Page 58 of The Christmas Letters
“Of course she did,” I say through a laugh. “With all the romcoms you guys watch…it’s only fitting.” I push up on my toes and kiss him one more time. Mostly because I can. But also because I can’t actually believe he’s here. That this is real.
After the kiss, Drew tucks me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “I’m sorry about how things started between us, Tess. I know I already apologized, but if I could go back and do things over, I would call you the second I finished my shift.”
“But then we would have missed weeks of writing letters,” I say.
He brushes my hair away from my neck and presses a lingering kiss just below my ear. “But we would have had weeks of this.”
I chuckle and lean closer, snuggling deeper into his embrace. “Fair argument, but I’m still not sad about how things turned out.”
He’s quiet for a beat before he says, “You know, it wasn’t just Daisy. She wasn’t the only reason I was hesitant to call.” He goes on to tell me about his parents. About the sale of his father’s company, and their sudden shift into wealth. He tells me about his mom’s volunteering and how much time they spent away from home in the last few months before they died.
“It wasn’t fair, Tess,” he says, his voice rumbling against my back. “I made some unhealthy assumptions, and it’s made me shortsighted. But I’m working on it. Ineedto work on it because I inherited quite a bit of wealth when my parents died and so far, I haven’t touched it. Gran keeps telling me it’s a waste, and she’s right.”
I spin around in his arms and lift a hand to his cheek. “Drew, you went through something really hard. It’s okay if it takes time to figure things out.”
He shakes his head. “It’s been long enough. It’s just my pride getting in the way now. It’s you that helped me figure that out.”
“What did I do?”
“You taught me not to assume, not to make judgments based on what I see on the outside.”
My heart squeezes at his words. Still, he wasn’t entirely wrong in the judgments he made. Daisy certainly deserved them, and there are plenty of people in this world just like Daisy, my parents included. “Drew, some people deserve judgment. People who value money and status over kindness and compassion. Sadly, a lot of them are in the dining room behind us. I wish I could say that Daisy was the worst of it, but…you haven’t met my father yet. And he’ll probably be particularly hard on you.”
Drew nods like this doesn’t surprise him. “I figured as much. But would it help if I casually mention the size of my investment portfolio?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I really don’t want to say yes, but…definitely yes.”
He grins, then lifts a hand and runs it over my hair until he’s cupping my cheek. “I’ll play the game for you, Tess. I have no doubt you’re worth it.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He smiles playfully. “I don’t know. You should probably kiss me one more time just so I can make sure.”
I push up onto my toes and kiss him like my life depends on it. Likehislife depends on it. Like this is the start of the rest of our lives.
“Merry Christmas, Drew,” I whisper against his lips.
His arms tighten around me. “Merry Christmas,” he whispers back.
I’ll never get over the enormous coincidence it was that I met Drew in person on the same day I found his letter.
But maybe it wasn’t a coincidence at all. Maybe it was fate.
Or just a little bit of Christmas magic.
Epilogue
One Year Later: Tess
TwodaysafterChristmas,I sit snuggled on the couch in between Drew and Grandma Pearl, a huge bowl of popcorn sitting untouched on the coffee table in front of us. I can’t speak for Drew, but I had two slices of Grandma Pearl’s sweet potato pie after dinner. I don’t have room for popcorn no matter how much I wish I did.
“If y’all aren’t going to eat the popcorn, I’ll keep it over here with me,” Grandma Pearl says as she reaches for the bowl. Her eyes don’t drift from the television screen where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are only minutes away from seeing each other for the first time inSleepless in Seattle.
Drew wasn’t wrong about Grandma Pearl’s love of romantic movies. I suspect she has a little bit of a crush on Tom Hanks based on her movie selections for our post-Christmas movie marathon. Though, the way she winked at me when she startedYou’ve Got Mailmakes me think she picked that one just for me.
It’s been three hundred and sixty-seven days since I met Drew on the back patio of the yacht club and our relationship officially began. Three hundred and sixty-seven days of laughing and talking and snuggling Chloe’s baby and watching movies with Grandma Pearl. Of studying for my exams and playing on the beach with Roxie and sketching out future business plans.
I wish I could say every day has been perfect. My father has been begrudging in his acceptance of Drew, but Mom is a huge fan, and with her support, Dad doesn’t feel quite so intimidating. Besides, together, Drew and I can face anything. Stalwart. United. And determined to make our own way.
