Finding Me in the Storm (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter Twenty One

Elaina

Christmas Eve

“Mom, I’m so grateful you made it,” I say as I wrap her into my embrace on the steps of the cabin. “How did you like the rooms up at the resort?”

“They are amazing,” my father says as I switch over to hugging him.

I notice my mother is red-faced and glancing around the cabin’s interior.

“I know that this cabin might be more rugged than you are used to,” I interject, hoping to put her mind at ease. “Nate has some big plans on continuing to remodel the place for future holidays and friends along with family vacations.”

“I definitely like more modern amenities,” my mother says, but she does finally step inside.

“How are things? I was hoping that giving you a suite at the resort would give time for you to refresh before coming up here,” I start with the leading question to see if she will volunteer more information.

“I did get in a nice nap,” she finally acknowledges.

“Great.”

That, at least, is something. Nate arranged for them to have a suite and space of their own away from all his family this holiday. Besides, the cabin has two bedrooms, and making my parents rough it would definitely not end well, in my opinion. The sheer act of getting them up here for the holidays is a miracle, and I don’t want to push things too far, making them skip next year.

“I’m grateful to you and Nate for making arrangements for us to stay in such a nice suite. I know the man owns the resort but allowing us a separate space from the cabin here is much appreciated,” my dad explains.

“No worries, sir.” Nate steps around me with a hand at my waist. “I am glad to provide you the room and amenities to enjoy your first skiing vacation while still being close enough to my family home to have this wonderful Christmas celebration.”

My mother glares at the man. “You really are pretty, aren’t you?” she says as I glare at her. “I am grateful that at least my daughter has amazing taste in the men she throws her career over for.”

“Mother,” I grumble as I notice Nate just shakes it off.

“Thank you. I think,” Nate says. “I adore your daughter and think she is going to be an amazing doctor here in town. I don’t think she is throwing anything away, but I might be biased.”

I notice my mother examining him as I silently plead with my father to intervene. He also is distracted by our surroundings, though, and not tuned into the conversation with Nate.

“I’m going up to the resort to sort a couple of things ahead of my parents’ arrival. I thought I would let you all have a bit of time to chat.”

“Thank you,” my father says to Nate, but my mother is still scowling.

“I’ll see you soon,” Nate says, bending to kiss my forehead before he grabs a coat and slips through the door.

“There is so much snow out here,” my mother starts as I point her to the sofa in front of the fireplace. “I don’t understand why you would give up the variety of opportunities in even better places for here. This part of New York is cold, and remote up in this region.”

“I truly want you both to just give this a chance,” I respond, holding close to my anger. “This is the first holiday we’ve been able to spend together in years. I know it might not be ideal for you to travel, but I love the opportunity for you to see my new home. I love working for the concierge service so far, and I’m going to do my first trip with Doctors Without Borders in the spring. I honestly owe everything to the two of you and want you to know that I hope you are proud of me someday for following my heart and using my skills to better so many people’s lives.”

My father turns to my mother as she reaches out and grips his hand. I see the strength they take from each other and realize that is what Nate provides for me. The ability to stand on my own, making tough choices but knowing full well he has my back if needed.

“We could never be disappointed in you,” my mother speaks up. “I know that I have high expectations and sometimes can be a little blunt. That doesn’t mean I don’t adore you more than anyone on this planet, and I hope that you have the best life possible. I promise to give this place, Nate, and his extended family a fair chance.”

“Agree,” my father says with a serene head bob. “You have the right to spread your wings and find yourself. You want to do good in this world; you have every right to try.”

I’m shocked to my core and not able to put anything into words for a second. I had not expected them to catapult so easily, and I am grateful. Not that I believe for a second it is all smooth sailing from here. Still, they did travel for the holidays and are spending it with more people than I can ever remember being in our house at one time. That alone is progress in my mind.

“Thank you for trying to get to know the people and places important to me,” I reply as my shoulders collapse forward.

“The party has arrived,” Luna calls out as she dances through the front door with a flourish.

“Oh, that girl gives me heart palpitations,” my mother says as she jumps slightly at the intrusion, as the front door slams against the door.

I giggle and launch forward toward my bestie. “I am so glad we get to be here for Christmas.”

We hug and spin in circles like small children. I’m certain my mother is having some heart fluctuations based on my behavior, but I’m simply too excited to worry about things I can’t change.

“This will be my best Christmas ever,” she says, circling me with a big hug. “Where is that weirdo brother of mine that you have under your spell?”

I laugh. “You’re the one that arranged for me to get stuck here with him. You have only yourself to blame if you have been bumped down a notch in Nate’s list of favorite women.”

“Hey now,” Luna says as I turn to the door opening up again.

“I’m okay getting knocked down a peg,” Helen says, giving me a huge hug. “Good to see you again, Chuck,” she shakes my dad’s hand, “and you, Lorraine. Who would have thought our kids might decide to date after all these years?”

“Definitely a shock to us,” my mother says, but her smile is finally reaching her eyes. “And Carl, good to see you,” she greets Helen’s husband.

“Where is Nate?” Luna questions.

“Behind you,” his voice booms from the entrance. “I turned around when I saw the car headed this direction.” He lifts Luna up high in the air. “Good to have everyone here, right little sis. I’m glad we all can be together this season.”

“How exactly did you figure that seven of us were fitting in this cabin?” Nate’s dad asks.

“We are at the resort in an amazing suite,” my mother informs him.

“And I just rented a small bungalow in town,” I offer back.

“So, you are on the couch?” Luna asks Nate. “You know I still love Christmas morning together.”

“It’s a plan, just don’t make me sing carols,” he replies.

“Definitely not,” Luna remarks grabbing up her bag. “But karaoke can’t be wrong, can it?” she asks as she reveals a small speaker she drew from her bag.

“Oh no,” her parents say as mine turn my direction.

“Just one before dinner,” Luna says.

“I did help make the dessert,” I add excitedly.

“You,” Luna questions, “made something besides quiche?”

“Yep.”

“Seriously?” My father also questions. “I remember the night you burned water trying to make mac and cheese.”

The entire gathering turns to me with curious stares.

“I was ten, and I forgot the water in the stove,” I mutter. “Medical school and long hours have made it necessary to learn to sustain myself. I think you will all be pleasantly surprised.”

“‘Silent Night,’ everyone,” Luna says as the first chords start up.

I feel Nate lace his fingers into my left hand. “This is chaos,” he whispers into my ear.

“I know.” I smile back at him. “Isn’t it amazing?”

He kisses my nose as we all start into a loud rendition of “Silent Night.” This version of the song definitely won’t win any contests, but by the end, even my parents are smiling and swaying to the music.

“This is really great,” I tell my mom, actually putting an arm around her to lean my head in.

“Yes. I am happy to be able to see you this holiday,” she adds maybe a bit stiff, but did put an arm about my waist, which is a win in my book.

“Ready for dinner?” Nate asks as he knocks a knife against his glass. “I’m grateful for all of you coming tonight for dinner and excited to spend tomorrow as a family. May this be the first of many years together.”

The wood table with a couple of extra leaves takes up most of the small dining space as all of us turn to find our seats. Somehow, we manage to sit elbow to elbow and go around saying what we are grateful for that year. We didn’t get a Thanksgiving together, so this part is an add-on to this holiday gathering.

“I am grateful for this, family and friends gathered to celebrate. I didn’t realize all these years what I was missing, and I can’t wait to do this every year.” I share with tears forming in my eyes.

“Here. Here.”

All glasses are in the air as we clink them together before digging in.

The spread is amazing on the table. Nate had the chef outdo himself with this spread of roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, salads, and even fresh rolls.

“I don’t know how you managed to cook all of this,” Helen asks as she starts to fill her plate.

“He didn’t lift a finger,” I rat him out as Nate squints an eye in my direction.

“Hey now, I might not have cooked, but I did load up the truck to transport it here,” he interjects.

“Wait, you just ordered food even out here?” my mother asks in a confused tone.

“Nope, he had his chef at the resort whip it up. The man is a magician, and apparently Nate loves his cooking over mine even,” I add with a touch of sarcasm, as I had offered to do the cooking.

“I wanted you to just sit back and enjoy yourself,” he mumbles as he leans in for a little peck on the lips.

“Oh man, I think my appetite just fled,” Luna calls out. “Please, no PDA, as single people don’t need to be depressed on the holidays.”

“I honestly thought that my Elaina would never have a man in her life who wasn’t a doctor,” my mother adds.

“We are happy, though Nate, you found each other,” my father interjects as if trying to cover my mother’s staid nature.

“Well, I might have sort of thrown them together,” Luna tells them.

“Yeah. Let’s not send anyone else to the cold northern state without letting people know,” Nate barks at his sister. “Next time, I might not be on hand at the right time.”

“Enough about all that history,” Helen starts. “Tell us about how this love story blossomed.”

Nate immediately starts the tale. The man is a master storyteller and does find a way to interject even more humor into the telling. All the little moments that made me love him play through my mind as he retells the tale.

I notice my mother’s eyes on mine. She gives me a sweet smile, and I swear her face finally softens as he speaks. Maybe there is hope that she will accept the two of us. That would be the best outcome I can imagine, as I want all of us to start and keep some amazing new traditions as an extended family. No matter the paths we take, having this time together once a year would be divine, in my opinion.

As we all continue to dig into the feast, the conversation flows easily—stories from our childhoods, embarrassing moments, mostly courtesy of Luna, and a spirited debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Carl slips in a few bad puns, and my mother laughs over some joke so hard I thought she might need medical support.

After dinner, we clear the table and move to the living room. Nate offers to put on cheesy Christmas movies he had been forced to watch by me. Shockingly, we all agree on one and spread out on the floor and furniture. The fireplace crackles as background music, and the tree in the corner is twinkling with white lights and mismatched ornaments. It’s not perfect, but it’s beautiful.

The evening wanes, and we depart before midnight to our separate places with promises to be back first thing in the morning. I can’t even sleep for more than twenty minutes in a row all night as anticipation of the holiday morning keeps me awake. Finally, at the crack of dawn, I slip back through the door of the cabin at the same time as my parents arrive.

“All right, time for presents!” Luna declares the second we are inside.

She dives under the tree and pulls out a few packages with dramatic flair. She hands one to Nate and another to me, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Don’t worry, it’s PG.”

Nate laughs, tearing open his gift. “Hiking boots,” he laughs. “Practical and thoughtful.”

He holds up a hand for a high five from his sister.

I unwrap mine and find a knitted scarf in my favorite shade of blue. “Thanks, Luna. It’s gorgeous!” I throw it around my neck dramatically and pose.

“See? I knew it would look perfect on you,” she says, looking ridiculously pleased with herself.

We go around the circle, opening gifts and trading stories. Carl’s face lights up when he unwraps a set of gourmet coffee blends from Helen, and my mom gets teary-eyed over a framed family photo that Nate and I had printed for her. Carl unwraps a new set of fishing lures and immediately starts planning that fishing trip with my dad again, this time roping Nate into it too.

When it’s Nate’s turn, he picks up a small, badly wrapped package with my name on it. I bit my lip, suddenly nervous. He tears it open, and his eyes go wide.

“What is that?” Luna questions as all eyes turn to him.

“It’s a set of tiny little treats you can create for a child’s oven,” Nate explains as I notice people glancing at each other in confusion.

“Inside joke,” he says, bending over to whisper, “I love it,” for my ears alone. “You know I need a sous chef at my side for this type of adventure.”

“You know where to find me,” I murmur as I kiss him lightly.

As we finish up, Luna declares herself the official trash collector, piling up wrapping paper and ribbons.

I feel Nate’s hand on my shoulder a second later as I raise my hand to squeeze the appendage. I seriously feel like my heart is expanding to huge levels as I look to see my mom giving me a slight smile. These, right here, are the memories I’ve been missing—and the ones I refuse to be absent from ever again. No matter where we are next year in our lives, this is my holiday tradition now—and I’m hopeful we will have even more to celebrate than we do at this moment.