Page 38

CHAPTER 38

Zoey

M att and I agree to spend Christmas Eve with his family and Christmas Day with mine. I’ve heard about the Carter family Christmases. It’s Liv’s favourite holiday. She’d come to school when we were growing up and tell me all about what they did. It was never about the gifts she got, but the experiences she got to have with her parents and brother and sister. This will be my first Carter Christmas.

Henry and the boys always made sure we created some Christmas memories. We’d play games, watch Christmas movies, and when Henry met Maggie, she’d bake with me before the holiday.

I decide to make one of Maggie’s cookie recipes to bring with us, as well as a pie. I’ve always loved Matt and Liv’s parents, and Liv has always said they love me, but it’s different knowing them as my best friends’ parents and now meeting them as my boyfriend’s parents.

I stand in the kitchen, looking around, trying to make sure I’ve grabbed everything. I triple count Jayden’s bottles and make sure the desserts are packed in a canvas bag and the gifts are by the door. Matt is patting Jayden’s back as he watches me.

“Bug, why are you so worried?”

“This is the first time I’m seeing your parents as your girlfriend, and this is the first time I’m spending a family holiday with you guys. This is different than Canada Day, this holiday is all about family.”

Matt slowly makes his way towards me, cupping my face when he stops in front of me. “You are family.”

“An honorary Carter isn’t family,” I say, going back to that conversation we had months ago.

“You’ll have the name as soon as you tell me you’re ready to have it. You are family in every sense that matters. My parents love you. They’ll be so happy to have you join the family. Please don’t be nervous, Bug.”

I take a deep breath and voice the thoughts I’ve tried to ignore. “My parents never did anything with us for the holidays. We were lucky if they even remembered our birthdays or any other holiday. Your parents are so involved with you and your sisters, and now with Cate and Jayden. I don’t know what it’s like to have that.”

Matt nods in understanding, and his thumb lovingly strokes my cheek. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with and experience that, Zo. I hope all your future Christmases are positive memories and my parents, Jayden, and I can be a part of that.” He kisses my nose, and I relax a little. “I love you, Zoey Williams, and we will create many more memories to replace all your not-so-positive ones. Just give us some time.”

I nod, and he wraps his arm around me, pulling me into him. “I love you, too,” I whisper into his chest.

Taking a deep breath, I step out of his arms. I shake out my arms and grab the few things I need then meet Matt in the entryway.

When we arrive at the Carter family home, Matt squeezes my knee before getting out and rounding the car, opening my door and getting Jayden out while I grab our bags. We make our way to the front door, and Matt gives me a look, checking in. When I nod, he opens the front door and I follow him in.

The house smells amazing as we step inside, filled with the scent of the real tree. We slip our shoes off, and I follow the smell of food wafting from the kitchen, where I find Mrs. Carter. She smiles widely when she sees me and stops what she’s doing to wrap her arms around me and kiss my hair.

“How are you, dear? I’m so glad you’re spending the day with us.”

“I’m good, thank you, Mrs. Carter.”

Her hand comes under my chin in a very motherly way, and I smile. “No need to be so formal. You can call me Maddison.”

Her words have any tension I had left in my body leaving. Matt joins us, and Maddison smiles more at Jayden than she does Matt, I think. She kisses Matt on the cheek quickly, and then her hands are deftly undoing the buckles on the car seat and taking Jayden out.

“How is my grandbaby?” she asks, and Jayden smiles at her as he babbles.

Matt tips his head to the living room, leaving Jayden with his mom. We move into the living room and greet his dad, who is coming down the stairs with a wrapped box as the front door opens and Josh and Liv walk in. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Mr. Carter kisses Liv’s cheek and then Cate’s, who’s in Liv’s arms, and shakes Josh’s hand before coming into the living room to greet Matt and me.

“Where’s your boy?” he asks.

“Mom,” Matt says with a smile, and Mr. Carter nods in a knowing way. “I was chopped liver when I went into the kitchen, she just wanted her grandbaby.”

“Because he’s adorable,” I say, and Matt feigns pain.

“And I’m not?”

I shrug. “Your cheeks aren’t as pinchable.”

He pinches my ass, and I squeal. “You can pinch my cheeks whenever you want, baby.”

I can’t help but to throw my head back and laugh. The way he wiggles his brows, I get the innuendo.

“I’ll remember that,” I whisper, and he kisses my cheek.

Mr. Carter takes Cate from Liv, and she pulls me away from her brother and into the kitchen. She says hi to her mom, kissing her on the cheek before she drags me to the den.

“Okay, so now that the boys aren’t around, tell me everything.” She scrunches her nose and shakes her head quickly. “Okay, not everything. You know what I mean.”

I laugh. “So, you don’t want to know what Matt and I did last night?”

The look of disgust on her face is priceless. “No, no I do not want to know.” She pulls her leg up on the couch and wraps her arms around it, holding it to her chest. “You know, I love that we’ve always been as close as siblings and now you’ll be my sister-in-law.”

“Not for a while,” I say.

“I see the way my brother looks at you. I know he wants to marry you. I’m surprised he hasn’t jumped on that already.”

I play with the hem of my shirt. “I told him I wanted to wait. I’ve spent too much of our relationship not knowing what I wanted to do with my own life, feeling lost. I don’t want my life to be our relationship. I love Matt, I do. But I want to make sure I’m my own person before I’m his wife.”

Liv smiles. “I admire you, Zo. Not everyone is strong enough to admit that, let alone follow through on it. You’re family. You’ll always be family, no matter how long you decide to wait to get married.”

I hug my best friend, and the boys come in with babies on their hips. I grin at Matt. “Now don’t you two look good, two best friends with babies at the same time.”

Matt rolls his eyes and joins us, placing Jayden on a tummy time mat on the floor. Josh puts Cate beside him and takes a seat beside Liv while Matt picks me up, taking my seat and settling me in his lap. I notice Liv and Josh are watching Cate pretty intently.

“Something wrong?” I ask.

Liv shakes her head. “No, but she’s started showing signs of crawling soon and neither of us want to miss it.”

“Already? God, I can’t believe she’s growing up so quickly.”

“Tell me about it. I realized I have to start thinking about her birthday soon, and I cried for a solid hour. I’m not ready for my baby girl to grow up.”

Josh runs his hand over her hair and kisses the top of her head, and I know he’s thinking the same thing.

We eventually fall into conversation as we watch the kids play. Gianna pops her head in a few times, but spends her time in the kitchen with Mrs. Carter. Cate looks like she’ll crawl a couple times, but not tonight, apparently. After dinner, we all gather in the living room for gift exchanges. Liv and Josh insist on going last, handing all four adults gifts the same size. We open them, and I’m crying before I get the box fully open.

“Really?” I ask, and Liv is crying, too. Putting the box aside, I wrap my arms around her. “I get to be an aunty again,” I say through my tears.

Liv nods. “And you’re the best aunty.”

Everyone hugs, and I stare at the copy of the sonogram that was in the box with a shirt that says: Two-Time Best Aunty.

I lean on Matt’s arm as I stare at it, and he kisses the top of my head. “One day, that will be us,” he whispers, and I nod, wiping at my tears. I can’t wait for us to get to experience that together. I look up and kiss him softly, and he wraps his arms around me.

Liv tells us she’s just shy of three months and doesn’t want to tell anyone outside of her family for a few more weeks, and that just brings more tears to my eyes. I’m family.

As Matt and I start to yawn, we decide to call it a night. We pack up and say our goodbyes before heading home. Home. Something about calling the place where Matt and Jayden are home is special. We always called my parents’ place home growing up, but it didn’t have that warm and inviting feeling or the feeling of safety I get when I’m at Matt’s. And at Henry’s I knew I was always welcome, but it was very much Henry and Maggie’s place.

When we get home, I get Jayden settled in bed, loving this part of our routine. I’ve taken nights for the most part, and Matt takes the morning, knowing I’m not a morning person. I’ve gotten more accustomed to it with Jayden now, but it’s still not easy.

While I’m rubbing Jayden’s back and rocking him, Matt joins me, quickly adding something to the mobile that he’s moved from Jayden’s tummy time mat to above his crib. I’m surprised to see he’s adding a little ladybug right to the centre of the mobile. He smiles at me.

“Why?” I ask.

He puts his finger under my chin and tips my head back. “Because you’re the centre of our world. He needs something to remind him of how lucky he is to have you in his life.”

He kisses me and heads back into the bedroom, leaving me reeling in all the best ways. I kiss Jayden’s forehead and get him settled in bed. I stare down at this perfect little boy, knowing I’m just as lucky to have him.

When I venture into the bedroom, I laugh as Matt points to the mistletoe he hung above the bed. “You’re a dork,” I say. I love that he can go from saying such heart-warming things to having fun with me like this. It just shows me how comfortable he is with me, and with our relationship.

He grins and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “Maybe, but you love me.” He leans down and kisses my nose.

“That I do.”

He pulls me down onto the bed with him, pulling a giggle from me. “You’ve got to kiss me, Bug. It’s the rules.”

I kiss him as I smile against his lips, so happy he is who I’m spending the rest of my life with.