Beneath the mistletoe

chapter 9

The dining room was bathed in the soft glow of Christmas lights, the golden hue of candlelight adding warmth to the festive setting. The scent of roasted turkey, spiced cider, and freshly baked rolls filled the air as the family gathered around the table, their laughter and chatter creating a comforting hum of holiday joy.

Before everyone sat Karen said, "Wow ! Emily, ..Luca you've outdone yourselves this is beautiful this looks delicious." Xander added, " if Luca helped I'm calling an ambulance just in case. " but Emily was quick to defend Luca.

Emily sat between Mama Ruby and Xander, her heart both full and cautious. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been surrounded by this kind of easy, genuine happiness. Yet, as her gaze drifted across the table and landed on Luca who was seated across, she felt her stomach flutter a mixture of nervousness and something she still wasn’t ready to name.

Dinner started with clinking glasses and cheers of “Merry Christmas!” Plates were passed around, loaded with food, and soon the room was alive with conversation. Karen took the lead, sharing updates about neighbors and family friends, while Mama Ruby chimed in with her sharp wit, earning a round of laughter every time.

As the meal continued, the focus shifted to storytelling, a tradition Emily had always loved and dreaded.

“So,” Mama Ruby began, her eyes sparkling mischievously, “who remembers the time these two decided they were superheroes?” She gestured toward Emily and Xander with her fork, a playful grin on her face.

Xander groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Oh no, not this story.”

Emily’s cheeks flushed as she stared down at her plate, already anticipating the embarrassment. “Mama Ruby, please don’t...”

“Oh, I absolutely will,” Mama Ruby said, cutting her off. “It was a summer afternoon, and these two decided they were going to save the world. Emily was ‘Super Star’, complete with a glittery cape she made out of an old bedsheet and Xander was her trusty sidekick, ‘The Shadow.’ ”

Karen laughed, picking up the thread. “They climbed onto the roof of the garage with their ‘mission plans.’ And by mission plans, I mean a notebook full of terrible stick figure drawings.”

Mama Ruby nodded, her grin widening. “And then they tried to jump off the roof because apparently superheroes can fly.”

“Oh my God,” Charlotte said, her eyes wide as she looked at Xander. “Did you actually jump?”

Xander groaned again, shaking his head. “Not exactly. We were about to, but Mom caught us before we could.”

Karen leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. “I heard them on the roof and came running out, yelling at the top of my lungs. Scared them so bad, they nearly fell off trying to climb back down.”

The table erupted into laughter, everyone picturing the chaotic scene.

Emily, her face burning, tried to sink further into her chair. “It wasn’t that bad,” she muttered, though her smile betrayed her amusement.

“Oh, it was worse,” Mama Ruby added, pointing her fork at Emily. “You cried for an hour because you thought I was going to take away your cape.”

“I was seven!” Emily protested, finally looking up, her mortification tempered by the warmth in the room.

“That’s no excuse,” Xander teased, nudging her arm. “You cried harder than I did.”

“Did not!”

“Did too.”

"DID NOT! "

"Did too! "

Their playful bickering only added to the laughter around the table. Even Luca, who had been quietly observing, was laughing now, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I wish I had been there to see it,” he said, grinning. “Super Star and The Shadow sounds like a dynamic duo.”

Emily glanced at him, her cheeks still warm. “Trust me, it wasn’t as impressive as it sounds.”

“I don’t know,” Luca said thoughtfully. “It sounds pretty heroic to me. I mean, planning missions, making costumes that’s dedication.”

His words, though lighthearted, made Emily’s heart flutter. She quickly looked away, focusing on her mashed potatoes.

“Speaking of embarrassing stories,” Xander said, a mischievous glint in his eye, “did we ever tell you about the time Emily tried to run away from home?”

“Xander, don’t you dare..."

“Oh, I’m definitely going there,” he said, cutting her off. “She was maybe five or six, and she got mad because Mom wouldn’t let her have ice cream for breakfast. So, she packed her little pink backpack with three things: her teddy bear, a juice box, and a single sock when I say single I mean one side not the pair.”

The table erupted again, and Emily groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Why do you remember these things?”

“Because they’re hilarious,” Xander said, laughing.

Karen wiped a tear from her eye. “She made it all the way to the end of the driveway before she sat down and started crying because she didn’t know where to go.”

Mama Ruby nodded. “Your dad found her sitting there, clutching that teddy bear like her life depended on it.”

Emily peeked out from behind her hands, her face still red but her lips twitching into a smile. “You’re all terrible,” she said, though her tone was light.

Luca leaned toward her slightly, a soft smile on his face. “For what it’s worth, I think running away over ice cream is completely valid. Ice cream is serious business.”

Emily couldn’t help but laugh, the sound breaking through her embarrassment. She looked at him, her defenses lowering just a bit. “Thank you for understanding,” she said, her voice warm.

"okay Xander it's your turn but remember you started it, remember when you wrote a song for our kindergarten teacher Miss Gabby because you had a crush on her, then cried when she talked about her husband in class," Emily said. Everyone laughed , "She was a really pretty lady," Xander said.

The rest of the dinner continued in the same vein, with stories and laughter flowing freely. Charlotte shared a few tales from her own childhood, and even Luca offered a couple of funny stories about growing up with his quirky family.

As the evening wore on, Emily found herself relaxing more and more. Despite the embarrassment, it felt good to be surrounded by so much love and laughter. It reminded her of what she had been missing all those years with Julian this sense of belonging, of being truly seen and accepted.

Toward the end of the meal, as dessert was being served, Karen raised her glass for a toast.

“To family,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “And to the memories we’ve made, and the ones we’re still making.”

“Here, here,” Mama Ruby said, raising her own glass.

The rest of the table followed suit, the clinking of glasses filling the room. Emily raised her glass as well, her heart swelling with gratitude.

As she sipped her drink, she glanced at Luca, who caught her eye and smiled, this went on for the rest of the evening. For a moment, everything else faded away, and all she could feel was a quiet, tentative hope.