A World Un-Ruined: Part II

Part Seven

       One by one each family member showed up and learned of the good news. Most demanding to see the ring and shake my hand. I took it all in stride because I loved every minute that I spent with her affectionate and supporting family. The longer I spent with them, the less I seemed to remember about my own no-good relatives.

I was right in my prediction that this year's family yelling match would be started by her aunt's underhanded comments about the ring to Layla's uncle.

"You're lucky Lay. Uncle Tim got mine out of a Cracker Jack box and hoped I wouldn't notice."

It wasn't two minutes after her comment that tree ornaments were flying across the couches. Layla didn't even try to stop them this time. She only slid her hand into mine and laughed at the ridiculous fight that ensued in front of us.

After the decorations were all back on the tree and everyone had settled back down, we opened gifts. Layla's mom got me a brand new leather watchband that was engraved on the inside with: "To Dusty with love, From your real family." I had to really focus in order to hold back the emotions that came over me, just like the first Christmas when she initially gave me the wristwatch. Her dad had gotten me a tough looking switchblade with "Honorary Carrigan" engraved on the handle. It was a going joke between us ever since our first meeting. I had been too embarrassed to tell him my last name, worried that he'd recognize that it was tainted. He had laughed his hearty, deep chested laugh and told me not to worry about a name. He then told me family stories about why Carrigan wasn't as pure a name as I'd thought it to be. Ever since that day he had joked and told me that he'd make me an honorary Carrigan. They were two items that I was sure to treasure for the rest of my life.

That night Layla and I snuggled up in our own bed instead of the floor. Her dad had thankfully fixed the heater after Christmas dinner without any trouble.

"Well, I think each of the announcements of our engagement went well."

She beamed at me from her spot leaned on my shoulder. Her hair was pulled back, the faded Van Halen t-shirt she used as pjs was the one I'd met her in.

"I'd say so. Only a minor aunt Lyn hiccup. I'd been hinting to the guys that I was gonna do it, I'm not sure how they were so surprised."

"Well, in their defense, three years is kind of a short amount of time to have turned your whole life around. For you to be safe and stable enough to get engaged is incredulous Dusty."

I couldn't help the smile that reappeared on my face. I hadn't smiled as much in my whole life as I had in the previous three years with her. And the smile, that was once so elusive, had not seemed to have really left my face since I was on my knee the night before.

"You're incredulous Layla Carrigan-Pierce."

Her eyes lit up like they hadn't before. In that moment, I knew I didn't need any Christmas star to guide me. The gleam in her eyes was all I needed to let me know I was perfectly on course.