Page 12 of Christmas Past
The scent of cinnamon rolls seemed to drift down the stairwell long before they approached the front door, and his stomach rumbled. All he’d had so far this morning was a cup of coffee, and after his exertions with Devynn a few hours earlier, his body was telling him it needed a lot more fuel than that.
His mother opened the door almost as soon as he knocked. “Merry Christmas!” she exclaimed, and then hugged him and Devynn.
“Merry Christmas,” they replied almost in unison, and sent a goofy grin at each other. Seth had been careful not to leave any marks on her neck during their lovemaking, but he still wondered if she looked a little too glowing and content for someone who supposedly had slept alone in a cold bed the night before.
Luckily, his mother didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary as she stepped out of the way so they could come inside. A fire blazed in the hearth, just as he’d hoped, and in the corner, the ornaments on the Christmas tree glittered in its reflected light. It wasn’t quite as brilliant as the trees he’d seen in the twenty-first century, with their myriad of electric lights, but still, he thought it had its own quieter sort of beauty.
He didn’t see Charles or Abigail, although his father had risen from his favorite chair to greet them, his hug almost as enthusiastic as Molly’s. An inquiring glance at his mother, and her shoulders lifted ever so slightly.
“Charles sent word that Abigail was feeling a little tired this morning, so they decided to stay in and rest up for her mother’s big Christmas dinner tonight.” Although Molly’s tone didn’t shift all that much, Seth could tell his mother was disappointed by this development. However, she only continued, still smiling, “And since we had them with us last night, I suppose we can’t begrudge Abigail the peace and quiet she needs.”
“Then I suppose we’ll leave our presents for them under the tree here,” Seth replied, and Molly only tilted her head.
“No, you can just take them with you tonight, dear.”
Next to him, Devynn shifted her weight slightly. He knew what she was thinking — that there was no chance in hell that they’d be at the prima’s holiday dinner this evening.
However, he knew he couldn’t voice that thought aloud, so he just nodded and said, “Of course. But I’ll put them under there for now.”
And hope he could conveniently forget them in the bustle of leaving.
Then Molly asked if they wanted tea or coffee, and they both said tea would be lovely. Once they’d been given their beverages, she returned to the kitchen so she could finish breakfast — namely, to scramble a big batch of brown eggs that Seth guessed she’d gotten from their cousin Emily, who had a large flock of chickens, along with frying enough bacon to feed a small army.
This was always how it had gone on Christmas morning — they would eat their fill, and then afterward, they would go and open their presents. Or rather, this was the schedule the family had followed once the two boys were old enough not to want to immediately open presents and see what Santa had left them. The McAllister clan might have followed the old ways and worshipped the goddess Brigid…but they’d also made sure their children believed in Santa for as long as possible.
And although Seth was a little sad for his parents that Charles wouldn’t be there that morning, he was forced to admit that this gathering seemed much more cheery and relaxed with just the four of them. To his relief, his mother didn’t seem inclined to probe too much into where he and Devynn had been these last six months, as though she knew she wouldn’t get any real answers. No, she was much more interested in talking about what they planned to do next.
“You know everyone will want you to choose a date,” she said, and sent a significant glance toward Devynn, as if she knew it was the bride’s prerogative to make such an important decision.
Pink touched her cheeks, but she sounded even enough as she replied, “Probably sometime in the spring,” she replied. “Winter weddings can be nice, but I want something with flowers that didn’t come from a hothouse. So…maybe May?”
“It’s absolutely beautiful around here at that time of year,” his mother said, looking pleased. “Don’t you think so, Henry?”
Seth’s father had been in the middle of lifting a forkful of scrambled eggs to his mouth, so he waited until he was done chewing before he answered. “May’s a good time. It’s warm but not really hot yet.”
With that settled — in Molly’s mind, anyway — the conversation moved on to the all-important topic of the wedding dress. Once again, Devynn flushed a little during that conversation, but Seth hoped his mother would think that was due to maidenly modesty and not because Devynn simply didn’t know all that much about bridal fashions of the 1920s.
And definitely not that the all-important dress had already been purchased and was hiding out at their friend Bellamy’s house. Bellamy was Devynn’s maid-of-honor and had declared that their bungalow was much too small for the gown to be successfully hidden for so many weeks, so it had been spirited away just as soon as the final alterations had been done. Seth still didn’t know whether all this top-level secrecy was required, but he hadn’t protested. If nothing else, it would be fun to be utterly surprised when Devynn appeared and walked down the admittedly short aisle set up in the lounge at The Asylum.
After they were done eating — and after he and Devynn had insisted on clearing the table — they went into the living room. The fire had died down a bit, so Henry gave it a few expert pokes before they took their various seats.
“Sorry about the wrapping paper…or lack thereof,” Seth said as he picked up his parents’ presents. “We didn’t have time to go out and find some.”
“It’s fine,” his mother assured him. “Wrapping paper is wasteful, while your father and I will be able to use these handkerchiefs for years.”
That was the response he’d been hoping for. Smiling, he accepted the gift his mother handed him — and was surprised she had one for Devynn as well, a small box that she gave his fiancée with a smile.
When would she have even had time to buy something for her unexpected guest?
As soon as that thought went through his mind, he wanted to shake his head at himself. Right below them was the store his parents owned; it wasn’t as if Molly couldn’t have gone downstairs after dinner last night and found something she thought would work.
“Thank you,” Devynn replied, also looking a little startled. “I really wasn’t expecting you to get me anything.”
“Nonsense,” Molly said briskly. “You’re going to marry our son. Of course we needed to get you a Christmas present.”
A smile, and Devynn opened the box. Inside was an engraved silver compact, something he’d seen in the store months earlier but hadn’t been sure if his parents would sell anytime soon. Most of the residents of Jerome — the McAllisters included — weren’t big on frivolities.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
