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“I’ve slept late enough,” she said as she quickly went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. “Where are you going, though?” she asked Matt, who was getting ready as if he planned to go out.
“Your dad’s taking me fishing.”
Jessica poked her head out of the bathroom, mouth full of foam from the toothpaste as she asked, “How did that happen?” Only it sounded something like “hao rid dat aebbun”
“I woke up pretty early, went down to get a drink, and ran into your dad. He offered to take me fishing to the nearby lake. Apparently, there’s a lot of fish in this season, and your mom is packing us breakfast as we speak.”
“Wow.”
Matt kissed her on the cheek and left. Jessica put on a comfortable hoodie and went downstairs to see what her mom was doing. She found her seeing off David and Matt, who were had a big basket and fishing tools inside David’s truck. Matt looked excited to go fishing. Jessica smiled as she waved them bye.
“Come inside. It’s so cold. There’s freshly brewed coffee in the pot,” Margaret said.
“Mom, you didn’t have to do all that alone. You could have just woken me up.”
“And why would I do that? You’re here after so long, and I want you to rest up. Besides, I’m only following my usual morning routine, nothing extra.”
Jessica poured herself a cup of steaming coffee and sat beside her mother on the big living room couch. She was feeling well-rested after a long time indeed. There was something about being back home and staying a few nights, and, most importantly, not have to worry about some impending work or another. The morning went by lazily. Margaret and Jessica talked about how things were between her and Matt and how she was taking some time off from work to travel with him to his various state mansions.
“Did you decide where you want to get a house?” Margaret asked.
“Not yet. It depends on where I get a job,” Jessica said before taking a sip of her coffee.
“It’s nice to see you finally getting a break. You’ve been working for as long as I can remember. Even before graduating, you always had multiple part-time jobs.”
“Yeah. It’s actually refreshing to not worry about work all the time and be lazy.” Jessica and Margaret both laughed.
At a little before noon, David and Matt came back. True to David’s word, they had a lot of fish. Matt was positively beaming with delight. Apparently, he had caught more than a few fish, and that was something he took great pride in. He and David seemed to be more comfortable around each other. When Matt had gone inside, Jessica quickly took her father to the side.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said.
“Always,” was what he said.
That night, they made barbeque out of the fish the men had caught in the morning. It was another heavenly meal with Margaret’s special barbeque sauce and Jessica’s homemade fruit salad. They put out chairs and a table over the small balcony on the second floor of the house. By the end of the meal, Jessica was feeling like it had been the best decision to come visit her parents. She was glad she had pushed through the lingering uncomfortable feelings from last time and had decided to come here to give them all another chance. Things weren’t completely perfect, and Jessica didn’t expect them to be either. It was still too soon, but the progress they made over the two nights here was something.
She was even sweeter to Matt in bed that night. They made love to each other, taking the time to drag it out nice and sensual, and then they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, wrapped under her comforter against the cold of the night. Even during her sleep, Jessica had the warmest of smiles on her face, and she suspected that so did Matt.
48
The month of December brought about snow and a white winter wonderland. Jessica had always loved the snow, even though there were multiple times she had cursed the cold all through her life. Still, winter was a very wholesome time for her, and it was even more wholesome with Matt. They returned to Matt’s family mansion in New York for the Christmas. This year, there was going to be a huge company party at their estate in honor of the CEO, Matt, getting married. Jessica was equal parts nervous and excited. Annabeth had told her that it was going to be a high society-themed party, with elegant dresses, gloves, dance cards, and everything. Jessica had never been to such an event, but she had read about them plenty in those historical romance novels that she loved. She couldn’t believe she would be going to a party held in a similar fashion, let alone absorb the fact that it was being thrown in her honor. She told herself she needed to prepare for it in the best possible way. She asked Annabeth to come to the mansion at least a few days before the party, so they could go dress shopping together and Annabeth could help her understand what to do.
While she was on the phone with Annabeth, telling her to try to come early, she heard Matt’s amused chuckle. She rolled her eyes. After hanging up, Matt said, “You are very invested in this.”
“Of course, I am! I’ve always dreamt of such a party. It’s like a scene from a historical movie,” Jessica said with excitement.
“If I had known you love these balls so much, I would have arranged one sooner,” Matt said, tracing his finger down her cheek.
“Don’t worry, the timing is perfect, and I have just enough time to prepare for it. I just hope Annabeth comes earlier than she had planned. I have so much to do!”
Matt laughed at her enthusiasm. “In times like these, I thank the Lord I’m a man.”
“Well, you don’t even know what you’re missing out on,” said Jessica. “All these preparations and the effort we put into it are part of the fun ride.” She grinned at him.
“I grew up around enough women in my life that I understand that, but I’m good. Thanks,” Matt said, laughing.
Annabeth arrived the day after. They still had a few days before the party, so Jessica was grateful that Annabeth was here early. They went to shop for a dress, shoes, and accessories that went with it. The two ladies got a matching set of gloves for themselves and Andrea as well. The little girl was beyond with delight herself. Like her mother, she loved shopping and the whole idea of an elegant party seemed like a dream to her. She demanded that she needs a princess gown and a tiara. Jessica made sure she got everything she wanted. As for Ethan and Noah, they got matching little tuxedos, complete with bow ties and shoes.
“I can’t wait to see them all dressed up. They’ll be so adorable!” Jessica exclaimed.
