Champagne Toast (14 page)

Kate starts to unwrap the box carefully, smiling as she sees the Macy
’
s box beneath the gift-wrap.  Kate
’
s been in love with that store since she was a girl and it was called
‘
Marshall Fields
’
.  Her mom used to take her to the one on State Street.  It was one of the few things they actually enjoyed doing together.
They
’
d go there once a year, and Kate would help her mother choose a bottle of cologne for her father for Christmas.
Her mother would buy her a box of Frango candies and Kate would munch on them during their drive home.  And it was in those moments that Kate felt she actually belonged in her family.  She lost herself in that store, in that ritual.  I wonder how long it
’
s been since she and her mother visited Macy
’
s.

“
It
’
s gorgeous, Ev,
”
Kate says, stroking the fabric of the scarlet-colored wool sweater.

“
Do you really like it?
”
I ask.
“
There
’
s a receipt in there in case I botched the size or whatever.  But, when I saw it, I thought you
’
d look beautiful wearing it.
”

Kate kisses me before holding it up in front of her.
“
Nope, it
’
s perfect.  I
’
ll wear it to your parents
’
place tonight
.” 
Her smile is unwavering, and I
’
m so surprised that I don
’
t see even the smallest hint of disappointment on her face.  A sweater compared to a first edition book?  No comparison. But, I
’
m hoping that her real gift will impress her even more.

“
Well, I got you something else,
”
I say, pulling the very small box from my pocket.
“
Now, before you say anything, it
’
s not an engagement ring
.”
My pulse is through the roof.  I
’
m so fucking scared right now.  But, I want her to have this; I need her to know how I feel.

“
Okay,
”
she says tentatively.  I place the small box in her hand.  It is a white box simply adorned with a red bow.  She looks at it curiously before opening.  Her breath catches when she sees the contents of the box, then she looks up at me.  I can
’
t read her face.

“
Let me explain,
” I say, inching towards her.
“
I bought this ring for you so that you
’
ll know that I
’
m devoted to you, and I want to build a future with you.
”

“
Okay,
”
she smiles.

“
We
’
re both young and I know we
’
re not ready for marriage yet, but that
’s what I want . . .
down the line.  I
’
m not going anywhere.  I want us to have a future together, and I bought you this ring to symbolize that
,”
I finish, taking a deep breath and blowing out my mouth.

“
So, it
’
s a promise ring?
”
she asks with an innocent laugh, holding the white gold band in her hand.  It
’
s a thin band with a simple sapphire in the center, her favorite stone.
She looks at it lovingly before looking back into my eyes.

“
Yeah, I guess.  I know the concept of a promise ring is kind of outdated and maybe a little lame, but I wanted to get this for you.  We don
’
t have to call it that if you don
’
t want to, I just
−”

“
Ev, stop,
”
Kate says, placing the ring on her finger.
“
I love that you bought me a promise ring.  I love that you want all those things with me.  It scares the crap out of me, but I want those things, too.
”

Her words sting a little. 

“
I don
’
t want to
scare you
,”
I say, shaking my head.  Kate takes my hands in hers and kisses each of them gently.

“
I love it, Ev.  And I love you.
I can
’
t help it if talking about this stuff makes me scared.  I
’
m trying to be honest with you.
”

“
I know, it scares me
,
too,
”
I admit, my hands are trembling.  I
’
m terrified that thoughts of the future are mine alone.

“
Listen to me.  I love my ring.  And I love what it represents.
Thank you so much for the best Christmas gift I
’
ve ever received
,”
Kate says, kissing my hands again.

“
Merry Christmas, sweets
.” 
I sigh, hoping her words are genuine.
That she truly wants a future for us, too.

“
Merry Christmas.  I love you,
”
she says, climbing into my lap and kissing me passionately on the lips.
She pulls back slowly, giving me a devilish grin
.  I return the grin and take her by surprise.  I tackle her quickly to the floor, pressing her
hands into the carpet.

“Ev,” she protests, pretending to struggle as I tickle her sides.  She wraps her legs around my waist, crossing her ankles behind my back.

“Is there a problem?” I play dumb, feigning innocence.

I kiss her
neck and chin passionately as she opens my robe
, pushing it off of my shoulders
.
  I look down at her with sheer satisfaction.  God, I am so in love with this woman.  O
nce again, we make love beneath the Christmas tree. Only this time, she
’
s wearing my ring.

***

Several hours later, we
’
re arriving at my parents
’
place in Green Bay.  Kate looks pale as I pull the car into the driveway. I feel bad that she
’
s so nervous, but I couldn
’
t let this holiday go by without my parents meeting the girl who
’
s changed everything for me.

“
They
’
re going to love you,
”
I say as reassuringly as possible.

“
You don
’
t know that,
”
Kate says
,
staring out the window, drumming her fingertips on the door handle.

“
Yes, I do
,”
I reply with complete confidence.

“
Evan, my own parents don
’
t even like me
.” 
Kate says, slightly exasperated.

“
Your parents have no idea what they
’
re missing,
”
I say, stroking her hair.  She gives me a half smile, but the tension in the air is still thick.  She
’s afraid.
I can feel it.

“
Okay, here goes nothing,
”
she says, opening her door and walking with me up the brick walkway to my parents
’
simple Cape Cod style home.  My dad must
’
ve shoveled last night because hints of fresh snow are visible in between the bricks, and salt crunches beneath our feet as we approach the door.

Kate stops to ring the bell, but before her finger reaches the button, I take her hand in mine, shaking my head with a reassuring smile. 
“
We don
’
t ring the bell
here.  The door is unlocked.  T
hey
’
re waiting for us.
”

Walking into the house, my senses are flooded with the familiar scent of apple pie.  Breathing in deep, I take it in
— th
e smell of home.

“
Evan, is that you, honey?
”
my mom calls from the kitchen.

“
Yeah, Mom, we
’
re here,
”
I say, helping Kate take off her coat and placing it on the coat rack next to the front door.

“
Honey, you made it,
”
my mom says as she approaches.  She looks just as she always does.  Rosy cheeks, dark brown hair and wearing a sweater with a snowman on it.  Mom really likes the holidays.  She walks over to us quickly and approaches Kate first.
“
And you must be Kate.  I
’
m so happy to meet you,
”
Mom says
,
pulling Kate in for a hug.

“
Thank you, Mrs. Maxwell,
”
Kate says, her voice shaking slightly, her hands trembling.
“
It
’
s good to meet you, too.
”

“
Please, call me Jane,
”
she says in her signature kind voice before reaching for me.
“
Come here, sweetheart.
”

Wrapping my arms around my mom, I hug her tightly.  I feel her sigh into my shoulder as we hug.  It
’
s good to be home.

“
Evan,
”
my dad says, walking down the hall.  He pats me on the back when he reaches us, shaking my hand with a strong grip.  I
’
m hoping my dad
’
s presence won
’
t intimidate Kate too much.  He
’
s a really tall guy, almost 6
’
5.  His voice is very deep and he doesn
’
t smile very often.  But, he
’
s a good man and a good role model,
honest and hardworking.

“
Hey, Dad.  I
’
d like you to meet my girlfriend, Kate,
”
I say, putting my arm around Kate.  She extends her hand towards my dad
,
who takes it and gives it a firm shake.  Kate looks a little overwhelmed as the gesture comes to an end.

“
It
’
s nice to meet you, Mr. Maxwell,
”
Kate replies. 

Dad smiles and looks back to me.
“
So, how was the game?  Good seats?
”
He puts his arm around me and guides me down the hallway towards the living room and kitchen area. 

“
Dad, they were awesome.  Best gift, thanks again.  Kate came with me, we had a blast.
”

“
Until they lost,
”
Kate adds, making me chuckle to myself.

“
Yeah, the game went into overtime and then the Bears pulled it out in the end.  It sucked.  But, we were there.
”

“
Oh, you must
’
ve been freezing
.” 
My mom looks horrified. She
’
s never understood how anyone can sit in the cold to watch a football game when you can get a front row seat in your own warm living room, watching the game on television.

“
Kate made sure we wore plenty of layers.  But, even then it was freezing,
”
I reply as the four of us make our way into the living room.  My mom hurries into the kitchen to make tea. 

We spend the next hour sitting in the living room.  My mom chats with Kate as my dad and I watch football.  The Packers aren
’
t playing, but that doesn
’
t matter to my dad.  As time passes, I can see how well Kate and my mom are getting along, so I spend more time focusing on the game.  Dad and I don
’
t talk much, but this is how we bond, over a game.  We talk about the bad calls, the players
’
stats and predict who
’
s going to win.  It
’
s how we communicate.  I
’
ve never expected a lot out of my relationship with him.  In many ways, this is enough.  We have football in common, I know he
’
s proud of me and that
’
s plenty.