“I think you got it exactly right,” Emilio said, his voice husky. He returned the pressure of Rayne’s hand. “Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure,” Rayne said softly.
“You really did enjoy doing it?” Emilio asked, looking into Rayne’s eyes. “It wasn’t too much of a bother?”
“No, I love decorating for the holidays. I decorate people’s houses pretty much nonstop from the day after Thanksgiving until December 23. They usually have a specific look in mind, though. Decorating your house was fun because I could indulge my own vision instead of someone else’s.” Rayne cupped Emilio’s cheek in his palm, his eyes warm with affection. “I enjoyed it because I wanted to make you happy.” He flashed a mischievous grin. “And to make Mrs. Greer stew, of course,” he added playfully.
“Oh, of course.” Emilio laughed and then leaned in to rub his nose against Rayne’s. “So, do you want to show me the second tree?”
“Yes, there will be plenty of time for kisses and cuddles later,” Mama piped up, although her dark eyes danced with amusement. “Rayne wouldn’t let me into the family room either, and I can’t wait to see it!”
“You know what’s in there,” Rayne said, blinking innocently. “You helped me pick out what to use.”
“But I don’t know how you used it,” she said, making a shooing motion with both hands.
Laughing, Rayne led them both to the family room and opened the door with a dramatic flourish.
Emilio stepped into the room, and at first he was dazzled by the red and green lights gleaming on the tree, on a garland across the fireplace mantel, and from swags draped at the top of each window. The fairy lights were the only illumination in the room other than the cheerful fire in the fireplace, but as Emilio’s eyes adapted, he could see more.
He crossed to the tree, which definitely appeared more “homey” and child-friendly than the formal tree in the foyer. He could see the ornaments he remembered so well from his childhood, but there were others, too, that he didn’t recognize. He took one in his hand and then chuckled as he realized the small, wreath-shaped ornament was made from one the programs from his childhood dance recitals, tied up with ribbon. There were others, and he circled the tree, unable to believe the amount of time Rayne must have spent constructing the ornaments.
“You did all this?” he asked, stunned. “For me?”
“For you,” Rayne said. “Although I hope the rest of your family will enjoy it too. I managed to use all the angels around the room.”
Emilio saw that it was true. The angels from his grandfather’s patients were on almost every available surface, perched on shelves, on tree branches, and hanging from the window swags. He moved closer to the mantel to look at the grouping of angels there and that was when he noticed the wreath. It was hanging where a family picture normally did, and at first Emilio wasn’t certain what he was seeing. The base of the wreath was black, decorated with multicolored lights which were reflected in the silver ribbons and silver glittery balls that adorned it. Then he realized that the ornaments were perched on a circle comprised of his old dance shoes, from the tiny ones from when he’d been a toddler to a pair he’d only recently retired from use.
“Mama, you are a packrat,” he murmured and then turned around, his throat feeling tight. It was incredible, an homage to his past, to his passion for dancing, to his mother’s support of him during every moment of his life. Eyes prickling, he gathered Rayne close and buried his face against Rayne’s neck, almost overwhelmed by tenderness. For Rayne to do this was beyond anything Emilio could have dreamed and showed more than anything else just how much Rayne understood about the man Emilio was.
Rayne slid his arms around Emilio in return and stroked his back. “You like it?”
Emilio sniffled slightly as he raised his head. “I love it,” he murmured against Rayne’s ear. “No one has ever understood me as you do.”
“That’s because I love you,” Rayne whispered, tightening his arms around Emilio.
“I’m starting to believe you do.” Emilio pressed his lips to Rayne’s cheek. “And maybe I can be safe believing it.”
Rayne started to speak, but he was interrupted before he could.
“Of course you can,” Mama said, beaming at them both. “You were meant to be together, just like William and me. You had some growing up to do first, that’s all.”
Emilio raised his head and looked at his mother. “Hindsight, Mama?” he asked teasingly.
“Perhaps.” She inclined her head to acknowledge the point. “But what I have seen over the past few weeks has convinced me.”
“She has a point,” Rayne said. “I doubt we would’ve lasted if we’d tried to stay together twelve years ago, but now I know what I want and need is right here in Holiday Pines. I’ll do whatever it takes to make things work this time.”
Emilio looked around, taking in his mother’s approving smile and the sight of the decorations Rayne had made, all of them apparently designed to win Emilio’s heart. And, he had to admit, it was working. He wasn’t ready to make the leap just yet, but maybe soon. He wasn’t eighteen anymore, and they had time.
He turned his gaze back to Rayne. “Thank you. For this, for… everything. It’s more wonderful than anything I could have imagined. And now… how about some celebratory cocoa? We can drink to Mrs. Greer’s upcoming comeuppance. In fact, I think I’ll ask for a medical unit to be nearby when she sees the place, in case she collapses from envy on the spot.”
“Add a splash of Irish creme liqueur and it’s a date,” Rayne said, squeezing Emilio one last time before releasing him.
“You got it. Booze all around.” Emilio moved toward the kitchen end of the room. As he set about the familiar task of making cocoa, he looked at the beautiful lights and decorations, listening to his mother and Rayne discussing the ornaments, the town. It was both strange and familiar, old and new, just like the decorations themselves. Somehow it was becoming the touchstone of Emilio’s life, this blending of the past and the present, and for the first time in longer than he could remember, he was eagerly looking forward to discovering what the future would bring.
