Chapter 11: Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 25
Maura couldn't help but nuzzle further into Jane's body when she felt herself waking up. She didn't want this moment to end – their first morning waking up as a couple, their first full day together.
"Mornin'," Jane murmured, wrapping her arms tighter around Maura.
"Merry Christmas, Jane," Maura whispered.
Jane smiled. "Merry Christmas," Jane replied. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Maura said quietly. "I want to stay like this forever."
"Mmm, sounds good to me," Jane said. "But I think your parents might notice if we're missing on Christmas."
Maura giggled softly. "I guess so," she replied.
They quickly got ready for the day after realizing they had stayed in bed longer than they should have. After breakfast, Maura, Jane, Constance, and Arthur moved to the sitting room. They sat on the two couches closest to the Christmas tree. Constance smiled to herself when she noticed how close Maura sat next to Jane when she sat down.
"Did you girls enjoy yourselves last night?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, we had a wonderful time, father," Maura replied.
"I had a great time," Jane added. "Thank you both so much for inviting me."
"We're glad you could come," Constance said.
"The food was amazing; the decorations were amazing; honestly, everything was amazing," Jane said. "And I loved meeting all of your family, Constance."
"You made quite the impression," Constance said with a laugh.
Jane laughed nervously. "I hope I made a good impression," Jane said.
"You did," Constance assured her. "They loved you."
Jane blushed slightly at Constance's words, but she appreciated the reassuring squeeze Maura gave her hand.
Deciding to change the topic before Jane became truly uncomfortable, Constance asked, "What do you girls have planned for the rest of this week?"
"We don't have any concrete plans, but I was thinking of taking Jane to Zurich on Friday," Maura said. "The weather looks like it will be decent for driving and walking around the city."
"That sounds wonderful," Arthur said. "You must visit the Christmas markets."
"Yes, we plan to," Maura said. "I'd also like to take Jane to one of the museums, but I'm not sure which one to choose since we only have one day."
"Well, Kunsthaus Zurich, the Museum of Art, is always a good option, as is the Museum Rietberg. If you prefer history over art, I would suggest the Landesmuseum, which is the national museum of Switzerland. There are also a number of specialty museums in Zurich ranging from the Wow Museum, which is full of illusions to multiple train museums," Arthur explained. "What type of museum would you prefer?" he asked Jane.
"Oh, I'm flexible, really," Jane said. "I'll go wherever Maura suggests."
"That's not very helpful," Maura teased Jane.
"You don't need to purchase tickets before you go for any of the museums, so you could always decide later," Constance said. "Just remember that you can use our memberships to most of the larger museums including Kunshaus Zurish, Museum Rietberg, and Landesmuseum."
"Thank you, mother," Maura said.
After talking a while longer about things to do in Zurich, Constance asked, "Why don't we exchange gifts now?"
"Oh, I left mine in the room," Jane said. "Can I run and get them?"
"Of course, dear," Constance said.
When Jane returned, she sat down next to Maura again. Constance handed Maura a small box before saying, "This is for both of you."
"Thank you," Maura and Jane said in unison.
Jane watched over Maura's shoulder while Maura unwrapped the box. Inside, they found a folder that included hotel reservation information and a number of brochures. Maura looked up at her mother in confusion.
"Your gift is a weekend trip to Geneva," Constance explained. "The reservation is currently for Sunday through Tuesday, but I made sure we could change the dates if those don't work for you."
"This is too much," Jane quickly said. "You've already been so generous hosting me here, I…this is too much."
"Don't be silly," Constance said with a wave of her hand. "You have to see Geneva while you're in Switzerland. Besides, of course we would give you both Christmas gifts."
"Th…than…thank you," Jane stuttered awkwardly.
"Thank you, mother, father," Maura added.
"I've also made dinner reservations," Constance added. "You don't have to keep them, but some of the restaurants are completely booked. I wanted you to at least have the option to dine at some of the best restaurants in Geneva."
"Thank you," Maura said again. "This is truly wonderful."
Maura turned to look at Jane and her expression melted Jane's heart. How could Jane deny that smile? She couldn't. She knew she couldn't argue that the gift was too much if it meant removing that expression from her girlfriend's face.
Jane returned Maura's smile before turning back to Constance and Arthur. "Thank you both so much," she said.
"I think you'll like Geneva," Arthur said. "It's a magnificent city. There is so much to see and do, and it's beautifully decorated this time of year."
Maura and Jane both gave Maura's parents the gifts they brought for them before the four adults spent the rest of the morning talking and catching up around the Christmas tree.
After a light lunch as a family, Maura and Jane retreated to their room for some time alone before the more formal Christmas dinner.
Jane sat down on the freshly made bed while Maura went to grab her iPad. "Do you want to take a look at the hotel and restaurants my parents reserved for us?" Maura asked.
"Do you want to look at the hotel and restaurants your parents reserved?" Jane teased Maura with a smirk, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," Maura answered as she joined Jane on the bed, ignoring the jab. She handed Jane the folder with the reservation information while she navigated to the internet and searched the hotel name.
"Oh, wow," Jane breathed when the website for the hotel opened. "That's beautiful."
"It is," Maura agreed.
Jane looked back at the confirmation page she was holding. "Can you look up room types?" she asked.
"Yes," Maura said as she typed in the room type listed on the page.
"Holy crap," Jane exclaimed. "That room is insane."
To Jane's surprise, Maura started laughing uncontrollably. Looking at her girlfriend in confusion as she nearly rolled off the bed laughing, Jane asked, "What has gotten into you?"
Trying to catch her breath, Maura said through her laughter, "My mother booked us a romantic getaway."
"Okay, but why is that so funny?" Jane asked, still confused.
"Jane, look at the date on the confirmation page. When did my mother make the reservations?" Maura asked, still laughing slightly.
"A few weeks ago," Jane answered. Then her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, your mother booked us a romantic weekend vacation before we were dating."
Maura nodded with a huge smile on her face. "I can't quite believe I'm saying this, but I think my mother has been playing matchmaker. Think about it," Maura said. "First she invites you to our family Christmas."
"Yes, but you come to my family Christmas every year," Jane tried to reason, not quite convincing herself.
"In Boston," Maura emphasized. "Then, once we're here she put us in a room with one bed. This house is huge. While I definitely prefer to share a room with you, I completely expected that she would give you your own room."
"There were a lot of people here, though, for Christmas Eve," Jane said.
"True, but technically, you were the guest. Her hosting instincts should have dictated that you would be prioritized. Besides, even if we really had to share a room because there weren't enough rooms, there are rooms with more than one bed. She did this on purpose. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but it's still funny. She even positioned us closer together for the photos. And to top it off, she gave us a romantic trip for our combined Christmas gift."
Jane laughed. "This seems more like something my mother would do," she said.
"I wonder who else is in on her little plan?" Maura said. "Maybe your mother knew," she continued. "I wonder if my father knows?"
"He probably does," Jane said. "I mean, how could he not notice that they gave us a trip for Christmas."
Maura didn't answer; she was still thinking through all the possibilities. Part of her felt like she should be annoyed with her mother, but if she was honest with herself, it mostly made her feel loved. Her mother had rarely paid attention to her romantic relationships in the past, but now it seemed like not only was she paying attention, but she actually wanted this for Maura, wanted Jane for Maura.
"We will just have to ask them," Maura stated simply.
"Uh, Maur," Jane said laughing. "I'm not sure if that's a great idea."
"Oh, I'm definitely asking them," Maura said. "But maybe we could have a little fun with them first?"
Jane could see the excited glint in Maura's eyes. "What exactly do you have in mind?" she asked.
"I'm not 100% sure, but I think she needs to get a taste of her own medicine," Maura said mischievously.
Jane snorted, "Really? A taste of her own medicine?"
"Be nice," Maura said, giving Jane a light shove, but this turned out to be a mistake when Jane pounced on her pinning her to the bed tickling her. Maura squealed in response. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes from the laughter. Eventually, Jane had to stop when both of them were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
After catching her breath, Maura rolled into Jane's side, laying her head on Jane's shoulder, and wrapping her arm around her waist. "I'm glad it worked," she whispered.
Jane smiled. "I think we were heading towards this all along," Jane said quietly. "But I'm happy too if your mother's plan helped us along."
"I know I've wanted more with you for a while now," Maura said. "I just never thought you would feel the same way."
"I was scared of my feelings," Jane admitted. "But I've loved you for a long time. I also didn't think you felt the same way about me."
The spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in their room, just enjoying each other's company, before they had to get ready for Christmas dinner. Maura still wanted to come up with a plan to tease her parents, but she decided to wait until after Christmas. There would still be plenty of time over the next week.
They enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner with Maura's parents. After dinner, the four of the retired to the game room and played cards while enjoying drinks and Christmas cookies for the rest of the evening. Maura and Jane went to bed together happy again that night, both looking forward to what the future would bring.