Everywhere, All At Once

Chapter 33 - Burning Red

Christmas Eve was the event of the season at the Arroyo home. They opened presents at midnight on Christmas Eve as they did at any respectable Puerto Rican household on Nochebuena. Their traditions delighted Aaron, along with the boisterous, borderline insanity that was her family. She couldn't deny that he fit in there and seemed to enjoy them all.

"Okay, now the presents for the adults," Angie said. All the "kids" who weren't quite kids anymore, along with the actual kids, sat on the floor surrounded by tons of ripped wrapping paper and their newly acquired spoils. Kenna's family had come through at the last minute and gotten gifts for Aaron, too, who looked like... Well, like a kid on Christmas with all his unexpected gifts in his lap. She thought his eyes would bug out of his head when he opened the new PlayStation system she'd bought him last week, so he could play the video games Brayden wasn't allowed to play up in his room.

Aaron stood and hurried out the to his truck while the others cleared space and dragged out the gifts for their respective parents. Aaron came back in with a box. She'd forgotten he'd brought her mom a gift. He'd refused to tell her what it was, much to her annoyance. He swore it would be something she liked, but didn't give Kenna the chance to be sure. She hoped it wasn't something awful.

He placed it on the ground before her mother and came back over to sit on the ground next to her. Michelle looked up at him with a scandalized look.

"You got me a gift?" She shouted in that fake surprised voice of hers.

Meanwhile, the rest of the adults opened their gifts, oohed and ahhed at their gift cards, their jewelry, their home made gifts from the little ones. Michelle leaned forward and ripped the wrapping paper from the box Aaron had brought in.

Kenna saw the logo at once when her mother ripped one corner and her eyes went wide. She whipped her head toward Aaron, shock written on her face. Before she could say anything, her mother's shriek pierced the air, and the room burst into motion. Her aunts and cousins were gawking over the gorgeous new KitchenAid mixer at her mother's feet and her mother, dramatic as ever, was jumping up and down with excitement.

Michelle ran over and tackled Aaron with a hug. She kissed both his cheeks and then said as sternly as she could manage over her excitement, "This is too much, papito. I love it, but it's too much."

"You created the most incredible woman I've ever had the fortune to meet, so it's the least I could do."

Everyone in the room seemed to have practiced the collective "Awwww" that sounded next.

Kenna's mom gave her an impressed look. "I've never gotten a gift for making either of my humans. This is wonderful."

Kenna rolled her eyes but kissed her mother's cheek. "You deserve it, ma."

"You can use a grinder attachment to make those um... pass..." He looked over at Kenna for help.

"Pasteles," she supplied.

"Yeah, those. Faster."

"Oh, you're so thoughtful," her mom said, patting his cheek. "Keep him," she deadpanned to Kenna, then turned around and announced she was bringing the mixer into the kitchen so they could play with it.

Everyone dispersed to either check out the mixer, play with their own gifts, or head home as it was after one in the morning already. Kenna turned to Aaron and studied him.

"What?" He asked, frowning at her gaze.

"You bought my mom a KitchenAid mixer."

"I did," he responded, his cheeks flushing, but he held her gaze.