I stuck my tongue out at him.
He tore the paper and flipped the frame around. “Oh, my. Did you? Joey?”
“Haha! Got you. This one is my favorite.” It was the beach at sunset. I was standing with my feet in the water, and he caught my silhouette with deep red, yellow, and orange streaks through the dark blue sky.
“Mmm…I like this one too. I can’t believe you did this. Thank you.”
“Wait. There’s more. Get that one.” I leaned forward to reach it and nearly fell.
“I got it.”
The second one was the sunrise version of the beach. It didn’t have me in it, but there was a flock of tropical birds flying by at just the right time to catch them in silhouette. The sky was brightening but still a very light almost gray blue, with light yellows and oranges dancing across it. “They go well together.”
“They do. Where should we put them?”
I wanted to show them off. They were amazing. “In the foyer beside the doors to your workout room. Or…above the sofa.” I pointed to the wall in question.
“Not in the office?”
I screwed up my face. “No, Daddy. No one would see them.”
Vince smiled, his amber eyes practically growing. “I get you. I was thinking they would be inspiring, but yeah, let’s put them in the main room here.” He stood and held the sunrise picture against the wall. “Not bad. I’ll hang them later today.”
“I like it.” My stomach growled at that moment. “Oh…I hungry, Daddy.”
“We’re almost done with presents. Do you want to finish or go eat first?”
“Both.”
“Both?”
“Let’s grab ciminim-amum rolls.”
“And coffee?”
“Yes!” I jumped up and ran to the kitchen. We’d made cinnamon rolls the night before, so Vince heated them up for a few seconds in the microwave, while I poured our mugs. We met in the living room and ate while we opened the rest of our gifts.
There was nothing better than a holiday with the person you loved the best. And I enjoyed every second of it, because it was going to go downhill soon.
My mom finally called me a few weeks ago, and after apologizing, we invited them to have Christmas dinner. That included Tony. Despite our issues, they were family, and I missed them.
After breakfast, we cleaned up, put prezzies away, and started prepping for dinner. Vince had turned the formal dining room into a workout space, which we used daily. On the far side of the kitchen, he had a small round table in the breakfast nook, and of course, there was the kitchen island for places to eat. I mentally counted where everyone could sit. Mom and Aunt Sissy. Tony. Me and Vince, and my two cousins. I didn’t think we’d all fit around that small table. “Daddy, this is not going to work.” My cousins could sit with their brats at the counter, but that seemed rude. The kids would sit there, but the rest of us? I didn’t know.
“I wouldn’t have let you invite them if I didn’t think it would work.”
“This table is too small.” We never ate there. We were at the counter, in the living room, or outside. “Oh, we can go outside.”
“Too cold. Wait a second.” He went into the garage. I stuck my head in to see what he was doing. He magically produced a long leaf for the table.
“You’re a wizard.”
“Not exactly. I knew it was here all along. Come on.” With the leaf in, we all could fit comfortably around the table. It’d be better to put the food on the island, buffet style. That thing was so big, it would hold all the food and the rugrats.
With that settled and the food arriving from the caterers any minute, I didn’t have much else to do. Before I could get myself in trouble, though, Vince caught on. “Go upstairs and get a shower and get dressed.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I huffed. I wanted to play, but he was right. I didn’t want to be unpresentable when my nightmares—I mean family—arrived.
Eventually, we were ready and they showed up. Mom swept in and hugged me until my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head. She was followed by Aunt Sissy, her kids, Willow and Troy, and their kids.
