Page 86 of Six of Hearts
"Thanks, man," he said quietly.
Liam received a leather office chair, a locking filing cabinet, a silver desktop organiser, a solar-powered clock, and a wireless mouse—all practical, all thoughtful. But it was Gabriel's gift that nearly broke him: a retro handheld video game, the kind he must have mentioned playing as a kid.
Liam stared at it for a long moment, his jaw working. "I... thank you. Really."
Julian got hunting gear—a jacket, a rifle, ammunition, blankets and pillows for his lodge, a special game licence, and matching hat, gloves, and boots. He looked genuinely touched, running his hand over the rifle with reverence.
"This is incredible," he said. "I don't even know what to say."
Noah received three identical sets of architecture grid paper, sketching pencils, a drafting table, and a gift certificate for interior detailing for his Mustang. He laughed at the grid paper, shaking his head.
"You guys know me too well."
Then it was my turn.
I hadn't expected anything. After everything that had come out—the truth about my identity, about Eva, about my past—I figured I'd be lucky if they still wanted me around, let alone bought me Christmas presents.
But they had.
Gabriel handed me a book on martial arts, the pages marked with sticky notes. "Thought you might appreciate this. Some of the techniques are similar to what you probably learned in the SEALs."
Julian gave me a college fund starter for Finn, a check that made my throat close up. "Every kid deserves a shot at education," he said simply.
Liam and Ethan had gone in together on a surround sound system for my house. "For movie nights," Liam explained. "Figured Finn would appreciate it."
Noah handed me an envelope, and when I opened it, I found season tickets for the Texas Rangers. Five of them. "For all of us," he said. "Thought it might be nice to have something to look forward to."
I couldn't speak. Couldn't find the words to express what this meant—that they'd accepted me, forgiven me, included me despite everything.
Then Aria handed me her gift.
It was wrapped carefully, precisely, and when I peeled back the paper, I found a set of handmade glassware. Whiskey glasses, beautifully crafted, with words etched into the sides.
On one side: Adam.
On the other: Ronan.
"Both and," she said softly. "Not either or. You're both people, and both of them matter."
I set the glasses down carefully before I dropped them, my hands suddenly unsteady. "Aria..."
"You don't have to say anything," she said, but I shook my head.
"Thank you. All of you. I don't... I don't deserve this."
"Yes, you do," Gabriel said firmly. "You're one of us. That's not changing."
The others nodded, and I had to look away before I completely lost my composure. I'd been trained to maintain control under any circumstances, but this—this unconditional acceptance, this family—was testing every limit I had.
"Okay," Aria said, her voice bright. "Now me."
"Finally," Liam said with a grin. "We've been waiting all day."
She opened Gabriel's gift first—a promise to redecorate her apartment, complete with a dramatic "goodbye to IKEA chairs" declaration that made everyone laugh.
Noah's gift was next, and when she saw the car keys, her jaw dropped. "You bought me a car?"
"Not the Kid Cruiser," he assured her. "Your own car. You need reliable transportation."
