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"Oh, Drake, it's beautiful. It looks ancient."
"It's from an estate sale," Drake said. "I like the delicate filigree. Open it up."
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p; I did open it. Inside were two tiny pictures. One of Sophie and one of my mother.
"It's beautiful," I whispered, tearing up.
"Look on the back," he said, his voice soft.
I turned the locket over and in tiny script was engraved And I love her. I covered my mouth to stop from sobbing.
"Thank you," I managed, before pulling him close so I could kiss him. "You are such a beautiful man." We pressed our foreheads together for a moment and I wiped my eyes. "I love you."
"I love you."
When I had recovered, I pulled my gift for Drake from under the tree. “This is for you.”
“Another present?” he said, opening it eagerly. Inside was the action figure I’d bought for Liam, on the hope that Maureen relented and allowed Drake to see Liam during the holidays.
“Iron Man?” he said, his expression confused.
“Read this,” I said and handed him the card I received from Maureen’s mother, Brenda. Drake opened cautiously, a frown on his brow.
“What’s this?” he said and glanced at me. He pulled out the folded letter and read it, his mouth open. The letter had come only a few days earlier. I was afraid it would never come but it finally arrived and it announced we were on for a visit before supper on Christmas Day.
Today.
“Does this say what I think it says?” Drake asked, looking up at me from the letter.
I nodded, my eyes welling up with tears at the expression of shock on his face.
“Yes,” I said. “The present is for Liam. We can wrap it before we go.”
“What?” he said, still confused.
“Maureen’s mom was able to talk with Maureen and convince her that this is the right thing to do for Liam. We’re invited to come over this afternoon. Maureen is going to talk to Liam before and let him know that you’re his biological father.”
Drake shook his head. “Today? This afternoon?” He read the letter over again, and I could tell he was still in disbelief.
I nodded. “Yes. Before dinner. Around five o’clock.” At that, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears spilled down my cheeks and I had to cover my mouth to stop from sobbing out loud. Drake pulled me into his arms and buried his face in the crook of my neck.
When he glanced up at me, his eyes were filled with tears as well.
That was the greatest gift I could have received – to see Drake with tears of joy in his eyes because he was finally going to see his son on Christmas Day. That Liam would know Drake was his biological father. Most especially, because he could start to be a real father to Liam.
Later that afternoon, after Sophie had a bath and nursed, Drake and I stood in our bedroom and dressed for the evening.
“How do I look?” Drake asked, standing in front of the floor length mirror. He adjusted his tie and buttoned his jacket.
“You look fantastic,” I said, for he did look wonderful “But don’t worry. You could be wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Liam won’t care what you look like.”
“I want to impress Maureen so she’s happy she agreed to the meeting.”
I tucked a handkerchief into his suit pocket and brushed a few strands of hair off his forehead. “You look like a rich, well-educated, highly skilled pediatric neurosurgeon. You’ll do fine. Be yourself.”
“Maureen hated my self.”
