Chapter 17 #2
“Unlike me, my sisters aren't afraid of Google. They all think that I'm dating a famous tv star. They kind of focused on your anchor days,” I boasted, as she got up and sat on my lap, before wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I’m not gonna lie, that wardrobe was as fly as it got for me at the time. I hate to burst their bubble that I’m nobody special,” she jested.
“You’re special to me,” I assured, and she rewarded me with a kiss to the cheek.
“My God, you're such a slow eater. Finish your food already, so we can open our presents,” she chastised, forcing me to narrow my eyes.
“You didn't seem to mind an hour ago when your legs were draping my shoulders,” I teased, her finger meeting the center of my brows as she pushed my head back. “Just saying, make up your mind, babe. But presents do sound nice.”
Getting comfortable by the tree, she shook a box on the bigger side before ripping away the wrapping paper.
The room filled with her screams as she took a shoe out of the box.
I'd seen her eyeing these ankle strap Mary Janes that had little potion bottles in the heel of the shoe, but they kept selling out.
I managed to find a new pair on eBay in the box and never worn, and while they were marked up three times the retail price, seeing her reaction was worth it.
“I'm guessing you like them?” She crawled over and pounced on me, covering my face in annoying kisses.
“I love them! Thank you, baby.” Reaching over to a smaller box, she handed it to me, begging me to open that one first. I shook it and it made little to no sound, but when I opened it, it made more sense. My face lit up.
“You bought me a bonnet.”
“You always complain about waking up to frizzy curls. The fact that you never owned one is baffling to me.” Examining the pattern, it was decorated in with whimsical musical notes, and considering Jaq hair always looked nice when she wore one, it was actually really thoughtful.
“This is so sweet. Thank you, Jaq.” One by one, we were up to our knees in wrapping paper.
She’d managed to gift me a book bag that I really wanted, a beautiful camera set and a signed jersey from my favorite player, Ma’a Nanu, from the All Blacks, something I knew she'd used her connections in the industry to maneuver.
The next two she opened were some custom Funko pops I got made resembling the both of us, as she remarked on Funko Graham's glasses.
“I can't! Look at how cute Baby Graham’s looks in his little glasses. It looks just like you,” she said, holding it up to me to compare.
“Okay, maybe he's cuter,” she teased. “But Baby Jaq is really that bitch,” she beamed.
We were down to the last presents for both of us, and because hers was flat, I talked her into opening the gift from me first. She took her time ripping it open, revealing a homemade box of index cards labeled 1000 Things I Love About You.
“Wait, you broke out the crayon box for me,” she fake cried up, pulling out a decorated card with reason #182 Your Shite Bridgerton accent,” she grinned, leaning into that said shite Bridgerton accent.
“Here I am thinking I'm doing it justice. Sorrows, sorrows, prayers,” she lamented, sending me into a fit of laughter. “I mean, you do have that colonizer blood in your veins, so if anything, it's your fault my accent hasn't improved.”
“Jaq, my dad’s Scottish,” I laughed.
“Okay so why he ain’t in Scotland, then?”
“Let me shut my arse up! You got me there.”
“Let's see,” she said, pulling out another.
“Number #68. The moment you press your lips together after you just put on lipstick. That is wildly specific, but I dig it. On to the next one,” she said, pulling out the next reason.
“#767 Awww…the way you hug me.” She responded by giving me a hug. “This is the sweetest gift anyone has ever given me. I’m going spend all day reading them.”
“No, don't go through them all today. Just look at them when you're having a bad day, or need a pick-me-up. I want some of them to be a surprise to you,” I suggested, as she pushed me eagerly to open her last gift to me.
From the outside it looked like a card, but when I opened it, two plane tickets fell into my lap.
Their destination, New Zealand. My brows furrowed in confusion.
“You brought me tickets to fly home?”
“Well, don't look too excited. I thought you might want to spend New Year’s with your family. Did you get a good look at the tickets?” she probed. Examining them, I learned that they were both round trip, but one had Jaq’s name on them. Once I put it together, my smile stretched wide.
“Wait, are you coming with me?” She nodded enthusiastically, and I couldn't contain my excitement when I pinned her to the ground, peppering her face in obnoxious kisses.
“Keen, keen, keen. There are so many places I want to take you, so many things I want you to try. The beaches there… you're going to love the beaches there. And the seafood. You haven't had good seafood until you've had it hāngi style,” I effused, as she put her finger over my lips to calm me down.
“Slow down, cowboy. Soon as you hit me with the triple keen, I know you’re about to start infodumping.
I'm sure I'm going to love everything about your ancestral land, but you have plenty of time to give me every reason over the next couple days,” she said, ending it with a kiss to soften a blow.
I was always rather hyper when I got excited.
“Thank you for thinking of this. I promise, my family is going to love you.”