Together by This Christmas Tree

cally mcgregor

I woke up slowly, to a light shining in my face. “Her eyes aren’t bloodshot. Does that mean she was drunk or wasn’t?” Pat said loudly, and I groaned, John’s arms instinctively tightening around my waist and groaned as well, which made my heart beat faster. He was spooning with me, his ankles wrapped around mine and his arms tight around my torso. He told me himself, that night in England: he didn’t spoon. It brought a smile to my lips to know I was special.

Beside Pat, Jared groaned. “Pat, leave the happy couple alone.” John peeked his head over my shoulder, glaring at the four boys standing in his bedroom. Jared smiled meekly. “Merry Christmas, love birds.”

Kennedy pipped up from the back. “Please put on clothing - except you Cally - and come eat some breakfast, please?” Kennedy joked, to which I threw a punch, which he expertly dodged as Garrett walked them all out. I rolled over to face him, putting my hands on his flat stomach and kissed his lips gently.

“Shall we eat breakfast with them or just lay here together?” I whispered, my forehead against his as more light shone through his huge bedroom window. In response, he grabbed my face in both his hands and kissed me gently, like he was kissing a baby. He smiled.

“Can we lay here for a few more minutes? I have to admit, I’m starved.” I smiled, my heart lifting a little bit as I curled back up in his arms, my legs between his as I rested my head against his shoulder. “I love you, Cally, you know that, don’t you?” John whispered in my ear before he held me tighter in his arms, ignoring all the calls from the guys in the kitchen. I smiled, though by reflex, and kissed him sweetly, with every feeling confessed and word vomited into a simple kiss.

“I love you too, John.” My voice was quiet, broken, like my heart was scared to speak the words that left my lips. He smiled, tightening his hold yet again and drifting off into a light sleep as Pat snuck back through the door. I hadn’t gotten much of a chance to call him since things began moving at a thousand miles an hour, leaving me here where I was happiest, somehow.

“Are you two finally together?” Pat whispered, his face inches from mine in what can only be described as a child trying so hard not to wake his parents up on Christmas morning, something I never really understood. I nodded, smiling and biting my lip while Pat silently cheered, as I disentangled myself from John, suddenly hungry. I held up one finger, and rolled over onto my stomach, kissing John gently.

“Come on, baby, it’s Christmas morning. Let’s go open gifts and drink eggnog and cuddle by the fire while the rest watch Star Wars.” I was begging, and for the first time, I was honestly happy it was Christmas morning, because I knew that somewhere, somehow, my daddy was smiling down on me and knowing he had, for the portion of my life where he had, raised me right.