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Chapter Thirty-Three
Bella
As Rose and I drove towards Esme's, Christmas presents in the back of her truck, we sang along… loudly… to the radio.
"I wish it could be Christmas every day!"
We were very out of tune, both of our faces red from the cold air outside and then the warm arm from the blowers inside the truck and we both had large smiles across our faces.
"Do you remember that one Christmas when we were convinced that we saw Santa on the roof?" I asked and Rose nodded.
We'd been living with Grandpa for a few months and he was determined to make this Christmas one of the best ones we had ever had. He'd taken us to the local mall where we'd gotten presents and a picture with Santa before we stopped for a hot chocolate and a brownie. When we got back home, Rose and I were convinced that we had seen Santa on the roof. We'd rushed inside, only to realise there were no presents. Grandpa had told us we had probably interrupted Santa and we should both go to bed right away so that he could continue. He'd tucked us up and when we awoke the next morning, Christmas presents were scattered across the living room - one pile for Rose and another for me.
"Do you remember when you found out Santa wasn't real - but you refused to believe it?" Rose asked.
"He is real!" I told her. "He's the spirit of Christmas!"
I loved Christmas. It was probably my favourite holiday of all time. Our house decorations showed that. As Emmett put it, it looked like Christmas had 'thrown up' over the house. There was a large tree in the living room, stretching from floor to ceiling with large bushy branches that held an array of baubles. I didn't care for a theme so any colour bauble, any shape and any size were welcome. There was a small train track around the tree that I had loved to play with as a child and on every surface possible there was some kind of Christmas ornament. Every other room (excluding Grandpa's old bedroom) had been decorated. I had gel clings in my window and a small tree with lights on next to my bed. Rose had a small tree in her room as well as some mistletoe hanging from the door - Emmett's doing.
Even the outside of the house had been decorated. Rose and I had roped Edward and Emmett into helping. With two vampires, decorating a two-storey house suddenly became much easier. It only took them a few minutes to dangle the lights from the roof.
Emmett had rolled his eyes when he saw just how many boxes of Christmas decorations we had. I'd wondered why he had been so surprised but Rose admitted that last year she didn't really celebrate as I hadn't been there. I was determined to make this Christmas better for her.
Rose pulled the truck to a stop outside Esme's small home and we got out, each grabbing an armful of presents.
The door opened and Esme hurried us in, giving us a hand with the presents followed by a wide smile and a hug.
Everybody else had got there before we had. The vampires had all arrived in the early hours of the morning, meaning they could spend Christmas with us. Even Jasper and Jessica had come over.
Merry Christmas's were exchanged all aroundit and hugs were passed around until I found myself in Edward's arm with a glass of wine in one hand as the other wrapped around his waist.
"Merry Christmas, Bella," he whispered into my ear, pressing a kiss to my temple before I pulled him down for a 'proper' kiss. He smiled against my lips.
"Dinner will be ready in about an hour," Esme told us, wiping her hands on the apron she had around her waist before she smiled down at Ethan.
He'd gotten quite an array of presents for Christmas, but his favourite by far was the wooden train track that Santa had brought him.
Last year he had been too young to really enjoy everything and he seemed to be embracing everything this year.
Rose and I had gotten a quick wave and a 'hi' before he went back to pushing the wooden locomotive around the track, giggling at his own imagination.
"Is there anything we can do to help, Esme?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No thanks, Bella." She placed a hand on Carlisle's shoulder who was sat down in an armchair. "Carlisle prepared all of the vegetables last night." She smiled at him and he beamed right back.
"Is Maude going to be eating with us?" Edward asked, his fingers gently stroking my waist through my shirt.
"No - she's having Christmas dinner with her church group and then she'd going to come round as she'd got some present to give Ethan."
"More presents?" Ethan asked from the floor, his eyes lit up and he looked so happy.
"Yes, baby. Auntie Maude is going to come round and give you a few gifts."
"Yay!" He threw his hands up in the air and giggled, his attention focused back on his train.
Jessica sidled up to our little group, many small pink bags in her hands. "I know the adults are meant to do presents after dinner but I wanted to give mine to you know - you might not want an audience."
Edward and I shared a look. Audience?
As we got ourselves seated around the living room, Jessica handed each of us, women, a small pink bag filled with tissue paper. "I hope you like them - it's sort of a gift to you and your partners. They're all the same, just different colours."
Esme reached into her bag first, began to pull whatever it was out and then turned bright pink before shoving the item back in the bag. "Jessica!" she chastised. "Why would you buy me this?"
"Mama, you okay?" Ethan asked obviously having heard her voice go up a few octaves.
"I'm fine, sweetheart," she told him, but her face was still bright pink.
I reached into my bag, Edward peering over my shoulder and pulled out a string of fabric; it was lacy and black and my face too turned pink.
"Is that-" Edward reached for the material and I smacked his hand away.
Rose had done the same as me and she gasped, Emmett desperately trying to grab the bag from her.
"Seriously - what is your problem?" she asked Jessica. She paused. "How did you even know our sizes?"
Jessica shrugged. "It's a gift."
"What is it?" Nessie asked, pulling the material out the bag and staring at it like it was a piece of alien tech. Hers was a dark shade of purple.
"A crotchless thong," Jessica told her mater of factly.
Nessie's face flushed and she squeaked, shoving the offending material back in the bag and looking around the room.
"Why would you buy us…" Esme trailed off and her eyes went to Ethan on the floor. "Crotchless thongs…" she whispered, "as Christmas presents?"
"Why not?"
"Because it's inappropriate!" Rose told her. Next to her, Emmett had gotten ahold of her bag and was grinning at the underwear inside.
"It's not just for you," Jessica stressed. "It's also for your boyfriends." As if that made it any better.
"I don't think it will fit Emmet," Rose said to her sarcastically. The corner of Jessica's mouth turned upwards. She was amused.
"Thank you for the gift Jessica, but I don't think I'll get much use out of it." Esme's face was still a shade of pink.
"Speak for yourself," Carlisle spoke. "I've always wanted a crotchless thong," he lowered his voice. "When an emergency comes into the hospital I've always thought that having lace underwear on might help me deal with it better."
Silence enveloped the room, bar the sound of Ethan's train on its tracks before raucous laughter burst from us all.
After dinner, we all sat around and the adults exchanged presents. Jake had made a bracelet for Nessie. It was woven out of red thread and a wooden wolf hung from the centre of it. The tips of his ears turned pink when she kissed his cheek and demanded he put it on her. Nessie had gotten Jake a beer hamper with a variety of different drinks in it. Carlisle had gotten Esme some vouchers for a spa day. "You do so much for everyone; you deserve some time to yourself," were his words (I may have 'awed' when he said them). Esme had gotten Carlisle a beautiful brown leather briefcase with his initials inscribed onto it. She encouraged him to open it and when he did there was a sweet picture of himself and Esme and Ethan taken only a few weeks ago when they were at the bar. He'd beamed at her and placed a kiss on her cheek. Emmett had handed Rose an envelope and when she looked inside her mouth dropped and she stared at him. "You're kidding right?" He'd shaken his head and she let out a squeal before tackling him back against the sofa. Emmett had gotten her a day pass at a racecar driving experience centre. She'd always wanted to do something like that but never looked into it herself. Emmett gave me a wink over her shoulder - when he'd first had the idea, Emmett had asked me what I thought about it and I encouraged him to buy it. I knew she would love it. Emmett and I had found common ground in our love for Rose. We'd both do anything for her. And when he was her… he was different - in a good way.
Rose hadn't been sure what to get Emmett for Christmas. From my own experience of trying to figure out what to get Edward I knew it was difficult - what do you buy for a vampire that had everything? Esme, Rose and I had sat down with our lists, none of them very long as we tried to narrow down what exactly to get our boyfriends. It had taken a few hours.
In the end, Rose had decided to go with a jokey present. It was that or lingerie and Rose didn't want him opening the lingerie in front of everyone.
Emmett unwrapped the present and opened the box, letting out a loud laugh when he saw what was inside. Jasper's eyebrow quirked up and I could see that even Jessica was interested.
Emmett reached in and pulled out a large fake crown. It was gold with red fabric and lots of (fake diamonds) glittering on top of it.
"Now you really can be a King, with your throne and crown." He reached across and kissed her, still laughing.
Realising it was my turn, I nervously cleared my throat and handed Edward the small parcel I had delicately wrapped for him a few days ago.
"It's nothing big," I told him. "You're really difficult to buy for."
Edward pulled off the colourful wrapping paper and to my delight, his beautiful smile graced his face.
I'd brought him a bound leather manuscript book for him to write down all of his songs that he had composed on the piano. I'll admit that I didn't come up with this idea myself. I'd gone to Nessie and asked for inspiration. She's suggested something for his piano and the idea came from that.
"I love it," he leaned across and kissed me gently on the lips, smiling. "Now can I give you your present?"
I nodded.
From across the small room, I watched as Nessie beamed at me, sitting up straighter in her chair and a glint of something in her eye. Jake rubbed his hand over his face, trying and failing to conceal a smile and Rose grabbed onto Emmett's arm.
I turned to look back at Edward, but my heart skipped a beat when he was no longer sat next to me but rather on one knee in front of me on the floor.
"Isabella Maria Swan," he began. He pulled a small black box out of his jean pocket and opened the lid, revealing one of the most beautiful rings I had ever seen. There was a large oval, beset with diamonds in the middle of a silver band. It was stunning.
"Will you marry me?"
Well, there it is folks. The end of Out of the Coffin: The Coven. In true SM fashion, I have decided to end on a cliffhanger and you'll find out Bella's answer in the next instalment of Out of the Coffin. I'm still deciding on a name but I hope to have it published sometime in January - probably towards the end, but we'll see. Make sure you have me an author alert so you know when the next instalment will be posted. Teasers will probably be posted on my Tumblr and my website so be sure to check them out. I haven't decided if I'm going to be making the banner for the next part of this story so if you or anyone you know makes banners and would be interested, please let me know.
Thank you for all your support over this journey. I really can't thank you all enough. Not just the people who have commented but also the people who read it, liked it, recommended it or added me and this story to their favourites. I never thought when I started this journey I would have a series out of this idea. I couldn't have come this far without your support - so thank you. You're reviews and comments and messages keep me motivated.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and you're all going to have a Happy New Year. If you don't celebrate than have a good December and I hope to see you all in January.
Thank you - truly.