She reaches over and grabs my hand. “Let’s go.”
“This is when we open gifts?” I ask.
She snorts. “Yes, and don’t worry, there’s one under there for you.”
“You managed to shield it from me,” I say. “Nicely done.”
“Just the wrapping,” she says. “I did the rest before we entwined.”
“Smart,” I say.
When we reach the tree with lights in the large room, we aren’t alone. The kids—Sammy, Coral, and Jade—are already there. Gideon and Liz’s parents shuffle in just as we do, and I hear a snort, a shuffle, and a grunt from the porch.
Liz rolls her eyes. “Tell them to come inside already.”
“Not Hyperion,” I say. “He got last night. That means that I get this morning.”
“It takes you three seconds to shift,” Liz says. “Take a gamble and let him be human, too. It’s worth the risk.”
It takes us a few moments to convince him, and really, it’s Coral who does it, but eventually they all shift and come inside. I shouldn’t even be surprised that Gordon’s dressed like Santa Claus in red and white clothing with white trim. “Sammy said I could pass out presents.” He’s beaming. “It’s apparently a big honor.”
Liz is laughing so hard, and Coral’s taking so many photos that I don’t have the heart to tell him no.
“Fine,” I say. “Whatever.”
Of course, since Gordon can’t read, Sammy has to help him. Between the two of them, they manage to pass everything out. We wind up with a lot more presents than I expected.
Coral and Jade love their Uggs, which Euphrasia was happy to clean. Sammy likes the dragon Legos. Liz’s mother smiles when she opens her floral caftan. Her father thanks her for the tie, which is apparently a bizarre scrap of fabric men wear around their necks for no clear reason. This one has ducks on it. Gideon hands Liz a gift after most of the kids have opened theirs.
It bothers me.
A lot.
“I have something too,” I say. “Open mine first.”
“Mine’s very small,” Gideon says. “I promise.”
Liz nods her head at me, and I relent. “Fine.”
She opens the small box, and then she frowns. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s the chess piece—the king, I think.” Gideon chuckles. “Do you remember that day, the Chess Club President?”
Liz’s face turns pink. “My first kiss.”
Gideon nods. “I took the king that day, picked it up off the floor. When you and I finally got together, I meant to give you that and tell you ‘checkmate.’”
Liz frowns. “But I’m?—”
“With Axel.” Gideon clears his throat. “I know. And I’m not saying checkmate. I’m giving you that, because it’s clear that you’ve found your real mate.” His eyes are sad. “And it’s not me. I think the reason I handled things so badly, the reason I got so confused, is that I couldn’t accept that it wasn’t me.” He sighs, and he looks me in the eye. “But it’s not. And I think the guy you chose. . .he’s unconventional, but he’s also probably just right for you.”
It’s a good gift. Even I can see that.
“I’ll open yours now.” Liz reaches for one of the bags. “Which one should I open first?”
My shoulders slump. “It doesn’t matter. None of them are that good.”
“I’m sure they’re great.” She reaches into the first bag and pulls her hand out slowly, her eyes widening. “What is this?” She holds the pinkish rock up, eyeing it through the light.
