Christmas Treasures
Patrick Henry Gates woke slowly to a quiet and still winter morning, his wife in his arms. Feeling very content, he gently rubbed her pregnancy-swollen belly. The baby inside kicked at his touch, making him smile. In unconscious response, Emily stretched and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. He kissed her hair and carefully slipped out of bed. As he pulled his robe on over his pajamas, his wife murmured sleepily and moved into the warm spot he'd left behind.
Amused, he left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen. Patrick's father, John Adams Gates, who currently sat at the table, reading the newspaper, had already started the coffeemaker. "Good morning, Dad. Merry Christmas."
"Good morning, Patrick. Merry Christmas." John smiled, accepting the cup of coffee his son handed to him. "How is Emily?"
"Sleeping soundly last I saw her," Patrick moved to the window, watching the early morning sun glitter on the snow outside as he sipped his own coffee.
John chuckled, sipping his coffee. "I hope you enjoyed the ability to sleep in today. You won't get many more chances after my grandchild is born."
"I know. That's why I let Em sleep instead of waking her up," Patrick turned from the window and sat down across from his father, stealing part of the paper to begin reading.
His father made a token protest, but the kitchen was soon silent save for the rustling of the newspaper. Patrick didn't even jump when a pair of slender arms snuck around his shoulders and squeezed gently, followed by a kiss on his cheek. "Good morning, Pat. Merry Christmas."
"Good morning, Em. Merry Christmas." He turned and tilted his head up to kiss her properly: sweet, soft, and tender. "Are you hungry?"
She nodded, carefully lowering herself into a chair at the table. "Yes, thank you."
"You know I love to cook for you." Patrick smiled as he got up and began gathering ingredients from the cupboards. "Are waffles okay? We always have them on Christmas morning."
Emily nodded again, picking up Patrick's coffee cup and taking a sip. "Yes, waffles will be fine."
"Coming right up, then." He finished gathering the ingredients together and began mixing them, humming contentedly under his breath.
John watched and listened in silence. This was the first time they'd spent the night with him since they'd moved into their own place late in August. It didn't escape his notice that they were more comfortable with each other, as if his presence was no longer an inhibition for them. Seeing them together reminded him of how happy he had been with his wife and made him miss her that much more. He couldn't help wishing that she'd lived long enough to see her son happily married with their grandchild on the way. At that moment, Emily glanced up from the section of the paper she'd been reading and arched her eyebrows when she saw that John was watching her. "Is something wrong, John?"
"Not at all, Emily," he assured her, aware that his son had turned from mixing the batter together at her question. "I was just wishing that Katie could be here to enjoy this Christmas with us."
Emily smiled softly, reaching across the table to pat John's hand. When Patrick replaced the coffee with a cup of tea, she looked up at her husband with a fond smile. As he went back to cooking, she turned her attention back to her father-in-law. "Something tells me that she's here in spirit."
"In our hearts," Patrick agreed, having finished mixing the batter, he was now deftly pouring it onto the iron to make waffles. "Our loved ones are always in our hearts once they've passed on."
John and Emily exchanged smiles and nods of agreement. Silence descended as Patrick finished making waffles while his wife and father resumed reading the paper.
***
After breakfast, the three of them moved to the living room to open presents. Patrick insisted that Emily sit on the sofa with him while John gathered up the gifts from under the tree and set them on the coffee table. He asked them to open his presents first. With a little curiosity, Patrick and Emily obliged him. Hers was a beautiful bracelet of turquoise stones set in sterling silver. When Patrick saw it, he drew in a surprised breath and she looked up at him curiously. "What is it?"
"That was Mom's favorite bracelet," he explained, carefully tracing the veins on one of the stones. "Dad and I were both born in December, so the turquoise was one of her favorite stones."
Emily looked at her father-in-law, surprised and touched that he would give her something that had belonged to his wife. "I think she would have wanted you to have it, Emily."
"Thank you, John." She smiled and carefully lifted the bracelet out of the box.
Reverently, Patrick helped her fasten the bracelet around her slender wrist, pressing a kiss to the inside of it when he finished. "Beautiful."
"Stop it, Pat." She playfully swatted his shoulder as a shiver went down her spine. Though she would have liked nothing better than to take things further, but her pregnancy was too advanced for intercourse to be safe for them.
Laughing, he caught her hand in his and squeezed. "Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing."
"Open your present," John gruffly ordered his son; toying with the ribbon on the present the other two had given him.
Patrick saluted his father and did as he'd been ordered. He went very still when he saw what was inside the box. Curious, Emily peered inside and gasped softly. It was the deed to the house. It had been in the Gates family for several generations, modified with loving care and respect for the original design. She looked at her father-in-law. "John?"
"My father gave me the deed to the house not long after Katie and I married," his voice was still gruff, but now she realized it was from deep emotion. "It's become a bit of a tradition and I felt it was time to continue it."
Husband and wife exchanged a glance before Patrick asked softly, "Does this mean you want us to move back in?"
"No, but you'd be welcome to do so if you wish," his father explained, managing a small smile.
Emily looked up at her husband and shook her head slightly. Though their house was rather small, she liked having just Patrick around. He seemed to understand and nodded in reply. Looking back at his father, he said, "Thanks, Dad, but we're happy where we are."
"I understand perfectly," John assured them, his smile turning playful and teasing. "The offer will always be open, though."
"We'll keep it in mind," Patrick replied with a smile. Then he gestured to John's gift. "Open yours now."
Chuckling, John tore open the box and stared at the album resting inside. Made of supple leather, it had been embossed with a gold and silver pattern and border. Carefully opening it, he found that all the scraps of information the Gates family had compiled on the Templar Treasure over five generations had been organized and carefully preserved. He looked up at them with suspiciously moist eyes. "I've been meaning to do this, but never seemed to find the time for it."
"I know, Dad." Patrick smiled the crooked little smile that Emily had always found so endearing. "Em and I thought we'd take care of that for you."
Nodding, John carefully leafed through the pages until he reached the blank ones. Setting it aside, he got up and moved over to the sofa to hug each of them in turn. "Thank you. Both of you."
"You're welcome, Dad." Patrick returned the hug, his smile broader.
Emily returned John's hug and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome, John."
"Time for your presents, I think," John commented once he'd resumed his seat.
Turning to her husband, Emily gestured for him to go first. "Go ahead, Pat." When he opened his mouth to reply, she held up a finger, "Don't you dare say a word about 'ladies first', either."
"Yes, dear." Patrick laughed and turned to open the present Emily had given him. Inside was a framed print of the translated riddle that had led them on their treasure hunt in Mexico. In the two bottom corners were Native American depictions of a bird and a fish. He looked at his wife curiously. "Em?"
She smiled shyly, still a little nervous. "I wanted you to have this as a reminder of how we met."
"As if I could ever forget the spitfire that yelled at me for 'rescuing' her?" Patrick asked with a grin, kissing her softly to take the sting out of his words. Emily harrumphed, but a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth nevertheless. "What are the animals for?"
"They're from the Native American zodiac," she explained, indicating each in turn. "The goose is your birth animal and the salmon is mine."
Patrick raised an eyebrow, tracing the stylized goose with one finger. "If my animal is going to be a bird, I'd rather it be the eagle."
"Idiot." She smacked his shoulder with a fond smile. "It's like the Western zodiac. We don't really choose our animals."
He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, kissing the tip of her nose. "I guessed as much." Rubbing his nose against hers, he asked, "Why don't you open your present now?"
"I suppose I could." She smiled and kissed him softly. Aware of the fact that her husband was watching intently, Emily took her time peeling off the wrapping paper. When she'd finally removed the last of the paper, she was holding a jeweler's box. Opening it revealed a locket pendant with their initials entwined on the front. Opening that revealed a picture of her husband, smiling that crooked little smile. She looked up to find him offering that same smile. "Pat?"
He carefully removed the locket from the box and fastened it around her neck. "There will be times in the future when I'll need to go away. I want you to have something of me with you while I'm gone."
"Thank you," she whispered, stretching up to kiss him, sweet and tender.
Patrick returned the kiss with just as much sweetness and tenderness. She couldn't remember a better Christmas than this.
End