Page 25 of Learning to Love

Sam gently brings me forward. "This is Ellie, everyone. Ellie, these are my parents, my brother, and sister-in-law."

Joan, Sam's mum, hugs me tightly, and everyone else shakes my hand.

"Don't keep Ellie outside, Sam,” Joan says. “Unload the car and come inside." She ushers us inside, while the men bring our bags and lug them upstairs.

The house is warm and welcoming, as are the people living in it. I take to his family straight away.

"Let's do presents now, we had to wait until you got here." Tom, Sam's older brother, pouts. They look alike in some ways, the same auburn hair and inquisitive eyes, but Tom looks more approachable, less aloof.

Sam brings down one bag from upstairs, and we hand out presents. I helped him choose the ones for his family—a spa voucher for his mum, golf vouchers for his dad, wakeboarding lessons for his brother, and a merino shawl for his sister-in-law.

I wait nervously as he opens his presents. He's very hard to buy for. What do you buy a man who can just buy what he needs without having to save up, like I do? His family joined forces and bought him an iPad Pro, which he seems to enjoy. He holds out the last two, looking surprised.

"One's a Christmas one, one's a birthday one." I try to hide the emotion in my voice.

He's taken aback and gives me a lopsided smile. "I don't celebrate birthdays, but this time I'll let you off the hook." Sam unwraps the first one, a small pendant with a wizened saint on it. He looks puzzled.

"That's St. Brendan,” I explain, “the patron saint of sailors. He's going to protect you so that you come home safe every time." It feels like I've dropped a bomb in the room, and now we're dealing with the aftermath.

He looks downcast, his mum is discretely wiping a tear from her eye, and everyone else tries to pretend they haven't heard or seen anything.

Sam clasps the pendant around his neck and offers a weak smile. "That's very thoughtful. Thank you. Let's see what this one is." He shakes the small square package to check whether it makes a noise.

"I think it's a bicycle." I ease the tension, and everyone laughs.

Sam opens his present to find a book of ancient sailing maps about how cartography changed through time. He flicks through the pages, fascinated.

Steve, his dad, chimes in. "Seems you know my boy very well."

"Too well," adds Tom, and looks away naughtily.

"Oi, you. Don't scare her off," Sam barks.

I love to see the banter between Sam and Tom. "I'm not scared that easily." I raise one eyebrow at them.

I start to open my present from Sam. It's the size of a large shoe box. I shake it, and it rattles. I can’t even begin to guess what Tayla told him to buy me. The box contains another box, to everyone's delight. I pretend huff and open that box, only to find a smaller box. Everyone's laughing out loud now, and Sam is looking at me with a challenge in his eyes, daring me to continue.

I open the small box, and inside is the most beautiful bracelet I've ever seen. A wave of apprehension hits me. "Are these stones real? I can't possibly accept this, Sam. It's too much."

"It's vintage." He silences my concerns in one go.

Joan stands and approaches, eyeing the bracelet. “Truly lovely,” she says with a warm smile. She claps her hands together and turns toward the dining room. “Presents are over. Let’s eat!”

Sam and I sit next to each other, and he squeezes my hand under the table.

Joan weaves her fingers together and closes her eyes. "We give thanks today for this meal, for family being together, for new additions to the family, and we think of the ones we love who are lost to us." After Joan's words, everyone holds a moment of silence, then we start eating. There's some traditional Kiwi Christmas fare, like Champagne Ham, but there are also some Korean dishes, like Bulgogi, prepared by Sophie.

Tom starts the grilling. "So Ellie, tell us more about yourself. How did you end up with Sam?"

I knew there would be plenty of that involved, like I knew they would compare me to Laura, Sam's ex-fiancée. An Olympian. I swallow the lump in my throat and hold my head high. "I'm a daycare teacher on the North Shore, born and bred in Auckland. My parents have a small winery, Ako Wines, up North by Matakana."

"We're having some of their wine now, actually," Sam helpfully points out.

"I love it." Steve's already on his second glass, and we all laugh.

"How did you guys meet?" Sophie, the sister-in-law, has been quiet until now, but she's engrossed in the story. Sam and I look at each other.

"How about you tell the story,” I suggest, “and I'll pipe up if you're falling on the wayside?"

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