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Em wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, then kissed me. When he pulled back, he stared into my eyes, making my heart race.
“I love you… I mean it, Vannah.”
“I love you. And I know.”
“They are just so damn cute,” Ms. Ronette squealed, pulling me from Em’s spell. “Help me clear this table, Savannah. Let the men folk get outta our face. Then, we can open gifts.”
Em kissed me one more time, then got up and followed his dad out of the dining room. Breakfast was so eventful that it already felt like a long-ass day. If Gina didn’t act right while we opened gifts, I couldn’t confidently say that I wouldn’t slap the piss outta her.
After I helped Ms. Ronette clear the table and tidy up, we sat in the living room and opened gifts. The Christmas classics were playing, holiday candles burning, and it was finally calm. Gina sat across from us, clinging to EJ like somebody was about to do something to her. Her eyes were swollen from crying about some shit she started. Simi sat still for the first time all morning, and Kinsley scrolled on her phone.
Ms. Ronette was sitting on Mr. Elgin’s lap, squealing every time she opened a gift from him like she didn’t give him a specific list of the things she wanted. Mr. Elgin kept sipping from a coffee mug, but I knew it wasn’t coffee from the way he kept rubbing all over his wife.
Em had me tucked close to him, holding my waist like he thought I’d move.
“You alright?” I whispered to him.
He grinned, then kissed my forehead. “Yeah, baby. I just hope you like your gifts.”
He stood, then grabbed my gifts from under the tree. Three big ass bags sat in front of me. I couldn’t pick which one to dig in first.
“Start with the red one,” he said.
I reached into the bag, pulled out a ring box, and looked at Em with wide eyes. “Emery…”
He broke out in laughter. “Just open it, baby. If it was that, I woulda been down on my knee by now.”
When I opened the box, the most beautiful ring lay on the black velvet cushion. An oval amethyst stone sat in the center, set in platinum and surrounded by tiny diamonds. It twinkled, catching the lights in the room.
“Oh, baby… This is so beautiful. Thank you,” I whispered, pulling the ring from the cushion as if it might slip.
I slid it on my right ring finger, and it fit perfectly. Em gently grabbed my hand and kissed from my finger to my wrist. From the corner of my eye, I saw Gina watching us. I turned toward her, wiggling my finger so she could see it for herself. She huffed and leaned closer to EJ.
I leaned over and kissed him. “You did good, baby. Real good.”
“I ain’t done yet.” He reached for the next bag and dropped it in my lap. “Open that one.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, then pulled out the tissue paper. A deep purple Bottega bag was tucked inside, and my eyes shot up to him.
“Emery…”
“What?” He grinned. “Purple your shit.”
“Amethyst is my birthstone. That does not mean you have to buy me every damn thing you see in purple.”
“But you like it?”
“I love it.” I pulled out the bag and ran my fingers across the leather. “Thank you.”
He leaned over for another kiss. “Aight. Last one.”
The third bag was the biggest, and I already knew that whatever was inside had nothing to do with clothes or jewelry. I moved the tissue paper around until I saw a large leather case with my initials embossed across the front.
S.M.
I sat up straighter. “What is this?”
“Open it.”
