A Christmas Kiss

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  Ethan suddenly snapped. “Living together? You two live together?” His tone was harsh, his voice rising slightly. The venom in his tone surprised them all.

  “Ethan, it’s okay,” Bianca said.

  His head snapped in her direction. “No, it’s not okay!” His eyes swept back to Jarrod. “That’s not how I raised you! I raised you to be a man!”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with how I was raised, Dad. And I am a man. I just happen to be homosexual. It’s just who I am, Dad.”

  Ethan shook his head from side to side. He turned abruptly. “We have to go see Bianca’s parents,” he snapped as he headed for the exit, leaving them all standing in shock. He turned back, his eyes on Stefan. “Be out of my house when I get back. Please.” And then just like that he was out the door.

  “Well, that didn’t go well at all, did it?” Jarrod said, a quiver of hurt in his voice.

  Stefan shook his head. “He needed to know. How long have I been telling you that you needed to talk with him?” He tossed his hands up, frustration creasing his brow. “I need to go pack,” he said, rising from his seat.

  Jarrod suddenly looked frantic. “Where are you going?”

  “To a hotel. Your father made it very clear that he doesn’t want me here,” he said as he headed out the room in the other direction.

  Jarrod turned his eyes toward Bianca. “What now?”

  Bianca moved to his side and wrapped her arms around him. “Give your father some time. You’ve known most of your life that you were gay. You expect him to find out and be accepting of it in ten minutes, and that’s not going to happen. But he loves you. He’ll come around.”

  Jarrod shook his head, tears suddenly burning behind his eyelids. “I want to believe that, but I’m not so sure.”

  Ethan sat alone in the car, emotion flooding his spirit. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, and he wasn’t sure how to handle how he was feeling. He had always imagined his only son married with children, a wife and family sharing his adult life. Never in his wildest dreams had he fathomed that Jarrod would ever be in a relationship with another man. But as he sat there thinking about his son and how he was raised, the girls who were always more friend than girlfriend, he had to admit that a small part of him had always wondered. Pushing the thoughts aside, because they hadn’t fit the dreams he’d had for his child, had kept him from seeing the truth. He slammed a clenched fist against the dashboard, his brow furrowed with tension.

  Bianca suddenly slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door closed. She tossed him a look, her incredulous expression searing. They sat staring at each other for a brief moment, her head shaking from side to side.

  “What?” he snapped.

  Her torso shifted backward ever so slightly and she eyed him with a raised brow. “Excuse me? I’m not your punching bag so watch your tone.”

  Ethan blew a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to fight with you, Bianca.”

  “We’re not going to fight. But I do have something to say. Your son needs you right now. How could you treat him like that? And you were horribly rude to Stefan.”

  “Did you know about him and that guy?”

  “That guy has a name and yes, I knew. Your son told me.”

  “So why didn’t you say something? How could you let me be blindsided like that?”

  “The bigger question is why your son was afraid to be honest with you. That’s what you should be asking yourself.”

  “Don’t you think I’m doing that?” Ethan shouted. “Don’t you think I’m broken that my son didn’t trust me enough to let me help him?”

  “Help him? Help him do what? Not be gay? He doesn’t need help because there’s nothing wrong with him. He needs to know that you still love and support him. He needs you to at least try and get to know his partner. That’s what he needs!” she shouted back. “I cannot believe you’re homophobic!”

  “I’m not! I just . . . I . . . Jarrod is . . .” he stammered, searching for the right words as he tossed up his hands in frustration.

  Bianca shook a finger at him. “Take me home!” she spat. “Now!”

  The ride across town was deadly silent. Bianca stared out the window for the entire ride, the radio turned up loud. She was stunned, unable to fathom that Ethan was so closed-minded. The Ethan who had just broken his child’s heart was not the Ethan who’d successfully managed to capture hers.

  Pulling into the driveway of her family’s home, he shifted the car into park, then turned to face her. “Bianca . . .”

  “Don’t say one word to me,” she hissed between clenched teeth. “Not one word!” She jumped out of the vehicle, the door vibrating harshly behind her. He sat watching as she slammed into her parents’ home. A full ten minutes passed before he finally pulled himself out of the driver’s seat and followed behind her.

  Bianca’s father met him at the door.

  Miguel extended his hand in greeting. “Ethan, come on in,” he said warmly. “I just put on a pot of coffee. Would you like a cup or can I get you something stronger?”

  “I could really use a scotch,” Ethan said as he followed the man into the home’s family room.

  Miguel chuckled. “Scotch coming up. I guess you’ve met my daughter’s mood swings.”

  Ethan gave him half a smile. “Something like that.”

  Sharon sat in her wheelchair, her broken leg extended outward. She waved a hand in Ethan’s direction, gesturing for him to take a seat. “Ethan, Merry Christmas!”

  “Merry Christmas, Sharon!” He leaned to kiss her cheek. “How was your holiday?”

  “Not as eventful as yours, I’m sure.”

  Ethan nodded. He cast a quick glance around the room.

  “She stormed into her room,” Sharon said, reading his mind. “Apparently she’s not happy with you right now.”

  He nodded. “I’m not happy with me right now, Sharon. I really . . .”

  He paused as Miguel passed him a drink and set a cup of coffee on the table beside his wife.

  Sharon crossed her arms over her chest as Miguel took the seat beside her. After taking a quick sip of her beverage, she gestured for Ethan to finish his thought.

  “I really want to apologize to you both for not telling you about the relationship that was developing between me and your daughter. Bianca had reservations and I just wasn’t thinking. But she’s very special to me. I’ve fallen in love with her and I want to see where we can take this.”

  Sharon tossed her husband a look before resting her gaze back on Ethan. “Are you sure that’s what Bianca wants?”

  He blew a deep sigh and shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll be honest. I’m not sure about anything anymore, Sharon.”

  “You’re a good man, Ethan. You’re also very settled and I couldn’t honestly tell you that I think Bianca is ready for the kind of relationship that I think a man like you is looking for. I believe that the age difference between you will prove to be a problem. Bianca has never considered children and by the time she’s ready to think about a family you might not want to be bothered. I’m afraid that both of you being in such very different places in your life will prove to be your undoing. If that happens, I don’t want to see my daughter hurt.”

  Ethan nodded. He sat forward, clasping both of his hands together in front of him. He looked from Sharon to Miguel and back. “Make no mistake, I’ve thought about all of that, and so has Bianca. I’ve never met a woman like your daughter. She makes me a better man and I like how I am when we’re together. I didn’t think I could ever be as happy as Bianca makes me. We’re not going into this thing blind, trust me. And I promise you I will never do anything to purposely hurt her. Never.”

  Sharon nodded her head slowly, then suddenly changed the subject. “We had a very nice Christmas dinner. Your son is a sheer delight and we thoroughly enjoyed his friend. Stefan is quite the catch himself!”

  Ethan forced himself to smile but said nothing as Sharon continued.

  “Ethan,
I’m sure you’ve already discovered that Bianca does what Bianca wants. She’s been that way since she was a little girl. Miguel and I have not always agreed with our daughter. Nor have we been accepting of all her choices, but her happiness has always been of utmost importance to us. I’m sure you feel the same way about Jarrod.”

  Ethan met the look she was giving him, nodding his head slightly.

  Sharon continued. “How we react when they do something we don’t like will sometimes determine what our children do, but I’m sure you know that as well. Bianca is an adult now. She pays her own bills, owns her own home, and she has never disrespected me or her father. We’re very proud of her. And more than anything, we want her happy so if you make her happy then there’s not much else we can say.”

  “Thank you,” Ethan said.

  Sharon nodded. “As a parent, you know you’ve done a good job when your child becomes a productive member of society. Miguel and I know that we’ve done good. And you should know that too. Your son has honored you with his accomplishments. He’s made you proud and you love him. But you don’t pay his bills and he is standing on his own two feet making us all proud. Just like Bianca, he has a mind of his own and he’s bright enough to fight for what makes him happy.”

  “I may have damaged our relationship.”

  Sharon shrugged. “It happens. But there’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Your child loves you and you love him. Y’all will work it out.”

  With a slight smile, Ethan nodded, reflecting on her comments. “I appreciate that,” he said.

  Miguel extended his hand. As Ethan shook the appendage, he clasped it tightly. “If you ever call me dad, it’s going to be on!” he said with a smile.

  Ethan laughed, tipping his head.

  Sharon rolled her wheelchair backwards, turning to exit the room. “Bianca’s mad at you right now. I’m embarrassed to say that she’s not very nice when she’s mad. Been like that since she was a baby. I suggest you head back home until she cools off. Use the time to make things right with your son. His happiness is just as important as your own,” she said as she disappeared down the hall.

  Chapter 12

  There were tears in her eyes when her mother entered her room, pushing her way through the door without being invited. The two women exchanged a look and Bianca rolled to the other side of her bed, turning her back on the matriarch. “If you came to fuss me out, I’m not in the mood,” she said, her tone soft.

  Sharon closed the room door. “No, I didn’t come to fuss. How was your Christmas?”

  Sharon rolled back to look at her mother. She sat upright on the bed. “I thought it was perfect and then we came home.”

  Her mother smiled. “That sounds about right. Once the honeymoon is over, reality will set in.”

  “He was horrible to Jarrod!” Bianca cried, repeating what had happened at the Christmas family home. “I can’t believe he would be like that.”

  “Men are funny about their sons. That doesn’t mean they don’t love them.”

  “There was nothing loving about what he did to Jarrod. Nothing.”

  “No one knows that better than Ethan, and trust me when I tell you that he’s feeling really bad about it.”

  “Not bad enough.”

  Sharon chuckled. “Don’t be so hard on that man.”

  Bianca shook her head. “It shocked me, Mom. I thought I knew him. I trusted him. I didn’t expect that he would disappoint me like that.”

  “You two are still getting to know each other. You might find yourself disappointed a few times. You’ll just have to decide how much you’re willing to take and if he can redeem himself. It’ll be that way with any man.”

  “I love him. I really love him and he doesn’t even know it.”

  Sharon laughed. “Trust me, he knows. You should have heard him out there begging for our approval.”

  “He begged?”

  Her mother smiled. “Groveled!”

  Bianca smiled. “Are you going to give us a hard time?”

  Sharon pondered the question for a quick minute. She shook her head from side to side. “Yes!”

  Her daughter laughed.

  “So does this mean you’re moving here to Boone? Will I be able to see you every day?”

  Bianca’s eyes widened. “Oh, heck no!” she exclaimed. “I’m going back to Raleigh and occasionally I will come up here to visit. And when I can, I’ll travel with him on business. We’re going to try a semi-long-distance relationship and see where it goes.”

  “Is that how you young people do it now?”

  “He’s not young.”

  “I know that’s right!” Her mother laughed. “I’m glad you said it and I didn’t have to.”

  Bianca reached to give her mother a hug and kiss her cheek.

  The two women sat talking for another good hour, both catching up on all they’d missed during the three days Bianca had been gone. Hours later, Bianca dialed her phone and waited for Jarrod to answer on the other end.

  “Hi, Bianca!”

  “Hey! I wanted to check on you. How are you and Stefan doing?”

  “We’re actually doing really well.”

  “Did you hear from your father?”

  “We just had dinner together. We talked and he actually apologized.”

  “Your father loves you. It’ll work out.”

  She could sense Jarrod smiling into the receiver.

  “He loves you too, so what are you going to do? I think he’s really afraid that he’s going to lose you.”

  She smiled. “I’m not going anywhere. Not anytime soon anyway.”

  Jarrod laughed. “I like you two together. You keep him on his toes.”

  “He keeps me on mine.”

  “Why don’t we meet up sometime tomorrow and talk about the New Year’s party? I still think it would be a good idea.”

  “I do, too. Let’s try to get together for lunch.”

  “That’s a plan. Bring Dad with you.”

  “You all aren’t at the house together?”

  “No. Stefan and I thought it would be better if we stayed at the hotel tonight.”

  Bianca nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see her. Her mind was suddenly racing.

  “You still there?” Jarrod asked.

  “Yeah, I was just thinking about your father.”

  On the other end, Jarrod smiled. “I’m sure he’s thinking about you, too!”

  The doorbell surprised Ethan. He wasn’t expecting company and had just settled down for the night. He sat rereading the homemade present Bianca had surprised him with on Christmas morning. The gift made him smile every time he looked at it. Bianca had cleverly crafted a picture book bound with ribbon. Each page captured a stick-figure representation of him and her and the things Bianca envisioned between them. There was them playing in snow. Them dancing beneath a full moon. Them standing in front of their first home. And, on the last page, the two of them with three little stick-figure babies by their side.

  Between rereading the book, thinking of ways to make amends, and missing her, he’d been trying anxiously to reach Bianca, annoyed that she had yet to answer her phone. He was desperate to apologize, to share that he’d reached out to Jarrod and had apologized to Stefan and was willing to admit that he’d been wrong. To say that he was committed to doing better.

  Pulling himself out of his bed, he grabbed his bathrobe and hurried to the front door. Throwing on the porch light, he peeked out the side window to see who it was. He took a step back as a smile spread full across his face. Undoing the locks he pulled the door open.

  Bianca stood on the other side, bundled in an oversized fur coat with an attached hood. “What took you so long? It’s cold out here,” she said as she eased past him.

  He grinned. “I was in bed.”

  “Alone?”

  He nodded as he relocked the door. “You have to ask?” he said, turning toward her.

  “You never know about these things.”

  �
�You know there’s no one else who would be in my bed.” He took a deep breath. “I love you. No one but you.”

  Bianca smiled. “I do know that. And since I couldn’t have you here all by yourself I had to come over. I had something I wanted to give you.”

  His eyes danced across her face as mischief shimmered in her eyes. She took a step back, moving to the center of the room. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she undid one button of her coat and then the second. When they were all undone, she pulled the garment open and let it drop to the floor. Naked beneath the outer garment, Bianca stood in nothing but a red bow that was wrapped around her waist and thigh-high black suede boots.

  “I love you too, Ethan,” she whispered, a come-hither expression washing over her face. “Now come get your gift, Mr. Christmas!”

  Bianca’s Snowcream

  Ingredients

  1 can of Evaporated Milk

  2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

  3 cups Sugar

  Directions

  Chill a large glass or metal bowl in freezer for fifteen minutes. Mix evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla extract in chilled bowl. Add clean, powdery snow until thick and creamy. Enjoy!

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  Chapter 1

  The employees at the Glenwood Avenue Starbucks greeted Malcolm Cobb by name. It was just past five-thirty in the morning and their cheery demeanors always amazed the man. He had finished his morning run ahead of schedule and was one of the first in line to get his coffee to kick off his day.

  “Will you be having your usual today?” a young woman named Allison asked.

  Malcolm nodded. “I will, Allie.”

  The girl gave him a bright smile. “One venti caramel macchiato, skim milk and extra caramel, coming right up!”