Two days later, it’s December 24th, and I leave the house with a list of last minute errands as long as my arm.
My arm. Shit, I can’t believe I let Grayson see my bruise. I was so humiliated. Thank God I left so quickly. But what he said about taking more pictures and having talent…I can’t help but smile.
I wipe everything from my mind because I have a million other things to focus on today.
My first stop is across the river in Catskill, to pick up the centerpiece for my mom’s Christmas table.
Walking into the flower shop I’m inundated with the most fragrant scents, ranging from freshly cut pine to bouquets of roses in every color.
Suddenly a pair of small arms envelops me from behind. “Hola, Miss Lily!”
I turn around and look down to see Esperanza Rojas’s soft brown eyes staring back at me.
“Esperanza, my goodness! What are you doing here?”
She beams back at me with pride. “Mami works here sometimes to help out our neighbor.”
“Querida, let go of Miss Lily,” a voice gently admonishes her
When I turn around, Mrs. Rojas is standing behind the counter, holding a poinsettia in her hands.
“My neighbor owns the store, so I always help her out during the holidays. Let me get your order for you from the back. It’s all ready to go.”
“It’s totally fine, Mrs. Rojas. Esperanza can keep me company.”
I turn my attention back to Esperanza, who’s now biting her lower lip with a worried look on her face.
I touch her shoulder. “What is it, sweetheart?”
She looks down at the floor before reverting her focus back to me. “Thank you for being nice to Mami. She told me about the party.”
My heart warms at her gratitude. “Of course. I like your mother very much. She’s a very nice lady.”
The little girl nods her vigorously. “Yes, she is. But she says your boyfriend wasn’t very nice. She said he was very mean to you.”
My heart rate starts to increase, pounding inside my chest.
Got to love how kids have zero filter.
I swallow and gently squeeze her shoulder to reassure her. “Esperanza, it’s okay. He was just very stressed and said some things he shouldn’t have. I’m really fine. It was nothing.”
Her brown eyes narrow at me, roaming over my face as if she’s checking for any sign that I’m not being truthful. “Okay, miss. If you say so.”
At that moment, Mrs. Rojas appears from the back carrying my order, a small bouquet of red roses with a white candle sticking up in the center. “That’s lovely,” I exclaim.
I walk the few steps to the counter to pay. Once I put away my wallet, I take the box in my hands. “Thank you so much, Señora Rojas. Have a lovely Christmas.”
“Gracias, Miss Moore. Feliz Navidad!”
Esperanza races to the door. “I’ll get it for you, Miss Lily!” she offers excitedly.
I make my way over to her, but before I can leave she grabs my waist in a quick embrace. “Bye, Miss Lily! Feliz Navidad!”
I smile to myself, looking back at Mrs. Rojas for some guidance.
“Ay, Esperanza! Let Miss Lily go!”
“Okay, okay,” she answers her mother. She releases me and pulls the door open.
I look down at her and give her a full smile. “Gracias, sweetheart. Feliz Navidad!”
When I reach Ingrid, I put the centerpiece on the floor next to me on the passenger side. I pull out my phone to check my list for my next errand.
Crossing the Hudson River back to Cottage Grove, Esperanza’s words swirl around in my head, unsettling me with thoughts of how a child possibly knows me better than I do.
* * *
“Please be nice to her.”
“I’m always nice, babe.”
“Civil. You’re civil. There’s a difference.”
Taking one hand off the steering wheel, Reed takes my hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and brushing his lips against it. “I swear, Lily, you have nothing to be nervous about.”
I nod my head in silence, staring down at the flowers in my lap. I breathe in their scent, not just because they’re beautiful but also as a means of calming my nerves.
Ever since Reed and I have been together we’ve switched our visits between families on Thanksgiving, but for Christmas, it’s always the same—Christmas Eve on our own, Christmas Day with my mom, and the 26th (or Boxing Day as Reed’s WASP parents refer to it) with Reed’s family.
I glance back over at Reed, whose face has a shit-eating grin on it.
“Okay, give it up.”
“What?” he asks innocently.
“Something is going on. I’ve never seen you look this happy when we go to my mom’s, especially for Christmas.”
“Can’t I just be happy? It’s Christmas!” he replies a bit too cheerfully.
Next thing I know, he’s going to break into song.
Oh yeah, something is definitely up with him.
Thankfully, we finally pull into my mom’s driveway behind her Jeep.
Before I can reach for the handle, Reed jumps out and opens the door for me. He takes the centerpiece from me with one hand, helping me from the car with the other.
I give him a smile, even though I’m still suspicious about his good mood and the reason for it. “Thank you.”
He leans over and pecks me on the lips. “My pleasure.”
I grab my mom’s Christmas present from the back seat. Then, taking my hand once more, Reed walks with me up the path to the front door. When I push it open, the scent of roast duck and baked apples and the sound of Elvis singing “Blue Christmas” welcomes us in.
“Mom, we’re here!” I shout out into the open space.
Dressed in a jade green knit dress that perfectly matches her eyes, my mother appears from the kitchen.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” she greets me with a tight embrace. Releasing me, she turns to Reed. “Hello, Reed. Merry Christmas,” Mom says with a modicum of kindness, leaning in to him, giving him a short hug and a swift kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, Mrs. Moore. I’m glad to be here. I’ll just go put this on the table,” Reed offers with a smile, gesturing to the flowers in his hands.
“Yes, please. Thank you, Reed,” Mom replies. But before I can follow him to the dining room, she grabs me by the elbow.
“What the hell?” she whispers under her breath, her eyes averting to the other room where Reed is now.
I shrug my shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. Something is up with him, Mom. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time. It’s really freaking me out.”
“Me too. Usually he can barely muster a grin. He’s never friendly like this; more like civil.”
I slap my mother’s arm. “Oh my God! I told him that exact same thing in the car on our way over. He said he’d be nice, but almost as if there was more to it.”
Mom nods. “I’m getting that.” She glances into the kitchen. “We’d better go join him or he’ll start wondering what happened to us. I’ll get the hors d’oeuvres and meet you in the living room.”
“Good idea,” I reply, heading for the living room with the shopping bag holding Mom’s present.
My heart grows full when I see the trimmed tree lit up with white twinkle lights. The ornaments I made as a kid, like the clothespin toy soldier and an egg decorated like Santa Claus with a cotton beard and red construction paper hat, are proudly displayed. I gently place Mom’s present on the canopy under the tree, already spotting a few brightly wrapped gifts with my name on them.
Mom comes out of the kitchen with a silver tray of cheese and crackers, nearly bumping into Reed coming in from the dining room. “Whoa! Watch out! Where’s the fire?”
“Sorry, Mrs. Moore! I’ll be right back!” he shouts back over his shoulder.
I stand frozen in place with my mouth hanging open. “Where’s he going?” Mom asks as the door slams behind him.
I shake my head. “I have no idea.”
A few seconds later he returns, out of breath and carrying a bottle of champagne in his hand. My brows narrow in confusion. “Reed, what’s going on?”
He puts the champagne on the coffee table on top of a coaster, then takes a few steps to me, guiding us to the fireplace. “Mrs. Moore, before you go back to the kitchen, I need a moment of your time.”
Her eyes give him a quizzical look. “All right.”
I exchange glances with Mom when Reed clears his throat. He takes my hands into both of his, looking straight at me.
“Lily, I know I haven’t been the best boyfriend lately, and I’m sorry for that. You mean the world to me and I love you. I want to give you a symbol of my love for you, and I hope it’ll be with your mother’s blessing.”
Blessing.
Oh my God…
My hands start to shake.
He can’t possibly be…
But he is, because before I can say something, Reed lowers himself to the ground, leaving one knee up as he searches for something in his jacket pocket.
Fuck.
A robin’s egg-blue ring box appears in his right hand.
Tiffany.
He pops the top open on the box, revealing the shiniest diamond ring I’ve ever seen in my life. The stone is round with tiny diamonds lining the band.
“Lily Moore, will you marry me?”
My limbs freeze. Suddenly I’ve lost all train of thought.
“Baby?”
Reed’s quiet yet insistent voice brings me back to where I’m standing, in my childhood home where the man I’ve dated and lived with for two years has just asked me to marry him.
“Um, Lily, I asked you a question,” he laughs nervously.
When I spot Mom sitting on the sofa, her face holds a slight smile. There are tears in her eyes. She doesn’t say a word.
“Wh…”
“Lily? My knee’s starting to give out.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Yes!” Reed shouts, placing the ring on my finger, then scooping me up into his arms. “Thank God! I thought you were going to say no!”
He puts me down, then holding my hand turns to Mom. “I hope we have your blessing, Mrs. Moore.”
She rises from the couch, wiping her eyes before hugging him. “Of course you do, Reed. Congratulations,” she replies barely above a whisper, her eyes boring into me. “Reed, would you mind terribly if I had a word with Lily?”
“Oh sure, of course! I’m going to call my parents and tell them the good news.”
She watches Reed head into the kitchen, then tugs me over to the side, her face inches from mine. “What were you going to say?”
“What do you mean?”
“Before you said ‘okay,’ you were going to say something else.”
“No I wasn’t,” I insist.
“Lily. Tell me.”
I know better than to hide anything from my mother.
I exhale a breath. “I was going to say ‘Why?’”
Mom shakes her head. “I knew it. Why didn’t you?”
“Because it would’ve ruined the moment.”
Mom throws her hands up in the air. “Damn it, Lily! Who gives a fuck about the moment? If you had doubts, you should’ve said something.”
Tears begin to flow down my cheeks. “He obviously loves me, Mom. He’s trying. Please don’t ruin this for me.”
Mom rubs her thumbs across my face to wipe away the moisture. “Sweetheart, I just want you to be happy. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Reed’s voice calls from the kitchen. “Lily! Come here! My parents want to congratulate both of us.”
I lean over and kiss Mom on the cheek. “I’ll be fine.” I rise from the sofa, reaching over to the box of tissues on the coffee table. “Coming!” I reply to my fiancé, wiping away the rest of my tears.