Paige rolls her eyes. “Missy Elliot says did so it’s did. Geesh, Noah.”
“Noah, sometimes I wonder whether you’re cool or not,” Eden chastises.
JD walks by and flips Eden’s hair, pissing her off. She swats at her dad. Eden is a feisty one, and often battling with JD over the simplest of things.
“My bad.” It seems like my day isn’t starting off at all like I had hoped. Peyton comes into the room, hands me a plate of food, and sits down next to me. “We just ate, babe.”
“It’s Christmas food. I can’t say no.”
Who am I to argue with that logic? I balance the plate on my knee, giving us both easy access. Everyone else comes into the room. My dad’s wearing a Santa hat. He’s done this every year since he came back into our lives.
“Where’s Ben?” he asks.
“With his mom, he’ll be over later. We don’t have to wait for him.” Elle tells us. It’s a bit sad he’s the only one not here, but I get it. Honestly, I’m surprised that Nola didn’t go home to be with her family, but I’m sure the wedding put a monkey wrench in everyone’s plans.
My dad starts sorting the presents. There’s so many under the tree that they’re stacked against the wall. Most of them are for Betty Paige, and as her pile grows, my mom blurts out that once the grandbabies start coming, Paige is getting fewer presents.
“Don’t tease me, Mommy.”
“Bite your tongue, Mother,” I add. “At least let Peyton and I enjoy being married before we start having babies.” I lean over and kiss Peyton on the cheek, and whisper in her ear, “Unless you want a baby sooner.” She shakes her head slightly, giving me my answer. We both know we want children, we just haven’t said when. I think my mom tends to forget that Peyton is still young, and her career is just starting. We have time. Still, the look on my mom’s and Katelyn’s face tells me they’re eager to be grandmas.
Once all the presents are handed out, we go one by one, opening a gift. With this many people, it takes forever but allows us to see what everyone is getting. When Peyton picks my gift to open, I turn all my attention toward her. She unwraps the box carefully lifting the lid.
Her hand instantly covers her mouth as she says my name quietly. Nestled in the tissue paper is a framed photo of the both of us. We’re about seven and twelve. I don’t know who took it, but they captured Peyton looking at me while I pushed her hair behind her ear. I don’t even remember the day, but to have proof that I’ve loved her forever is pretty damn special.
Underneath this frame is another. The picture is of Peyton, Mason, and me. This was taken at the last Thanksgiving we had with Mason. It had been raining for days, so the ground was saturated, but that didn’t stop us from going outside and playing football. Mason has his arms around us, dirt covering our faces and jerseys, but we’re smiling. We’re happy.
“Noah, where did you find these?” Katelyn is kneeling before her daughter, looking at the photos.
“In a box, in the attic here. I found them earlier this summer when we were visiting.”
“I’m going to need a copy of these,” she says.
“Me too,” my mom adds.
“Thank you,” Peyton says with tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much for loving me.”
Again, I’m doing what I’ve always done, and push her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what my life would be like if I didn’t love you.”
“Me neither.”
“Save it for your vows,” JD yells. We laugh, and as I look around everyone is wiping away their tears. I take a deep breath and try to calm my emotions or at least save them for later when I promise to devote the rest of my life to the girl sitting next to me.
19
Peyton
I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for the women in my life. The salon in Beaumont is closed due to my bridal party and as small as it is, the space is filled. Still, everyone I know is getting their hair done, or did, according to Paige. My sister is playing bartender and making sure the champagne is flowing freely and Eden has her phone plugged into the speaker system and is currently honing her DJ’ing skills.
The best part – everyone is laughing. There’s laughter, and laughter is good. It feeds the soul. They’re smiling, they’re happy. All while I’m trying to hold it in. The last thing I want to do is cry, but I’m pretty emotional right now. As I stare at my family through the mirror, I’m trying to find the words to thank them for being my support system, my best friends, for holding my hand and never giving up on me after the accident. I want to tell them that if it weren’t for their love and guidance, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.
Words escape me though. Earlier today, Christmas was poignant. The gift from Noah, even though he’s given me so much over the past couple of years, was exceptional. I know the ring he’ll slip on my finger
this evening will mean more to me than anything, but having those photos of us, to look at and cherish them until the end of time means so much to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever find a way to properly express how I feel about him. Telling him I love him doesn’t seem to do my feelings justice, and while actions speak louder than words, sometimes I feel like I can’t hug him tight enough or hold him long enough to show him how I feel.
I meant the words I put on his watch with every fiber of my being... He is my light. I can’t explain it. He guided me away from a darkness that wanted to consume me, to eat me alive. He fought for me when I couldn’t fight for myself. He loved me when I was broken, when he broke me and did everything he could to put the pieces back to make me whole. To make us whole.
“I can’t believe you’re marrying Noah Westbury.” I look at the stylist through the mirror and smile. “Noah and I graduated high school together. He was the catch. Everyone wanted him.”