by R J Gray
"Who has number four?" Octavius asked, picking up where they left off as if nothing had ever happened.
"I do." Jason held out the slip of paper. He looked straight at Teagan. Teagan hugged the elephant to her chest tightly.
"Don't make me shoot you," she joked.
"She has now threatened to shoot every male at this table," Ro groaned.
"You know, in this day and age, that isn't very funny, right, Tea? I mean, joking about shooting people isn't Kosher," Evie admonished.
"She says that now, when it is her man who is being threatened," Octavius responded.
"He's not my man," Evie said, her cheeks going bright pink once again.
"Just wait," Ro whispered under her breath.
"Anyway, you're a cop; do you really think it wise to make jokes about shooting people all the time?" Evie pressed Teagan.
"I'm a detective. I don't joke around anyone else, Evie. If it bothers you, I won't around you, either. I don't mean to be insensitive. Sometimes, those of us who work in these professions have a darker sense of humor. For real, if my joking about these things bothers you, I won't do it around you."
"It's fine," Evie said. Teagan could tell by the tone of her voice, it wasn't.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to open my present," Jason interrupted, holding up the odd shaped box that Luca had brought along. Unlike Teagan, Jason had no resolve with the paper and tore it to shreds. He held up a mini red axe with a wooden handle.
"An axe?" Jason inquired.
"It's a pizza cutter!" Luca exclaimed proudly, as if he had just won the prize for best white elephant present.
"It looks like I'm next," Evie said, reaching for the burlap wrapped gift. She unwrapped it so slowly, Teagan couldn't help but tease her some.
"Are you afraid Ro has gifted a scorpion or something?"
"Ha! You never know with Ro," Evie replied as she pulled out a flat sheet of what appeared to be stickers.
"They're gold temporary henna tattoos. Aren't they gorgeous?" Ro asked, searching Evie's face. Teagan watched as Evie cleared her face of all emotion, something she was sure Evie had a lot of practice doing. She obviously didn't want to disappoint her sister.
With every manner that she had been raised to show, she turned to Ro and smiled graciously. "They are very artistic. Look at all the intricate detail in these designs," Evie said diplomatically. Teagan knew there was no way that Evie would wear one. But then, Evie did something that shocked her. She opened the package and peeled off one of the small rings, placed it around her pinky finger, and held it up for Ro to see. Ro squealed with joy. It took Teagan every ounce of self-discipline not to rush around the table and hug her.
"I guess this means you are going to keep them, then," Octavius said. "This is the first year we have done this when everyone has kept their gifts and no one has taken anyone else's. I drew number six. The best number. I get to open Jason's gift and then pick from all the ones on the table." He looked slowly at each present. Each woman held hers close to her chest, glaring at him.
He made a big deal out of picking up the present and weighing it in his hand. It was a diagonal box. "It isn't a book," he said. He brought it to his face and sniffed.
"Did you just smell the present?" Evie asked, disgusted.
"He did! He smelled it!" Teagan groaned.
"If he licks it, I'm out," Evie replied.
"Just open it already, or we're going to be here all night, Bear!" Ro demanded. He listened and unwrapped it.
"Bertie Botts Beans." He read the label of the red and white striped box with the photo of the jellybeans on the cover. Popping the lid off, he grabbed a handful and tossed them in his mouth.
"Wait!" Ro cried.
"I wouldn't do that—" Jason started.
"Hold!" Luca said.
But it was too late. Octavius' face turned bright red as he choked and spit. He quickly stood and raced to the garbage to spit out the beans.
"What the heck?" He turned to Jason. "Why did I just have vomit and grass in my mouth?"
The entire table burst into laughter, laughter that would continue for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 19
The next morning, Teagan rolled over beside Luca and smiled widely. It was the first Christmas holiday that Teagan could remember looking forward to. She felt like a child, she was so giddy.
"Daddy, Daddy! Wake up! It is Christmas Eve."
"Yes, darlin'. It is, isn't it?" Luca smiled at her. "You aren't supposed to be this excited until tomorrow morning."
"I can't help it." She sat up on her knees and looked down at him. "What are we doing today?"
"The others will be here for a late lunch and gift exchange, and then they will go their separate ways. Remember, Evie said she only has a couple hours. She is sneaking away under the guise of last-minute Christmas shopping. Then, I have a couple of surprises for my baby girl. Now come here and kiss me." Trident heard the order and jumped on the bed, knocked Luca back down, and started licking his face. Teagan fell over in a fit of laughter.
The morning went quickly, the pair working to ready the house. They hung lights and decorated the tree together. They had picked it out the weekend before. Luca had allowed Teagan carte blanche with his credit card for holiday decorations. Teagan had never bothered to decorate before. She had to start from scratch. She would be lying if she hadn't been sticker shocked by the cost. A large wreath for the door, strands of lights, ornaments, garland, decorations for the fireplace. She kept the decorations classy, enough to bring the holiday spirit into the house but not to overwhelm.
"Are you ready to put the star on top?" Luca asked, stepping back to look at the sparkling tree.
"Oh, yes! But I want a selfie first! Ro will never forgive me if we don't get a picture."
"Ro and her pictures," Luca said, pulling her into his arms. He took the phone from her and grabbed a picture of them under the tree. As Teagan looked at the photo, she felt burning start behind her eyes. She almost couldn't recognize the woman in the photo wearing a soft white sweater, wrapped in these huge muscular arms with a twinkle in her eyes and an authentic smile on her face. It was the type of photo you would find inside of frames on the store shelves, picture perfect. When had this become her life? Maybe, just maybe, happily ever after existed after all.
Beep. Beep. Beep. At the sound of the alarm, Teagan shot to her feet and ran into the kitchen to remove the mini quiches from the oven. Everyone was bringing a dessert and an appetizer to share. Luca had made a trio of hot dips, spinach artichoke, Queso and taco. They had brownies baking, and Luca had made a strawberry pretzel salad that was his family's Christmas tradition.
After arranging empty platters on the bar to hold the goodies their friends were bringing, Teagan looked around the house one last time. That's when she saw it. Hanging above the fireplace was a beautifully framed and matted photograph of the six of them. Ro's mom had taken it at Thanksgiving, and Luca had hung it while she was in the kitchen.
She was unsure of the feeling that was floating around inside of her. She felt warm, and her cheeks were flushed. Her heart was pounding; her eyes were burning with the sensation. She took a deep breath in and released it slowly. She inhaled the sweet smell of freshly baked goods, took in the lights of the tree reflecting off the glass of the fireplace, then she turned, seeking, searching until she found what she needed—Luca. He stood off to the side of the room watching her. He must have recognized her need, for he opened his arms, and she ran right into them. Suddenly, she recognized the feeling. It was a feeling she had never felt before. It was the feeling of coming home.
Ding! The doorbell rang, shattering the moment. As she turned the knob, Ro popped her head around the door. "Knock-knock," she called out.
"Come on in!" Teagan responded, ignoring the mutters coming from under Luca's breath.
"Oh. Oh!" Ro turned around the room, taking it all in. "Tea, this is perfect. You did a great job." Teagan had been texting her all week getti
ng advice and making sure she had all the necessities. One thing Teagan was the most insecure about was being a wife and mother. She had never had a good role model for either position and would be flying by the seat of her pants. She didn't know how to decorate a home for the holidays, properly set a table, address an invitation, or do many of the other formalities that came along with being an adult woman in a family.
"Do you think so?" Teagan asked.
"I do. But you forgot one very important thing. Don't worry; I brought it."
"What's that?" Teagan asked suspiciously.
"The mistletoe!" Ro clapped her hands in joy. "A house is not properly dressed for the holidays without it!" Never in Teagan's life had she had so many urges to roll her eyes before she had met Ro. As she restrained from doing so, she took the plant from Ro's outstretched hand.
"Now, where should we hang it?" Ro asked, walking around the living room. Teagan trailed her. The living room apparently didn't meet her approval, for Teagan found herself following her into the kitchen, which wasn't good enough, either.
"For God's sakes, Ro."
"What are they doing?" Luca said, loud enough to carry over to the women.
"Ro is looking for a place to hang the mistletoe," Octavius informed him, taking a swig of his beer. They watched the two women like spectators at a major sporting event.
"Ro, if you don't find a place to hang this damn plant in the next five seconds, I'm going to—"
"You can't shoot the plant, Tea," Ro interrupted.
"I was going to say flush it down the toilet."
"Oh."
"Now, where are we putting this?"
"Right there!" Triumphantly, Ro pointed to the curved doorway between the dining room and living room. Everyone would pass through it on the way to get food.
"Finally," Teagan muttered. She snatched a dining room chair and stood on it, but she wasn't tall enough, so she stood on her tiptoes.
"Darlin', I know you are not standing on a chair on your tiptoes in the middle of a doorway while your Daddy is right here." Luca handed his chuckling friend his beer. "Get down from there, now." He disappeared from the room and came back with a stepladder and a hammer.
"Now, everything is just perfect," Ro said.
Evie came a few minutes later and then Jason. Over good food, the friends discussed how quickly the past few months had gone, and yet the women, who had known each other for such a short time, had grown close as if they had known each other for years.
After they had eaten, they started the move to the living room.
After crossing into the room, Ro turned. "Ahem." She cleared her throat. She turned and pointed at the doorway. Jason was halfway through the door as Evie had just entered it.
"What?" Jason said, freezing.
"Mistletoe!" Ro bounced on her calves.
"You did that on purpose," Teagan whispered, elbowing Ro in the ribcage.
"Maybe," Ro whispered back.
"Brat," Teagan teased. Ro just shrugged.
"Kiss her, Jason. You have to; it's tradition after all," Ro said.
"Evelyn, would it be okay if I kissed you?" Jason asked politely.
"I-I…" Evie stuttered. She took a second, and then she nodded. Jason leaned in, tipped her chin up and put a chaste kiss on her lips.
"Yay!" Ro cheered.
"Okay, can we open gifts now?" Evie said. The women had decided to exchange gifts today as Evie wouldn't be able to get away tomorrow.
Trident came bounding into the room wagging his tail. Looking around, he decided to curl up next to Evie on the floor, laying his giant head in her lap. Tea and Ro sat on either side of her.
"Tell me again why you guys don't give each other gifts?" Evie asked the three men sitting around the room.
"We do, kind of," Octavius said.
"Kind of?" Teagan asked.
"We give everyone a sizeable Christmas bonus," Luca said.
"But, you are all co-owners?" Teagan asked.
"They are. But, everyone, including them, gets an extra check in December," Ro explained.
"But you can't unwrap a check!" Evie protested.
"Now you sound like Ro," Octavius chuckled.
"We get plenty of other gifts. My parents and siblings send them, and this year, Teagan said she spoiled me," Luca reassured her.
"I did and Trident, too!" Teagan confirmed.
"My mom still acts like I'm five. I will have a dozen presents under the tree tomorrow. I am an only child, and until I give the woman grandchildren…" Jason muttered.
"Hopefully, some clothes are in those boxes," Evie said grumpily.
"Really, Evie? What is it with you and his clothes? It's not like he only wears one dreary color all the time," Ro said sarcastically, adding to the ribbing of Jason who looked down at his mustard yellow sweater.
"Sunshine," Octavius warned lightly. They all laughed.
"We might not have presents to unwrap, but you do." Luca nodded toward Teagan.
Teagan was shaking. She had spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to get her sisters. Evie seemed to have everything. The three of them were identical in looks but so very different in personality. She had never given anything as much thought or obsession, minus who their biological parents might be, as she had these presents. Teagan, who was a very secure person when it came to her ability to handle an armed bad man, was shaking in her boots over her sisters' reactions to her Christmas presents.
She opened the festival holiday bag she had placed under the tree and pulled out three beautifully wrapped rectangle jewelry boxes. With shaking hands, she gave the gold one to Evie, the silver one to Ro, and kept the red one for herself. The women looked at her quizzically.
"I had these made for each of us," Teagan explained. "Go ahead, open them." As they opened their boxes, she slowly unopened hers. She knew what lay under the bright blue lid, nestled on top of the white tissue paper.
"Teagan, this is a Tiffany's box!" Evie exclaimed.
"Tiffany's?" It was Ro's turn to be confused.
"One of the finest and most expensive jewelry companies out there," Evie explained.
"I've worked hard my entire life. I've lived modestly, paid off my car and townhouse. I've never had anyone to buy anything for before. Believe me, money isn't an issue. If I didn't have it, I wouldn't have spent it," Teagan reassured them. "Now open the box."
"Yes, ma'am!" Ro mock saluted. All three women opened their lids. Teagan watched her sisters' faces carefully.
They sat in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity. Ro lifted hers out of the box and gently traced her finger over it. Evie's face had lost all color. Teagan had refused to look at the final product until that moment. She had told the jeweler exactly what she wanted on the delicate white gold chain.
Tears fell from her eyes before she could stop them. This time, there was no warning as she looked at the perfectly formed, white gold, three leaf clover with her initial on it and the identical replica of their mother's handwritten, Love, Mom. Teagan had noticed when looking at the blankets that each woman's initial was on a different clover. Teagan's T had been first, then Evie's E, and finally, the last clover trifoliate had the R for Ro. She made sure the bracelets followed suit.
"Teagan, I don't have the words," Evie said breathlessly.
"It's perfect," Ro said, immediately snapping hers on.
"We match." Teagan held her wrist up to show them.
"I am so glad we found each other." Ro smiled warmly at her sisters.
"Forever sisters," Evie said.
"Family. I finally have found my missing pieces. I've found my family," Teagan stated, the tears still falling from her eyes. Both women scooted closer to her, embracing as one.
After everyone had left, Luca went to work pulling out all of the stops to make Teagan's Christmas Eve extra special. She had never felt more cherished in her entire life. He had bought them matching pajamas, something he had sworn he wouldn't do. She had pointed out a pair, white
tops with a Santa hat wearing, German Shepherd dog, and a plaid patterned bottom, and he had simply shook his head no. Much to her surprise, they were laid out on the bed. He warmed up some of the food from earlier, making one big plate for them to eat off of, cuddling her into his lap to watch It's a Wonderful Life. She had never seen it; he was determined to remedy that. After the movie, Luca disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two steaming mugs and a plate balanced between them. Teagan jumped up to help him.
"When we were kids, we'd open our special Christmas pajamas and watch the Christmas animated cartoon classics, you know, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph, while drinking a cup of mom's homemade hot chocolate and eating the cookies we had decorated together. Then, we would each get to open our special Christmas present, just one, before going to bed for the night. I thought I could share that tradition with you." Teagan's heart swelled with the sweetness of her Daddy friend. She couldn't get over how tender her giant, stern Daddy could be.
They sat side by side, munching on delicious iced sugar cookies, Teagan dipping hers into her hot chocolate, much to Luca's disgust. After the final chords of You'll Go Down In History played, he took the cups and plate to the sink and came back with a beautifully wrapped, square present. It looked like a book.
"You have to live in the present, darlin'. There is nothing you can do to change the past, and it isn't going anywhere. The future, well, it comes whether we want it to or not. Living in the present is the only way to guarantee a beautiful yesterday to look back on. I want that for you. I want your past to be full of happy, healthy memories instead of sad ones. The only way we do that is to make today and each today count. Can you do that for me, Teagan Anne? Can you live in today with me? I want our past to be one of the best stories ever written, and I want to write that with you."
"I'd like that," she whispered.
"Then, go ahead and open it."
With trembling fingers, Teagan started tearing the beautiful paper around the book, finally revealing the black leather. Flipping it over to the cover, she gasped. It was an exquisite leather-bound scrapbook. The front was engraved in gold with the title Luca and Teagan's Love Story. She flipped the book open to see that the first few pages were already filled with photos from the past couple months. Some were from before they started dating, and one from the white elephant exchange at Ro's house.