Page 58 of All's Fair in Love and Christmas
I stand. “Thank you,” I repeat. At least I think I recall thanking him multiple times tonight. “For everything.”
His hands fall from his pockets. “Mackenzie, I—” He shakes his head.
Before I know it, his arms are wrapped around me and my face is pressed against his chest. My hands rise of their own accord and fist his jacket at his back.
I’m not a hugger. People in my personal space? That’s a hard no from me. But as I’m encased in Jeremy’s embrace, breathing in his scent and absorbing his heat, I relax instead of stiffen. I hope it doesn’t end instead of counting the seconds until I can pull back and create space between us. I lean into him, not away. I somehow feel safe and secure and could build myself a little nest right here. I tuck my chin to my chest and cuddle closer.
He doesn’t seem in any hurry to let me go either. His cheekrests on top of my head. I can hear his heartbeat against my ear. It’s steady and sure. Just like Jeremy.
He squeezes and then takes a step back. “Good night, Mackenzie,” he says before walking out of the room and leaving me alone.
23
Why do teachers give tests right before Christmas break?” Nathan slumped on the couch, looking as though someone had stolen all his bones and left him a skin-casing of sullenness.
Jeremy looked up from the prep questions sheet he held in his hands. “Would you rather have the test when you get back after the New Year?”
Nathan’s eyes were the only thing that moved, and even that he made look exhausting. “I’d rather not take a test at all.”
“Sorry, bud, not gonna happen.” Jeremy read the next question on the list. “What are three contributions the Sumerians gave to civilization?”
Nate’s head lolled to the side. “Tell me the truth, Uncle Jeremy. Am I ever going to use this knowledge of ancient cultures in real life?”
“If you want to be an anthropologist or—”
“No.”
“Okay, even if the facts you learn don’t pertain to your career field, yes, you will use everything you learn in school in the real world.”
“How?” Nathan’s mouth turned down in skepticism.
“Because you are learning about applying yourself to a task. Doing something simply because someone above you said to even if it doesn’t make sense to you. You are learning time management, study skills, being respectful to others, and a myriad of other character traits that will stay with you into adulthood and the workforce.”
Nathan blinked at him. Finally, he sighed. “The wheel, written language, and the number system.”
It took Jeremy a second to realize Nate’s response was in answer to the history question. “Correct. Next one. What is theEpic of Gilgamesh, and how was it written?”
Natalie walked into the living room with a bag of Doritos. “Oldest surviving piece of literature, and it was written in cuneiform,” she said around the crunching of a chip.
Jeremy turned the page. “Correct, but that was your brother’s question.”
She shrugged. “I can’t help it if I’m so smart I know all the answers.”
Nathan contorted his face. “Mee mee mee mee.” He mimicked his sister’s inflection and cadence but sounded like Beaker from the Muppets doing it.
She stuck her tongue out at him. He mirrored her.
Jeremy shook his head. No one had warned him that preteens were basically toddlers in larger bodies. He really thought the twins would have learned to coexist without saying things like “he started it” by now.
“Natalie, I already went over these questions with you. It’s your brother’s turn.”
She rolled her eyes as she sucked on her red-coated thumb. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” Jeremy looked down at the next question. “Nathan, what modern countries were once part of ancient Mesopotamia?”
The doorbell rang before Nate could answer.
Jeremy stood and dropped the study sheet on his nephew’s lap. “Keep studying.”
