Love In Unexpected Places ✓

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was a week until Christmas and I had yet to put a Christmas tree up. So I began to decorate for the holiday.

Christmas had always been my favorite holiday as a child. So I cranked up the Christmas music while silently playing Hallmark Christmas movies in the background. I took the Christmas tree out of the box and began putting the three parts of the tree together, fluffing out the branches as I went.

Then I put the music playing lights on before placing the tinsel garland and ornaments on the tree.

After the tree was finally put up and ready to be gazed upon, I went into the kitchen and made myself a mug of hot cocoa. Then I flipped the light switch to the apartment off, letting the lights on the tree dance across the living room.

I turned up the sound on the Hallmark movies and enjoyed some Christmas movies while watching the tree sparkle in the darkness and sipped on my hot chocolate.

As the days got closer to Christmas, my heart began missing Jean-Paul even more. The fact that we would be spending yet another of our first holidays without each other, really broke my heart. I missed him even more for Christmas than I did for Thanksgiving. I suppose it's because Christmas is a holiday he's actually familiar with.

I spent the remaining days before Christmas making cookies, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas songs, buying ingredients to make for desserts at my parents' house, and messaging Jean-Paul to let him know how much I missed him.

Before getting ready for bed, I checked my phone one last time and saw a text from Mom. It read:

Blakely, please try to arrive at the house around 5 PM at the latest if you can. Your Dad and I have a surprise for you.

I furrowed my eyebrows, curious about what the surprise could be. But I didn't let myself dwell on the text for too long-if I needed to be in Kentucky by 5:00 pm, I needed to get to sleep soon.

I tried my hardest to shut my mind off for the night. After a few moments of mind meditation, I was able to fall asleep.

I was able to sleep a full eight hours before getting up and packing a couple of days worth of clothing into my duffle bag and suitcase. I put on a green tunic with white leggings hoping it would put me into the Christmas spirit.

I got into the car and enjoyed a nice ride to Kentucky, enjoying some of the classic Christmas songs.

Traffic was light, so I was back in Kentucky by 4:45.

My mother and father came out to the front porch to greet me.

When I walked around to the other side of the car, my father offered to help me carry my bags inside. He sat them down by the door and told me we could carry them up to my room later.

"I'm so glad you are here sweetheart," my Dad whispered as he pulled me in for a hug.

"As your father said, we will help you carry them up to your room later. I told you in a text message last night that we had a surprise for you. I want you to close your eyes and I will guide you into the family room," my mother added, her eyes were bright with excitement and she had a huge smile on her face.

My father walked behind me and covered my eyes to make sure I wouldn't look before I was supposed to, and my mother held my hand as she was guiding me into the family room.

"When I count to three, your father will uncover your eyes, and you will be able to look at your surprise."

I felt my heart beating out of my chest. My parents had never surprised me with a gift like this before. It must be a very big and special gift for them to go through all of the motions of surprising me like this.