasten the necklace, her fingers lingering perhaps a moment longer than necessary on the warm skin of Jade's neck. When she pulled back, she caught Uncle Robert watching them with a knowing smile.
"Alright, your turn," Jade said, handing Camilla a small, square box.
Camilla unwrapped it carefully, revealing the same type of velvet jewelry box. She opened it to find a simple and elegant gold bracelet. As she examined it more closely, her eyes widened in surprise. There, delicately engraved on a small charm, was the symbol for Pisces.
"Jade," Camilla gasped, her surprise genuine. She hadn't known what to expect, and she loved how their presents matched. Definitely a Christmas bonus. "It’s beautiful."
As Jade fastened the bracelet around Camilla's wrist, their eyes met. In that moment, all pretense fell away, and the look that passed between them was one of pure affection. The gifts might have been chosen by Camilla’s assistant, but the connection between them was very, very real.