“Eat your food, Alex. It’ll get cold,” Lazarus said, smiling at her like nothing unusual had just occurred.
Alex nodded, and picked up her fork. She placed the fingers of her left hand over the ruby heart again, and when she looked around the table, Maia was watching her with a sly, knowing smile on her face.
Maia winked at her, and Alex offered a smile in response.
The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, and was enjoyed by all. After a dinner of Cornish game hens, oyster dressing, bacon wrapped asparagus, cauliflower in cheese sauce, and a dessert of homemade bread pudding with peaches baked right in served with a whiskey sauce, everyone eventually returned to the living room, to the great relief of the children.
The kids were practically vibrating with energy they were so eager to open their gifts. And, true to form, Maia was particularly careful to be sure that everyone had a gift. Everyone received gifts and most everyone gave gifts. Of particular interest was the diamond bracelet that Moe gave Constance, and the Easy Bake Oven that Roman had chosen for Darcie before she’d even arrived. There were baby dolls for the girls, remote control cars for the boys. Sebastian received a rattle that made different toned ringing noises that sounded like a collection of different sized bells. He particularly loved to shake it as hard as he could and then got so excited by the musical tones it made, he’d shake it all over again.
The adults received everything from clothes, to shoes and boots, to jewelry, cologne and makeup sets, to car cleaning kits and new smokers and barbecue grills. Every single person was included and all felt loved.
When the torn wrapping paper and boxes were being gathered up and everyone was smiling and laughing and excited with their gifts, Libby got up and walked over to where she’d left her purse. She came back with a gift bag and sat down looking intently at Constance before handing it over to Travis.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“One more,” Libby said, handing him the gift. Her hands were visibly shaking and she promptly shoved them in her lap to keep them from being noticed.
“Thank you, Libby. You’ve given me so much already. I can’t imagine what else you could have in here,” he said, feeling a little embarrassed with everyone watching him.
The cleaning around the room stopped as something about the mood of the room had changed, and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch Travis open the last gift of the night.
Travis pulled the tissue paper out of the top of the bag and looked down into the bag. His brows knit together when he realized it was a sweatshirt. He lifted the folded shirt out of the gift bag and set the bag on the floor beside his seat. Then he unfolded the shirt and looked down at the words emblazoned across the front of it. He looked up at Libby wide-eyed, but still hadn’t said a word. He looked back down at the shirt, then looked back at Libby. “Seriously?” he asked, still not giving away any hint of what he was feeling.
Libby swallowed nervously and nodded. “I found out about a week ago,” she whispered.
Travis’s face became strained and then his lips pressed together. He dropped the shirt onto his lap and reached for Libby, pulling her into his arms. “This is the best gift! The best gift of my life!” he said, while his voice cracked and he buried his face in his mate’s hair.
“I love you so much,” he finally managed to say. He pulled back, but still kept his arms around her so he could look into her eyes. “I’m so happy, Libby! So damn happy!”
“What? What does it say?” Riley asked.
Travis let go of Libby, and swiped the back of his hand across his eyes real quick. Then, he grinned at everybody as he gathered up the shirt and turned it around for everyone to read. “I’m gonna be the World’s Greatest Dad!” he announced.
“What?!” Scotty exclaimed, jumping to his feet, a grin on his face. “I’m gonna be an uncle!” he said excitedly.
Everyone congratulated them, laughing, hugging, and crying were in no short supply. Finally all the congratulations died down, and the kids went back to playing with their toys. The couples went back to admiring their gifts. Travis turned to Libby. “This year is beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed or hoped for. And it’s all because of you, Libby. You are my gift. And now, our baby,” he said, shaking his head. “You are both my blessing, and my gift. I’ll never, ever want for more.”
“Me either. You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” she said, leaning into his embrace and accepting his kiss.
“Merry Christmas, Libby. Thank you for helping me see that we’re all we’ll ever need. Each other, our family… there is no greater gift.”
“Merry Christmas, my love,” Libby answered, closing her eyes and laying her head against Travis’s shoulder.
~~~
Epilogue
Hours later after everyone had gone home, the packages had been put away, and Santa Claus had finished with all his deliveries and was well on his way back to the North Pole, Lucas sat on the rise that looked out over the property that stretched behind the trailer park. Something was different — he could feel it down in his soul — something had changed. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was change coming, and it wouldn’t take long to arrive either.
He heard footsteps behind him and glanced over his shoulder.
“Hey,” Roman said, walking up and standing beside him.
“Hey,” Lucas answered. “Where’s Darcie?” Lucas asked.
“She’s sleeping. Santa’s all ready for her to wake up, and Constance is sitting with her so I can run a bit before the sun comes up,” Roman said.
“Oh, yeah. I do remember her mentioning that she was sitting with Darcie once in a while so you could let your beast out,” Lucas commented.
Roman sat down beside Lucas and looked out over the woods stretching as far as the eye could see. All of it belonged to Riley’s Pride, and they were free to roam in their beast or human forms to their heart’s content.
“You run yet?” Roman asked.
“Not yet. Just taking it all in,” Lucas answered.
Roman nodded, but remained seated, not really responding as he looked out over the simple beauty of the cold, winter’s night. Everything was blanketed in snow, but it was a light, powdery snowfall. Easy to move about in and so far, there was no ice to accompany it. He could hear the sounds of the night animals, and the creatures calling.
“I’m going to go take my run so I can be back in plenty of time to rest a bit before Darcie wakes up and finds her Santa Claus gifts,” Roman said. “You coming?” he asked.
“I’ll catch up in a little while. Gonna sit here a bit longer,” Lucas answered.
“Alright. See you later,” Roman said, standing and shucking his clothes. He shifted into his Gorilla, then turned and folded his pants and his shirt before placing them neatly in a stack for him to easily find when he returned. He walked down the rise toward the woods and looked back over his shoulder. He lifted his hand in a wave before he turned and disappeared into the woodlands.
Lucas sat there after Roman left to take his run. He couldn’t put his finger on what felt off. Obviously Roman didn’t feel it, or he’d have stayed to figure it out. Maybe he should have alerted Roman, but he just didn’t think it was necessary.