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I ignore Clay’s parents for the time being and lean up on my toes to place a kiss on Clay’s cheek. I have to say this before I back out. “You, Caleb, and Chris need to take the credit for the way I’m feeling today. I don’t know where I would be without you all. It has been a long road. A road that I doubt we’ll ever come to the end of, but together, life will be better. Mom and Spencer, you keep coming back even though I’ve been unbearable to be around. Angela, you have been a Godsend. How you’ve put up with me and Caleb, I don’t know. This time last year, I thought it was my last Christmas. Being here with you all today…” I wipe a tear away from my face. Caleb wraps his arms around my waist and leans his chin on my shoulder. “I feel honored and blessed. I might not show it a lot, but I do appreciate everything you do for me.”
Angela holds her hand over Caleb’s resting on my tummy. “You’re worth it, my dear. Now, it’s Christmas. We’re going to have to start doing things differently, because next year we’ll have a baby here, and they won’t want to wait all day to open gifts. Let’s start the day as we mean to go on.” She points over her shoulder into the living room and everyone apart from Caleb and me move. I’m happy being in his arms.
“I have something for you, but I want to give it to you now. Away from all the eyes.”
I turn in his arms and he reaches over onto the worktop and lifts a gift bag. He hands it over to me. “Merry Christmas, babe.”
I take out the black box and open it carefully. I’m nervous, and I don’t know why.
“It’s beautiful.” I finger the Pandora bracelet and all the different charms that surround it. “Thank you, Caleb.”
“I thought we could add to it every year, but each charm means something to you or us. The baby’s boots, the guardian angel, the dove, the love heart… and the family tree.”
I lean up on my toes and throw my arms around his neck. I sob into him and he rubs my back soothingly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“They’re h-happy tears,” I sob.
“I can promise you that I’ll spend every minute making you happy.”
“You already do.”
Caleb takes my hand and helps me to fasten the bracelet on my wrist. I hold it close to my heart and turn to see the rest of our families are watching us. My mom and Angela have tears running down their faces.
“Come on, guys. This is Christmas. Can we stop with the tears?” says my brother teasingly.
Caleb and I join our families in the family room to hand out gifts. I watch everyone laughing and joking and this moment is priceless. It’s the best Christmas present ever.
Caleb hands me another gift bag and I take it from him. I open it up and see the card that says – To our bump. I feel the tears choke me, but I don’t want to be emotional all day.Inside the bag is the most beautiful mint green all in one sleep suit and booties. I hold it over my tummy and smile.
“I love it. It’s officially the baby’s first outfit.”
And I’m happy that it was Caleb who bought the first item. It means everything to me.
I put the outfit back in the bag and place it down on the ground. I take Caleb’s hand and walk us out of the room away from everyone.
“Babe, are you okay?”
I don’t say anything. I just lead him to my room. I planned on giving him his present before everyone arrived, but I was a little too slow on the uptake.
“I have something for you.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything. Having you here is the best present ever.”
“Ditto, but I wanted to do this. It isn’t much, but I’ve noticed you like your art and photos on the wall. I thought this would make a good addition.”
I pull out a large wrapped frame from my closet and sit down on the bed. My back is beginning to ache from the weight of the baby.
Caleb looks at me before he opens his gift. His smile is contagious, and suddenly, I’m wondering if I’ve done the right thing.
“When… How?”
I take my purse off my bed and pull out a picture of Caleb and me from when we were sixteen years old. We were sitting on the bank at his parents’ cabin, laughing at something.
“Clay took that photo and gave it to me before I left for Africa that summer. I never let it out of my sight once. When I came back here, especially when you were staying with Clay, I looked at every print on your walls. It was calming. Clay walked in one day when I was crying over losing this photo when I was taken. Of course he remembered it, and the next day he brought me a copy. I told him that I wanted it painted. He said he knew someone… and here we are.”
“It’s beautiful. And I remember that day, but I can’t remember what we were laughing about at that moment, can you?”
