Cruel and Beautiful

“Well, I think it’s time for some holiday cheer,” Ray a

“I’ll drink to that,” Aunt Edna declares, and the celebration begins.

Others begin to arrive, cousins and aunts and uncles, and I lose track. By the time all are present, there are a total of twenty-four here. Everyone brings a covered dish, as is the southern tradition, and Letty handles all the meat dishes and desserts, along with the bar items. It’s quite an affair.

When the di

Ben man-hugs Drew and says, “Glad you two hit it off so well.”

“Like there was ever any doubt?” Drew asks.

“You were so damn persistent about it. Did he tell you, Cate?”

“Yeah, he did. So did Je

“He drove me crazy for a while. I didn’t know what I was go

“We don’t have to worry about that now, do we?” Drew asks, pulling me to his side.

I glance up to see Drew looking down at me, gri

“We certainly don’t,” Ben says. “And I’m happy to say you two look perfect together.”

That seems odd coming from Ben. I wonder if Je

“Ben Rhoades, when have you ever said anything like that to anyone?” Je

“Probably never. I’m a dick when it comes to this sort of thing. But Drew is my best friend and I happen to know how he feels about Cate. I’m happy he found her and that she makes him happy and it’s about damn time.”

I look on as Drew says, “Thanks, dude. That means a lot to me.”

“I would’ve told you over the phone, but I knew I was go

Drew tosses an empty plastic cup at him. “You’re off the ledge, dude.”

“Nah, I’m trying to be serious here. I am glad you two are together. And bro, Cate here is so much better than Rebecca.”

“Fuck. Did you have to spoil the night by bringing that up?”

That surprises even me. Rebecca is Drew’s old girlfriend, the one that broke his heart. Je

“Okay, I’m completely off the trail here, lost in the woods,” I say.

Drew throws his arm over my shoulders. “Ben always hated Rebecca. I defended her constantly, but then when I figured out he was right, I was … well you know the story. I told you at the begi

I beam at his words. Drew always knows exactly what to say to make me smile. Our conversation moves to how long Drew is in town to how long I’ll be in Indy, to when we all can get together again. Soon they depart and it’s only Drew and me. I want to curl up next to him somewhere, but it’s getting late and I know I need to be getting home soon.

“Yeah, I know,” he says, reading my mind. “Weren’t we going to exchange gifts tonight?”

“Yeah. Do you want to do it now?”

“Hell yeah. But I have to go to my room. You wa

“Is this the deal where you tell your parents you have to show me something?”

“You bet it is.”

“Then I’m in.”

There’s a bag I brought in and I snag it before we run up the stairs and go into his room. He shuts the door behind us. His hands slide under my skirt, and glide along my thighs as he follows it up to my unders.

“Cate, I need you. I’ve been thinking about this constantly.”

“What if someone hears? I don’t think I can.” I bite my lip, worrying, as anxiety gnaws at me.

“I know. We can’t. We’ll have to live frustrated for a while and I hate this.”

“So do I. Maybe we can do car sex again?”

“Yeah, but tonight, I want to give you your gift.” He walks to his closet and comes out with a ginormous gift bag. “Merry Christmas, babe. I love you.”

“I love you, too, and thank you.”

“Open it.”

I spread the top of the bag apart and inside there are several things. First, I see a big box, so I pull it out, unwrap it, and laugh. “Oh my goodness! Will you help me?”

“All the way.”

“Good, because if I put these skates on, I’m sure to bust my ass like crazy.”

“Cate, I’ll always catch you if you fall.” His blue eyes catch mine and I know he’s not talking about that kind of falling.

“Drew, I won’t let you fall either. We’re in this together, you know.”

He leans in and kisses me. “There’s more in there.”

My hands dig down, and I pull out another fairly large box. I unwrap the most luxurious bathrobe known to man. On one side is soft terry and on the other side is silk. “Oh my, this is amazing. I love it.”

“You do? I noticed you didn’t have one.”

“I do now and I absolutely love it. It’s perfect! Thank you!” I lean over and kiss him.

“One more and you’re done.”

I fumble in the bottom and find the last box. When I pull it up, I know it’s jewelry. I give him the I can’t believe you did this face. He shrugs. “Just open it,” he says.

When I do, I fall in love all over again. It’s an exquisite necklace, very delicate gold filigree surrounding a center diamond. The design is simple yet elegant and I couldn’t love it any more than I do.

“Cate, don’t cry. It’s only a necklace.”

My fingers fly to my cheeks, because I hadn’t even realized tears were falling. “Now that’s a surprise,” I say, brushing them away.

“The necklace or the tears?”

“Both, I guess. Drew, this is gorgeous. I love it.”

“Let me put it on you.” He takes it out of the box and puts it around my neck. “Perfect,” he says. Then he pulls me to my feet and walks me to a mirror. “See?”

It’s beautiful. “I’ve never owned anything like this. It’s so pretty. Thank you for everything.” And I kiss him. “Now for yours.”

I hand him a prettily wrapped box. I hope he likes it. It’s not as extravagant as what he gave me, but everyone I spoke with told me to go with it. My fingers are crossed.

He unwraps it and I watch his expression change from perplexed to pure excitement and joy.

“You didn’t? You scored Blackhawk tickets?”

“I did. For the week I’ll be with you.”

He stands and pulls me off my feet, twirling me around. And then he stops, puts me down, and rubs his face.

“Stop worrying. You don’t have call that night. I got it all cleared and you’re off.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Look on your computer and check the schedule if you don’t believe me. You’re good. We’re going. And the rest of your present includes, if you didn’t read it …”

“I did. A hotel and di

This is the tricky part. I screw up my face and say, “I know. I was go

“That’s perfect.”

“But Drew, I feel terrible because you got me so much and I was only able to get you …”

“Stop that train of thought. I love your idea and the Blackhawk tickets are perfect. It’s the best gift ever. Now, kiss me.”

Right before I do, I say, “Merry Christmas.”

THE WEEK AT MY PARENTS without Drew feels more like a month. Without him here as a buffer, my mom is relentless with her questions. How long have you dated? How serious are you two? I know you’re in love, but are you going to get married? You have to finish college. Don’t think about dropping out. Seriously, Mom? Like I would actually drop out of college and forego my degrees after all this hard work. What does she think I am—a moron?