Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
She gets up to give me my box. “Open it.” I open it and see the same color box. I smile and find a stainless steel watch. Taking it out, I turn it over and smile at her engraving.
The best moment is yet to come. Angel
12-23-17
“It’s perfect,” I say as I put it on my wrist and she cuddles into me. I hold her close, knowing I won’t do this for a while. The door rings and I look at the time. “That’s the caterer,” I tell her as she gets up and goes into the room to get ready.
She comes out with her bag packed. “I called an Uber since the guy is here,” she says as she wraps the scarf around her. “You better call me.” She walks toward the door and grabs her new jacket. “I’m going to miss you.” She leans into me and kisses me, and I hug her close.
“Merry Christmas, angel,” I say to her right before she walks out the door. “I love you,” I whisper at the closed door.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Allison
“I’m here!” I yell out as I open the door to my parents’ house in Long Island carrying in my bag, dumping it at the door. They really should think about moving here permanently soon. “Hello.” I kick off my new UGGs and hang up my new jacket as I smile at the bangels and the bracelt and watch that I put on and refuse to take off. I walk through the doors and see the winding staircase all decorated. Lights flash, so I walk around to the back of the house, which holds the family room. “Hey,” I say as I see everyone is there. Matthew sits in the recliner with Karrie in his lap as they watch their kids run around the tree.
I go to the couch and sit next to Cooper, who pulls me in and kisses my cheek.
“Merry Christmas.” He smiles as my mother comes with a tray of snacks for everyone.
“Oh, good, you’re here.” She puts down the tray and the kids run to it, grabbing chips as Matthew and Karrie tell them not too much. “I was just going to start cooking. Want to come help?” she says, knowing I’m just going to sit there and watch as she cooks. I nod.
I sit at the island as my mother chops, cuts, sautés, cooks, stirs, and everything else. Karrie comes in not long after sitting down next to me.
“You need help?” she asks Mom, who just shakes her head.
“So,” Karrie says. “What’s new?” She looks down at my wrist, “Whoa.”
“Yeah, it’s my Christmas present.” I say as I look down at the watch, the watch that he wrote he loved me on. “He engraved it.” I take it off and hand it to her. Her eyes go wide as she reads it.
“He loves you,” Karrie whispers as she looks up and I nod. “Do you love him?”
I look up at my mother, who stands there with her knife in midair as I admit to the world I love him. “Yes, very much so.” I wipe the tears from my eyes and smile. “I love him.”
My mother puts her head to the side and is about to say something when my phone beeps and I see it’s a picture from Denise with the sweater I bought her as she poses in front of my Christmas tree. Wait, it’s not my tree; it’s Max’s tree. I close off the phone and look back up as they both look at me.
“When are you going to tell them?” Karrie asks, meaning my brother and father.
“We just started.” I try and convince more myself than her.
“I get it,” Karrie says as she remembers the secret at the beginning.
“Okay, enough about this. Karrie, get the plates. Aly, set the table with the tablecloth. We are going to be sixteen,” she says and I walk to the dining room and start getting the table ready.
I take out the red tablecloth and gold napkins. The placemats are also gold. Karrie comes in with the plates and we go about setting the table. More people start to arrive, like Doug and Vivienne along with her parents. The twins finally come downstairs, kissing everyone hello. I look over at Karrie and Matthew hugging by the tree as he picks Vivi up to kiss her finger. Justin is sitting in the game room watching some movie. Cooper is hugging Mom as she cooks. My phone pings and I open it to see Denise, Steve, and Max hold up their wine glasses. I study the picture, the hurt coming at me. I look around and go to my mom first.
“I need to go,” I tell her as she looks at me with a knowing look.
“Where are you going?” Cooper asks. “Is everything okay?”