“Sure, Summer,” he smiles.
I leave them to it and rejoin Zander at the island. Ray has the tree on, but the tv is off. He comes out of his room wearing his pjs. “I still have all of Jake’s Christmas pajamas in a box somewhere,” Ray tells me. “I’m honored to be included this year. Glad you kept up the tradition.”
“I actually haven’t, but Seb showed up this morning with matching pjs for everyone, and I’m glad. I'd like to keep the tradition alive,” I reply.
Will pokes his head out to tell us Jake is ready. Ray enters his bedroom first, before Zander and me.
“Hey Jake, looking good,” I smile.
“You actually got Dad into matching pjs,” Jake smiles before seeing Zander behind me. “Who is that Sum?” He inquires.
“Jake, I’d like you to meet my dad, Zander. He actually met you a few times before you woke up and was the one who found the trial,” I say.
Zander comes over beside me and smiles at Jake. “It’s nice to meet you officially, Jake. I’m so pleased the trial worked.”
“Thank you,” Jake replies. “You have Sum’s eyes,” he notices.
“They're actually from my great grandfather. We live in their house.”
“I’ll grab a photo of Zander and put it on the wall,” Ray offers.
“Good idea,” I reply. “Did you have a good day yesterday?”
“It was okay,” he shrugs. “Did you get your shopping done?”
“Yup. My friends came over this morning, and we exchanged gifts. Oh, and we’ll bring turkey dinner over tomorrow for you guys.”
“With stuffing?”
“Of course,” I say, rolling my eyes. Jake loves stuffing as much as I do. “I’ll make coconut cream too.”
“You’re the best, Sum.”
Ray comes back in and hangs Zander’s photo beside Seb's. There’s only two pictures up now. Jake can remember both Will and Janus, which is great. “Shall we exchange gifts?” Zander asks.
“Oh, yes, definitely. I’ll be right back,” I tell everyone. I go back to the island and grab the two bags of gifts Zander and I got, and Ray grabs two items from under the tree. I pass Will, Ray, and Jake their gifts.
“Summer, you really didn’t need to get me a gift,” Will says, looking a little uncomfortable.
“Suck it up, Will. You’re family now,” I reply.
Zander and Ray both chuckle at me, and Jake gives me a smile. “Sum loves giving gifts, Will. She likes it better than receiving. No use fighting her,” Jake tells him.
“Can I open yours for you, Jake?”
“Go for it,” he smiles.
I unwrap Zander’s gift first. It’s a Washington Capitols hoodie, Jake’s favorite NHL team. “That’s really nice, thanks,” Jake responds.
I unwrap mine next. I got Jake a tablet, headphones, and several dvds including hockey games and movies. “I got you some action movies and the last season of the NHL. The tablet is for later. I figured you could use it as your computer since it’s lighter than a laptop.”
“Amazing Sum. Thank you,” Jake smiles.
“Thanks for the movie passes, Summer,” Will says.
I look over at Ray, who seems to struggle a bit with his gift. “Dad, what’s wrong?” Jake asks.
“Nothing, son,” he replies, taking a deep breath. “Summer’s gift just made me emotional.” He stands up to show Jake the photos I framed. There is one of the three of us camping, one of Jake and me shortly before the accident, and another of the three of us in Charlotte after Jake woke up.
