“Heard lots about you, Cruz. And this must be your brother, Lennon?” she said. Sara had blonde hair, blue eyes, and wasn’t much taller than Jade. But she had a more athletic build and looked like she could hold her own out there.
“Nice to meet you, Sara.”
“Jade’s pretty particular about who she includes in Thanksgiving, she’s terrified there won’t be any leftover turkey if we open this up to too many people,” she said, and Jade’s head fell back in laughter. “So you both must be special to her.”
“Hey, the leftovers are the best part,” Jade said.
Sara looked at Jade the way a mother looked at her child. They’d clearly known one another for a long time.
My girlfriend tugged me by the hand and told Lennon to follow as she led us into the kitchen.
“This is Sam, and Cara,” she said. She was awkward as shit because the last time I saw Sam it wasn’t on the best terms.
They both rose from the small kitchen table. Lennon shook their hands, and I reached for Cara’s and we both said hello.
“Hey, I told Cara Exiled is playing next weekend at The Dive, so we thought we’d drive over to see you play. I may or may not have lied about knowing who your band was the day we met,” Sam said with a sheepish grin.
I laughed. “Not a problem, chief.”
Sam’s head fell back in laughter. “Dude, I’m sorry. I was a total douchebag to you.”
“Nah, you were looking out for her. I get it.”
“Well, thank you for not letting me get my ass kicked by that bouncer. I didn’t stand a chance.” Sam shook his head.
“That was a crazy night,” Lennon said as Jade pulled up another chair and we all sat around the table.
Jade taught us how to play Sequence, her favorite board game, and she was up and down every five minutes checking on the turkey or stirring the potatoes. She was in her element. Sam told me about his years playing soccer, and it surprised me that we had so much in common. I actually didn’t mind the dude.
When we settled around the dining room table, there were name tags for each of us. They used a card table at the end of the dining table to make it long enough for all of us to fit. There were white table linens and small pumpkins running down the center of the table. Two small bouquets sat on each end, and the flowers I brought were placed in a large vase in the center of the table. The linen napkins were orange and green with a random purple one on Jade’s place setting. It all worked. It was so different from the Thanksgiving set up Lennon and I were used to where everything matched. It was perfect, and sterile, and cold. I’d take this any day of the week. Jade had crayons and coloring sheets for Sienna and Piper, and she took her seat beside me.
Jack Moore said a prayer and thanked each of us for coming. My brother sat across from me and beside Cara, and he couldn’t stop smiling. He liked it as much as I did. We dug in and it was by far the best Thanksgiving meal I’d ever had. The food was home-cooked and delicious. Everyone went back for seconds, and I watched my girl as she moved around the table smiling and laughing. These were her people, and she didn’t need much more. She poured more wine in her father’s glass and met my gaze.
“Jady bug, are you going to make us do those weird questions again?” her father asked, and everyone laughed.
She pulled her gaze from mine and came around to sit beside me. “He is so full of it. He looks forward to this every year,” she said. “Okay, lift your plates. You’ll find a piece of paper beneath and we’re going to go around and read our questions and just answer the best you can. Keep in mind your papers are folded, so I don’t know who got what question.”
“Oh man. Last year she got all philosophical, and she didn’t like my answer,” Sam said, rolling his eyes.
“That’s because your question was, what are you most thankful for this year, and you said pizza. That was a lame answer.”
“Hey, Cara and I weren’t together then. Pizza was the best thing I had going at the time,” Sam said. “Hashtag no judgment, J-bird.”
I sipped my wine and laughed as they went around the table and answered the ridiculous questions. They were so comfortable with one another. It was charming and funny, and I was enjoying myself. Which wasn’t the norm for me on the holidays. I preferred brooding in my room. Alone.
“My turn,” Jade said. She unfolded her paper and smiled when she read her question. “Serves me right. Okay, here goes. ‘If you could do something different this year, what would it be?’”
Jack clasped his hands together and winked at Sara, who sat at his right, and watched his daughter. “I can’t wait to hear this one.”
“Well, I definitely wouldn’t have had those four shots of tequila, that’s for sure,” she said, and the entire table erupted in laughter.
“And how about wearing a little more clothing next Halloween too. No more going out in your underpants,” her father said.
Even I had to laugh at that one. Although she looked hot as hell, she didn’t have much on that night.
“And maybe we don’t fight Sam when he’s trying to help us?” Sam added.
“I think we get it, people. Bad night. Let’s move on,” Jade said.
We’re going back and forth across the table, so Lennon lifted his plate and pulled out his question.
“What? Who made these questions up?” he bellowed out, looking right at Jade and there was more laughter.
“They’re good questions. Let’s hear it,” Jade said before sipping her wine.
“If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” Lennon said, and he paused to think about it. “Hmmm… I think it would be cool to fly, but there’s nowhere I’m dying to go, so I’ll skip that one. I think I’d choose time travel.”
“Why?” Jade asked, and she looked mesmerized as she listened to my brother, like there was some deeper meaning in these answers.
“Because you can go back and change the mistakes you’ve made. Right your wrongs. And if you don’t want to be somewhere, you can just pop over to another decade. Those 70s babes were hot,” Lennon said, wriggling his brows.
I studied my brother’s gaze, and I’ll be damned if Jade wasn’t right about these ridiculous questions. Lennon met my gaze, and I knew in that moment he was talking about his overdose. Right his wrongs. I nodded, and Jade tilted my plate so I could get my question.
I looked down at the paper and smiled, shaking my head. Because it was so her. “What are you most thankful for this year?” I said. There was no hesitation. “That’s easy. You.”
Vinny hit the table with his palms and chuckled. His voice was all tease. “You gave your boyfriend the easy one, Jady bug. That’s cheating.”
“I did not. You’re just mad that you had to tell us about getting called Vinny poopy pants in second grade,” she said, tipping back in her seat as the table roared with laughter.
I’d never spent a holiday this relaxed.
And I liked it.
Chapter Seventeen
Jade
“I can’t wait to see this bracelet,” Ari said.
“Yeah, I hope it looks good. I wanted to get Cruz something sentimental because he has everything. I love that you can put a message on these. What did you end up getting for Jace?”
“Well, he gets me every day, and I’m the gift that keeps on giving,” she said. “But I got him a bunch of little things, a T-shirt, a flannel, and a cool beanie. It should get delivered today, so we can wrap gifts this weekend.”
“Yes, perfect. He will love that,” I said, and the man returned from the back room with my purchase.
“Here you go. Let me know if everything looks okay, and I’ll ring you up,” he said. He looked to be about sixty years old and had a hunched back and a kind smile. I found out about this shop online, and I loved the idea.
“Love you more, xoxo Jade. Oh. My. Gosh. This is ador
able. He’s going to love it,” Ari said after reading the inscription on the brown leather band while she stood beside me.
“Yeah, I hope so. I’m going to give it to him before he leaves for Christmas break.”
“He can’t handle being away from you for one day. How is he going to deal with being away from you for two weeks?”
I laughed. “He’ll be fine. Are you excited to meet Jace’s parents?”
“I’m a little nervous. He said they’re really quiet, so hopefully I don’t overwhelm them.”
I tucked my debit card back in my wallet and thanked the man for the bracelet before leaving the store.
“They’ll love you. It’s impossible not to.”
“I can’t wait for you and me to finally live together when we get back from break. Is Meagan speaking to you this week?” Ari said with a dramatic eye roll.
“Yep. Now she’s all over me. She wants me to set her up with Lennon. The girl is seriously insane.”
“Wow. She really wants to date someone from Exiled. Isn’t she back together with her boyfriend?”
“Yep. And she thinks I’d set her up with Cruz’s brother when she’s dating someone. Lennon is so sweet. I would never do that to him,” I said.
Lennon and I had grown close since spending Thanksgiving together. He hung out with Cruz and I more now, and I helped him with his papers when I could.
“Exactly. Oh, Jace told me we need to start looking for a place for next fall soon. He said rentals are hard to find. I’d love to find a small two-bedroom house instead of an apartment. It would be nice to have a small yard, and not have neighbors living above and below us, but I don’t know budget wise if that’s even reasonable. Rentals in Evanston are not cheap.”
“Yeah, I agree. Cruz said he might know someone moving out of their place. I’ll ask him to check with his friend. The most I can afford is eight hundred a month, so if you can do that as well, we could go as high as sixteen hundred. I don’t know if a house is possible in that price range. We’ll be lucky to get a two-bedroom dump for that,” I said as we walked back to campus.
“At least we’ll be together.” Ari bumped her shoulder into mine and chuckled.
“True. You want to head to the library? I may as well set up permanent residence there. I have all five finals next week. It’s going to be a stressful couple of days.”
“Yeah, no going out for me until after finals either,” she said.
I don’t know how Cruz handled the stress with band practice, his shows, and balancing his classes. He did it all, and always found time for me. I couldn’t wait to give him his Christmas gift.
I really did love him more.
I flipped the page of my chem book, the only audible sound in the library. It was almost two A.M. and it would be closing soon. I just wanted to finish this last chapter.
“I knew I’d find you here,” Cruz whispered against my ear.
His two arms came around my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder. He smelled like beer and cigarettes, a scent I normally despised, but somehow he made it appealing. He rubbed his scruff against my cheek.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I turned to face him.
His honey-brown gaze looked tired, and I pushed up to kiss his plump lips.
“I tried your phone and you didn’t pick up, so I figured you’d be here. Come on, let’s get out of here, they’re about to close.”
I slipped my books in my backpack and he reached for it and slipped it over his shoulder, before intertwining his fingers with mine and leading me out of the library.
“How was the show?” I asked as I zipped my coat up and we stepped outside.
It hurt to take a breath at first because the temperature had dropped below freezing. I pulled my hat from my pocket and slipped it on my head. Cruz wore a black beanie and his peacoat. He pulled me close and wrapped an arm around me as we stepped to the curb and slipped in the Uber he called for us.
“The show was good. Long. Couldn’t wait to get out of there and come find you,” he said.
“Sorry I had to miss your show again tonight. I can’t wait for finals to be over.”
“I’m fucking proud of you. You’re the hardest worker I know. Don’t give that shit a thought,” he said, and reached for my mitten-clad hand as we stepped out of the car.
“Is everyone home yet?” I asked as we walked inside.
The house was quiet and much cleaner now that Dex wasn’t living there. They’d put a couch and a TV in the spare room, which was where Lennon and Adam played endless hours of video games.
“They’re hanging with a couple girls, so I don’t think they’ll be back for a while.”
“I thought Lennon liked the girl from Australia?” I said, dropping to sit on his bed.
“Lennon likes everyone he meets from moment to moment.”
“What time do you guys leave tomorrow?” I had one more final exam tomorrow morning, but Cruz finished today.
“Probably around noon,” he said, dropping down beside me and brushing my hair out of my face with his fingers.
“I want to give you your gifts.” I pushed to stand and reached for my backpack.
“Ah, you got me something, did you?”
“Of course, I did.”
I handed him three packages, all wrapped in coordinating red and white gift wrap with gold bows. He opened the first one and laughed so loud I couldn’t help but do the same.
“My girlfriend is cooler than yours,” he said, reading the writing on the white T-shirt. “Are you cool now, More Jade?”
I chuckled. “I’m the president of the Barry Manilow fan club. How much cooler does it get?”
“I love this. Thank you.” He folded it up, and I handed him the next package.
“Oh, wow. I love this.” He pulled out the black leather journal with his initials monogrammed in gold.
CWC. Cruz Christian Winslow.
“I thought you could write your songs in it. That way you won’t lose them,” I said.
Cruz wrote songs and poems on notebook paper, and he shoved them in his pockets, or they were loose in his room on sticky notes.
“I love it. I’ll put the song I wrote for you in here first,” he said, leaning forward and kissing me.
“When do I get to hear this song?”
“Soon, baby. We’re just working on the music. I want it to be perfect when I sing it to you.”
Butterflies swarm my belly. I don’t know how he does it, but he always manages to fluster me. I bite down on my lip and hand him the last package.
“What do we have here?” He opened the package and studied the bracelet before turning it over and reading the inscription. “Thank you. I love it. And I love you more.”
He leaned forward and kissed me before gazing back down to study the bracelet he’d secured around his wrist. He jumped up and walked over to his closet, pulling out a bunch of shopping bags and bringing them over to me.
“I may have gotten you something too,” he said, his voice was all tease.
He handed me the first bag and I pulled out a shoe box. Black and white checkered Converse. I’d wanted these for a while. How did he know that? “I love them. Thank you. You know my shoe size?”
He laughed. “I do.”
I slipped on my new shoes, clicked my heels together, and smiled. “They’re perfect.”
He lifted the next bag from Office Max, which happened to be my happy place. He dumped it out on the bed, and there were endless packs of colored markers, pens, Sharpies, and highlighters. There were sticky notes and index cards. Binder clips and washi tape. I couldn’t form words, because this was the best gift I’d ever received.
“I can’t believe you did this. I love it,” I said, but it came out like a squeal. I was actually squealing because no one appreciated office supplies q
uite like I did.
He laughed as he watched me. “My girl likes office supplies, what can I say?”
“Best gifts ever.” I pulled all the pens and markers together and placed them back in the bag. I couldn’t wait to organize everything in my desk. I was already envisioning my entire top drawer filled to the hilt with an array of colorful supplies.
“There’s one more. The rest I’m saving for your birthday. But I wanted you to have these now,” he said.
He handed me a small box with Ethan Lord Jewelers written on the top. My heart raced because I’d never received jewelry as a gift before. I wasn’t big on wearing it, but I didn’t know if that was because I didn’t like it or because I just didn’t have any. I lifted the top off and took in the beautiful stud earrings.
“Oh, my gosh. Are these jade?”
“Yep. They were made just for you. I noticed you wear studs and thought you might like these,” he said, watching as I slipped them in my ears.
“I love them.”
“I love you.” He cleared off his bed, and I slipped into one of his T-shirts.
“Love you more,” I said, rolling on my side to face him.
“So, let’s talk about your birthday.”
“Okay.” He pulled me closer, my head nestled in the crook of his neck. My legs tangled with his, and his nearness warmed me.
“I know you want to be with your dad on Christmas, but do you think you could come out and stay with me the next day? I’ve already checked with Ponch, and he can fly you out any time that day, and we could stay at a hotel in Park City for a few days.”
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