Chapter 36 – The Unveiling
I was never so grateful for a snowstorm than I had been for the one just before Christmas. Not only did it postpone exams, but it also cut short mine and Evan's new status as the most talked of couple. I'm hoping by next year someone else will hold that title. Maybe Max and Emilee will get back together. (They had a classic summer romance before something petty split them up in September.) They are talking again, amiably too.
Monday morning was just like the first day of school all over again. I had no idea what to wear or what the day would hold for me. Needing a confidence boost, I chose my favorite sweater, a sage green one that went really well with a scarf Gabby had gotten me as a goodbye gift before I came out here. It turned out that this was a really good choice because one of the first things Evan said to me when he saw me without my jacket on was that it was his favorite too. His eyes warmed as they roved over me, indicating that it wasn't just because it brought out my eyes.
That first week was irritating because he got to be all calm, cool, and confident. No one dared approach him to comment on our relationship. I had to deal with it all; thus, I was more hesitant about displaying it. Everyone's reactions were a bit predictable; much like after the Hearse got its new paint job. Emilee pumped me for information as soon as possible. I felt like one of the "poor" celebrities who have mikes and cameras shoved in their faces after something big happens in their personal lives. Genevieve showed a little curiosity, but this was tempered by Tiffany's attitude of disgust.
Max was the worst though, as he pulled me aside and conveyed his "concerns." One of them was ironically valid, however. His exact words were "He looks at you like – like a man dying of thirst does a glass of lemonade. It's not right. Those kind of guys are dangerously possessive, Cadie…" It was then that his diatribe no longer applied, and I eventually cut him with a curt thank you before joining my future "jailer."
My geek squad was the best. At lunch, they never said anything, other than Regan questioning his relocation. They were interested, but they also respected my obvious wish to keep it on the down low. Maggie and Dani eventually cracked and asked me about it in private, but then only quiet expressed their congratulations after I confirmed the rumors. I thought Jeff might be a little hurt by it, but apparently he has moved on to someone with journalistic inclinations. I hope to find out that she returns them, but with Regan Parker it is always difficult to know what really goes on inside her head or heart.
Ian was a little taken aback that I was even dating. On Friday night, Evan had planned to take to me to the nearest coffee shop that had a decent reputation and to his favorite secondhand bookstore, (both of which I enjoyed immensely). When I casually told Ian a few days ahead of time that Evan was taking me out on a date Friday night, he spewed his drink all over his plate in surprise. For once, the grapevine had not kept him in the loop.
"You, you and the Keegan boy are dating? What happened to being just friends?" he spluttered as he hastily tried to clean himself up with a wad of napkins.
"Yes, Evan and I are dating. And we decided to be more than friends, which sounds vaguely familiar…" was my very respectful and dutifully patient reply.
He stopped what he was doing to give me a stern look, saying "Don't get catty with me, Cadie, as your father and someone who, as you just pointed out, has had a similar experience that did not turn out very well, I have the right to express my concerns."
His gaze softened then and he sighed, "It's just that I thought your mother had instilled into you the waiting-until-you-have-experienced-life-before-dating thing. There are plenty of boys out there. Don't tie yourself down too soon, Cadence."
"Goodness gracious, Dad, I can still date and experience life. It's not like I'm planning on marrying him right out of high school, you know. I don't even know if it's all that serious. We haven't even gone out yet."
He eyed me in disbelief, scoffing, "Come on, Cadie. It's you we're talking about. You don't do casual."
I had nothing to say to that as he was right.
Zach seemed ambivalent when Old Tink brought it up. His booming voice informed everyone in the garage of my "relationship upgrade," as he got all paternal on me, cautioning me about young boys, etc. (Lucky for me, Evan had already left). Morgan and Louie were not there either so I could not gauge by their reactions as to what he thought. I was going to talk about it with Zach this past week when Evan and I went hiking with him, Morgan, and Louie, but Evan called at the last minute and requested that I not go because of some vision Alice had. It was a good thing that it was with Zach, and not Max, that I had to ask for a rain check, or else I would have had to endure another lecture on overly possessive and manipulative boyfriends.
Instead of hiking with Zach and his crew, I got to judge an ice sculpture competition and a watch snowball war. The former is what led to the latter, as Evan took umbrage against the fact that I liked Nessie's best and proceeded to "punish" me by wrestling me into the snow. Nessie and Emmett came to my "rescue" by ambushing him with some well-aimed shots, which resulted in retaliation and all-out war. I was excluded as the speed with which they were throwing the snowballs would have left more than welts on my skin. I didn't mind, however, as it was far more amusing to watch and drink hot tea than become a soggy popsicle.
Christmas holidays were much better than the last. Dani threw a party once the roads were clear, and that was fun. Her parents run the local lodge, so we all came over and played a massive game of sardines, BS, and Would You Rather?; the latter two was while we warmed ourselves with hot cocoa, coffee, or tea.
On Christmas Eve, Ian and I ate dinner and exchanged gifts with Old Tink and Zach before joining them for Mass, and on Christmas morning Ian and I did our own gift exchange before we went our separate ways; he to join Sukey, and me the Cullens, but only after I called Gabby.
One might think it was weird that Ian had elected to spend most of this family-oriented holiday with his new girlfriend rather than his daughter whom he has rarely seen outside of summer visits throughout her childhood, but Sukey needed him more than I did.
"So why again are you going to her family's holiday dinner, so soon? Aren't you rushing it a little?" I asked, a bit concerned.
"Her younger sister is going to be there five months pregnant with her third kid. She needs some emotional support," he explained.
"So she's using you as a successful relationship trophy to her family," I translated.
He shrugged, "I guess, a little."
Instead of trying to fathom the reason for why he was not bothered by that, I questioned nervously, "Does she want to have kids too? Because aren't you guys like, a bit old for that?"
He chuckled a little, "Now who's rushing it? Besides, I take offense to that. I'm not old. I'm thirty-seven, and she's thirty-two. Everything still works, or so I'm told."
He smirked at my expression and ruffled my hair before returning to making our dinner, for I then sincerely regretted bringing the subject up. To recover from the mental images that were scarring me for life, I began to think about the necessary ingredient combination for a perfect caramel machiatto and calculating the distance to the nearest place that might serve such a beverage. It was quite far from my present location, which is exactly where I wanted to be.
When I arrived at the Cullens' house, I was a little surprised that they did not go all out with decorations, considering Alice's love for any excuse to party and be festive, but I guess after so many of these holidays they lose their novelty. Both Esme and Nessie felt the need to apologize for this, but I reassured them, saying, "Don't worry about it. This just means that I don't have the problem of wondering how I am going to make room for my second or third big meal in the last twenty-four hours."
There wasn't a tree, but Christmas stockings were hanging on the mantel. Mine was a blue and white quilted pattern one with silver spangles spelling out my name, and Evan's, I noticed, reflected his room's colors of black, green, silver, and white. The gifts inside were not the typical stocking gifts like gum and crossword puzzles, except for the chocolate from Jacob. Nessie had also given me a small bag of very expensive brand of espresso beans, and Esme had written me a letter.
There was also a gorgeously wrapped box that could only have been a jewelry box.
Nessie was practically dancing a jig in her excitement, chanting, "Open it! Open it!"
It was disconcerting knowing that everyone was watching me, ranging from blatant intensity to careful nonchalance. I eventually was able to get my fumbling fingers to cooperate to do as she bid, without cutting myself, and it tumbled into my lap. I hesitantly opened it, knowing that whatever it was would be spectacular.
It was.
"Oh my, you shouldn't have!" I exclaimed, holding it up. It was a silver charm bracelet, with about a dozen charms already attached.
"My letter explains a little of why I chose that charm," Esme softly inputted.
I looked at her quizzically, a little puzzled by what she meant, but Bella filled in instead, "Each of us chose something to represent us that would remind you of us. Edward and I chose the book, since we share a love of reading with you."
I nodded beginning to understand. I looked for the charm she described, and sure enough, there was a book; however, on each of the covers there was an etched chess piece. One was a king, and the other was a queen. Wondering if the other charms were in such detail, I examined it closer.
"Guess which ones are the rest of ours!" Nessie commanded.
I smiled and asked, "Do I get any hints?" Some of them were obvious, but others not so much.
She looked thoughtful about that for a little bit, and then turning off looked at Evan, "How many?"
He chuckled, but then looked at me with one eyebrow quirked, challenging, "Three."
Playing along, I got the easier ones out of the way first and pointed, saying "The wolf with a wrench in his mouth is Jacob's, the shamrock is Evan's, and the dice with roses etched on them are Emmett's and Rosalie's." I knew the last to be true because aside from the rose connection, Emmett was always trying to sucker me or members of his family into taking him up on a bet. The only other one I was able to know for sure was Alice and Jasper's. It was one of those charms that are like a miniature playing card, but this one had a Jack of Hearts on one side and on the other was a picture of Tinkerbelle. I had confessed to Alice my whimsy that I had had about her the first time I saw her of being "Tiny Tink."
I pointed to it, and said confusedly, "That's Alice and Jasper's, but that leaves six and only Carlisle, Esme, and Nessie are left."
I was looking around gauging their reactions to see if I had guessed right. It was rather difficult as most of them could appear to be Greek statues if they so chose, but Rosalie tried to psych me out I think by giving a bored sniff as if she couldn't believe how I had missed the obvious. She failed to do so, however, as Jacob gave me an encouraging wink and sly nod to show that I was on the right track.
Deciding that a hint was in order, I looked to Evan, and he whispered, "Hint number one: Carlisle and Esme share one."
Nessie followed this with, "Hint number two: Evan has more than one. Do you want a third one yet?"
Instead of answering directly, I chose what my last hint would reveal, "Do all of the animal ones happen to be Evan's?"
Evan gave a slow nod, smirking. Probably, sure of the fact that I had no idea as to why he had chosen those.
Winging it, I finally declared, "The house is Carlisle and Esme's. The crown is Nessie's, and so is the fiddle."
"Oh man! She got more than I expected," Emmett exclaimed.
Jasper smiled in satisfaction, "Which is why I didn't take on your wager."
"Learned your lesson, did you?" Evan commented wryly.
"Obviously, Emmett didn't, because he owes me concert tickets," Edward gloated.
Not sure whether to be offended or amused by this exchange, I began asking, "What bet? What lesson? Which concert?" causing nearly everyone to smirk or chuckle at my expense.
Carlisle patiently ignored them, but still shaking his head in amusement, he reported, "Emmett thought that you'd get at least three of them wrong, and Edward wagered that it would be no more than two. Jasper learned that it was healthier for his pocketbook not to try and predict what you would or can do because not even Alice can do that, and Edward has been wanting to go see some European rock group that is on tour this side of the Pond," and he rattled off some group that was a bit heavy in style. I was kind of surprised that Edward would like them; but then again, he knows good music, and they certainly qualify.
"But don't you want to know which one you got wrong?" he queried after a moment..
I nodded, completely bamboozled as to where I had erred.
He pointed to the crown, explaining, "That one is also of Evan's choosing."
Looking at Evan, I raised my eyebrows slightly amused, "A tiara?"
After Emmett's loud guffaws subsided, he defended himself, "A crown, and I'll explain later."
I grinned, "I certainly hope so," and then looking at this wonderful family who had accepted me into their midst, I questioned curiously, "Who's idea was it and where did you get it done?"
Nessie chimed in then, "Oh, it was Evan's idea, of course. He came to Esme and me with the idea months ago. You know, when you were talking to Zach Daniels and his father about jewelry. As to the jeweler, Carlisle knows a guy in some famous shop in New York. He's always doing business with him for Esme."
My mouth dropped open in shock, and I turned to Evan, mouthing "Tiffany's?"
He nodded, a little wary of my reaction, and justifiably so, because I was trying not to freak out at the idea that they had gotten me a Tiffany's bracelet, while I had merely painted them a picture.
Reasoning, well, reassuring myself with a lie that because Carlisle was such a frequent customer, they must have gotten a good deal, I was able to manage to warmly express my gratitude without my voice cracking in anxiety.
Speaking for the whole family, Esme leaned over and patted my knee, "It was our pleasure."
"Well, are you going to put it on?" Nessie asked urgently.
Nodding, I turned to Evan, gesturing for him to do the honors. He did so, placing a kiss at my pulse point on my wrist, whispering, "Merry Christmas, a chuisle."
Trying not to blush in embarrassment at how quickly my heart sped up for everyone to hear, I distracted myself by exclaiming, "Now, it's my turn! Evan, can you bring out my gift to the family? I want Esme and Carlisle to open it."
He readily agreed, eager to see the finished work of the project that he had assisted me on. This was another reason to be grateful for the snowstorm: it gave me an opportunity to work undistracted, which allowed me to finish it on time. Otherwise, it would have been a New Year's gift.
I had wrapped it in protective cloth, but instead of tying it with the usual twine, I had used holiday colored gift ribbons of blue, silver, green, gold, and red. Esme and Carlisle carefully undid each one and then removed the cloth. Upon seeing it, Esme let out a little gasp, and Carlisle's eyes grew wide. Their expressions alone were worth it. Carlisle, slowly turned it around so the rest of the family could see it.
It was a painting done in various shades of white of their driveway fountain. However, it wasn't quite like their fountain. Instead of dryads and water nymphs, I had painted each of them; and instead of the water nymph spouting from the center, Esme and Carlisle were side-by-side holding hands and from their outstretched arms, water poured forth as if they were raining down their love on their family.
Below them on the second tier and to the left were Emmett and Rosalie. She was sitting in his lap, while he precariously hung over the edge. On the same level as them were Bella and Edward. She had her arms wrapped around him from behind and was looking over his shoulder as they both gazed lovingly on Nessie, who was sitting on a rock below them on the bottom tier, splashing playfully at Jacob, who was returning fire.
On the other side of the fountain on the bottom tier, there was Jasper and Alice. He was sitting so that she could lay her head on his shoulder comfortably. Her arm was trailing into the water that was in the basin below, contentedly. Evan was in the middle, leaning back impishly grinning as his feet dangled in the water below, blithely kicking away, happy as a clam.
I should rephrase this description a little. I'm not nearly good enough to capture their perfection, so I didn't even try to. I did this family portrait impressionistic style. The way one could tell who was who, besides from general features like Alice's pixie hairstyle, was by their body language and shade of white. For example, I tried to convey Emmett's and Rosalie's personalities by their daring positions, and Rosalie's reddish-white dress hinted at her boldness and flare. Bella had a blue-white dress as that was Edward's favorite color on her, and Jacob's shirt had a russet brown tint that Evan claimed was what his wolf's coat looked like, and so on.
Bella was the first to say anything, whispering in awe, "How did you do that? I mean, get the colors to look like, well that?"
I shrugged, "Evan gave me a little help. I had him as a guinea pig."
He laughed, saying, "Yeah, for weeks most of our conversations consisted of 'Does this look right? How about this? Does this remind you of …?'"
Jacob cut in then, "Why did you decide to do it in white though? Why not just paint it in normal colors?"
I shrugged again, "Multiple reasons, really. I wanted it to match Esme's décor. Nessie told me once how your kind's vision," I gestured to the Cullens, "allows you to distinguish and appreciate the various hues, and I wanted to experiment a little. So did it turn out well?"
Evan leaned down and lightly kissed my forehead, proudly saying, "More than well," and everyone's nod and soft, or not so soft, agreements seconded that assessment.
We split off not long after that, each pursuing his/her own form of entertainment. I followed Evan up to his room. Once settled on his bean bag couch, I opened Esme's letter and read it. I should have made sure to have a box of tissues with me, for that lady is overwhelmingly sweet and kind.
Trying to restore my equilibrium, Evan stated thoughtfully, "You know, if you don't stop soon, your eyes will turn all red and puffy. I can't have that, so let me see the letter so I'll know what to chastise Esme for…"
Hastily moving the letter out of his less than half-hearted reach, I exclaimed, "You'll do no such thing! She was just being her normal kind self, telling me that I was always welcome in her home. That was what her and Carlisle's charm meant, you know, with the open door to the little house …" I then drifted off, pausing to eye him mischievously, "So, are you going to explain what the tiara meant?"
He rolled his eyes and corrected painstakingly, "It's a crown. And yes, minx, I will explain them all."
He fingered the shamrock, saying, "This one is for when you call me Irish Laddie."
"I figured."
He gave me a reproving glance for my interruption, but still continued, "The shield is a representation of my 'overbearing' protection, and the crown is for when I'm my 'roguishly charming self.' A wee bit of a stretch, I know, from Prince Charming to that, but work with me a little."
I nodded agreement, while dramatically exclaiming, "What a relief!"
He nudged me playfully, but still proceeded in his explanation, smirking in satisfaction, "The donkey is for when I'm being an 'unmitigated ass.'"
I smiled and commended him, "Quite clever," for quoting one of my favorite lines from the latest film version of Pride and Prejudice that I had made him sit through when I was sick.
More seriously, he stated, "The hawk is for our Eyrie conversations, which I cherish greatly."
I was a little choked up about that, but managed, "Me too. And the lion?"
He smiled impishly again, "You called me your 'black lion' once in your sleep."
"Did not!" I denied. I supported this claim by arguing, "I never talk in my sleep!"
"You do at least when you are sick," he taunted, with a smidgeon of sympathy.
"Oh dear," I mumbled, embarrassed.
"Do I get to hear your story on that?"
So I told him, and at the end he chuckled, saying, "That's a pretty tall order, filling Aslan's shoes, but I would be honored."
Then he kissed me.
It started off slow and light with a mixture of tenderness and teasing, but then it changed. Romance novels frequently compare kisses such as these as a slow burn that flares into raging inferno of heat and passion. But for me, all I could think of – well, besides his cool, hard, and very insistent lips – was a river. I was caught in a current of emotion that pulled me down and down and around until I had no way of knowing which way was up, and I particularly didn't want to. His fingers were entangled in my hair, and mine in his. And that's all that I could tell you of where we began and ended; we were so tightly fused together.
I eventually became too passionate, reaching his threshold for vampiric self-control, and he had to pull away. He didn't scold me, however. He merely sheepishly breathed, "Merry Christmas," before grabbing my hand so we could rejoin the family.
That was a good day.
AN: Christmas in May fluff, I know, but... no, nevermind. You'll have to wait and see ; )
Next Chapter - Yin Yang and Doubts