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“Merry Christmas,” she said and passed it to him. Then she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.
“Merry Christmas, baby.”
When Caleb was done eating breakfast, he excused himself for a minute so he could brush his teeth and comb his hair.
“Just come downstairs when you’re done,” Naomi instructed and left him alone.
Figuring he’d be better off to take a quick shower, he jumped in and enjoyed the warm spray against his face. Had he known a week ago he’d be spending Christmas day with a beautiful woman he would’ve laughed at the idea.
When he was done, he grabbed his plate and empty mug so he could take it back to the kitchen. He stopped in the hallway, though, when he thought he heard a familiar voice.No, it couldn’t be,he said to himself.There’s no way.
Dad?
What would Harry Archer be doing here?
Bypassing the kitchen, he walked into the family room just to make sure he wasn’t losing his mind. Sure enough, both his parents sat on the sofa across from Naomi’s parents.
“Mom? Dad?” Caleb asked, a look of shock quickly appearing on his face. “What are you doing here?”
“We decided to surprise you for Christmas,” his mom said and sat her cup of coffee down so she could go over and hug her son.
“But the roads…,” Caleb began as he wrapped his arms around his mother.
“We decided to take that chance, son,” his father volunteered. “Had us an early morning flight and the rental car place was able to hook us up with a four-wheel drive SUV. Some parts were rough on the drive here, but otherwise, the sun has melted quite a bit. Everything should be completely thawed out in the next day or two.”
“I…I can’t believe you’re both here. Wow!” Caleb was indeed shocked that they’d planned this all without him knowing.
“We were hoping,” his mother began. “That we could ride back home with you since we didn’t book a round-trip flight.”
“Yes. Yes, that’s perfect,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on coming home until after New Year’s though.”
“That’ll give us plenty of time to get those pipes fixed at the cabin, don’t you think?” his father added.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Caleb said and sat down on the floor next to Naomi.
Chapter Twelve
Caleb was stuffed and couldn’t eat one more thing. His mom had spent the rest of the morning helping Naomi’s mom in the kitchen, preparing the best Christmas dinner. Their hard work had paid off—all the plates were scraped clean and there wasn’t a single crumb left behind.
Following the meal, everyone gathered in the family room and shared stories of when the kids were little. While it pained Caleb hearing about his brother Drew, he knew that being a part of this time with his parents and the Gardners was the best kind of therapy.
Caleb hadn’t anticipated staying an extra night, but Naomi as well as her parents had insisted. “When the water is fixed, you can go back then,” Gene said and placed his hand on top of Caleb’s shoulder as they walked down the hallway. “Besides, I know Naomi is enjoying your being here.”
While he hadn’t expected Naomi to sneak back into his room again, she surprised him not long after all the lights were turned off. He wished he could whisper in her ear and thank her for the joy she’d brought into his life, but he settled for lacing his fingers through hers and pulling her close. They both fell asleep in each other’s arms, a feeling of contentment and happiness in their hearts.
It took two days for him and his father to repair the busted pipes and to get the cabin back in shape again. Meanwhile, Elyse Gardner offered her washer and dryer for them to clean the soiled towels and linens Caleb had had to use in the emergency.
He had to admit he was a little sad going back to the cabin to stay. He’d quite enjoyed Naomi sneaking in late at night curling up next to him. And while he didn’t want to think about it, he knew he’d be leaving to head back home the day after New Year’s. He and Naomi hadn’t discussed what might or might not happen when that time came, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous.
They tried to spend as much time together as they could until then, taking walks down to the stream and even venturing into town for an after-Christmas shopping trip. Caleb wasn’t much for shopping, but for Naomi, he was willing to make an exception.
On New Year’s Eve night, they decided to build a fire out back so they could bring in the new year together. With a thermos full of hot chocolate and an oversized blanket, the two of them huddled together on a log that was used as a bench.
Naomi had her phone set with a timer that counted down until the new year. The two of them watched the countdown then kissed each other passionately as soon as it was midnight. Caleb placed his hand against her cheek and this time she didn’t pull away.
“Happy New Years, baby,” he said and looked directly into her eyes.
“Yes, Happy New Years to you, too.”
The End
