“You’re going to turn me into an addict, you know,” I say, propping myself up onto my elbows.
“Good. Because I’m already addicted.” She throws herself on the bed beside me and can’t seem to contain the oversize smile. “When do you want to head to my parents’?”
“I’m going to take a quick shower, and then we can go?” I ask.
“Sounds good to me, love. I’ll cuddle with Muffin and tell her how naughty her new mom has been this Christmas. Coal for you, love.” She hops off of the bed.
“How much did your mom tell you of our conversation?” I ask Noelle as I grab another Twizzler from the bag, which Muffin tries to take a bite of from my lap. The blanket I gave Noelle has become Muffin’s favorite apparently, so we had to grab it before heading back.
We decided to take her mom’s car back to their house and Uber home after the rest of our visit.
“Honestly, love, I was in such a panic to get to you. I just remember her saying that she really likes you and you like me. She tried to convince me to stay and give you space. But we see how that went.” She chuckles.
My heart slides into my throat as I tell her about the talk with her mom. “Did she tell you that she has known I wasn’t Katy since the minute I got there?”
Noelle’s jaw drops. “No. Fucking. Way.”
“Yeah, um, she said something along the lines of you underestimating her tech skills. She found Katy through mutual friends when you started dating. A redhead, apparently, which is not what walked through her front door.”
“I can’t believe she knew! She didn’t even say anything to me! She let me pretend that you were Katy this whole time!” she shouts.
She’s going to lose her mind at this.
“She also might or might not have told your dad too …”
This seems to shock her into a weird state of calm. “When did they get this good at lying to me?”
I laugh. “No clue. But I didn’t question for a second if they knew that I wasn’t her. But she said they didn’t care at all. That they were just glad to see you happy.”
Noelle’s face contorts with emotion. “I have the best family, and I know that I’m incredibly privileged with them. Every day, they make sure that I am taken care of and loved. And I’m so happy that they welcomed you in, even knowing the truth. My mom loves you, you know? She can’t stop talking my ear off about you.”
“As she should. I’m pretty great,” I say sarcastically. “Your whole family, they are all I have ever wanted. Spending Christmas with them, with you, means a lot to me.”
Reaching over, she takes my hand in hers. “They care about you, all of them. You’re mine now, Kat. What’s mine is yours.”
Squeezing her hand, I let myself bathe in the vulnerability right now, the absolute nakedness of being emotionally and physically bare with another. Which only intensifies as we pull into the long driveway of her parents’ home.
My heart is pounding in my rib cage, and I feel like it’s about to burst right through. “I’m so nervous,” I whisper as she parks the car. “Also, I don’t have anything for them.”
“I promise you that they will not expect a single thing from you. Don’t worry.” She squeezes my hand again before opening her door and climbing out into the snow.
Fluffy white flakes drift through the air as I step out of the car with Muffin in my arms. The snow blankets everything in sight.
So beautiful.
Noelle grabs my hand and spins me under her arm. She hooks her arm around my waist and pulls me in for a quick kiss. “Merry Christmas, Kat.”
“Merry Christmas, Noelle.” I kiss her again, taking my time with this one. When I pull away, I can feel the redness in my cheeks.
“Come on, love,” she sings.
Walking up to the Evergreens’ door this time is a much different experience than the first time. I’m excited to see everyone.
The door is already propped open by Nancy who’s wearing an ugly Christmas sweater.
“Merry Christmas, you two!” she squeals and throws her arms around us both.
My heart swells. “Merry Christmas, Nancy.”
