Still Loving You

Part 35

 It was Christmas Eve and Elizabeth, Eddie, Dustin, and Uncle Wayne were spending it together at Eddie's trailer. Elizabeth had convinced him to get a small tree. He had never bothered before, not really seeing a point. He would go over Christmas Day to give Uncle Wayne a small gift and they would eat dinner together but that was about it. He hadn't really had a reason to go all out for the holidays before.

Elizabeth loved the holidays, so she had not only gotten him to get a tree that they decorated together with ornaments she made but they had strung Christmas lights along the inside and outside of the trailer as well. She had also gotten the two of them stockings and they were hanging on his key hooks by the front door. Elizabeth had even written their names on them with colored glitter glue. He had loved decorating with her and watching her excitement as they put each thing up, the trailer looking more festive as they went. It was the first time he was excited for Christmas in a long time.

Eddie had tried to talk to Elizabeth about her mom after she had shown up at his trailer that night. He shared what she had said and how she had apologized, but Elizabeth wasn't ready to hear it. He had tried to talk to her about going to see her mom for Christmas but she refused. That was why Dustin was here tonight. He had agreed to come spend Christmas Eve with them since she said she would not be going over there on Christmas Day like she usually did.

He was going to try to talk to her about it again tonight, after everyone left. He understood her anger, but it had been almost two months since she had spoken to her mom, and she had already skipped Thanksgiving with her family. They had a friendsgiving in Bryxton with Robin and Steve and then came back here to have Thanksgiving with his uncle. He didn't want her to regret not seeing her mom for Christmas. He knew it was hurting her to cut her mom out, and he couldn't bear anything causing her pain.

The four of them ate dinner, drank spiked eggnog, played some board games, exchanged gifts, and had a lot of laughs. After a few hours, his uncle stated that it was time for him to head home and get some sleep. They gave him hugs and wished him a merry christmas as he headed out the door for his own trailer.

"I guess I should probably get heading home too," Dustin said, standing up. "Thanks so much for inviting me tonight, but I wish you guys were coming tomorrow. I mean, Christmas Day is going to be a little boring, just me and mom."

"I know," Elizabeth muttered, placing her hand on her little brother's shoulder, "and I am so sorry, Dusty, but I just don't think I am ready to see her."

"I get it, but when are you going to be ready?" he asked. "It's been almost two months now. Trust me, I was angry too for a while, but she really is sorry. She knows what she did was wrong, Elizabeth. She apologized to Eddie, and she is happy to welcome him as part of the family just like she used to."

"And that's all fine and good," Elizabeth stated, sitting back, "but it doesn't change what she said to him. It doesn't change what she did to us. I don't know how I am supposed to go back after that."

"Baby, I get you being angry," Eddie offered. "And I appreciate that you want to stand up for me. I love you so much for that, but I've forgiven her. She said she was sorry, and I could tell that she meant it. No, that doesn't mean it takes away what she did, but it does mean we can move on from here and start fresh. I love you, and if we're going to be together, then that means me being a part of your family too. And, sweetheart, I want that. I want to be a part of everything that is a part of you. I know she caused us to miss out on time together, but we can't change that. However, we have now and we have forever from here. Let's not lose more time focusing on the past. She's never going to be able to do that to us again and I don't think she would try. Don't you think if you can forgive me for what happened, maybe it's time to forgive her too?"