Page 62 of The Holiday Honeymoon Switch
She gets in her car and follows the directions to Aiden’s family home, a redbrick colonial on Main. The wraparoundporch is lit up with multicolored holiday lights, and the driveway is already full of cars, so Holly parks on the street. She takes her gifts and the bottle of wine from the trunk and rings the doorbell—which promptly plays a lightning-fast version of the chorus of “Winter Wonderland” before a woman with short dark hair and eyes the same bright blue as Aiden’s answers.
“You must be Holly,” she says warmly, opening the door wide. “I’m Charlotte, Aiden’s mother.”
Another woman has joined Charlotte in the entryway, and she greets Holly in an equally welcoming manner. She has short hair, too, but it’s pure white. Her eyes are just as blue and sparkly as Aiden’s mother’s. “I’m Grandma Hazel. Come in, come in! Merry Christmas!” she calls out. “We’ve been banned from the kitchen. The men are making a mess in there. But it’s almost parade time, and Sidra has made some amazing sandwiches to tide us over until dinner. Come join us ladies in the living room. Just throw your coat on top of all the others. You can put your parcels under the tree there.”
The living room leads to a dining room, and several of Aiden’s family members are in there, everyone talking at once. Holly can see Aiden in the center of the group. Meanwhile, Alexa is holding a platter of sandwiches, and people appear to be fighting over them. Grandma Hazel throws herself into the fray. “I’m oldest!” she says. “I get first pick.”
“Actually,” says a man with a gruff voice and a kind smile, just like Aiden’s, “technicallyIam, but ladies first.”
“Ladies first, Gramps?” Alexa says. “What is this, the fifties? There are enough sandwiches to go around and then some, so everyone just calm down. No need to infantilize Grandma.”
Holly feels suddenly shy and hangs back, but Aiden spots her and breaks off from the group.
“Hey! You made it.”
His welcoming smile makes her feel sure of herself again. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Things have been a little hectic around here. There was yet another emergency—the mixer blew a gasket, which almost meant no dinner rolls, a key part of the Coleman family holiday tradition, so Alexa and Sidra needed to enlist some manual bread-kneading muscle. My arms may never recover, but everything’s back on track. My dad’s in the garage, and I think he almost has it fixed.”
Just then, a man who looks like Aiden, only two or three decades older, opens the back door, holding a wrench up in the air. He calls out, “Victory! In the battle against machine, man has come out victorious yet again!” Holly finds herself smiling; she can now see where Aiden gets his charming geekiness from.
The hubbub around the sandwich tray simmers down slightly as Aiden approaches with Holly to introduce her to his father, Murray.
“And hey, everyone, may I remind you all that this is Holly. Ourguest—who, by the way, should maybe get the first sandwich since she’s never tried them before?”
Holly protests, embarrassed. Then Alexa says, “Well, she already got four free cookies this week, so it’s not like we aren’t giving her special treatment already.”
“Wait,” Holly says, determined not to let Alexa’s prickly edges get to her. “We’re having a full turkey dinner?”
“Yes,” says Murray.
“And now we’re eating sandwiches?”
“Well, we need something to eat during the parade,” Grandma Hazel says. “It’s Christmas Day. You’re supposed to be full to the point of bursting all day long. And besides, we’re not eating that turkey for hours.”
Charlotte smiles at Holly. “If there’s one thing this family likes to do, it’s eat.”
“Yeah,” says Alexa. “You need to keep up.”
“Oh, Holly can keep up,” Aiden says. “You already know she’s a huge Seventh Heaven sandwich and cookie fan.”
Holly turns to Alexa. “I actually have a little gift as a thank-you for the cookies the other day,” she says. “I have Christmas gifts for everyone, but this is more of a gratitude gift.”
She reaches inside her purse and holds up a small paper bag. She had brought an unopened jar of Momofuku’s coveted Chili Crunch Hot Honey to use on her ramen, but the night she made it for Aiden, she’d used the hot sauce hebrought instead. “It’s delicious on anything, but I bet it would be great on one of your sandwiches.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you,” Sidra chimes in, but Alexa is looking over the jar doubtfully, and soon discards it on a chair.
“Quick, everyone, grab a hoagie and then let’s get outside, it’s about to start,” says Grandma Hazel, her eyes sparkling even brighter with excitement.
When Sidra offers to get Holly some cider, Holly insists she can get it herself.
“Here, let me help you find the mugs,” Aiden says. “Anyone else need anything? We’ll meet you outside.”
“Oh, I get it,” says Grandma Hazel, winking at Aiden as Holly blushes. “You two lovebirds want tosmooch.”
Indeed, as soon as they’re alone in the kitchen, Aiden reaches for her and pulls her in for a long kiss.
“Merry Christmas, Holly.”
