Chapter 64
My dad came in with three cups of coffee and exclaimed, “Let the Christmas present opening begin!” He handed one to Elliott and one to my mom, and I wondered if he forgot that Cadence is also an adult.
She was back now, looking kinda cute in her PJs, even though I could tell she was embarrassed. “Oh, don’t you look darling!” my mom exclaimed, making Elliott choke on his coffee before he agreed. My dad said nothing, only chuckled, and I decided I’d had about enough of their stalling.
“Can we open our stockings now, pretty please?” I asked, taking advantage of my non-coffee-drinking childhood.
“Yes, you may,” my mom said, emphasizing what she considered to be correct grammar, and I approached the mantle, handing my sister her stocking before I took mine.
“I guess Santa knew where I’d be at this morning after all,” Cadence mumbled, her voice sounding a little sad. We crossed over to sit in front of the Christmas tree, my parents and Elliott all sitting in chairs nearby, and a few seconds later, I totally forgot I was supposed to be trying to prove I was almost a grownup as I ripped into my presents with wonder in my eyes and not a care in the world weighing on my heart.
After the presents were opened and the mess was somewhat cleaned up, we headed to the kitchen for my mom’s delicious homemade cinnamon rolls, which are always ooey gooey and messy, and then she started in on making Christmas dinner, which would be turkey this year since Cadence hadn’t been there for Thanksgiving, and my mom desperately wanted more memories of us all together around a big feast. Grandma called and said she was on her way down, and I was excited to see her.
Having Elliott there was amazing. He seemed just like he was part of our family. When my mom sat down at the piano and began to play Christmas carols, he chimed in at the top of his lungs, a little off-key but festive nonetheless. He even wore the silly Santa hat my sister had planted on his head for hours. We took a few selfies, even though I knew I couldn’t post them anywhere without raising a ton of questions, but I was glad to have them, and so was Cadence. Despite the reason why she’d shown up at home, it was turning out to be a great Christmas after all.
Grandma brought more presents, and somehow, she had not only caught wind that Elliott was at our house, she’d managed to pick up a few gifts for him, as well, which would’ve had me asking all sorts of questions if I hadn’t already figured out something fishy was going on. How did she even know what size he wore? I had no idea, but the flannel shirt she bought him definitely fit. I could only pretend like none of this was odd to me and go on about feigning complete and utter innocence while asking myself why my family thought I was so dumb I wouldn’t notice these strange occurrences.
After stuffing ourselves with stuffing, turkey, and lots of pumpkin pie, we played Monopoly. I was shocked at how Elliott transformed from some sort of big-brother-slash-long-lost-uncle figure into a demanding landlord who showed no mercy to anyone, not even me. But it was funny to see him get into the game and bark at everyone in his southern accent any time someone had the misfortune of landing on one of his properties. Cadence is usually very competitive when it comes to board games, but she was either distracted or letting him win because it didn’t seem to faze her when she went out right after mom. (Mom always loses at board games, except for Scrabble.)
Once Elliottneezer Scrooge was done counting all of his money, we headed upstairs to watch a Christmas movie. There’s more room up there in the game room, and the TV is bigger. I plopped myself down on the chaise lounge, and Elliott sat down next to me on the attached couch, Cadence on his other side, and before I knew it, we both had our heads on his broad shoulders, his arms wrapped around us. If it bothered my parents, I couldn’t tell. My mom had this little smile on her face, like everything was right in the world, and my dad kept glancing at us like all three of us were his kids. Grandma dozed off before Elf even made it to the coffee shop that sells the “world’s best coffee.”
I couldn’t blame her, if I’m honest. I was about as comfortable as I could ever remember being. Elliott really was like a big teddy bear, even though I was pretty sure there was a lot more muscle under there than he let on, and I had a Christmas throw over my legs, keeping me nice and warm. It didn’t hurt that I was still wearing my Christmas PJs. Cadence had taken a shower earlier and put on regular clothes, but I was a hold-out for tradition, and I really didn’t want this day to end. It was like I knew something else was out there, something unpleasant, and as long as I could hold on to this holiday, it couldn’t get in. Maybe the new year would be full of as much despair as the last, but for now, it wasn’t invading my happiness. My sister was home, my family was content, and I had a new, old best friend. Life was pretty perfect.
We had my mom’s awesome turkey sandwiches for a late meal, and Elliott and I both shoveled down more pie before Cadence declared she was beat and going to bed. Grandma headed off so she’d get home before it was too late, as well, and I realized my perfect Christmas would be over soon. No matter how hard I tried to hang on to it, it was slipping through my fingers.
