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“Mom!”
She huffs and finally lets me go and moves in to embrace Aiden. “Hello, Ms. Taylor,” Aiden states kindly as she hugs him tightly, his eyes bulging at her strength.
I roll my eyes and give a slight shake of my head.
“Please call me Ev. Ms. Taylor is so formal, and Evelyn makes me sound so old.” She laughs. “Come inside, you two. I have a roast turkey in the oven. I hope you’re both hungry?”
We step into Mom’s small, one-bedroom apartment which has a tiny backyard for her dog.
“Where’s Bella, Mom?”
“Ha! The naughty girl stole a piece of ham while I was cutting it, so she’s been banished to the backyard.”
Aiden and I both smile as we make our way to the kitchen still carrying her present. I place it gently on the kitchen counter. “Do you need a hand with anything, Mom?”
Aiden caresses my back tenderly as Mom shakes her head. “Nope, you two lovebirds sit at the table. Lunch is ready.”
“Mom, let me help.” I pick up the vegetables and take them to the table.
“Fine, if you must. Aiden, sit.” Aiden smirks, doing as he’s told and sits at the round table.
Mom places the last of the food on the table—turkey and roasted vegetables.
“This looks lovely, Ev.”
Mom smiles and pats Aiden on the shoulder. “I want to say thank you, Aiden, for making my baby girl happy. She seems to be back to the cheerful Jeni I know and love so much.” Her eyes begin to glisten and shimmer with tears as I roll my eyes in embarrassment.
“She makes me unbelievably happy, too, Ev.”
“Okay, okay, you two. Enough of the ‘We Love Jeni Appreciation Society’ please,” I mumble as I start to load up my plate with turkey and the dressings. They both chuckle as we go about eating our lunch and chatting endlessly.
“That was delicious. How did you make that stuffing?” Aiden asks Mom as I take our empty plates to the sink.
I leave them talking as I start to clean the kitchen. Bella’s playing with her ball as I glance out the kitchen window, the soap on the dish slipping in my grip as I lose concentration. I accidentally drop a plate on the floor, smashing it into pieces. A shard bounces up and cuts my leg, sending a sharp pain through me. “Ah, fuck,” I blurt out loudly.
“Jeni, language,” Mom scolds as they both rush into the kitchen.
“You okay?” Aiden winces as he hurries toward me, seeing the blood dripping down my leg. “Jeni, you’re bleeding.” He kneels on the floor and wraps a napkin around the wound while Mom cleans up the porcelain with a dustpan and broom.
“It’s just a scratch.” I lean forward to pull out some Band-Aids from the drawer. Mom walks in, but in her haste, trips over Aiden’s feet. I hurriedly put my arms out, catching her, to stop her from falling.
She rights herself, and pats Aiden on the head. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
“Now I know where you get your clumsiness from,” Aiden whispers very quietly as he places the Band-Aid over my wound. My clumsiness has always been something my mother and I share. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Time passes as we chat about anything and everything. We exchange our presents and realize it’s time to leave for dinner at Aiden’s parents’ house. We say our goodbyes to my eccentric mother and get back into the car, then take off. Not long later, we drive up a cobblestone driveway, and Callie and Niall’s mansion comes into view. The two-story home sits on ten acres of land on the outskirts of Mornington Vale. White fairy lights twinkle in the moonlight across the roofline and down the walls. The trees surrounding the mansion are also covered in twinkling fairy lights giving it a real Christmas feel. The car pulls up next to the others parked in the driveway, and I can’t help it as a rush of nerves filter through me.
I survey the number of cars with my brow raised. “How many people will be here?”
He smirks. “A few.” Aiden takes the bags containing the gifts from the car and walks me to the front door.
Callie’s waiting for us, dressed in a white dress with a red apron and a Christmas headband in her short, blonde hair. She looks the ever-doting Christmas mother. “Aiden, you’re here. And, Jeni… it’s good to see you again.” She takes us both in her arms.
As we enter the foyer, a giant staircase leads up to the second story. Its rails are made of dark wood, and they twist and line the stairs elegantly. We proceed to the living room where everything’s white—I see a theme here. Everyone’s already seated, exchanging gifts in a happy, jovial fashion.
“Hi, everyone,” Aiden and I both say in unison.
Aiden takes the bags of gifts over to the giant Christmas tree which is beautifully decorated in black, silver, and red decorations. It looks magnificent with its twinkling silver lights.
