Chapter 32: Presents Galore!

The three inhabitants of the mansion sit together in the living room, the snow outside glistening. Each present is handed out, placed in a pile next to each individual.
“Riley, open your first present.” Maryanne returns to her seat on the couch, near Max.
Riley sits cross-legged on the ground in front of the two adults.
She bounces around giggling as she grabs the first box.
Rifling through each present, Riley giggles and squeals every time she sees what she was gifted. Maryanne gave her a fairy princess indoor tent, as well as a few dolls and an indoor slide. Max on the other hand had bought her a tablet to play learning games on, a large remote control car that she can ride around in, and a makeshift ball pit.
Max chuckles as Riley runs around, “Looks like she enjoyed them all.”
Maryanne nods, “I’m very glad you didn’t go over the agreed upon budget.”
Displaying mock shock, Max folds his arms, “Of course, you asked me not to.”
“Here, open you presents.” Maryanne turns so that her attention is completely on him. Riley ignores them, playing with her new doll.
Max shakes his head, “You should be the next to open.”
“I asked you first,” Maryanne shrugs, folding her own arms and leaning back.
“Really,” he chuckles. They stare at one another for a moment until Max gives in, “Alright.”
As he tears into the first present, Maryanne rushes to say, “I know we didn’t place a budget or anything, I hope you like them.”
He pauses, looking up at her and smiling, “They’re presents from you. Of course I’ll like them.”
Maryanne glances back down at her arms, heat bursting into her cheeks.
Once the box is free of the wrapping paper, Max flips the lid open. Within the confines is a sleek, knitted scarf that is varying shades of grey. Max pulls it out, his mouth slowly falling open. “Maryanne, this is amazing. Did you make this yourself?”
“Yes,” she murmurs without making eye contact. She watches him from the corner of her eye, too shy to completely look at his reaction.
“It must’ve taken a lot of time.”
Maryanne nods, “I worked on it every night before bed for the last month.”
Max sighs, placing the scarf around his neck almost immediately, “That’s a lot, thank you. I really do love it.”
“You’re welcome.”
He sets the box to the side before working on one of the smaller presents. As the wrapping paper falls away, a book is revealed.
Max turns it around in his hands, “Pride and Prejudice?”
Embarrassment wracks her nerves with the worry that he won’t like the gift. “I know you said you loved the book growing up. I’m sure you already have it, but I wanted to get you a nice, leatherbound version. They even engraved your name on the inside. A first edition was too expensive for me, unfortunately.”
Max stares at the cover, his mouth hanging open. When he regains his words, he says, “Maryanne. . . I don’t know what to say. It’s very sweet.”
“It’s nothing really. I have a lot of connections within the writing community.” She tries to laugh off her awkwardness. She waves him on, “Open your last one.”
Gently setting the book on the end table, Max turns to his final gift. He opens this one more slowly and th anticipation eats away at Maryanne. She fights the urge to hurry him on.
“Maryanne,” Max breathes out. In his hand is an elegant, small picture frame with a photo of the three of them tucked within.
She explains leaning forward, “It was the picture we took a few months ago.”
He shifts as he remembers, “Oh yeah, I remember. Geneva wanted a picture for the wall in the living room.”
“Yes, actually I asked her so that we could get the picture without you knowing that I wanted it.”
Max’s expression softens and he looks over at Maryanne who avoids his gaze, “It’s so sweet, thank you. I love every gift.”
Maryanne rushes to grab her first present, her face a ball of fiery heat. “Okay, I’ll open mine now.”
Max reaches his hand out, causing her to pause momentarily, but not look up. “Remember, you never specified a budget for gifts to each other.”
Now Maryanne does make eye contact, her chest quivering, “Max, I swear. . .”
He only smiles and drops his hand so that she can continue opening the box.
Maryanne is shocked as she opens the present and reveals a Louis Vuitton crocodile purse. It is large, more than she even needs. She breathes out, “It’s beautiful.”
“I saw that the purse you’re using now is falling apart so I wanted to make sure you had a well-made one.”
She musters up a grateful smile, “Thank you.” Although she is uncertain how to feel about him buying her the purse, she tries to be understanding.
Maryanne’s second gift is an envelope and she slightly frowns as she opens it. “What’s this? Defense class training.” The letter inside is a confirmation for classes paid for.
“Yes, you refuse to allow a bodyguard to watch over you, so I signed you up for the best defense class in the area that I could find.”
“Max. Now frustration erupts within her muscles and she bites back her anger.
He tilts his head, trying to lock eyes with her, “What?”
“That was unnecessary.”

>><<

As Riley plays in her room with her other presents, Maryanne stands in front of Max. Her anger is boiling, but she tries to remain calm. She stares at her new bag. It really is nice. She is truly thankful, but she doesn’t believe Max should have spent so much money on her, especially for the defense classes.
Max checks once more on Riley making sure that she is still playing before turning back toward Maryanne and folding his arms.
“What is the big problem about the gifts I gave you?”
“Max, first, the bag alone costs almost home much I make a year. Not to mention the classes. The courses I just googled have a steep price. More than I ever could afford.”
He tries to reason, “That’s why I bought them. I only want the best but knew you would never willingly spend the money.”
Maryanne tries to hold her anger at bay, “Max, Christmas is about sentiment. These gifts aren’t that at all. They’re very impersonal.”
“Maryanne, I thought very hard about what to get you. I didn’t want to get you something you couldn’t use. The bag will last you a long time.”
“I appreciate that. Believe me, I love the bag, but a simple one that you could have bought at a smaller company, or even a local business would have been a lot more meaningful than getting this expensive one from a high-end fashion company.”
Tension continues to build in Max’s shoulders as he speaks. His brow tightens, “Why are you so upset about this? Maryanne, it’s only a gift. I tried to keep my spending at a limit because I know you don’t like that.”
Maryanne holds back her anger, but frustration at the situation continues to overflow, “You still spent an insane amount of money, Maxwell.”
“Maryanne, it’s two gifts. You spent a good chunk on my Pride and Prejudice book.”
“But that price doesn’t come anywhere near what you spent.” Maryanne’s body refuses to listen to her commands, tightening with the stress of the situation.
“Maryanne, just be thankful. I spend the time and energy choosing your gifts.”
As Max turns away to storm off, Maryanne realizes that she messed up.