Erin woke up to a dull light streaming through her window. There were a few small snowflakes gently floating in the air outside, making the outer world look majestic. As she rolled over she saw Jay leaning on his elbow, pushing himself up on the bed.
"Merry Christmas," he said with a smirk, leaning over to gently kiss her on the forehead.
"Mmm, Merry Christmas," she replied, her cheeks flushing a shade of pink. She had never been a huge fan of the holiday, but now, she could feel her heart flutter at the thought of spending the holiday with him. "I'm going to go make some coffee, are you ready to get up?" Erin asked quietly, her voice hoarse from lack of use throughout the night.
"Yeah, I'll get it. You stay here, I'll bring it in," he said before climbing out of bed and pulling on a t-shirt with his boxers.
Erin found herself lying there, thinking of how happy she was with how her life was turning out. Sure, she knew the story of "True Love" and the impact it had on your life, but she never imagined that she would get a chance to experience it herself. He made her look forward to waking up every morning, made her bad days a little more bearable, and made her realize that she was deserving of love, regardless of what had happened in the past.
After a few minutes, Jay poked his head inside of the bedroom, pulling Erin from her thoughts. They walked out the hall, Erin feeling like a kid at Christmas time. They had a Christmas tree in the corner of the room, an assortment of decorations scattered throughout it. There were also a few small gifts at the bottom of the tree, wrapped in colorful paper.
Jay found himself watching Erin's' every move. He felt guilty thinking about how different their childhoods had been. He had grown up with a fresh evergreen tree in his living room every year, with huge piles of gifts placed haphazardly under it. His family had always made a big deal out of Christmas, and it always put a smile on his face to think about the memories that they had made together over the years. It had been a drastically different situation for Erin however. She had never had a tree before she moved in with the Voights. She reasoned that when you spent the majority of your childhood without basic necessities, it wasn't really the environment that you would celebrate in. What never failed to impress Jay about it was how she moved past it. She wasn't bitter because of it, but accepted that it was a different situation, that was unchangeable now.
Erin sat on the ground under the tree, holding the coffee mug between her two hands. Jay sat next to her, handing her a gift wrapped in red paper with white snowflakes. As she gently unwrapped the gift, she found herself smiling happily, it was a simple chain link necklace with a heart pendant. She was excited, and felt at ease as she gave Jay a big hug and a 'thank you'. She handed him a gift and watched him unwrap it delicately, it was a video game he had been eyeing recently. They continued with this activity, opening one gift at a time until there was a single gift left under the tree.
Jay leaned forward to pick up the medium sized box, handing it to the girl of his dreams. He couldn't fight the smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched her realize what the gift was. The sleek, black velvet photo album had a simple label reading Christmas 2016. As Erin opened the book she began looking at the pictures Jay had compiled inside. There were pictures of the two of them, of Voight and his family, the Intelligence Unit, Teddy, Daniel, Nadia, and some pictures from nights out at Molly's. Every passing picture sent memories rushing through Erin's mind, leaving a warm, fuzzy feeling throughout her body.
She took a moment to compose herself as the emotions overwhelmed her slightly. When she finally managed to swallow around the lump forming in her throat, she snuggled in close to Jay's side. She gently traced over his defined chest, beyond grateful to have him in her life.
"Jay, I don't know what to say. This is amazing, thank you. I couldn't ask for a better gift, or boyfriend. I just wish that I had a special gift like that for you too," she spoke into his chest, knowing that if she made eye contact she would start to cry.
"I already have everything I could ask for. I don't care about a few gifts under a tree, I just love getting to spend the rest of my life with the most beautiful woman I know. You're the best gift that anyone could ask for, Erin," he tilted her face towards his, brushing away the tear falling down her cheek. He kissed her lips gently, breathing in the scent of her, and thanking God for putting her in his life.