Chapter eight:
Eric and I forgot to lock the bedroom door when we went to bed. We pay for that mistake, when we are woken up at dawn by an over- excited Alcide. He runs in and jumps on our bed, like a six year old.
"Come on guys, it's Christmas!" he whines. "You are acting like two old fuddy duddies. Eric, Sook, presents, now." He chants. I look at Eric and stretch. We tell him we will be down in a few minutes. I throw on a pair of jeans and a vee-neck sweater. Eric walks into the closet and comes out, wearing a similar outfit. I giggle and walk down the stairs. He jogs down and shakes his camera at me, winking. I wrap some cinnamon rolls in foil and heat them up. We eat breakfast and sit down in front of the tree.
"Who wants to go first?" Godric asks rubbing his hands together. I laugh at the look of fake greed on his face. Freyda gets up and hands me a present. "Here you go, honey. From Godric and I." I carefully open the paper. There is a black velvet box sitting in my hand. I look around nervous to open it. I push back the lid and gasp, in the case there is a silver necklace with a heart pendant. "Thank you, it is gorgeous! Eric, can you put on me please?" I lift my hair up. He opens the clasp and loops the necklace around my neck. He kisses my nape after fastening it.
"My turn." I hop up. I hand a long box to Godric. He looks up at me in surprise and lightly shakes the box. "Just tear into it, it's only wrapping paper." He does with relish. Lifting the lid to the box, he looks over at me and narrows his eyes. "I know how much these cost, are you sure?" I nod and smile. "Well then, thank you." He smiles and lifts the coat out. Freyda gasps. "I was waiting until after the holidays to get you one, honey." Godric then sees the two flannel shirts under the coat. "Sookie, you are too much to be true."
Godric gets up and hands presents to both of the boys. They turn out to be a pair of muck boots. From their reactions I could tell they were needed by both. Both guys thank their parents. It was sort of sweet it hear them speak in unison. I motion to Eric to get his camera ready, I hand Alcide one of his presents, it turned out to be the bust. He cracked a smile at the paper, and then asked me who it was.
"You've got to be kidding me! Mister kid in an adult's body doesn't know Perry the Platypus. He is from Phineas and Ferb. Just unwrap the present, Alcide." Which he does. "Oh, cool its Michael Myers! Thanks Sook!" He snatches me up, out of Eric's arms and spins me around. When he sets me down again, Eric is waiting with a present for me. Its DVD shaped. I rip the paper off to see its 27 Dresses. I laugh. "Thank you, baby. I love it." I kiss his cheek. I jump up to get him his DVD. "So, the plaid is mine, huh?" He chuckles as he opens it. "Hey, Cowboy Way. I've wanted to see this. Thanks babe."
Alcide gets up and hands one to his mother. "Oh Alcide, thank you." Tears well up in her eyes when she opens a Pandora bracelet, with five birthstones on it. When she counts and looks at him in confusion, he smiles at me before he speaks. "Sookie was born in April, The diamond is hers." He had called me while I was still home and asked my birthstone. "Of course yours would be the expensive one, Sis." He griped when I told him April. "Oh, that makes it all the more special. All three of my kids." I smile at being included.
I have not given a present to Freyda yet, so I hand her the pearl set. She starts crying again. "That is so pretty. Thank you." Alcide laughs at his shirts. He gives me $100 gift card to Bath and Bodyworks. I jump into his lap and kiss him on the cheek and whisper in his ear
"Thanks, Eric will appreciate the new scents and the massage oil." His face turns beat red.
Eric hands me another gift. He sits and loops his arms around me, as I open it. It's a Pandora bracelet also. It's not as full as Freyda's but it's still very pretty. "Do you like it?" He asks. "Of course, thank you honey."
I hand Freyda her vase, which she loves. "I am going to think about where to put it. I usually leave the decorations up until after Jan.1st." I give Eric his belt and cds, all in one box. He kisses me and asks me about the three boxes in the tree. "Okay, I'll get them." I hand one to Alcide, Godric and Eric. "Honey, I wasn't fishing. I was just curious." I tell them to please open them at the same time. Freyda looks anxious. When I give the go ahead the guys rip into the paper.
"Holy God, Sookie." Alcide looks at the other gifts, I gave him.
"Sookie, that's $150. Thank you as I know you would not get it if you didn't want to." Godric says as his wife almost faints after looking.
"Sookie honey, this is too much. You've done enough already. You didn't even need to do as much as you've already done." Eric murmurs in my ear.
I laugh at them. Godric is right. He can already read me better than any of my family at home, aside from my grandmother. "Sorry Eric, but I'm not done yet." I pat his knee as he shakes his head. He stands and hands me another package. When I open it, it's a stack of wedding DVDs and another necklace. It's platinum, with a heart. It says 'My heart belongs to Eric.' "Thank you, baby! I love it! Yes it does!" I kiss him fully on the lips.
"Now if you'll excuse me." I get up and unwedge the big package from behind the tree. Freyda grins at me as I try to heft it. Alcide hops up to help me. "Geez, this is heavy, Sookie." he grunts. I hand Freyda her last present, while he carries the crate over to Eric.
"It should be." I bite out at him. We set it down in front of Eric. He squints up at me. "You've done enough."
"I bought this before anything else." I smirk at him.
He starts to unwrap it. He groans when he sees the logo of the saddle shop. "Are you out of you mind? Do you realize how much these cost?" He lifts the top off the crate. There sat a western saddle with his name tooled into the leather. I had his number from PBR tooled in also. He starts to tear up. "Thank you Sookie, really this is great! I love you." He pulls me into his arms and kisses me soundly. Then he pulls the saddle out, to show his family.
"Yes, Eric I do know how much they cost." I chuckle. "And babe, your welcome."
Godric and Alcide whistle at me. They reverently stroke the leather.
That night, after we say goodnight to the family and lock the door, Eric pounces. "You didn't need to spend all that money on us." He growls at me. I cringe back from him. I don't know if he's trying to be nice or is actually mad. I for the first time ever, purposely take a dip into someone's mind. He thinks that I spent all that money to make him and his family like me more. If he wants a fight, then he's got one.
"I didn't need to, but I wanted to. If you are thinking I was trying to buy all of your affections, you're wrong. Yes, I wanted your parents to like me, but like you said, Alcide already liked me. I thought your parents liked me before we went shopping. I'm sorry if I am generous to a fault. I finally have other people to buy for, not to mention a boyfriend.
If you're worried that I splurged on your family and skimped on mine, I got my father a new dishwasher. My brother got a brand new Wii and a dozen games. I got my sister five cookbooks, a set of cooking pots and a new sewing machine. My grandparents are going on a bus tour to Branson in April. I bought my uncle a new Black Lab."
The angry tears start welling up, maybe not in my eyes yet, but I can feel them coming. I grab my night clothes and head into the bathroom. I strip and start the shower. I hold onto my tears until I get in. I shampoo and wash with them streaming down my face. 'Great job Sookie. You drove him away. Now you're stuck in his house until you fly back.' My chest rips open with my sobs as I sink to the floor of the shower. I have never been in love before and now it's over. I am so wrapped up in crying that I don't hear him walk in and step into the shower. I jump when I feel his hand on my shoulder.
"Sookie, I'm soo sorry. I am such a jerk." He strokes my back. My body's response makes me cry even more. I just want him to take me in his arms, yet my mind is telling me that he is about to tell me to pack up and get out.
Eric pulls me up and lifts my chin to make me look him in the eye. "I am sorry baby, please forgive me. I'm not used to people doing that for me other than my family. I understand if you want to sleep alone tonight, I deserve it." He hangs his head, a tear trickles down his cheek. I sink into his chest and feel his arms wrap around me. He finally shuts the taps off. He picks me up and grabs a towel off the rack. He carries me into the bedroom and puts me down and rubs me dry with the towel. "I'll make this up to you for the rest of our lives." He swears softly into my ear, he lays me down on the bed.
"Please Eric, just get in bed and hold me. I kind of need to you to be here right now." I plead. "Of course, I'll be here as long as you need me to be. I'm sorry. Let me get your pajamas." He comes back quickly. I dress and climb into bed with him. He's as skittish as he was the first night I was here. I snuggle into his chest again, his arms wrap around me just as I'm falling asleep. "I hope I didn't push you away, I need you in my life. I love you, Sookie." I hear him whisper before he shut the light off.
In the morning, I wake up alone. I don't hear anything in the bathroom. I get dressed, depressed. My worst nightmare is coming true, either that or it's all been a dream. The only thing is I am still in Eric's bedroom. I look for a note, when I don't find one, I head down the stairs. This is a perfect day for some black coffee. I need to get my head straight. Freyda thanks me again for yesterday. I repeat the thanks as I pour some coffee for myself.
"Where are the guys?"
"Eric wanted to get an early start. He's been bull and thrashing since he got up two hours ago. What happened last night?"
"I really don't know. Once he closed the door"
'Oh, I love you Eric, but if you drove this girl away with your stubborn attitude, I will take you over my knee. I don't care if you are eighteen.'
Freyda stops me. "I know. We try to make the boys work for what they have. The only times they get special treatment is their birthday and Christmas. So, my boy accused you of trying to buying us huh?" I nod. "He apologized before we went to sleep."
"Make him work for it, Sook."
I told her I would think about it. I rinse out my cup and walk out to the stables. I find Eric easily. I jump up on the rails and watch him work with the horse. Every time he tries to get closer, the horse steps sideways and it almost limps. I drop to the ground and walk around the pen to get a closer look. When I get on the opposite side of the horse, I see what is wrong. The poor thing's forelock was stunted. I know they were trying to break it for a neighbor, as a favor.
I clear my throat softly. Eric looks over the horse's back at me. "Yes?" He grinds out. I let it go for now, he's under some pressure. 'Here it comes. "Eric, can you drive me to the airport. I had a nice time, but don't ever contact me again." I don't know how I will fix this.'
"Are you getting paid for breaking the horse?"
"No."
"Well, I hope your neighbors aren't really hoping to sell her as a riding horse." I see his father and brother walk toward the pen.
"What do you mean? Of course they are." He turns away. 'Dad is counting on me to do this. I am supposed to be the one with the magic touch with horses.' He berates himself. I climb the rails and jump over. I walk over, while shushing the horse. She is already nervous, she needs to be calmed. I grab the bridal and rub her nose, all the while looking her in the eye. Once she has calmed enough for me to focus on her issues, I let go and scrooch down to show him what I see.
"Her forelock muscle over here is stunted. She almost falls every time she sidesteps. If you tried to have anyone past the age of five ride her, she'll fall and rip it." Godric comes over to my side. I point it out to him.
"That son of a…" He whistles. He hops the rail, and feels up her leg. Eric comes around and looks also. "Eric call him up. Sook is right; this poor girl is in pain." He rubs the side of the horse down. "And pregnant." Eric heads off to the tack room to make the call, without a thank you or a look. I climb over the rails after Godric thanks me and sit on a bale of hay.
Alcide sits down with me, when he sees a tear fall down my cheek. "Hey, I know him best. He's beating himself up over something. I'm assuming it has something to do with you. You leave in a week, right?" I nod. "Let's go out tonight. Sam and Pam are coming down and wanted the three of us to go clubbing with them. Think you're up to it?" He hugs me when I agree. "He'll go just to keep the others away from you."
I take a walk around the ranch. I am visiting with the sheep, when Eric finds me. "I'm sorry if I was short with you earlier. I wasn't expecting you to be out here. You were right; she is in no shape to be ridden." He takes his hat off and wipes his brow before replacing it. "Alcide tell you about Sam and Pam?" I nod "Will you save me a dance tonight?" I shake my head this time. His face falls. "I understand." He starts to walk away. I stop him by grabbing his hand and dragging him into the barn. We climb to the hayloft to talk.
"I am only here because of and for you. Eric, I was planning on going with you, as your date. I'm your girlfriend aren't I still?" He nods before the rest of my words sink in. "Really?"
"Yes, you fool. I will even let you buy me dinner, if you want." He cheers up at that. "I was worried that you came out here to tell me to take you to the airport. How about we tell our friends and relation that we will meet them at the club? We'll go to dinner and talk about what to do about us and then dance the night away." He pulls me into his lap and kisses my cheek. "Of course, my brother will think I stole his date away, he'll have to deal with it, because you're mine." He laughs at the thought. "Thank God." He whispers and runs his nose up my neck. 'I am the luckiest man on earth.'
"Here's the bad news, I'm like a cat. I can climb up most things, but climbing back down is another thing entirely." He laughs again. "I'm not joking; you're going to have to help me down." He goes down a couple steps and waits for me. We climb down slowly. He jumps the last four steps and guides me down, holding my hips. I don't think it was necessary but it felt nice that he was touching me again.