Page 52 of Wishing Stone

I held a finger to my lips, signaling for them to be quiet. Then, reaching up, I removed the headphones from Krystina’s ears.

“Give me your phone,” I said to her.

“My phone?” she questioned. “Why do you need my phone?”

I huffed out an impatient breath.

“Must you question everything? Please. Just hand me your phone.”

Reaching into her coat pocket, she pulled out her cell and handed it to me. After unlocking it, I searched her music library for her favorite Christmas playlist, then synced it to the Bluetooth speaker I had stashed in the backpack. I set both the speaker and phone down on the back of the golf cart just as Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band began singingMerry Christmas, Baby.

Going back to Krystina, I loosened the satin knot at the back of her head. Then, before removing the blindfold completely, I leaned in and traced my lips softly over the shell of her ear.

“Merry Christmas, angel,” I whispered, then let the silky material fall from her eyes.

All at once, the music was momentarily drowned by a chorus of voices.

“Merry Christmas!” everyone yelled.

Krystina blinked in confusion, almost as if she didn’t believe what she saw. She looked at the group of friends and family, then shifted her eyes to take in all the decorations dotting the clearing around the pond.

One hundred white angels circled the icy water’s edge. Their brilliant lights illuminated the night. Along the path, the winter wonderland Hale and I had initially constructed had been expanded to a festival of lights that would rival some of the best in the country. I’d enlisted the help of Kimberly Melbourne, a design engineer that I frequently worked with, knowing she would be able to create everything I had envisioned. She’d brought in an entire crew to erect everything from a large-scale light-up gingerbread house to a life-sized sleigh complete with Santa and his eight reindeer. A cluster of igloos was off to the left. Red and white poinsettias lined the transparent plastic bubbles, reminding me of winter greenhouses. The plants surrounded small tables covered in red cloth, each one set for the dinner Vivian would be serving us later in the evening.

As I watched Krystina’s face change from bewilderment to pure joy. The beams of light from the decorated trees fell like wishes over her face, and I knew every effort and penny spent to create this for her had been worth it.

“What…how did you…” she trailed off, seeming at a loss for words. “So many decorations and everyone is here. How… Alex, the rules. I…”

I couldn’t help but laugh. It was rare to see my sassy wife struggling to speak.

“I realized that the most meaningful gifts aren’t always wrapped in a bow, and I wanted to give you what you deserved. Plus, a chat with Dr. Tumblin may have swayed me to relax on the rules a bit. Of course, there are still precautions in place, but I managed to figure out a way for us to all be together.”

“Alex insisted we all get tested this morning,” said Elizabeth Long, sounding slightly exasperated over the inconvenience. “But we all agreed that it was a small price to pay if it meant we could have a semi-normal Christmas.”

“Yes, but we still need to use common sense,” I added, more as a warning to Krystina’s mother. Elizabeth had been the most resistant to my rules, and I wanted to ensure she didn’t forget.

“Mom, where are you staying? It’s a long haul from Albany. Surely, you can’t be in a hotel?”

“Alex was adamant about no hotels, so Allyson offered to put us up in your old bedroom at the apartment on Bleecker Street,” Elizabeth clarified.

Krystina still seemed in shock, having done little more than shake her head in disbelief.

“I still can’t believe…” she began, only to trail off again.

“I know how controlling I am, and I love that you accept that side of me,” I explained. “But I recognize how much this pandemic has amplified it. I hated seeing you caged up, but I couldn’t push away the worry. You’ve always been more social than I am, and I never once considered what so much isolation would do to you. It was slowly killing your spirit. I love you, and I just want you to enjoy your favorite time of the year. So, this is my way of compromising for the holiday.”

“Just for the holiday?” she asked.

My jaw clenched, although I wasn’t the least bit surprised by her challenge.

“Don’t push it, angel. I can’t just flip a switch on this. Baby steps, okay?”

“Alex, it’s okay. I mean, we both agreed that—”

“Hold that thought until later,” I interrupted. “I don’t want to get into some long-winded conversation about what rules are still in place for right now. Besides, this isn’t your only gift.” Reaching down to the backpack sitting at my feet, I pulled out a flat package wrapped in silver and red paper and handed it to her.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“This is the rest of your present, angel. Open it.”

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