Page 58 of Bound and Blitzed

“You recommended ‘Dominick the Donkey’?” Arlene laughs boisterously, lifting her wine glass in the direction of her brother-in-law, Jim.

“You should have seen Brooks’s mother. I thought she was going to have a coronary,” he says gleefully.

“I almost did,” Aunt Karen adds, fanning herself. “Shh! Don’t say another word about it. Brooks and Anna are here.”

Uncle Jim rolls his eyes. “I can’t wait until she outgrows him.”

“Same here,” Joe shares.

I glance at Avery, wondering why everyone is speaking so terribly about Anna’s boyfriend, Brooks.

“Brooks and Raia dated for years. He broke up with her right before a big game and she was injured. This was a bit over a year ago. But then, we all learned that he was dating Anna,” Avery quickly fills me in.

“Oh!” I breathe out, covering my mouth with my hand. My eyes dart to Raia who is perched on the couch beside Cohen, looking at him with hearts in her eyes and a bright smile.

“It’s how Rai and Cohen got together. She begged him to pose as her fake boyfriend for a ski trip with all of her, Anna, and Brooks’s mutual friends,” Avery adds.

“So…” I look back at Avery. “Anna and Brooks dating actually pushed Cohen and Raia together?”

Avery shrugs.

“All’s well that ends well,” Aunt Karen shares.

“Not really,” Uncle Jim grumbles, taking a pull of his beer.

Joe smirks and winks at me.

I shake my head, loving the wild family dynamics of the Callaway bunch.

Brooks and Anna enter the house, closely followed by Grandma and Grandpa, and we all gather around the dining table for dinner.

“You’ve outdone yourself, Arlene,” Aunt Karen calls out.

“Every year,” Uncle Jim agrees.

“Oh! I just threw this together,” Arlene says, bringing in a massive charcuterie board.

Joe appears a moment later and places two more dishes down on the table—a kale salad and roasted potatoes. Then, Grandma enters the dining room, holding a service platter with roasted turkey. Grandpa has prime rib on the platter he’s holding.

Raia and Avery exchange a look as she and Cohen sit at the table. They burst out laughing.

Over my husband’s bent head and shaking shoulders, I meet Cohen’s eyes.

“Welcome to the family, Vale,” he says, lifting his glass in my direction.

“Merry Christmas, Cohen.” I hold my glass up.

Then, we both take a long gulp.

As the merriment of the holiday season washes over me, I’m caught up in Christmas with Avery’s family. They embrace me as one of their own. They include me in their traditions. Arlene gifts me a pair of earrings, similar to the set she gifts her own daughter. Joe puts me on the spot to sing along with the Christmas carols the same way he calls out Cohen and Avery for not singing loudly enough. Grandma sits beside me on the couch and taps my thigh each time her glass requires a refill.

It’s warm and loving and whole-hearted. It’s so beautiful and natural, it brings tears to my eyes.

That night, as Avery and I say our good-byes, Grandpa places a small, wrapped box in my hand.

“Oh, thank you,” I say, moving to open it.

He shakes his head and places his hand over mine. “Save it until you’re home.”

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