“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You’re tense, which you shouldn’t be after the way I made you scream,” he tells me.
I laugh. “You’re ridiculous. I was thinking about Thanksgiving.”
“Oh. Is it a stressful time for you?” he asks.
I shake my head against his chest. “It’s not that.”
“You could come home with me if you want. I always spend it with my parents. Being an only child, they tend to make way too much food and invite all the extended family members and the neighbors. On second thought, you shouldn’t come. My cousin Ray will hit on you the entire night, and then I’ll have to knock his front teeth out again.” He strokes his hands through my hair.
“Again?” I ask.
“Oh yeah. Sophomore year, Grace came to dinner with her mom. The entire day Ray followed her around like he was a puppy dog. He kept flirting with her and trying to get her to go outside to the old treehouse with him. She kept refusing. I told him to cut it out, but he wouldn’t listen. After dinner, Grace and I were out back on the swing set when he came up and tried to lift up her dress. I decked him without thinking about it. Knocked his two front teeth out. His mom was pissed. So was mine until I explained why I did it. So yeah, Ray is an asshole.” He chuckles.
“He deserved it. I’m glad you’d bust some teeth in my honor,” I tell him.
“I’d do more than that for you, beautiful. Grace was my best friend, but you are so much more.”
Every time he says something like that, it makes me feel like I’m a queen. Somehow I was able to get this man to love me so much that he would do anything for me.
“I wish I could, but I need to go home. My mom doesn’t get a lot of time off. She always works over the holidays. Since Clay is spending Thanksgiving at home with Grace and then taking Grace to her family home for Christmas, Mom asked me if it was okay if she worked over Christmas. If I don’t go, I won’t see her for any of the holidays,” I admit.
“I understand. Navigating family dynamics can be difficult. Do you want to come home with me for Christmas?” he asks.
My heart races at the thought. I know we’ve made plans about what our future could look like together, but going home for the holidays is different. It makes it all real.
I move so I can look up at him. “You think we will still be together at Christmas?”
He flips me over, kissing me senseless. After I’m breathless, he finally pulls back.
“We will be together this Christmas.” He kisses my nose. “Next Christmas.” He kisses one eye. “The Christmas after that.” The other eye. “And the one after that.” Then he kisses my lips deeply before pulling back. “Every Christmas until the last breath I take.”
“Point taken.”
I sound so breathless, and I love it. I love that he can make me feel this way.
“Why don’t you want to go home for Thanksgiving?” he asks, boxing me in with his arms, resting some of his weight on top of me.
I love the feeling. As if we couldn’t get any closer than we possibly are.
“I want to tell them about quitting school. I know it won’t be until May, but I want to tell them sooner rather than later and to their faces. I don’t know when I will have another opportunity to do it. So I know I need to go home, but part of me wants to hide here under the covers and cover my ears. Pretend the world doesn’t exist for a while.”
“If you wanted, I would stay here with you and we could do that. Shut out the world for a little while. It wouldn’t solve anything, though.” He kisses my cheek. “When we pray for patience, God puts us in situations to help build our patience. When we pray for strength, God gives us strength by testing it first. Burying your head in the sand will only leave you stuck. It won’t make the problem go away. Trust me, I know from experience.”
“You’re so wise.”
“Only because I have fucked up so many times to gain experience. I don’t recommend it. I know it will be hard, but I have faith in you, beautiful. You will survive. If it goes too badly, you call me. I will drive down to get you.”
“Even if you’re in the middle of knocking Ray’s teeth out?” I tease.
“Especially then. Mom will tan my hide if I do that again. Without you or Grace there to rely on, she will think it was all me.”
I smile at him. “I wish you could come with me. My mom would love you.”
He cringes. “Are you sure about that? I’m not known for being someone parents like.”
“Well, she already knows how much I like you, and she trusts my judgment. Plus Grace will be there too.”
