“Come on, I have something for you too. Although, I feel like my pops is showing me up.”
Aiken took my hand and led me to the front room. Next to the tree was another small box with my name on it. This one was wrapped in blue and silver paper. I shook it too. Another small echo. I began to fear it was a ring.
I was too old for that, let alone on Christmas Day. Pushing all my trepidation aside, I opened the package. “Oh my,” was all I said.
Inside were the most gorgeous earrings and matching bracelet. Amethyst studs and a chunky bangle bracelet crusted in more amethysts of all different shapes and sizes.
“Purple.” It was a raspy whisper.
Aiken was close, tipping my chin, kissing my nose, taking the bracelet out, slipping it on my wrist.
“Purple,” he repeated.
“She would have loved this.” My eyes grazed my wrist. “I can’t imagine what her reaction would have been now, as almost a high school senior, but back then, she would’ve jumped and clapped, her eyes lighting up.” This time, I couldn’t fight the tears. They pricked and clawed their way out.
“And these.” He detached the earrings from the box. “Put them on,” he said, swiping his thumb under my eye, wiping away the moisture.
“This is crazy. I’m walking around looking like I robbed a jewelry store in my pajamas,” I said, my ears feeling heavy from the earrings, my wrist weighted down, my heart the heaviest. A strange combination of longing and complete and utter happiness mixed in my blood.
“Those are definitely not your pj’s,” Aiken said for only my ears, and I swatted his arm.
“This is too much. All I got you was one of those Garmin running watches and a set of grill tools…I left those at home because they weighed more than my luggage…but now I’m going to need to up my game.”
“Both are great gifts for me. Perfect, actually. But seeing you in these, knowing it was Abby’s color, means more than you know to me.”
I watched Aiken give me a once-over before he grabbed my cheeks and kissed the breath out of me.
Good thing he knew how to breathe the life back into me.
He seemed to do that better than anything else.
