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“If you say so.”
“I do. Why don’t you wear the purple sweater?”
She fingers the soft fabric and smiles. “Thanks for making me feel better.”
“Always, babygirl. I’ll always be here to make it better, no matter what it is.”
Winter dresses quickly and then goes to blow dry her hair. After I’m dressed, I go to my office to get her Christmas present. Well, one of them. I open my safe and pull out the velvet box. I pop open the lid and look at the ring nestled inside. I knew the moment I saw it that it was perfect for Winter. The emerald-cut alexandrite stone caught my eye right away because of its deep purple color. When I held it up to the light and saw the colors change, I became even more sure it was perfect for my babygirl.
“Jude?” Winter calls from down the hallway. I quickly close the box and stuff it in my pocket for later.
“In here, love.”
She walks into my office smiling. Her hair is straight and shiny. She’s radiant. I’m ready to fall to my knees right now and ask her to marry me, but I want to do this right. I want to make it special for her.
“You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself.”
“You ready to go?”
“Yep. I just need to grab the gifts.”
Chance already delivered my gifts to my mom’s house, so we only have to bring the two Winter bought on her trip to the mall. It only takes us fifteen minutes to get to my mom’s, and I’ve never been happier that she’s so close. Poor Winter has worked herself up by the time we get there. Any longer and she would’ve given herself a full-on panic attack.
I open her door and have to unbuckle her belt because she makes no move to do so. “Come on, babygirl. Let’s get inside where it’s warm.”
“I could just stay here…”
“Or I could throw you over my shoulder and carry you into my mom’s house like a sack of potatoes.”
Her eyes go wide with horror at the thought. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me, babygirl. You’re going in one way or another. I’d rather you walk in on your own two feet, but I’ll carry you if I have to.”
She doesn’t hesitate to get out of the truck once she sees how serious I am. I grab the gifts and gently push Winter to the front door. It swings open before we get there, and my mom bustles out with a huge smile.
“Winter, darling! I’m so glad you came.”
Mom takes Winter’s hand and drags her inside and straight to the kitchen, talking a mile a minute about everything she’s cooking for brunch. I can tell she’s already dipped into the mimosas she has every Christmas morning. The funny thing about Winter being nervous is that my mom is just as nervous. I didn’t bother telling Winter that because she wouldn’t have believed me anyway.
I put the gifts under my mom’s massive tree, adding them to the enormous pile that’s already there. I smile when I see the tags for Winter written in my mom’s elegant cursive. I love that she took the time to spoil my girl, too. Our whole goal today is to make this the best Christmas Winter has ever dreamed of. Mom was heartbroken when I told her about Winter’s childhood and lack of Christmas. Her nervousness is mostly my fault for putting so much pressure on making today something special.
I find my mom and Winter in the kitchen sipping mimosas and laughing. There are plates of cookies to decorate and platters of food on every surface. She’s made enough to feed an army, even though it’s just the three of us.
“There you are, Son. Start carrying the food to the table before it gets cold.”
“Yes, Mom,” I say, kissing her cheek as I pass.
I carry the food while Mom carries the pitcher of mimosas, and Winter carries plates and silverware. The food is delicious, as always. I smile to myself as I watch the two women I love the most in this world get to know each other. Winter is completely relaxed and happy. I knew they would get along great. I offer to clean up after we finish so they can relax in the living room.
I can hear them laughing happily as I do the dishes. Once I finish cleaning up, I follow the sounds of laughter to the living room. They are sitting on the couch facing each other, talking like they’ve been best friends forever.
“Who’s ready to open presents?” I ask.
Winter’s eyes light up, and my mom claps her hands. “I’ve been waiting for this all week!”
My mom jumps up and starts passing out the presents. Winter looks shocked at the sheer number of gifts that my mom sits in front of her. Some from her and some from me.
