Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 117505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
It was that evening that her mother had made an innocent comment that sparked an idea in Evangeline. Her mother had asked if Evangeline planned to put up the tree the following morning—as was their family tradition ever since Evangeline could remember.
Not at all knowing what Drake’s feelings on the subject were—he didn’t seem the type who went crazy decorating for any occasion—the longer she thought about it, the more her idea took root.
And so before going to bed Thanksgiving night, she made a discreet call to Maddox and made her request.
When Evangeline’s parents arrived at Drake’s apartment Friday morning, they were accompanied by every single one of Drake’s men. When they began walking off the elevator carrying boxes and shopping bags and the pièce de résistance, the ten-foot live Christmas tree, Drake’s eyebrows went up and he immediately searched Evangeline out in the crowd now assembled in his apartment.
She smiled but her stomach was a mass of nerves. She really hoped this didn’t go badly.
Walking over to him, she slid her arms around his waist and smiled again. “Surprise,” she said softly. “And Merry Christmas. It’s tradition in my family that the tree always goes up the day after Thanksgiving and remains up through New Year’s. I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to do something special for you while they were still here to help decorate and enjoy the tree as well.”
“You did this for me?” he asked in an odd tone.
She nodded. “Do you like it?” she asked hesitantly.
He hugged her to him and then kissed her lingeringly. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Evangeline, dear, you and Drake come and help decorate your tree!” her mother called from across the room. “Your young men outdid themselves. We must have fifteen hundred lights that go on this tree!”
Evangeline looked to Drake and when he nodded, she took his hand and pulled him to where her mother was pulling ornaments from their boxes.
“Your father and I brought you something,” her mother said, reaching for a tattered box Evangeline hadn’t noticed until now.
She lovingly smoothed her hands over the worn packaging before opening it to reveal its contents. Evangeline sucked in her breath and the sting of tears burned her eyelids.
“Oh, Mama,” she said.
“I brought ornaments from our family tree that I thought you’d like to have for your own tree,” her mother said, a sheen of moisture in her own eyes. “Some of them you made yourself in school as a child. And there is one for every single Christmas you’ve celebrated, dating back to your very first Christmas. I also brought you several of the handmade ornaments your grammie made over the years. I know how much you loved and cherished them.”
Evangeline sat on the couch next to her mother and hugged her. Then the two women began examining each of the ornaments.
“Thank you,” Evangeline said in a hushed whisper. “I love them, Mama.”
“You’re very welcome, darling. I just can’t believe that you’re all grown up now with a life of your own. I know we don’t say it nearly enough, but your father and I are so proud of you. No one could be more proud of their child than we are. Before we came to visit, I used to fret and worry and I had so much regret that you had to put off school and move to the city in order to help support me and your father.”
“No, Mama!”
“Shh,” her mother said, laying a hand gently atop Evangeline’s. “Let me finish.”
Evangeline noticed that Drake, Silas and Maddox were all listening to what her mother was saying, though they weren’t being obvious about it.
“As I said, I had so much regret and I worried endlessly about you here on your own. Only having a few friends and being swallowed up by a city full of strangers. But once I got here and saw you, I realized that it’s wrong of me to wish all of this away. Because if you hadn’t moved here, you wouldn’t have met Drake and you wouldn’t be as happy as you look right now and I’d never want to take that away from you.”
“You’re very right about one thing, Brenda,” Drake interjected somberly. “As much as I hate the circumstances that brought Evangeline to New York, I, like you, can’t bring myself to regret them because were it not for those circumstances, she wouldn’t be standing here today in my apartment. I wouldn’t have her. And now that I do, how I came to have her isn’t nearly as important as her continuing to belong to me.”
Evangeline felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach. She felt flattened by his words and the ring of sincerity and truth in them. She stared at him in utter astonishment.
Her mom and dad exchanged pleased, happy smiles as they watched Evangeline grapple with the enormity of Drake’s impassioned statement.