A/N: So sorry for the delay my lovelies! Please enjoy
As always - Charlaine Harris owns all
Chapter 19 – SPOV
The first couple of days without Eric were hard. I cried a lot and ate a ton of ice cream trying to fill the hole, I kept telling myself that I was over reacting, that no-one had died so I shouldn't be feeling this… grief… for want of a better word.
I wrapped my spare pillow in the t-shirt he wore while he was here; his scent soothed me and helped me to remember that he was real. Gran and Amelia were supportive, gave me lots of hugs, advice and tissues. The main thing that kept me sane though was his scent; it reminded me that he had been here and that he would be back.
I put together a little care package for Eric after a couple of days and sad phone calls. I felt like a complete dork, but I knew that if I was feeling like this he was sure to be as well. When he rang to say thank you I was ecstatic and my stomach gave a little flip when he told me he slept with the pillow I had sent him. He didn't think I was a loser… Woohoo!
Exams had driven me mad… more than usual. Study cut into our time together so we couldn't talk for long, both of us being exhausted. We were both excited when the exams were over and Christmas break was starting.
I just loved Christmas time so much that after helping Gran and Amelia decorate the house, I would decorate my room as well; I had a little Christmas tree of my own set up in the corner, fairy lights around the windows and decorations all over the walls. I knew it was silly, but it was just such a nice time of year and no-one would think anything of a twenty something woman getting a photo with Santa… or that's what I told myself anyway.
I was nervous at the thought of meeting Eric's Mom Alexis and Pam, despite his frequent assurances that they would love me, and I was embarrassed to realize how bad I was at receiving gifts. It wasn't until he pointed it out that I considered how rude it would seem to people who didn't know my history. I hoped that I wouldn't embarrass myself or my family by saying the wrong thing to Pam, knowing that she was sharp and sarcastic wasn't helping at all.
"Just take anything Pam says with a pinch of salt" Eric said soothingly "If you aren't sure if she's joking or not, she probably is, and if she isn't then she'll rephrase the question"
"I don't want to embarrass you" I said "I don't want to be the 'redneck hick' I want her to think well of me. Your Mom too…"
"I promise, they already love you" he smiled "You've made me happy and that's the thing that they were most worried about"
"You're easy to keep happy" I laughed "A cushion sprayed with perfume and a couple of photos… whoopee!"
Eric laughed and shook his head "You have no idea how many of my ex girlfriends used to try and play head games with me. You're the only one that has made me happy enough for them to notice. They want to meet you, they're just as nervous as you are"
"Sure sure" I said with a chuckle "I'll bet you say that to all the girls"
"Only the ones I want to marry" he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye
"Hush you" I said flushing hotly "Don't change the subject"
"It's not changing the subject!" he protested "It's stating the facts" he laughed as my face turned another three different shades of red before I could get myself under control.
"What's your favorite cookie?" I asked, out of the blue, changing the subject before he could embarrass me further
"There's this really great cookie that Mom makes, it's not really that big here, but it's called an Anzac" he said with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, pretending to drool "it's coconut and rolled oats and molasses and just… yum. Nice topic change by the way, very smooth."
"I thought so..." I said with a laugh "We're cooking most of the day Christmas eve so I thought I would make something up just for you"
"I'll email you the recipe" he said with a grin "can't wait for you to try them, I'm sure they'll be a favorite for you too."
I loved cooking, not so much the cleaning up afterwards, but making up big batches of cookies was fun. Gran would take them around to her DGD friends for Christmas presents and we would always make extra so there was something to snack on while we were home for the holiday break.
I made up a test batch of Eric's cookies the next day; they smelt divine and tasted awesome. I think I might have to add a new recipe to the recipe box. Even Gran agreed they were tasty and she was pretty set in her ways when it came to cookies.
Christmas Eve arrived and with it the excitement of the coming day and the knowledge that I wouldn't get the best present until the day afterward. Eric, Pam and his Mom, Alexis were flying in the day after Christmas so we had spent all morning freshening up the spare rooms and getting everything ready for them.
"When are Eric and his family getting in?" Gran asked as we prepared the kitchen for our baking marathon
"Late afternoon the day after Christmas" I replied "they're renting a car and driving down from Shreveport"
"Oh good, they'll be able to get out and about without having to wait for us" she smiled setting everything up on the table
"There's not that much to see around here Gran" I laughed
"Yes, I know that, but they might want to… get their nails done or… something" she said flapping her hand as if confused by the idea, although I knew for a fact that Gran loved her manicures just as much as the next girl.
"Ohhhh… so that's what you got them for Christmas" I teased "Manicures at Tara's?"
"Well…" she said defensively "It'd be a good bonding experience"
"Uh huh" I laughed "And what may I ask is Eric going to do while we're all at Tara's getting our nails done?"
"Well I don't know, I guess you'll have to think of something… you're not coming" she said poking her tongue out at me.
"I'm not?" I asked, slightly shocked at the fact I wasn't invited and that my grandmother had just poked her tongue out at me
"Well, I thought you'd like some alone time" Gran said with a sly smile
"Gran!" I yelped, my mind leaping to all sorts of things that I really hoped she wasn't thinking of.
"Just remember… no glove, no love" Amelia whispered as she passed by
"Amelia!" I hissed as I turned a lovely shade of watermelon
"You'll want to catch up and all without us here" Gran said innocently "I can't imagine it would be easy to get a conversation going with his Momma and sister here"
"We talk all the time Gran" I said still blushing "There isn't that much to catch up on."
"So then when are you getting married?" she asked bluntly
"Huh? I…we… I don't know!" I stammered
"Well, try and make it soon, I want some great grandbabies to spoil" she laughed and passed me the stack of mixing bowls
"Auntie Amelia… hmm, it does have a nice ring to it." Amelia chimed in
I had reached my threshold of shame and hid my face in my hands while my cheeks turned cherry red and my grin threatened to set in place.
I only half listened as Gran and Amelia listed all the things we would be cooking up this afternoon. I was in shock that Gran had asked so bluntly about my future with Eric. I knew he wanted to marry me, but who knew when that would be.
I managed to get through the cooking without making any major mistakes, bar one where I had been just about to add a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar; thankfully I caught myself just in time. My mind kept drifting to Eric and although the peanut butter cookies were now peanut butter and chocolate chip, at least they were edible and I could pass it off as an intentional addition.
Four hours later we had baked goods covering every flat surface in the kitchen, making the house smell heavenly. I wished there was a way to get the smell of cookies straight out of the oven without the cookies. I knew I would be going back to LSU with my jeans a little bit tighter than when I left, but I couldn't bring myself to care, I loved my food.
Christmas dawned and I woke up and ran downstairs to the tree just like when I was a little kid, making as much noise as possible and waking everyone up. Jason obviously wasn't with us yet so my first stop was the phone.
"Mrrffu"
"Jason! Jase it's Christmas! Get your butt over here now! Now now now nooow!" I yelled into the phone
"Sook? What the hell… it's only…six am" Jason groaned "go back to sleep… I'm begging you."
"Jaaaase" I whined "I thought my big brother would love me more…"
"Low blow snotface" he sighed
"Yay! I'll get the coffee ready, see you in ten butthead!" I squeaked and slammed the phone into the cradle before he could protest any further.
After I set the coffee to run through the filter I ran back upstairs to jump on my almost sister.
"Ame… Ame… Ame… Ame… Ame…Ame…" I said bouncing on her bed with each yelp of her name
"If you don't get off me right now I'm going to hex you" the pillow growled at me
"Get up… get up… get up… get up" I said poking her in the butt area
"Sookieeeeee" the covers sobbed "Please… I love you, but fuck off"
"Pleeeeeease" I whimpered, making sad puppy whiny noises
"FINE!" Amelia yelled, flipping the covers back "I'm up… now get out before I kill you"
"Yay! Coffee's on!" I said and blew her a kiss on the way out the door. I think she threw a shoe at me, but I was too happy to care
I bounced back down the stairs and knocked on Gran's door before walking in and snuggling into her bed.
"Morning Gran" I whispered "Merry Christmas!"
"Morning Sookie" she chuckled "Why are you bothering to whisper? I think you might have woken the dead with the noise you made this morning"
"Well… you might have had your ear plugs in" I laughed "Or is my snoring not so bad this time?"
"It's not as loud" she said sitting up in bed and pulling me into a hug
"Oh thank goodness" I gasped happily "I've been reducing the strength of the meds I'm on so I was hoping, but I wasn't sure…"
"Well it's not anywhere near as bad now" she said with a chuckle "Maybe Eric won't need his Christmas present after all"
"Huh? You bought him earplugs? That's mean!" I laughed
"Well it might be a little mean to you, but it's a mercy to him!" she laughed shuffling out of bed and into her slippers and robe "Now into the kitchen and help me with breakfast"
Jason showed up halfway through the breakfast preparations and stuck his cold fingers against my neck in retaliation for getting him up so early. I stuffed his mouth with a hot pancake and called it even. Amelia joined us soon afterward and in no time we were cleaning up the dishes and getting ready to open presents.
Gran played Santa this year and passed out the gifts from under the tree; a sweater, a pair of tiny sapphire stud earrings and a Borders gift certificate later I was happily digging into a tray of Godiva chocolates and trying to justify keeping them to myself.
I gave in to my better nature and shared around the heaven in a box, Jason and Gran moved into the kitchen to get started on lunch/dinner and Amelia and I settled into the couch, covering our knees with an old quilt and hugged each other thank you for our gifts.
"So, y'all are going to Cali on the thirtieth?" Amelia asked with a mouth full of peanut brittle
"Yeah, we'll be heading out after you leave for New Orleans." I replied.
"Wish I was going with you guys" she huffed "I hate these fundraiser things that the parents drag me to. If they were interested in half of those things they'd be better parents."
"If they were better parents…I wouldn't have a sister" I reasoned with a cheeky grin "What about you come up to Ithaca with me when I visit later?"
"Oooh!" she squeaked, her eyes lighting up "Trey would be there… count me in!"
"Things are going well for the two of you?" I asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.
She nodded and smiled shyly "I didn't realize how much I relied on the physical aspect of my other relationships. It's so different with Trey because we don't have the option"
"You have to be a lot more honest with yourself and him to be able to make it worthwhile" I agreed "Skype makes it easier because you don't have to rely as much on the words, but communication is the big part of it, rather than just the physical"
"I like that I'm getting to know him properly and that he's getting to know me… I like that Trey is interested in the mind behind all of this…" she laughed and gestured to her rather ample chest "I guess I never really bothered telling anyone else about myself… I think that deep down I knew they wouldn't really care."
"I'm glad you found each other" I said, pulling her into another hug.
"Me too" she mumbled into my shoulder "thanks for that."
"Anytime…" I laughed "Just name your first born after me"
"Sookie!" she squeaked, flushing pink "Shhh."
"So you can tease me about safe sex, but I can't allude to the possibility of children? Double standards Ames!" I laughed and she hit me with a cushion.
Gran and Jason came back from the kitchen with bowls of popcorn and we settled in to watch our traditional Christmas movie, Miracle on 34th Street. We had watched it so many times that we could almost recite it word for word.
Gran passed around the Kleenex as the end credits rolled…
"It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, the end of this movie always makes me tear up" Amelia huffed as she wiped her eyes.
"Everyone wants a happily ever after Ames" I said hugging her tight
"I need grilled cheese" she replied, getting up and going into the kitchen.
I followed soon afterward and helped cook up a mess of grilled sandwiches. It was a cheese fest and they smelt so good I couldn't wait for them to cool, burning my tongue.
"Sucker!" Amelia laughed "you always do that!"
"Shhh" I hissed and grabbed for some cold water… ouch.
We carried the plate of sandwiches into the living room along with small plates for everyone to use as they ate. After settling in to the couch again we started up the next Christmas Traditional movie, Meet me in St. Louis.
Jason was snoring soon after it started; he was never one for musicals although he loved music. Amelia, Gran and I sang along quietly to the songs and they laughed at me as I fussed at the TV when the father, Mr. Smith, was making decisions that affected the whole family without asking them what they thought.
"That always makes me mad" I huffed
"It's just the way it was then!" Gran said "It may not have been the way women wanted it, but it was the way it was"
"Well then thank the Lord that I'm living in the here and now!" I replied angrily "If anyone tried to dictate my life to me like that I'd kick them into the middle of next year"
"Uh, Sook" Amelia said softly "You realize that's what the douche was doing right?"
"Yes, but now I know better. I've grown, I have more worldly experience, I'm more confident… that's my story and I'm sticking to it" I said huffily, crossing my arms.
"I'm just glad he's out of your life" Gran said, pulling me into a hug "Eric is a good man, I like him… I never liked the others."
"You're always a good judge of character Gran, I should have listened to you more" I said planting a kiss on her cheek "Now shush, I'm watching"
Gran cuffed me on the back of the head and with a little chuckle settled back into her seat and we watched the rest of the story unfold. Although we knew it well, we never got sick of watching it.
Jason woke up just as Judy Garland started singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' and little 'Tootie' started crying…
"Jason… are you crying?" Amelia asked with a snicker
"No!" he replied gruffly "I've just got somethin' in my eye is all" he added, scrubbing at said eye and sniffing
I hugged him tight and ruffled his hair "Awww, it's ok Jasey pooh"
Amelia and I flopped on top of him squishing him to pieces until he started tickling us to get us to move, he didn't stop until we begged for mercy and apologized.
We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing, playing cards and swapping do you remembers. I loved Christmas more and more every year and couldn't wait to share it with my own children.
Dinner was fantastic and we ate until we were stuffed. Honey and ginger glazed ham, turkey in gravy, baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, fresh bread and cranberry sauce. I was so full I was starting to feel sick, but I couldn't stop myself from having just a little more of Gran's glazed ham… maybe I'll just get some new jeans when I go back to LSU.
Amelia and I cleaned up and put away the leftovers, not that there were too many. Gran had another ham to cook up tomorrow for everyone so we had only had a small one today. Between Jason and the rest of us there was just enough left for a few sandwiches and that's about all
Jason took his leave, promising to be back for breakfast tomorrow morning. Gran, Amelia and I did a quick clean up so that everything would be looking good, although it always did, I couldn't help but be a little nervous about what Eric's family would think of our little home.
We had decided on Christmas eve that we wouldn't be calling each other tonight, he would need to get a good night's sleep, and it would add to the excitement of seeing each other tomorrow, not that either of us were lacking in excitement. I couldn't get my brain to shut down and barely got any sleep.
I woke up before the sun the next day with a huge grin on my face. Eric is coming!