The DuBois family were enjoying their Christmas supper when Thomas DuBios tapped his drink. Everyone brought their attention to him.

Tom was holding up the glass. "I want to dedicate this toast to my beautiful daughter and wife for preparing this delightful feast. I love you with all my heart." He said as Jazmine and Sarah smiled.

"And that wonderful grandson of mine, Sebastian. I love you and I'm extremely proud of you. To his lovely girlfriend Nina Freeman. I want to thank you for spending this Christmas with us and we hope you continue to in the future " Tom DuBois exclaimed as they shared a toast and everyone shared their appreciation.

"Thanks Grandpa, I love you more" Sebastian said how he stood to embrace Tom who cried in tears.

Nina was touched by it, she wasn't accustomed to seeing so much affection in one night. Her first impression of Sebastian's grandparents. There were the friendliest people she had ever met. She understood where Jazmine's personality came from. Like Jazmine, Tom DuBois was super sentimental, intelligent and cheerful. He seems very family oriented. He adored his wife. She could tell he was deeply in love with her. He was handsome with caramel skin and brown eyes. He had some wrinkles and grays, but he looked healthy for his age.

The grandmother, Sarah DuBois, resembled Jazmine the most. Even at her old age. She was gorgeous and dressed in elegance. She was a tall, short white-haired woman with blue eyes. She seemed like a very calm, collective person. By the way, she carried herself. Nina can say that she was organized and well-kept.

When dinner was complete, they moved into the living room. Where they played Christmas games and opened more presents.

Sebastian was under the impression that the time was perfect for his next move. He announced that he had a special gift that he wanted to share with Nina. He grabbed Nina's hand and led her to the front of the room with the fireplace next to the Christmas tree.

Nina stood in front of him as she watched him in confusion as he took out a huge gift box beneath the Christmas tree. Everybody laughed as they watched Nina open the gift box to reveal a new one. With each box, it opened. A a smaller sized box was revealed.

When Nina finally broke through the last box. It was about the size of her palm. Sebastian put his hand on the box and looked at Nina.

"They say the greatest gift you can offer to your loved one is unconditional love and acceptance. " He said nervously as Nina smiled. " But the greatest gift I've ever received was having you in my life.

"Awe baby" Nina said Sebastian went ahead.

"Nina, Since the day"

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need (and I)

Don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day

Jazmine's face turned red when the ringer on her phone went on, disturbing the moment. She panicked as she struggled to find her phone that played Mariah Carey's all i want for Christmas is you.

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

You, baby

Everyone looked at her as she finally found her phone. She laughed nervously, "Sorry," she said, without looking at the caller ID. She silenced her phone, turning it off completely.

"Hem!, Please continue! " Jazmine said, feeling embarrassed.

Nina covered her mouth to conceal her laugh.

Sebastian, who seemed quite annoyed, sighed deeply as he went on.

"Nina" he said her name one more time, but all of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

"Awe come on! " Sebastian complained,.

" Whoever's spoiling my son's moment is gonna get it! She was muttering angrily as she rushed to the door. She opened the door and, to her astonishment, it was Huey again.

"Hey," he said in a casual manner. She stared at her, secretly admiring how appealing she looked in her red sparkly cocktail dress.

Her eyes grew wider, he was so handsome dressed with sophistication. She remembered he had interrupted an important time and struck him in the shoulder.

"Huey, for Christ's sake!" said she, furious that he had come back unexpectedly.

"I attempted to call first. " He said, showing her that he had called twice.

She glanced up and sighed. "Oh, so why are you even here, you don't even like Christmas?" she asked.

"I don't , but I needed to have a word with you again," he lied. He just wanted to see her.

"Well, you have terrible timing, Freeman!" she said. "Sebastian's is just about to pop the question!" She whispered the last part.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shit, I forgot, look I'll just give you a call tonight. There are some things I want to discuss with you" He didn't want to witness something he didn't support.

"Oh no you don't," she said, dragging his arm forcing him inside.

"You're not missing this moment! " She whispered.

"You mean the moment our kids make the biggest mistake of their lives, I think not, "he whispered back, turning to leave.

She tugged his arm again. "Don't get so irrational," she murmured.

"I'm not being irrational, I'm being realistic. " He replied.

"Shut up," she said as she pushed him forward.

He wanted to laugh because he couldn't believe he had a little lady like Jazmine running him.

As he approached Jazmine's enchanted living room, all eyes were turned towards him. Tom and Sarah looked at him as if they had seen a ghost. They remained quiet while Nina smiled at him.

'Hi, dad,' she said as he waved his hand. She was a little confused that he was here, but she figured Sebastian probably asked him to come.

Sebastian suddenly felt discouraged by Huey's presence, but when Huey nodded to him, he knew all was well.

"We apologize for the interruption." Mom.. Dad. This is Huey Freeman, Nina's father. "Jazmine promptly revealed.

"Go ahead, baby," she exhorted Sebastian to continue his proposal. Sebastian cleared his throat

"Okay where were we?" he said, causing Nina to laugh.

It made him feel better to see her smile.

His palm sweat as he continued, " Nina, 'I've noticed that being with you, I smile more often, I anger a little less quickly. The sun shines a little brighter, and life is so much sweeter. For being with you takes me to a different place: a place called love. And I want to spend the rest of my life showing you," he said as her heart melted.

Jazmine's eyes were tearful as she held her palms together. His words touched her soul. She was so proud of her son. Everything Sebastian said to Nina is how Huey feels about Jazmine. It was an instant reminder of when he was ready to propose, but it was too late.

"All I'm saying is," Sebastian continued.

Nina's heart was pounding fast when Sebastian removed the top of the box to reveal a diamond ring. She gasped as he took the ring from the box and knelt before her.

"Oh my god!" She blurted out.

"Nina Simone Freeman, will you marry me?" said Sebastian, extending the ring to her.

Nina's eyes watered as she didn't hesitate. Huey shut his eyes and waited for her answer.

"Yes!"

He heard her shout, he opened his eyes to see Sebastian place the ring on his daughter's finger. Everyone appalled as they shared an intimate kiss.

As Huey watched them, he couldn't help to see himself and Jazmine. Part of him envied Sebastian because he had accomplished something he never had the guts to do. He watched his daughter who was emotional, which she rarely shows in public. He realized at that point that everything that mattered was her happiness.

Even if it meant he had to sacrifice his own.

Later that night

Sebastian and Nina went off to celebrate their engagement while Huey stayed with Jazmine with Sarah and Tom.

Tom was surprisingly thrilled to see him. He offered him a beer and they sat in the yard and talked about the past and future. He knew that Tom missed his grandfather because he kept reminding himself of his best moments with him.

Sarah on the other hand, she wasn't as talkative with him, but she complimented him on his appearance, and then she mentioned how much Nina looked like him. Overall, He could tell that she had not forgiven him for hurting Jazmine in the past. He totally understands because he would feel the same way if it was Nina.

At some point, Tom and Sarah went to sleep, leaving Jazmine and Huey alone again.

They're sitting next to the firepit when Huey pulled out a small rectangular box from his pocket.

"What is this? " She asked anxiously.

"It's your Christmas present," he remarked casually.

"Really?" she said, taken aback. "Huey... you.. Should've had..".

"I felt it was necessary to return the favor, But don't open it until I leave " He requested.

She rolled her eyes "typically Huey" she teased.

"Thank You Huey," she said.

"No problem," he answered.

There was a silence, and then he said, "You folks have changed so much," he said.

"Yeah, they're super old these days," she laughed.

He laughed with her, "I didn't mean it like that, but I mean they seem more in love than they used to," he said. "I remember I thought they'd get a divorce".

"Yes, I admire them for that," she admitted. They went through hell, but no matter how hard it was, they succeeded. I always envisioned marriage like that," she says.

"Was that how your marriage was with Sebastian's father?" Huey asked.

Jazmine scoffed." Not at all. " She said.

"Yeah? How come? " He asked curiously.

She sighed "We had a relationship for two years before we got married. In our first year of marriage, I became pregnant. It started out as a healthy marriage. But after Sebastian was born, things took a turn. We had many disagreements that ended up separating us. "Jazmine confirmed.

"What kind of disagreements were you two having?" said Huey.

"Well, for starters, Tristian is an atheist. He doesn't believe in God and my faith is something that is very important to me. He's a really good person, very altruistic and warm towards people, but as soon as money is involved, the atmosphere turns sour. He does not like to spend his money on things he feels are unnecessary. Make no mistake, I enjoy budgeting and saving, but when it comes to holidays and events. I love to go all out and he didn't like that. " Jazmine explained. "But what ultimately brought us to the end was our different views on disciplinary tactics.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Tristian was a good father to Sebastian, but he was often very strict. One of the things we argued, was that he believed the only way to discipline him was to spank him, or get him to do a hundred push-ups. I certainly didn't agree with that. " Jazmine exclaimed. "For the most part, he thought I was too gentle with Sebastian."

Huey shook his head, it was logical why it didn't work.

"After two unsuccessful attempts to salvage our marriage, we decided to have an open marriage. While he was free to date other women, I focused on myself and career. I went on a few dates as well, but it was nothing serious. Ultimately, when we felt that Sebastian was old enough, we divorced. Now we are friends and he is happily married to a younger woman who shares the same views as him,' she pointed out.

"Wow... I'm sorry it didn't work out," he said in earnest. He didn't like the idea of Jazmine with another man, but he always wanted her to be happy.

"It's fine. I'm honestly glad that it's over with. When Tristian signed those papers, I've never felt so free" she admitted. "For years, I pretended to be in that perfect relationship when I was actually so miserable."

Huey knew exactly what she meant because that's how he felt about his marriage with Nina's mother. He loved her, but he was unhappy.

"I understand. My late wife Katherine and I didn't have the best marriage either. I thought that because we shared common opinions and beliefs, we would have a successful marriage. However, We quickly realized that being too similar only made our marriage dull and boring. We almost didn't make it, but then she got sick and surprisingly, it brought us closer together... but then she died," He revealed, feeling sadness in his heart. Despite everything he felt about his marriage, he did love Katherine. She was a good woman, but he felt guilty because he never felt complete with her. There was always one thing missing.

"I'm so sorry Huey," Jazmine said genuinely. "I can't imagine losing the love of my life like that" He stayed silent due to the fact that the love of his life was standing before him.

" Going through that, particularly with a child, must have been very difficult,' said Jazmine.

Huey nodded, "Yes, it was," he said in sorrow.

Jazmine's eyes sparkled with concern. She wanted to mention to Huey how Nina felt alone when her mom died, but she didn't think it was the best time.

"Well... are you still an attorney? " Jazmine asked, breaking the silence.

His brow arched "Yes, how did you know?" He asked.

"Well, you're technically famous in Chicago. Besides, at that time, law school was all you ever talked about," she laughed.

He sneered " that's true " he admitted, "and to answer your question I am."

"How is that going?" She asked.

"It's stressful, but it pays off the mortgage," he declared.

"You sound like my dad before retirement," said Jazmine.

"Yes, but I'm not ready to retire at the moment," he admitted.

"Right," she said, nodding her head. The two of them didn't say anything for a moment. Huey thought about his conversation with Riley.

"Jazmine, I know we agreed to tell the kids soon, but I've been thinking about what you said earlier... and you're right. " Her eyes widened a bit.

"It would be better if we didn't tell the kids about our past," he said. It came as a surprise to Jazmine, but she remained calm.

"Okay, but may I ask you why you changed your mind?" she asked. "I mean, you were so adamant on not lying to the kids... so you want to lie now?" she said, confused.

"I wouldn't call it lying unless the kids ask us if we were together and we lied. You said so yourself, our relationship is history and we've both moved on, so there's no point in bringing it up in the future," Huey said, casually.

Jazmine was unexpectedly hurt by this, but she nodded. "In a way, it's still lying because we'll have to pretend we meant nothing to each other, but Yeah, I couldn't agree more. "She said, feeling upset that Huey had acknowledged he had moved on.

"Jazmine, even if we pretend, You will always matter to me and that will never change, "he said seriously. Jazmine lowered her eyes a bit,. "Except if there are questions. We don't need to share our past with the kids,' he said.

"And if those are questions asked? What should we do? " Jazmine asked.

Huey sighed "there will be no choice but to tell them the truth"

Jazmine nodded in agreement. "Okay, this can work, but we have to be careful. We have to ensure that everybody understands that as well. My mom and dad are going back to Orlando tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about them. How about Riley and Cindy?

"They understand that this is our business, and no one will get involved," Huey said, he couldn't believe he was going through with this.

"Okay, " Jazmine said calmly inside. She was freaking out. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

"It's getting late," Huey announced before standing up to leave. Jazmine stood up with him. She felt a sense of deja vu as she ushered him out the door.

"Merry Christmas Huey, and Goodnight" Jazmine said, smiling at him. He thought she had the most beautiful smile.

"Merry Christmas Jazmine " He said, giving her a small smile. "Goodnight "

When Jazmine watched him leave, she felt as if her heart was leaving with him. She closed the door and a tear dropped from her eyes.

She still loves him, but he didn't feel the same anymore and she had to move on. Besides, it was best for the kids.

Jazmine was tidying up when she remembered the gift Huey had given her. She opened the box and to her surprise it was a sterling silver mantra necklace, dipped in gold. It wasn't that it was beautiful that surprise her, it was the fact that it had the words Always in my heart engraved on the necklace.

There was a saying written beneath the box which read,

Today and every day, you are always in my thoughts. Together or apart, you are always in my heart.

Jazmine covered her mouth in shock and gasped as she came into a realization...

Huey was sitting in his rental car when Jazmine texted him.

Jazmine: Um... we need to discuss that gift!

He smirked, he could already picture Jazmine panicking.

Huey: What? You don't like it?

He responds as if he didn't know what she was talking about. He knew what it was all about. Even though he was taking a chance, he knew he couldn't be with Jazmine. He didn't even know if she felt the same. But in any event, he always wanted Jazmine to know what he thought of her.

Jazmine: No, no, it's not that! It's beautiful, but I don't understand the reason behind the gift.

Huey: I need a reason to give you a gift for Christmas DuBois? He texts back.

Jazmine:Don't play with me Freeman

Before he could text back, she doubled text him.

Jazmine: Nvm, You're right, I'm sorry! I like the present very much. Thanks again, Huey.

He typed a text explaining the reason behind the necklace, then erased it and answered.

Huey: You're welcome. He waited for her while he saw she was typing, but it stopped and she didn't reply.

He sighed deeply and departed.

Nina smiled as she gazed at her ring. "I still can't believe you actually proposed to me! And in the presence of my father! '' She exclaimed. She looked suspiciously at him and asked.

"How is it that you are here now? Why couldn't Dad kill you yet?" She asked the question in jest, but she was also very serious.

Sebastian laughed hysterically. "For your information, I had already discussed this with your father," he said.

She arched her brow, "seriously? What'd he tell you?

"He told me he didn't support it" he revealed. "However, He has understood that you are an adult woman now and he cannot do anything about it. He also said that he promised to stay out of it. Although he kept saying it was a bad idea."

Nina looked up "of course he would think that "

"But then we had a man-to-man conversation, and he really gave me some guidance," Sebastian said with a smile.

"Oh wow" Nina said in shock.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, but I honestly felt he was warming up to me" Sebastian said. "And he threatened to hurt me if I broke your heart"

"Awww" Nina said. "He likes you," she said, making fun of him.

"Do you mean that?" said Sebastian.

"I hope for your sake," said Nina in a playful way.

Sebastian laughed, "Yeah, me too. When I was ready to propose to you, he gave me a heads-up," he said.

Nina was shocked to hear that, but she was thrilled that her dad was supporting her.

"Your mother knew about this, too?" she asked.

Sebastian smiled, "Yes, she was the first one I told," he said.

"And she was on board? "Nina asked, feeling nervous.

"Oh, she was overjoyed. In fact, she helped me come up with the idea of using gift boxes," he recognized.

"Yeah, it was really annoying, but at the same time, it was fun," said Nina. "My favorite part was when your mom's phone went off," she said with hysterical laughter.

Sebastian shook his head "and when I thought things couldn't get any worse, your dad showed up unexpectedly," he said.

She glanced at him. "Wait a minute, I thought you invited him? "She asked.

"Nah, I figured he wouldn't come because he doesn't like Christmas. Plus, he didn't initially support the idea, so I figured he wouldn't want to witness it" He said.

"Oh, that's weird" Nina mentioned.

"What's weird about it?"

It's just that my dad doesn't go to people's houses unannounced. He always calls first," she said, then she realized something. "Wait..."she looked at Sebastian. "You think he's the one that called your mom?" She exclaimed.

Sebastian made a face. "I seriously doubt it. I haven't seen them exchange numbers over dinner"He mentioned. "Now that I think about it. I invited him the night before Christmas, but he said no. Maybe he changed his mind"

"Hmm... maybe so, " she said, still unsure.

Sebastian gazed at her with concern. " Are you okay?" He asked.

Nina shook her head and smiled, "Yes, I'm glad he was here to see it," she said, on the bright side.

He kissed her cheek delicately, "yeah me too"

Nina and Sebastien had gone back to Jazmine's. She was on her way to bed when her phone started ringing.

"Hey, Dad," she responded.

"Where are you?" he inquired.

She rolled her eyes, he was so overprotective. I'm at Jazmine's house, ''she said.

She heard him sigh with comfort. "All right, I just wanted to make sure you got back to safety."

She smiled, "Thanks for the concern, Dad, but you don't need to do that anymore. I'm a grown-up now, remember, "" she laughed.

"I know Nina, but just because you're an adult now doesn't mean I'm no longer a dad," he said.

She sighed, "I know, I know," she said, sensing a lecture coming up.

"So you're engaged now, " he said, stating the obvious.

"Yes, I am.. Are you happy? she scratched her lip nervously. She knew her father was against the idea.

"My happiness is dependent upon yours, in other words. As long as you're happy. So am I," he said honestly.

Nina has teary eyes, "you mean that, Daddy," she said.

"Yes, I may not always agree with your life decisions, but these decisions are your own. I can't always hold your hand, but just know no matter what. I'm always here to lift you up when you're down," he honestly says.

At that point, Nina was crying because her father never spoke such words to her. "Thanks Dad" sniffed, wiping her eyes out.

"I love you, " he said.

"I love you too, " she said. "Dad?"

"Yes, sweetheart? " He said.

Nina is reluctant to respond. "When did you know Mom was the one you wanted to marry?" She asked.

There was silence. Nina was anxiously waiting because she knew he didn't like to talk about her mother.

"Well, I " he said, taken aback by her question. He did not know how to answer the question, as he did not want to lie to her. " Your mother got knocked up unexpectedly, so it wasn't planned," Nina was not happy to hear that.

Huey replied attentively. "Having a baby was a major milestone, as was getting married. We were not prepared. However, the moment you were born, I saw how amazing motherhood looked to her and it made me feel more in love with her, " he said truthfully. Despite his deception, he learned to love Katherine.

Nina has a smile on her face. "Thanks Dad for sharing this with me. It means so much, " she said, despite that her parent engagement wasn't much of a love story she appreciated her father's honesty. She was also glad he was talking about her mother, which he hasn't done in so long.

Somehow she sensed he was changing. In fact, since he arrived at WoodCrest, he has become calmer. She didn't know why he changed his attitude, but she was grateful that her dad was back.

...