One Year Later - Christmas Eve
“Mom, seriously, you don’t have to help. You’re supposed to be relaxing and enjoying your vacation.” I chastise my mom for the fourth time in the last half hour. My parents are visiting from Chicago for Christmas. Jack’s parents are also visiting from Portland. They’ve been having a great time catching up.
“Oh, honey, I know I don’t have to. I want to.” She smiles at me lovingly, and I give in. I’ve been cooking most of the day trying to make a Christmas Eve feast for our first joint family holiday.
“Paige, I love what you’ve done with this house. When Jack lived here by himself, it seemed so empty.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Fuller, but really, a lot of it was just things we found on trips or exploring the city together. It was really a joint effort to make it a little bit homier.”
“Paige, how many times do I need to tell you to call me Claire?”
I blush. I’m still adjusting to calling Jack’s parents by their first names. When I was little, my parents made sure I was
always polite with them and respectful. That meant calling them Mr. and Mrs. Fuller. Now that Jack and I have been dating for over a year, they’re determined to make me drop the formality. Unfortunately, it’s been a hard habit to break.
Three months after Jack and I worked through all the LA Chronicle
drama, he asked me to move in with him. He said he would’ve asked me sooner but didn’t want to spook me. Fortunately for him, spooked was the last thing I was feeling when he asked me.
The past year with Jack has been the best year of my life. Our relationship is so much deeper than it was when we were kids and teens. We’ve developed a comfort and intimacy that makes me feel so safe and secure, while at the same time, the passion between us is practically combustible.
“Hey, babe,”—Jack leans down and kisses my hair when he enters the kitchen—“it smells great in here.”
“Thanks. It’s almost done. I’m just finishing the potatoes. My mom is about to pull out the green bean casserole and then we should be good to go. Can you grab the drinks for the table?”
“Sure thing. Need anything else?”
I look around the kitchen and out to the table that is already covered with dishes of food. “Nope, I think that’s it.”
“Okay.” He smiles at me and then kisses me quickly before winking at me and walking toward the fully stocked bar next to the dining room area.
He’s been very affectionate today. Not that he isn’t normally affectionate, but he’s not usually quite so obvious about it when we’re around our parents.
Dinner is a huge success. I feel like I spend most of it blushing from all the compliments over the food. I love cooking, something I really started enjoying once I got to use Jack’s dream of a kitchen—well, now our
dream of a kitchen. After
hours of visiting while letting our food digest, Jack interrupts the several different conversations going on around the table.
“I think it’s time for presents,” he says loudly and confidently.
With murmurs of agreement, we all make our way into the living room where we’ve put up a massive Christmas tree, decorated with white and multicolored twinkle lights. It was a beast to get into the house, but it’s gorgeous, and I love the fresh pine smell.
Jack passes out the presents, and we take turns opening them. I go to open my big present when Jack stops me.
“Open that one last,” he says, his eyes twinkling.
Shrugging, I concede and open a smaller present. It’s an absolutely beautiful leather-covered photo album, but when I open it, I notice it doesn’t have pictures in it.
“My recipes! Oh my God, Jack, this is perfect! Thank you!”
“You mentioned you wanted a book to put them in, and you’d already written a bunch on those recipe cards you bought. There’s plenty of space in there to add more.”
“I love it. Thank you so much, babe.” I kiss him quickly, already excited to add more recipes to this book.
Everyone opens the rest of their presents, and then my big one is the last one left.
“I wonder what it could be,” I say jokingly to the group. I’m sure something this big is either for my home office or the kitchen since those are the two places I use the most.
I tear off the wrapping and open the box to find a slightly smaller box inside. I pull it out and unwrap it, only to find another smaller box inside. I laugh and look at Jack.
“Is there even a present in here, or are you just messing with me?”
“There’s a present. Keep going.”
I smile at him and resume opening the present. I keep laughing when each box holds a
subsequent smaller box until I’m surrounded by wrapping paper and varying sizes of cardboard boxes.
“Okay, seriously. You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” I laugh but continue to open the box. My laughter dies in my throat as I pull out the coffee cup with a small black velvet box in it.
I look up at Jack and find his eyes are already on mine, shining with so much love it makes me breathless.
“Open it,” he whispers.
With shaky hands, I open the black velvet box to see the most beautiful, brilliant round cut diamond engagement ring in a platinum setting.
“Jack,” I whisper. I look up just in time to see him drop down on one knee as he carefully grabs the box out of my hand.
“When I was five years old, I met this girl who became my best friend. When I was sixteen, she transformed my world completely by loving me. I was dumb enough to let her go once, but I’m never going to make that mistake again.
“Paige, I’ve loved you practically all my life, even when you weren’t in it. You were always here,” he vows as he points to his heart. “You never left, not once. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. You’re my best friend, my everything. Always. Will you marry me?”
Tears stream down my face as I emphatically nod my head and whisper “Yes” over and over. I watch with an unprecedented joy as he takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto my left ring finger. The second it’s fully seated at the base of my finger, I grab his face with both my hands and bring his lips to mine.
My heart is filled with happiness as we smile and fight joyful tears surrounded by our parents. I kiss Jack again and as he looks deeply into my eyes, I know only one undeniable truth.
This man is mine. Always and forever.
Thank you so much for reading
In the Grasp.
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