Love Me | Series Book #1

TWENTY

I raised a gloved finger to the door, Chase's gift in my other hand, and pressed the doorbell. God, I couldn't believe I was even wearing gloves. It was a good thing I'd bought them for ice-skating, or else I'd have been out of luck. I heard footsteps sound behind the door, before I was greeted by Mr. McCaugh.

"Hey look, it's the Fischers'!" he said loudly for everyone inside to hear. "We were beginning to think ya'll weren't gonna show."

"Sorry we're a little late," my mother said from behind me. "Dinner ran a little later than expected."

A complete understatement. There wasn't enough time to give the entire story, and I don't think anyone in my family wanted to relive the last two hours ever again.

In short summary, Aunt Sylvia oh so kindly forgot to mention that she'd baked the sweet potato fries in peanut oil nearly costing Aaron a trip to the emergency room. Miraculously, Mom found his epipen right in time after arguing with Dad about who had it last.

By the time we put an end to that disaster in the making, the food had gone cold and no one really had an appetite to finish it. But if that alone wasn't enough to account for a bad day, it was enough to set Aunt Sylvia's time schedule behind to miss her train. After visiting us, she was supposed to be on the way to El Paso, where my uncle lived. Unfortunately she'd have to make a bed on the couch tonight, and set out tomorrow at noon.

"That's alright, you ain't missing too much around here," he said, letting us in. As I walked into Chase's home, I was overwhelmed with the smell of Christmas. I didn't know how else to describe it, but almost like the scent of pinecones mixed with tensile right out the box. (Which really didn't make any sense because their tree is artificial.)

I didn't dwell on my thoughts because I caught sight of his mom after bypassing the foyer. I followed her into their icicle lit living room to say hello. She was sitting on the sofa with a box in her lap. I'd walked in on her trying to wrap a gift that undoubtably belonged to someone in my family, last minute.

I took a step back to spare her own dignity, but she caught me before I could.

"You might as well come in, you've already seen it," she said. Her accent wasn't nearly as thick as her husband's but it held a distinct drawl. I've always found it funny how people exaggerate our accents. Most of us in Austin don't sound that different from anyone else in the country, but there are a select few that distinguish the stereotype. Chase's parents definitely had stronger voices than anyone else I knew, and I loved it. His father grew up on a ranch in southern Houston, and his mom, a city girl from Dallas. Whenever she talked, it reminded me of the heroines in old Western movies. I've never told her that, but she would definitely take it as a compliment.

I inched forward into the room to see that there was a smile on her face as she placed the gift on the floor next to her.

"Sorry,-" I started to say, but she beat me to it.

"It's my own fault for waiting until now. I forgot to wrap it, and then I heard your voices at the door. We didn't think you all were still coming. Just don't tell your mother because it is hers after all."

"You've got my word," I said with a smile of my own.

It was a good thing she'd finished it, because Aaron came in the room shortly after. "Hi Mrs. McCaugh!" he exclaimed. "I've got a present for you."

He held it behind his back.

Her brown eyes were bright although they crinkled as she shot him a warm smile. "Well, are you gonna let me see it?" she played along.

"Yeah, but it's actually from my mom," he positioned the box in front of her. She placed a hand to her chest before taking it from him. My mother entered next.