Angels of Long Island | Mathew Barzal

~40~

"So mom, what do you think of him?" I ask, not looking at her as I wash a plate. "Honey, Mathew is a great young man. The way he looks at you is something your father and I have wanted for you forever, especially after everything you've been through." She says. "Thanks momma." I say, smiling. "You definitely deserve someone who loves you as much as he clearly does." She adds. "I love him too. It's only been a couple of months but I don't think that matters. I feel pretty strongly about this; of course, the last time I said that, it ended so horribly." I say, my face falling and my heart breaking all over again thinking about it. "Lex" my mom starts, shutting the water off and drying her hands off. "Mathew is a different man. He seems to be a lot more mature and caring with your heart. You can't let your broken past of that keep you from letting yourself fall completely for him. I can feel you resisting, you're protecting yourself." She explains. "I love him, Mom. I don't want him to leave me too." I say, my eyes welling up, thinking about the thought of Mat leaving my life. "Hun, it sounds like you need to have a sit down with Mat about your fears. He loves you, that's not hard to see. Just tell him what you're afraid of and I have no doubt he'll understand."

MAT'S POV

"I love him, Mom. I don't want him to leave me too." I hear Lexi say when I approach the kitchen to offer to help again. "Hun, it sounds like you need to have a sit down with Mat about your fears. He loves you, that's not hard to see. Just tell him what you're afraid of and I have no doubt he'll understand." Her mom answers. My heart breaks when I realize she's talking about how she's been hurt before. I make a mental note to ask her about it when we get home. Her mom's right though, I do love her and anything she has to say to me won't change how I feel about her. I decide to enter the kitchen when they become silent. "Hi baby." I say, going up to Lex and wrapping my arms around her waist and squeezing. "Hi love." She says, pecking my cheek. "Are you sure I can't help with anything Mrs. Callahan" She shoots me a look like "What did we talk about?" "Nancy, sorry" I laugh. "We're actually just about finished, thank you though, honey." She says, patting my arm. "Go enjoy being with your family." She adds. I nod and turn to head back to the family room.

LEXI'S POV

"See honey? He adores you." My mom says after Mathew leaves the kitchen. I smile and then we join the rest of our families in the family room to open presents.

I plop down next to Mat and he puts an arm around me.

"Who wants to go first?" My dad asks from his chair next to the fire. "I will" Bella chimes from next to Colton. "Before we start, I'd like to say how thankful I am to have not only my whole family but to also have Mat and Bella and Mat's family with us here today. We're so happy to have you all a part of the Callahan Clan." My dad says. Then Bella hands my parents and I gifts. She gave my parents a basket of various things and she gave me a gift card to Sephora. "We're going on a girls shopping day." She says when I open it. I hug her and then Colton goes. He gives me and my parents gifts. He gets my mom a necklace and my dad a tie. He got me a new purse. I hug him thank you and then it's mine and Mat's joint turn. I got his parents a digital photo frame uploaded with a few pictures of them and Mat since he joined the NHL. "Thank you honey, I love it." His mom says. I got Liana a gift card as well. Then Mat and I both got my parents a décor sign that read "Callahan" "I love it honey, thank you." My mom says, giving us both a hug. Then was my gift to Colt, tickets for him and Bella to a football game. Then Mat stands. "I have something I'd like to say." The room gets quiet. "First, I want to thank the Callahans for having me here. It means so much that you let me and my family here today. I love your daughter very much and want nothing more than to make her the happiest girl in the world. I also want to thank Lex for surprising me and getting my family to me. That was honestly better than anything you gave me this morning. Now, Lex knows this already but I have been selected to represent the Islanders in the All-Star Classic in a couple weeks. So she and I will be traveling to St. Louis for that weekend." He announces. Everyone in the room gasps and then claps for him. His mom stands and gives him a hug. "I'm so proud of you honey!" Mat sits then Colton starts talking. "I have one more gift for today." He starts. He turns to Bella. "Bells, I don't know why you've stuck with me for this long..." He starts. Oh my god. I know what's happening. "But I'm so glad you have. Because if you hadn't, I wouldn't be 100% certain that you're the one I want to spend my life with." He reaches into his pocket and I start squeezing Mat's leg as my jaw drops. "Bella, you make me a better person and support me when there are late nights at work or when I'm super stressed out. I can't imagine being without you. And if you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me." He spills, getting on one knee and pulling back the lid of the ring box he was holding to reveal a dazzling diamond. Bella is now crying and her jaw is just as wide as mine and Mat's. "Will you marry me, Bella?" Colton finally asks. She nods at first, not able to produce words before she says "Yes, yes. Yes!" She says. He stands and slides the ring on her finger. She stands and jumps into his arms as everyone in the room claps. Congratulations are said and everyone gets a look at the ring. Pictures are taken of the newly engaged couple and I give Bella a hug and then Colton.

After all that settles down, my mom takes pictures of Mat and his family, Mat and me, Colton and Bella and Mat takes a picture of my family including Bella. Shortly after, I get a Facebook notification that Mat's mom had tagged me in photos. There was a picture of her and her kids and their whole family, me and Mat, Me and Liana and Mat and Liana and her caption read 

"Merry Christmas from the Barzals! Overjoyed to spend it with family and new friends!"

My mom had done the same thing. 

We all hang out and talk for a while before we get ready for our dinner reservation. Not many classy places were open on Christmas but we found one so we got ready to head out.

We head to dinner and spend the rest of the Christmas day with our families. Once back at my parents house, Mat says goodbye to his family until tomorrow when they were going to meet us at his apartment and I say goodbye to my family. I somehow hear Liana mumble to Mat "Nice hickey" He chuckles nervously before she playfully punches his arm.

We all head home happy and overjoyed from the day. Mat and I jam out to Christmas music on the way home with his hand on my leg across the car.