“I know you do, Jed. I don’t understand it, but I know you do.”
“Brooke, you’ve got to get through this. There are more wonderful things about you than….”
I quieted him by engaging his lips in another embrace. “So is there anything I need to know before I make myself a complete ass at dinner?”
“Even if there were, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re most adorable when you’re making an ass of yourself.” He grabbed my wrists before I got the chance to smack his stomach again. “We’re just going to have dinner and then open presents.” He kissed me again. “I’m saving my main present for you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, huh? What is it? Did you get me one of those boys-through-the-mail things?”
“Something like that.” Jed propped himself up and looked into my eyes. “I thought I was supposed to be the smartass in the relationship.”
Christmas Evedinner with the Travazzas was like something out of a movie. A movie about a feast celebrating the coronation of a king. When I walked through the dining room door, I thought they must have invited other people over to spend the evening with us. However, the place settings told me it would just be the five of us. For a moment, I felt a surge of guilt to partake in such indulgence, then thought of Jed and how much this meant to him and pushed the feeling away and focused on attempting to simply enjoy the meal and the family that meant so much to the man I loved.
The meal was nearly over, and I was in pain. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten so much, if there had ever even been such an occasion. From the groans around the table, I wasn’t the only one in this predicament. The table had been laden with a turkey, baked ziti, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, asparagus, stuffed artichokes, gnocchi Bolognese, and a variety of garnishes and sauces. It was a testament to our determination as a group how very little was left on the table. It almost alleviated my guilt knowing so much of the food had been consumed. Mrs. Travazza had alluded to pumpkin and coconut cream pies to be devoured after presents. Even through the pain, I found myself looking forward to this with anticipation. I’d been shocked when Constance told me Nicholas had made most of the food and that pies were his specialty.
The display around the gold-and-russet-festooned Christmas tree was no less lavish and extravagant than the dinner. Each present had been wrapped as if for royalty in varying earth-toned shades. I reached over forty before I gave up counting all the gifts. It would have made a hauntingly beautiful Christmas card photograph, I thought. The tree was placed in front of the large window in the formal living room that overlooked the ocean. Dusk had fallen, but the white lights on the house lit up the fog in an enchanting way, the dark sea adding a hint of mystery to the background. There had been no prayer over the meal, but as the family sat around the Christmas tree, Nicholas Travazza stood and began to pray.
“Our dear Heavenly Father, we come together as one family who is dependent upon you for every blessing in life. You have been so gracious to us, providing our beautiful home, abundant food, health, and, most of all, the gifts of each other and your love. I thank you for another year together as a family and for your protection throughout this past year. Thank you for my beautiful wife, who has made my life more enjoyable every day she walks beside me. Thank you for Sam, whose lust for life and laughter help keep the important things in perspective.” His low voice was calming; I noticed he radiated the same sense of perpetual safety that Jed brought every time he took me into his arms. “I praise you for bringing Jedediah back to us yet again safely; thank you for the courage you have instilled in him that allows him to take off into this world and carve out his own life. I also thank you for the newest member of our family this year, Father. While we are just beginning to know him, I pray that we will be as much of a blessing to Brooke as he has already been upon our family, and that we will be able to make him as happy as he hasmade Jedediah. Through it all, dear God, I ask that we be a family that is unbroken around your throne, and that our lives will please you and cause others to desire to worship the One who is the reason we celebrate this Christmas season.”
As he finished, the other members of the Travazza family murmured, “Amen.” I quickly said it as well, although noticeably late. Sam looked over at me and grinned.
The prayer reminded me of how people prayed during the revival services back home. It had been a long time since someone had prayed for me in such a way. I was both touched and a little unnerved by the level to which I was already included in the Travazza family. I turned my head to see Jed. His face was bright red, and he did not turn to meet my gaze but interlocked his fingers with mine.
Soon shreds of sparkling burgundy, gold, and brown wrapping covered the floor. Each person took turns opening one gift at a time. With each one, there was talk about how nice the present was, laughter at some private joke, or tears over the more sentimental gifts.
Mr. Travazza handed me a huge box wrapped with gold-and-brown-striped paper. “This is your only gift, Brooke, so make it last.”
“Oh, that is fine! I wasn’t expecting anything at all.” Taking my cue from the rest of the family, I tore into the package and let the paper fly around me. I ripped through the tape on top of the box and opened the lid. “Oh, guys, you shouldn’t have done this. This is so not necessary.” Inside the huge box were at least ten smaller packages, each wrapped in different paper.
“Nonsense,” Constance said. “We simply hope you like them. Jedediah told us that you are quite the cook and that you have a culinary club with your kids. He mentioned you don’t have much equipment, so we thought we would see what we could find. Obviously, we didn’t know what all you might need, but Nicholas picked out a few of his favorites.”
There was everything I could ever want, and many things I’d never seen. There were different tools for chopping and grating, a candy thermometer, a collection of kitchen utensils in the shapes of animals, and an assortment of cookbooks. “This is amazing. Thank you so much. The kids will flip when they see all of this. We’ll take a picture with all the stuff we make and send it to you.”
“Thank you, dear.” Constance smiled. “You’re too sweet.”
After nearly two hours, all the presents had been unwrapped. The pies were served and lived up to their reputation.
Jed and I went to bed earlier than everyone else. We were both so miserably full, we simply crawled under the covers, snuggled up to each other, and fell asleep instantly.
Thenext day dawned in a strange mixture of sunny gloominess. The sky was clear, however, and no rain fell, only an invisible mist, causing the evergreens to glisten.
I awoke to Jed’s lips kissing my face and his fingers tracing my chest. He leaned over and nipped my earlobe. “Merry Christmas, babe.”
I groaned as I arched my back in a stretch. “Merry Christmas.” I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s eight, still early.”
“Oh goodness, did we sleep through breakfast?”
Jed laughed loudly. “Breakfast? Are you serious? Are you actually hungry after last night?”
I thought for a second. “No, actually. I’m still stuffed. However, knowing your family, I figured they had a ten-course breakfast on the table already.”
“No, everyone will sleep until about noon, and then we will have a big brunch with all the leftovers around two or three this afternoon.” His hand moved over my stomach and then back up to trace my lips. “Would you like to stay in bed and sleep awhile longer?”
“Why? Something you wanna do?”
“Yeah, but we can do it anytime today. Just thought it might be nice to take a walk this morning while it isn’t raining.”
