Wed or Dead

LVIX

Milo, Remi, and Casey found Eliana in the living room. She was trying to decorate the Christmas tree on her own and they quickly jumped in to help.

With three additional people soon the tree was shining with decorations. They added lights, dried oranges, ornaments made from cookies, baubles, and angel's hair.

They could hear the beep of an oven indicating that the fish was ready.

While Eliana turned off the stove and cursed. Her clothes were covered with flour. How did she do that?

"I will be right back!" She yelled to the kids and ran upstairs to get into her room and have her clothes changed for dinner.

Then she saw Rafael and she couldn't stop herself from yelling.

"Illegal!" Eliana said and stomped her foot in annoyance. Rafael looked at her as if she just admitted she's an alien.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"The way you look hot in this tuxedo. It should be illegal. Besides, it's a family dinner, not a charity banquet, take it off"

"Did you just tell me to strip, Mrs. Vincenti?" He asked with amusement.

"What? N-no" she took a step back.

"I think otherwise" he took a step forward taking his freshly tied tie off.

"Are you guys coming or what? Food is getting cold!" Remi yelled loudly from downstairs.

Rafael closed his eyes. "I'm sending them to boarding school when we're back" he whispered, defeated.

Now it was Eliana's turn to be amused "They're right though, we should go," she said as she grabbed his hand.

❤️❤️❤️

When everyone sat at the table for a meal Remi had to ask.

"Eli, what the hell are these dishes?"

"Casey's mother taught me to make them, it's Polish cuisine"

"She wasn't American?" Milo wanted to know.

"She was Polish" Casey explained.

"What do you usually eat for Christmas in Italy," Casey asked curiously.

"Antipasti platter, spaghetti with clams, capers salad, veal roast roll, pandoro, biscotti. Now explain what the hell is this" he pointed at the soup in front of him it had purplish-red color.

"It's a beetroot soup, that weirdly shaped dumplings on your plate are called uszka and they taste just like pierogis but they're only filled with mushrooms.

"They look a bit like ravioli" Milo commented looking at the dish with curiosity and then trying it.

"You should try to eat this soup with the hand pies," Eliana suggested.

"With what?" Remi asked.

Casey said pointing at the sauerkraut and mushroom pastry.

For a drink, there was a compote with dried fruits, on the dessert they were eating apple pie and gingerbread.

"Holy shit that's delicious," Remi said, Milo was quiet but he seemed to be eating a bit quicker than usual which meant he liked everything so far.

"It's snowing" Casey pointed at the huge window that allowed them to clearly see the view on the mountain trail and the city.

Indeed it was snowing.

❤️❤️❤️

Everyone was recovering after the magnificent feast in the living room. Rafael was reading a newspaper on his tablet giving the most dad vibes ever.