Page 43 of Rafferty

So I do. It’s meant to be quick and affectionate, but as I start to pull away, he growls and wraps his arms around me. His tongue slides into my mouth, ever so briefly for a quick swipe, and that’s all it takes to daze me. I’m dizzy when he lets me go and gives me a quick pat on the butt. “We’ve got it covered.”

“Um… okay,” I say, my eyes drifting to his mouth.

He grins at me knowingly, but it’s Farren clearing her throat that has me jumping into action. “I’ll go rally the rest of the Martin family. Be back in a jiff.”

I bolt upstairs, barge into Cooper’s room and pull off his headphones. “Rafferty and Farren are here.”

Cooper’s eyes light up and he tosses the controller, rushing past me to hurtle down the stairs at breakneck speed. I get a glimpse of him in socked feet, sliding into the kitchen, as I slowly take the steep staircase.

In my mom’s room, I help her into her wheelchair, spend a minute in front of the dresser mirror so she can put on some lipstick, and then I wheel her into the kitchen so she can sit at the table and watch us minions hard at work.

Together, we manage to salvage dinner. Cooper keeps up a running stream of chatter with Rafferty about hockey as he slices and plates the ham. I finish mashing the potatoes, and to my surprise, Farren has the green bean casserole free of burnt edges and looking only a little pathetic. I set the table, using my mom’s good china and linen napkins. The entire time, the room is filled with laughter and the mood is festive as we all pitch in.

We’re cramped around the small kitchen table as it only seats four, so Rafferty brings down Cooper’s desk chair and squeezes in between me and my little brother. We’re elbow to elbow, passing plates rather than bowls, serving up portions for one another. The adults drink the red wine Rafferty brought and Cooper tries to guess what presents he got. While we normally open them in the morning, we agreed to wait until this evening to open them with our guests.

After we eat, we migrate to the living room where the Christmas tree twinkles merrily, gifts piled underneath. Rafferty excuses himself to go outside and when he returns, he has a huge red velvet bag comparable to what Santa might carry around, filled with more presents. Cooper practically vibrates with excitement as he watches his hockey hero hand them out.

I’m on the couch with Cooper on one side of me and Rafferty on the other. Farren has the love seat and we settle Mom into the recliner, Rafferty causing my heart to squeeze in all the right ways when he settles a blanket over her lap.

When we all have piles in front of us, we take turns opening them up. My mom is first at my insistence as she’s the one who needs the most holiday cheer. She oohs and aahs over a pretty sweater I picked out for her, delights in a box of handmade ornaments that Cooper worked on up in his room, and gushes over the tea gift basket I bought for her.

When she opens up a box from Rafferty, she gasps in delight at the new set of international cookbooks.

“Tempe said you’re a foodie,” he says helpfully.

“They’re perfect,” my mom says, shooting him a fond smile. “That gives me more incentive than ever to get back on my feet.” She glances at me, her tone so loving my heart aches. “Besides… we got to get this girl back to school so she can finish her degree. Right, Tempe?”

There’s challenge in her words because this is something we’ve been recently fighting about. She’s not going to be fully mobile by the time the semester starts in a few weeks and I’m going to defer one more semester. My mom is adamantly opposed to it and we haven’t been able to come to an agreement. I take a neutral approach though, merely saying, “Let’s get past the holidays and then we can discuss it more.”

“Nothing to discuss,” she says with a pointed look. “You’re going back to school.”

I change the subject, looking at Cooper who’s bouncing in his seat. “How about you go next, buddy.”

Cooper unwraps his presents with the vigor of a velociraptor tearing into raw meat. Paper goes flying everywhere and he hoots and hollers with each new revelation. While not something he would have asked for, his eyes sparkle over the massive science kit Farren gave him, and as expected, the video games from me and Mom spurred warm hugs. It’s when he opens the box from Rafferty—the Nikes he wanted but I couldn’t afford—that I have a whole new appreciation for the man’s thoughtfulness.

Farren and I exchange gifts next. She gives me a quirky set of earrings that are so perfectly my style it’s uncanny. I give her a scarf done in vibrant colors that match her spicy personality.

And then suddenly it’s my turn to exchange gifts with Rafferty and a wave of awkwardness comes over me. I know him, but I don’t, and I found it too difficult to buy a typical present like a wallet or cologne. Besides, that seemed a little too impersonal, so I hold my breath as he unwraps my gift.

His beautiful mouth splits into an even more beautiful smile as he studies the framed photo. My mom can’t quite see but she’s curious, so I provide, “It’s a picture of us taken at Stone and Harlow’s wedding.”

“It’s the only photo of us,” Rafferty says, his eyes coming to mine. “We need to take more.”

A tingle goes up my spine at the quiet reserve in his tone. The assuredness that there will be many more opportunities. I swallow hard and nod.

“I love it,” he says, leaning over and giving me a quick kiss.

My eyes cut quickly to Cooper who’s ignoring us, instead reading the instructions from the science kit. My mom’s eyes shine with amusement. Farren’s looking at me like, “Yasss, girl.”

“I got something for you too,” Rafferty says, and I blink, my attention going back to him. He’s holding out a small square box only a few inches deep wrapped in red foil paper with a white satin bow.

I take it, giving him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me until you open it and we see if you like it,” he teases.

“I’m sure I’ll love it.”

And boy, do I love it.

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