The Gift Ch. 11-15

Luciana looked at Elijah and found unshed tears in his eyes. She shook her head, a little frustrated.

"Why don't you guys just admit that you still love each other?" she sighed. "I know you have changed a lot in the years gone by but it's never too late to pick up from where you left off. I mean, is it that hard to even be friends?"

"He doesn't want to be friends with me, Lu," Michelle said. "He's still bitter, still blaming me for the consequences of our relationship. I know—"

"Hey!" Elijah grabbed her arm and yanked her to him, startling Michelle and everyone else in the room. And before anyone could react, he had claimed her mouth in a kiss that left all of them speechless.

Michelle struggled for a moment but before long she had given into him, kissing him back with a ferocity that matched his. Luciana stared for a few seconds, her mouth agape, and then looked away, meeting Matt's gaze. He was leaning against the kitchen door, ladle in one hand, and a bewildered smirk on his lips. He then rolled his eyes and walked back to the oven to check on the turkey, and Luciana followed him. When she looked behind her, they were still kissing, although Michelle was in tears again. Luciana wondered if he meant that kiss or if he simply wanted to torment her more.

"Bastard," she breathed once they had parted for air. "You left me alone, broke my heart, and were too proud to make amends. Was it only me or did you break many more hearts?"

"Stop talking like that," he growled, his fingers in her hair preventing her from looking away. "Don't make me kiss you again."

"I'm not timid anymore, Elijah," she retorted. "I'm not afraid of you. Break me in any way you want."

"Oh yeah?" he sniggered savagely, before dipping his head and kissing her again. Michelle pressed her body against his, both hands grabbing his face.

Matt leaned in close to her ear, chuckling. "I wouldn't be surprised if they had makeup sex right here," he whispered. "Did you know your brother was such a passionate kisser?"

"Please," she tried to shush him. "I can't stand it anymore."

"Then go and remind them of their surroundings, please," he added. "You know...before the hormones get out of control. Twenty years create a lot of buildup."

"Thanks for that image," she groaned inwardly, walking back to the living room. When she cleared her throat after a little hesitation, Elijah and Michelle jerked apart, their faces flushed.

"Yeah, sorry, but you aren't exactly alone here," she said painfully. Michelle stepped away from him, trembling slightly as she walked over to the chair and picked up her purse. She then fixed her hair and looked at Luciana.

"I really should go," she tried to smile but seemed too flustered for it. "I'm sorry I wasted a lot of your time."

"Michelle?" Elijah called out, still rooted to the floor next to the couch. "Do you really still love me?"

She moistened her lips with her tongue and looked away, her chest heaving. Elijah walked over to her and held her again, this time gently.

"Let me go," she murmured, trying to free her arms. "You've already created a scene here."

"That doesn't answer my question," he said, giving her a hard stare. "Do you love me?"

"Do you?"

"You cannot answer a question with another question."

"You left me," she said. "Am I not the one who's supposed to wonder if you still love me?"

"I left you because I didn't want to jeopardize your life. Not because I didn't love you."

Michelle swallowed hard, not tearing her gaze from his even when her eyes filled with tears again. "Why didn't you move on?" she asked.

"Because I didn't want to," he shrugged. "Because I didn't want anyone else to take your place."

He cupped her face with both hands, his gaze turning tender. "How long will the refurbishment take, Lu?" he asked without breaking eye contact with her.

"More than a month," Luciana replied. "We haven't even begun yet. It's a big house."

"Do you mind moving in with me until the house is ready?" he asked Michelle. Luciana's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. When she looked towards the kitchen, Kyle was holding his stomach and laughing inaudibly while Matt seemed very, very confused.

"Elijah..." Michelle tried to shake her head but couldn't because he was still holding her face. "You aren't sure if you even want me anymore."

"I've wanted you every moment of my life," he said. "Yes, I was angry and upset and mad at you for what happened but...I never stopped loving you." He removed his hands from her face, and smiled for the first time. "I'm sorry I was arrogant. You know me, right? You know I was always kind of arrogant."

Michelle looked into his eyes, her sad gaze lighting up for an instant. "So you were," she nodded. "But I didn't mind. Not when you were holding my hand and making me forget all my sadness."

Elijah's arms came around her a second later, and Michelle hugged him back, their embrace so passionate, Luciana felt she could cry despite how bewildered she was. Matt closed the screen door of the kitchen and walked to the center of the living room, his hands on his hips.

"Well," he began, watching Elijah and Michelle still locked in the embrace. "We must warn Chris about the loud sex that's going to ruin his sleep for the next few weeks." He paused, clearing his throat. "Or maybe several weeks."

Elijah picked up a coaster and playfully threw it at him, but he dodged and laughed. Michelle looked at him, then at the floor.

"I haven't said anything yet," she murmured. "I'm not sure."

"It's alright," Elijah pulled her into a comforting hug again. "You don't have to if you don't want it. But just so you know, my door is always open for you."

"You're very generous," she teased.

"I am," he sounded surprised as he pulled away and looked at everyone in the room. "Am I not, guys?"

Luciana rolled her eyes. "I'm hungry," she said, walking away, tired and frustrated but still happy that her plan had worked. That after all these years, her brother wouldn't be lonely anymore.

---

Epilogue

Luciana crouched on the grass, still soft from the rain last night. It hadn't snowed in a few days. That morning they had been greeted by a clear sky and bright sun, very unlike a December day. The breeze howled in her ears as she started digging the soil with a spade, her hands freezing despite the gloves.

When she had made a hole deep enough to be two feet, she put the spade away and sighed.

She had stalled it for over two months. But it was Christmas Eve, and there couldn't be a better day to say the final goodbye to Cleo and begin afresh.

Her breath seemed to catch when she picked up the small wooden urn, fingers tracing the name of Cleo on the lid. She closed her eyes and tried to steady herself; she had been putting it off for too long. It was time she gave Cleo her final resting place.

A hand came on her shoulder. She looked up to find Chris next to her, Poppy in his arms. He crouched down beside her on the grass, letting Poppy explore. When she looked into his eyes, he nodded gently, placing his hands over hers which held the urn.

As they lowered the tiny urn into the hollow of the soil, Luciana's eyes welled up. Poppy appeared next to her, watching intently for a while before meowing and demanding to go back in. She didn't like the cold anymore.

Chris filled up the hole with the spade. He then fetched the baby pine tree Luciana had got and planted it in the ground, while she used her gloved hands to gently press the soil to flatten it. As the tree would grow, Cleo would remain alive in her garden.

Poppy turned to Chris, still meowing loudly and demanding to go back inside. He laughed against his will.

"I told you it was cold out," he said to her. He gave Luciana a hand and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright, Lu?"

She nodded, taking off the gloves. "Where's everybody?" she asked. Matt and Kyle had gone over to the former's parents' house with the dogs for dinner but she and Chris had company that day.

"Inside." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, before picking up Poppy again. "Come on. It's cold out here."

Luciana followed him back inside her house, unable to take her gaze off his smart, manly gait and the way those tailored trousers made his legs look longer and how the jacket hugged his waist. He did have incredible shoulder to waist ratio, almost like a movie star.

When he put Poppy down in the doorway she walked up the stairs to her living room, where the aroma of food had cast its spell on her. She laughed, leaning into him.

"I've never seen him so happy," she observed, her eyes darting at Elijah. From where they stood, they could see him with Michelle in her kitchen, helping her with the meal. He wasn't a kitchen person; he barely cooked or knew how to and aside from making coffee, his kitchen had no other use for him. But since Michelle had chosen to make dinner that day, Elijah had not left her side once, sticking to her like a bee buzzing around nectar.

She had taken Elijah up on his offer to move in with him while her parents' house underwent refurbishment, and although they both insisted that the move was temporary, Luciana wouldn't be surprised if they ended up living together permanently. They saw Elijah sharing a laugh with Michelle over something, and when he pulled her close to kiss her, Luciana swallowed around the lump that appeared in her throat out of nowhere.

"He does," Chris agreed with a nod. He then looked at Luciana and snaked an arm around her waist, breaking into a smile. "Your dream is now reality."

She knew it was. Standing on tiptoe she pressed a kiss to his lips as he pulled her closer against him.

"Are you taking me to your parents tomorrow?" she asked nervously. He nodded.

"Don't worry, they already like you," he assured her. "I've told them all about you."

"Or course you have," she gently slapped his shoulder. "Bragger."

"I can't help it," he smirked, leaning in for another kiss. They were having Christmas lunch with his family the next day, and he was taking her dancing afterward. Michelle had offered to keep Poppy until she returned.

"Oh, I have something for you," he whispered after a while. He pulled out a magazine from the inside of his jacket and held it out to her. On the cover was a picture of a few cats that had been rescued from the hoarding house, and an inset picture of Luciana with Poppy in the corner. The headline read "The Holiday Miracle."

"Oh my gosh," she smiled, running her hands across the cover image. "So this was your story?"

"Yeah," he said. "I couldn't think of anything better that's happened to me this year and they loved it too."

He pulled her close again, tipping his head to kiss her. Luciana's hand clutched the lapel of his jacket, her stomach aflutter. They were broken by a meow from Poppy, circling Michelle's feet as she started to bring the food to the table. Elijah picked her up and set her in front of her bowl, where she was treated to her favorite grilled sardine pâté. On her way back to the kitchen, Michelle linked a hand with him, and there was no telling that they had been apart for over 20 years.

Luciana took a deep breath, telling her heart to slow down. Chris knew the thoughts going through her mind, and he quietly smiled.

"Are you happy?" he asked her.

"More than I've ever been," she replied, her lips curving into a breathless smile. And how could she not? They had all been blessed with the greatest gifts they could ever ask for. Poppy had found them, Elijah had found Michelle, and she had found the missing piece of her life— Chris.

He took her hand, leading her to the table, and as Poppy stretched after dinner with the most contented purr, Luciana realized it had turned out to be the best year she'd ever had.

(Concluded)

xXx

Moving to a new country has been more overwhelming than I'd imagined. I gave up my career back home and still don't have a job here, which has left me with ample time to write to my heart's content (I choose to find solace in that). I'm working on a sequel to this story, which should be up by next month (if I still don't have a job by then!). Thank you for reading my stories and the kind words. It keeps me going. Please take care, I'll be back soon.

~LG