Arriving home at the somewhat decent hour of one in the morning, I snuck up to my room, still feeling high on love. William loved me, and even if it was only a dream, it felt real. I just wished 1865 etiquette would allow him to feel bolder in pursuing a physical relationship. But I understood that my 21^st century moral compass was something he just wouldn’t be able to handle. That didn’t make being around him, alone, any easier though.

The next morning, I awoke to the early morning sun shining through the windows, and a present on the end of my bed. I sat up in excitement and pulled it into my lap; it was heavy.

Unwrapping the paper, I lifted the flaps of the box to reveal a round, sterling silver antique jewelry box, with swirling floral patterns. My grandmother from my time used to have one just like it. I opened it, and resting inside on the velvet lining was a pair of diamond earrings. Eyes wide, I stared at them, fascinated.

“Do you like them?”

I looked up to see my great-grandmother in the doorway. She had on a simple gray day dress with a white apron across the front. “I love them,” I gushed.

She walked in and sat beside me on the bed. “I thought you would. Your grandfather bought me those earrings in Paris, as a gift many years ago.”

“They’re absolutely beautiful. He has good taste.”

“Yes, he does.” Her gaze saddened. “I just wish he was home.” About that time, the sound of a horse and carriage could be heard through the window.

I rushed over and looked out the window, gasping with excitement when I saw who it was. “Speaking of grandfather, guess who’s out front?”

My great-grandmother bolted to her feet and raced down the stairs. I grabbed my robe and put it on as I followed behind her, laughing the entire way. I’d never seen anyone so excited to see their husband. Back home, a lot of my friends loved it when their husbands had to go out of town for business. They enjoyed the separation. I never wanted to be like that. With William, I wanted to be with him every second I got.

Grandmother rushed outside and flung her arms around her husband. He smiled at her, and it was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen. That was what love looked like. They both walked inside, and his eyes lit up when he saw me.

“Merry Christmas, Adeline.”

I hugged him hard. “Merry Christmas, Grandfather. I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too, my dear. Me too.” He let me go and reached into his bag. “I happened to pass through Charlotte and thought you might like these.” The present was wrapped in red paper and tied with a red ribbon. I opened it up, and inside, was a set of hair berets, adorned with emeralds.

Tears filled my eyes. “These are too much. Thank you. They’ll go perfect with my dress tonight.”

He kissed my cheek. “I’m glad you like them. Have I missed much since I’ve been away?”

My great-grandmother smiled at me and clasped his arm. “Come with me. I’ll tell you all about it.” They disappeared into the parlor and I hurried back up to my room to change, only I wasn’t alone. Margaret stood by my window. She turned to face me, her expression unreadable.

“Merry Christmas, Adeline.”

“Merry Christmas,” I said cautiously.

“Are you about ready to wake up?”

“No,” I snapped quickly, shutting the door behind me. Her brows lifted, and I cleared my throat, making sure to lower my voice so no one in the house could hear. “It’s Christmas. I don’t want to leave yet.”

She sighed, her gaze landing on the Christmas dress hanging in the corner. “You’ve enjoyed being here, haven’t you?”

Throat thick, I nodded. “I have. I don’t want to leave.”

She smiled sadly. “You don’t want to leave William.”

I shook my head. “I love him.”

“You do. I can see that. He loves you as well.”

Sitting down on the bed, I hung my head. “None of it matters though,” I whispered. “None of this is actually real, but when I’m with William, there are these strong feelings inside of me that I’ve never felt before. I don’t understand how I can feel that strongly for being in a dream.”

“How do you know it’s not real?” she asked.

I waved my hands about the room. “We’re in 1865. You’re in my head because you’re one of the last people I saw before going to bed. There’s no such thing as time travel or any of that crazy mess.”

Her grin widened. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” I answered.

She shrugged. “Well, since you believe it’s not real, I’ll go ahead and tell you that tonight is your last night.”

“Will I remember any of this?” I asked.

“Do you want to?” she countered. “A lot of times, people lose bits and pieces of their dreams and they end up forgetting them entirely. If you want to remember, I can make it so.”

“Yes.” I lifted a hand to my necklace. “I want to remember it all.”

“Even if it hurts?”

Closing my eyes, I fought to keep the tears at bay. “Even if it hurts. I want to remember what being in love feels like.”

“All right,” she said softly. “I’ll grant you that one request.”

“Thank you.” When I looked up, she was gone.