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Chapter 143
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Christmas Morning in Montreal & Saskatchewan Part II
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Back in Saskatchewan, Bill was not at all sure he particularly liked this Santa gig, but he was determined to be a good sport.
"Darling, relax, next Christmas is a whole year away! Plenty of time to get used to the idea of Santa pants and boots. But you look awfully cute as is. I don't know about you, Mother, but I'm ready for our handsome Santa to make his deliveries."
"And Bill while you're at it, one tiny suggestion, Dear: a Santa never glares," giggled Catherine.
"Ho, ho, ho," glared Bill even more menacingly which only brought more laughter from the ladies. "This one's for Catherine, and this one's for Addie. A very Merry Christmas to you, Ladies!"
"Oh, my this is as heavy as lead, Santa!" laughed Catherine.
"That's because it is!" deadpanned Santa which only brought more laughter, no pun intended.
Catherine carefully untied the wide ribbons, and unwrapped the bright paper, carefully folding it up so that it could be used again.
"Bill, I mean Santa, how did you know? This is exactly what I've been looking at for the last six months. An iron roasting pan! Just wait till next Christmas, my roast will be heavenly!"
"Your roast already is heavenly, but that steel rack will make bastin' a ton easier! And your meats will cook even more evenly throughout. I have several at the Café and wouldn't be without them for anything! Enjoy, Catherine."
"Oh, I most certainly will!"
"Santa, this sweater is lovely!" smiled Addie, as she lifted the prettily decorated box.
"Afraid I can't take credit, Darlin'!"
"It's handknit. Mother, this is your handiwork! I just love it. I'll take it to Montreal with me!"
"I'm glad you love it, Sweet Girl! It looks beautiful on you!"
Santa jovially (well as jovial as the Judge could be dressed in half of a red suit that was much too large on him and wasn't a Serge) passed out gift after gift to the ladies' delight, periodically having to pause to shift his padding, as well as stopping occasionally to unwrap a few presents himself from Catherine, and even more from Addie.
"My! What a Christmas this has been. I don't remember ever having so many presents in this house!" recalled Catherine.
"It my pleasure to spoil you both," winked Santa. "So, no complaints!"
And make no mistake, this Santa had done just that!
At long last, amid scattered ribbons and wrapping paper, there were just three presents left under the tree.
"Well, look at this! Santa has done very well indeed," complimented Bill. "There is one for a Miss Catherine, one for a Miss Adeline, and one…well what do you know? This one says to Santa himself!"
"Come, Santa, take a load off and sit by my beautiful daughter," urged Catherine.
"Don't mind if I do, this coat is heavier than a serge and it's been a while since I've worn one of those to work, although Nathan did get my Serge back for me! This pillow movin' all over the place isn't helpin' none, though! But that serge tale is a story for another day!"
"You've worked so hard, Santa, you need to open your present first," grinned Addie.
"From Adeline, your one true love," read Bill, as his throat caught, and tears sprung to his eyes.
It was a tender moment that caught them all off guard, particularly being from this outwardly gruff Santa, but it was a moment to be cherished.
"Thank you, dearest Addie, from the bottom of my heart for forgivin' me and for takin' me back. I can't imagine doin' this life without you by my side a single moment longer. I'm so honored and blessed that you will be right there with me, makin' me a better, stronger man. I love you, Adeline Foster with all my heart, and although I could never truly deserve you, I'll spend each day doin' my best to prove my worth to the both of you! I give you my word!"
Addie reached up to kiss her fiancé.
"I love you, William Avery, and moving forward we do just that without dredging up the past any more than we have to. Understood?"
"Understood, my love!"
"Now, open up your present before I burst!"
Bill took Addie's hand and kissed it ever so tenderly.
Then he shook the small package and slowly opened it.
"Oh, Addie! I've never had anything so nice! Solid gold cufflinks engraved with my initials."
"Look at the back," she winked.
Bill turned the cufflinks over, and read the private inscription on the back, which brought tears to his eyes.
"'Never alone?'"
"'Never alone.' We have each other now. Forever!"
Bill reached and passionately kissed his Addie, feeling the depths of their love.
"You best open your present, next," he mumbled.
"Well, they do say great things come in small packages, and this package is very small, which I love," she grinned as she carefully opened the beautifully wrapped package.
When she got to the blue velvet box, she sat there as though she was almost afraid to open it.
"You'd better open it, Darlin'!" nudged Bill.
"You open it! My hands are shaking."
And so, Bill lifted the lid of the box while it was still being held in Addie's trembling hands.
She gasped as the light danced off the pair of cornflower sapphire drop earrings.
"Santa, this is the best Christmas gift I've ever received! They are just splendid!"
"They match your ring perfectly, my Love!"
She kissed him and hugged his neck, then jumped up to go to the mirror where she placed them in her ears, and lifted her hand to see how they looked with her engagement ring.
"How do I look, Darling?" she asked.
"Like a million dollars, Darlin'! Exactly like a million dollars!"
"They are beyond lovely, Addie. Without a doubt, your Santa has perfect taste!"
"Well, Santa had a little expert help, but I saw these and instantly knew, these belonged to my Adeline!"
The couple kissed again, to Catherine's delight.
Then their attention turned to the small package in Catherine's lap.
"Catherine, this is somethin' so special to me and I hope you love it as much as I do," explained Santa.
"Bill, if it's special to you, I'm sure I will," she smiled and excitedly unwrapped the velvet box, also gasping as she lifted the lid.
"This is beautiful, Bill! It's solid gold and an antique, I'm sure!"
"It was my mother's locket."
"Oh, but I can't possibly take this," insisted Catherine, doing her best to hand it back to the Judge.
"You must! My own mother would want you to have it, and I very much want you and only you to wear it. I added a photo of Addie and me, along with one of you, that Thomas took last night, and developed after we left. I picked them up early this morning while you two were still sleeping. I hope you like it all."
Now it was Catherine's turn to cry.
"It's perfect, perfect because it was your mother's, and perfect because it holds the images of the two people I love most in this world. Now, neither of you will ever be far away from me. Thank you, Son, from the bottom of my heart. I'm so deeply honored. Like your mother before me, both for her and for me, I will always cherish it."
Hugs and kisses were exchanged, till suddenly Catherine was able to think clearly again.
"I hate to bring this up, but it's high time you two gather all your presents and get on the road, or you'll never catch your train. I've got sandwiches and salads packed ready to go in the hamper with some ice-cold ginger ale for your long trip."
"That's perfect, Mother. Let me help you get it."
"And I'll gather the presents and carry them to the car while you two do that," offered Bill, wanting to give the two a moment of privacy to say the private words they needed to say.
The ladies went into the kitchen, gathered the hamper, then hugged and cried, till they could collect themselves once more.
"Addie, no more tears. This is such a happy day, my Sweet Child! Your dreams are coming true and the beautiful life you are meant to live is beginning."
"Can't you come, too, Mother, please?"
"Not yet, Love! Not yet. But someday, I promise that I will. In the meantime, we'll make lots of phone calls, and write lots of letters. We'll even send telegrams if needed. Addie, my heart goes with you. I'm always with you. And my love is always with you. Never, ever forget that."
"The same, Mother. The exact same thing. I love you with all my heart and always will. And though I may never have said it, I am the luckiest girl in the world to have you as my mother!"
"And I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have you as my beautiful daughter. Addie, one word of advice, though. And I want you to listen to me good! You are not and have never been 'less than.' Instead, you have always been 'more than.' Do you understand what I'm saying, Child?"
Addie sighed heavily, pausing to push back the tears.
"Yes! Yes, Mother, I do, and I promise I will keep repeating your words over and over till I truly believe them deep in my soul. What Millicent has done for me is going to help immensely. It's like finally, I can start to feel my own self-worth again."
"Good! That's all I can ask. But you see my Darling Daughter, there is no time to waste looking back on what could have been or should have been. Just keep living in your beautiful present and your exciting new future with this wonderful man you love. Just know that together you will prevail, no matter whatever trials you might have to face. It's the way of life, Addie. From the daily trials, we ultimately derive strength and great joy!"
More tears were shed by both, and then mother and daughter linked arms and carried the hamper into the parlor.
"Look who I ran into outside," announced Bill most happily.
"Aunt Rosalyn, we didn't hear you come in," a surprised Addie noted and rushed to hug her aunt.
"I couldn't let my favorite niece leave without seeing her off!"
"We're so glad you're here! I hated saying goodbye last night," admitted Addie.
"Me too, Child, and your Uncle Thomas sends his love to last your whole trip!"
"Give him my love, too! Forever. I'll miss you both so!"
"Not as much as we'll miss you! But we'll call often and write in between."
"Catherine, I've got your presents boxed and back under the tree and I've got ours already packed in the car, Darlin', and our coats are here ready to put on. Are you ready?"
"I suppose we have to be," she admitted wistfully.
"Well, I'm hopping in the car with you," declared Catherine. "At least till we get to the edge of town."
What she didn't say, was there was a reason other than just wanting to be with them for as long as she could.
"And I'm picking my sister up in town and bringing her back to my house for Christmas Dinner as well as the entire day!" announced Rosalyn, determined to not leave Catherine alone today of all days.
Everyone donned their coats and then got in their respective cars.
"Catherine, you've been the best mother and potential mother-in-law a couple could ever ask for. Thanks for your wise counsel as well as your kind hospitality. I want you to know, it's meant the world to me," offered Bill most profoundly.
"Our home is your home now, Bill! And don't you forget it."
Catherine and Addie held onto each other as Bill pulled out and drove down the street.
Thankfully, though there was snow on the ground, the roads had been cleared as were the skies, at least for the moment.
As the two cars reached the heart of Main Street, Bill shrieked "Catherine!" as Addie shrieked "Mother!"
"I had nothing to do with this, you two! It was the townspeople's idea to meet and see you two off!"
"But it's Christmas morning!" interjected Bill.
"What better time to show our love?"
Bill chuckled.
"You have a very valid point! Sounds just like something Hope Valley would do."
"This is why I kept nudging you two to head out on time, knowing the whole town was standing out in the cold waiting for you," explained Catherine. "Bill, can you manage a few words of appreciation."
"Absolutely, Catherine! My honor and privilege."
As they got out of the car, the entire town began to clap.
Catherine and Rosalyn stood with Bill and Addie, as all eyes turned to the Judge.
"Hello! I'm Judge Bill Avery, and on behalf of my new family, I can't tell you how wonderful it has been to see this special town my Addie has grown up in and has now served as librarian in. But more than the town, meeting each and every one of you has been a distinct honor and delight, for which I am most grateful. Forgive me for stealing Adeline away, but I'm desperately in love with her and can't seem to live my life without her. I do, however, promise this is just a temporary goodbye. I give you my word, we'll be back for many visits, and we look forward to seeing each one of you when we do! Till then, take good care of Catherine for us! We'll be in close touch! May God bless you all!"
Good wishes rang out along with "Merry Christmas," "Happy New Year," "God Bless!" and "Looking forward to seeing you soon!"
These many heart-filled salutations were followed by a chorus of "Safe Travels!" as Catherine, Rosayln, Addie, and Bill hugged and kissed each other for one last time.
Amid tears and clapping, the couple finally turned to leave.
Bill quickly helped a tearful Addie into the car, with both furiously waving goodbye to all and tossing one last air kiss to Catherine, as they slowly pulled back onto the road and drove out of sight…
