Chapter 90

Ruby

Although the confrontation with the Queen and Edith put a bit of a damper on the morning, Atwood, Tamara and I decide not to let it bother us for the rest of the day.

“Go on,” Atwood says, taking a seat on the sofa with a fresh cup of coffee. “Tamara, I think Santa left you quite a few presents last night.”

Tamara’s little face lights up with the prospect of opening presents. She looks at me questioningly first, then starts to dig in when I give her an approving nod.

While Tamara opens her presents happily, I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down on the sofa next to Atwood. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and gives me a little squeeze.

“I’m sorry it had to be on Christmas,” he says to me through our mindlink.

“It’s alright,” I respond. “I just hope that they don’t try to do anything horrible later on.”

Atwood squeezes my shoulder again apologetically and leans over to me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. As I nuzzle down into his chest, I feel very small and safe in his arms. His scent overwhelms me and fills me with a sense of comfort and warmth.

Although I feel relieved that we uncovered the mystery of the “curse” and that the Queen and her minions will be gone soon, there is still a part of me that feels uneasy. Why did I see a vision of Cayden that night at the party? What did the woman’s voice in my dream mean when she said that the “fate of the three kingdoms lies on my shoulders”? Furthermore, I’m still confused as to why my mother had a royal swan artifact in her possession.

Despite all of these questions swirling around my head, I try to ignore them so that I can just enjoy Christmas with Atwood and Tamara. These questions will have to be answered another time.

Tamara opens up another one of her presents and squeals with delight at the gift inside. It’s a new pair of shoes: they’re bright red and shiny, with a little heel and a strap that goes over the top of her foot.

I can’t help but grin from ear to ear seeing my little sister get spoiled so well on Christmas. After years of such meager Christmases at home where I would be lucky to scrape together enough money to buy a single gift for Tamara, it makes my heart warm to see her finally living a comfortable life. In this moment, I’m happier than ever that I chose not to run away on the night of my birthday.

There are a few presents under the tree for me, too: several new romance books, a new leather bag that I’ll be able to use for both school and whenever I need it, and an entirely new outfit. The outfit consists of a cute plaid skirt, a red turtleneck, and a warm cardigan.

All of this is more than I ever could have asked for, and I’m not sure how I’ll make it up to Atwood.

“I think there’s one more gift under the tree for you, Ruby,” Atwood says at the end. Tamara is playing happily with a new doll on the floor, singing to herself happily as I get up and walk over to the tree.

“I don’t see anything,” I say, looking around.

Atwood points to one of the branches. “It’s in there somewhere,” he says with a smirk.

Finally, after searching through the tree branches for a bit, I spot the gift. It’s a small box wrapped in silver paper with a red bow. It’s light when I pick it up. I walk back over to the sofa and sit down, eyeing Atwood suspiciously.

“Go on!” he says. “Don’t be shy. Open it.”

With a smile, I tug on the ribbon and pull it off, then rip into the wrapping paper to reveal a small velvet box that looks like it contains jewelry; probably earrings or something.

When I open the box, however, my jaw practically drops to the floor when I see what’s inside.

It’s my brooch!

“I… How did you…” I can’t come up with the right words to even begin to explain my gratitude. When I look at Atwood, his orange eyes are practically sparkling.

“I know you sold it,” he says softly, squeezing my leg gently. “And I know how badly you wanted it back. I can tell that it’s special to you. When I went to the auction, I was planning on buying something else; but then I saw how passionate you were about it, and I wanted to surprise you. Not to mention that I couldn’t bear to see Edith walk away with it.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, throwing my arms around Atwood’s neck and kissing his cheek. When I pull back, he takes the box from my hands and takes the brooch out, pinning it on my robe.

“Wear it with pride,” he says. “I’m not sure why your family had a royal Swan artifact in their possession, but this is special. It’s yours now.”

“I got you something too,” I say, pulling a small box out of the pocket of my robe. “I know it’s not much, but…” I hold the box out to him and bite my lip as he takes it and rips into the wrapping paper.

The day that we split up in Greenwood, something caught my eye in one of the windows. It was a simple silver watch, and when I saw it, I knew that it would suit Atwood perfectly. It was understated and minimal, which I knew that he would appreciate.

And he does.

“Thank you, Ruby,” he says, putting the watch on his wrist. “I love it. I really do. I’ll wear it every day.” Once he puts the watch on, he leans forward and kisses me softly on the lips. His kiss sends a tingle down my spine and gives me goosebumps.

Now that we’ve finished opening presents, it’s time for breakfast. There’s a beautiful buffet laid out for us in the dining room -- not having Alice around means that we actually get to eat real food and not plain slices of white bread -- and once we’re done with that, we spend the afternoon in the parlor playing board games, watching Tamara play with her new toys, reading, and just talking.

By the end of the day, I’ve practically forgotten all about the Queen and her minions.

It’s hard to forget completely, though. I know that the Queen and Edith are upstairs fuming as they prepare to leave, while Alice is nowhere to be found. It makes me wonder where she is; could she be plotting something with Edith and the Queen? Am I still safe, or will Alice try to harm me one last time before she gets caught?

At the end of the day, Tamara has fallen asleep beneath the Christmas tree. Atwood gently picks her up and walks with me to her room, where we put her to sleep. Then, he walks me to my room.

“Merry Christmas,” Atwood whispers as we stand outside my door. In the flickering candlelight of the sconces in the corridor, he looks more handsome than ever. I want him so badly, but we made a promise to wait until marriage.

He bends down to me to kiss me, and when he’s finished, the taste of his lips lingers on mine.

“I had a wonderful day with you,” I say quietly, to which Atwood smiles slightly.

“Me too,” he says. “Despite everything… Next year will be even better, I’m sure.”

After we say goodnight, I close and lock my door, leaning against the wood with a smile on my face.

I think I’m finally falling in love with Atwood.