The Survivor (Book #2)

Chapter 54

One by one, people came downstairs and oohed and admired the presents and how the house looked. Even Charlotte did, which I thought was suspicious. Hadn't she been the one to place them all?

They each grabbed breakfast and began eating, while Damon and I cleaned the stuff we used. Well, he cleaned, while I talked to the others and occasionally moved dishes into the dishwasher. I asked Caleb and Brooks what they thought they were getting for Christmas and then tried to read Charlotte's expression to see if they were right. Unfortunately for me, she had a perfect poker face and kept her expression neutral as she sipped her coffee.

At long last, Dominic came strutting down the stairs and whooped at the sight of the gifts. I laughed and ran over to him, jumping up onto my toes and shaking his arm.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed, turning to me after appraising it all.

"Right?? I was the only one to gasp!" I complained, before dragging him to the kitchen and forcing him to eat. Caleb said that we got to open presents after everyone finished eating so when Dominic tried to join in the conversation, I kicked him in the back until he kept eating. After I did that twice, he grabbed my leg before it could reach him and kept it stuck in his grip as I tried to wiggle it free. After a moment, he let go. I pulled it back slowly and remembered that my best friend is also the Hulk.

When we'd all finished, I ran to the living room and sat on the floor, trying not to spontaneously combust.

"Do we do it one at a time or all at once? Or do we do something special first? Is there a Christmas ceremony I don't know about?" I asked as everyone got situated. Caleb sat next to me and grabbed my hand, before saying "Maya, listen,". He then took a huge intake of air before exhaling slowly and saying, "That is how you take a breath between words."

I slapped his arm and jumped off the couch before grabbing a present that had my name on it. I curled up and placed it in my lap. Everyone stood up and grabbed one, and Charlotte turned on her old CD player again and let the Christmas songs play softly in the background.

She threw her arm up in the air before dramatically dropping it and shouting "Go!". We tore the wrapping apart viciously and threw the paper in a bag as we found out what we had been gifted.

I peeled the tape from the concealed box and shook the box of present number one. It wasn't light, but it wasn't heavy either. When it was open, I pulled out a dark green hoodie with a quote from my favorite artist on it! I threw it on immediately and rubbed the inner lining with my thumb. It was so soft! I checked the tag on the box and grabbed Caleb into a hug.

"How did you know I love Taylor Swift?" I asked him in shock. He laughed and rolled his eyes.

"You sing her songs under your breath, like, all the time." He explained, before turning to thank Charlotte for his new PlayStation game.

I grabbed the next box and took off opening games, clothes, jewelry, and more. Brooks had gotten me new black running shoes miraculously in my size and Dominic got me a leather jacket that he said would be perfect to wear on the motorcycle.

"Oooh, so I look like a badass?" I asked, pulling it on and trying to look cool. It was fuzzy on the inside and very warm.

"No, idiot. So, you don't get ripped into pieces if we fall." He said, cheerfully opening his next gift.

I took it off slowly and replaced it with the Taylor Swift one.

I grabbed a small present and peeled the red wrapping off it tenderly, revealing a small white box.

"Are these Air pods?" I asked with a gasp. I looked at Charlotte who shrugged, so I checked the tag.

"Damon?"

"Yeah, I got them for you." He said with a shrug. "I've heard you singing a lot too."

"That's funny! It's kind of like what I got you!" I said, pointing to the gift box at his knee. He pulled the lid off the box and ripped the bow off, slapping it onto Caleb's head from behind. He looked inside at the large black speakers I got him, and his face lit up.

"Maya! These are sick!" he exclaimed, pulling them out to look at them and spreading out the instruction manual.

"Guess we both like music," I said casually, leaning over to nudge him.

"Guess it runs in the family." He joked, pulling me in for a side hug. I squeezed him back and smiled watching the boys open the rest of their gifts.

Brooks adored the scrapbook I made him along with Valerie's help and flipped through the pictures of them and our family, occasionally chuckling and occasionally getting a strained look on his face like he was trying not to cry.

For Caleb, I'd picked up a Spike ball set and a hammock for whatever random adventures he might be taking. He loved them and told me it would be perfect for the annual camping trip he took with his friends.

When Dominic got to my gift, he called me over, so I scooted to his side and sat on my knees eagerly.

He reached down to open it, but I stopped his hand and said, "Promise you'll like it?"

He laughed. "Yes, can I open it now?"

I hesitated. "I suppose," I said warily, not sure I meant it. He pushed my hand off and opened it, reading the box as he tried to decipher what it was.

His eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he realized what they were.

"One's for me, obviously," I said as my heart pounded nervously.

"NO WAY! Maya! That's awesome!" he said as he pulled me into a hug. He nearly crushed me, and I could tell he was reading the box over my shoulder.

"What'd you get?" Caleb asked, leaning over to look.

"Bluetooth headphones for the motorcycle, with microphones," I explained. "That way we can talk to each other while we're on the bike! And you can talk to your girlfriend too if you take her." Caleb nodded appreciatively and Dominic tore the box open to investigate.

Charlotte wandered over and sat beside me, beaming at the gift in Dominic's hand.

"Your father and I used to have some just like that," she told him, remembering fondly. He smiled up at her with a childlike grin I'd never seen before. It was clear that he revered his dad and loved hearing anything about him. A thought struck me as I considered this.

"You rode on the bike?" I exclaimed in pure wonder. How had I not known that!

"Please," she said, pushing her over her shoulder. "Who do you think got Dominic's dad into riding?" I couldn't believe that Charlotte had been a motorcyclist all this time. That made her more like me than I realized.

"Charlotte?" I asked curiously, trying to sound brave.

"Yes, Maya?" she asked gently, looking into my eyes with a feeling I couldn't name. It was tender and honest like she knew I was saying something important.

"D-do you think I call you Mom now?" I asked. The boys turned to us in surprise, and I noticed Brooks and Dominic exchange a look.

Charlotte took in a deep shaky breath and exhaled it slowly, before leaning down and pressing her cheek against the top of my head, pulling me into her side.

"I'd love that, sweetheart. I've wanted to be your mother for a while now." She confessed.

My stomach writhed nervously as I realized this was easily the best Christmas I'd ever had. We all loved our presents and I had gotten to spend so much time with everyone over the break. And everyone clearly felt the same way.

Was this what my life would be like as a member of this family? Was it possible that I could find the happiness that everyone else seemed to have?