Make This Feel Like Home

Chapter 20

Mal's POV:

It's Christmas Eve and Harry and I are getting ready to leave tomorrow, we're taking a red eye back to Santa Maria. We woke up early today, it's about 7:00am and we are running into town to pick up some goodies for his niece, His step-brother's daughter. Her name is Alice and she's four years old... Harry's shown me pictures and she is just the cutest.

Anne told me she has a surprise for us when we get back and I'm a little nervous to be honest, I mean this is the first time I've met this woman and she has a surprise for me, so I definitely need to get her something and while I'm here I might as well get something for Harry too.

I'm looking through the boutique when I find a navy blue and peach flowery quilt. It's the size of a large lap blanket and I think it might be useful for her during treatment but it's so beautiful that I think it would make her smile.

"What do you have there?" I hear Harry ask as he comes up behind me. "It's a quilt for your mother" I say casually as if that's something you do normally for a friend. "Okay? Can I ask why?" he says with a smile, coming to stand beside me, to get a better look at the gift in question. "I'm getting it for her because she told me she has a surprise for us back at the house and now I feel like I need to get her a present, do you think she'd like this?" I ask handing the blanket off to him. "I think she'd love it but you know you don't have to do this right?" he says trying to deter me from spending money on them like I knew he would. " Yes I know but I want to, '' I say with a smile. "Ok.. I'm going to find some sweets for Alice, meet me at check out okay?" " yup" I say turning around headed straight to the wine aisle then to the freezer aisle.

I know Harry probably doesn't want me getting him something for Christmas but I can't help it, I love seeing the look on people's faces! I have had Mitch's and Ree's present's for months now and I don't want him feeling left out of the gift swap. Plus maybe retail therapy is what I need right now. Being with Harry and his family has been a good distraction, they are all incredibly welcoming and I don't feel out of place at all. And Harry, I think he's just trying not to step on my toes, I'm not one to really talk about my feelings a lot, he knows that so I think he is just trying to be there for me but not make it super obvious.

So, naturally I find myself now picking between bottles of white, red and rose wine. I pick a nice white I think could go well with the other part of my present for him. Which is mint chip ice cream, kind of an inside joke between him and, I. Jeez I hope he remembers or I'm going to look like an idiot. I guess this is kind of doubling as a 'thank you' for all those weeks ago, when he showed up at my door with this exact brand of mint chocolate chip ice cream and tissues although I think I can skip the tissues for this one.

Harry and I reach check out and as we go through he looks at me funny. "That looks like a lot more than a quilt" he says.. I push him away telling him not to look. "Okay okay" he says walking away out the doors leaving me to grab all of the bags full of the things for Alice and the things I have for Harry and Anne.

On the drive back to Anne's I make sure to take in and memorize every little piece of scenery during our drive. This is the first time I had ever seen snow and it is one of the most peaceful things I've ever experienced. It's clean and calm, very unlike the sand we have at home. Home seems funny, I think the only thing that makes me call it home is my dad and those other two weirdos.

I look over to Harry and I think he's doing the same thing, he's in his head but not in a bad way.. It's like I can see all of the memories floating around his head. Hoping that I'll get another little story from him I ask "penny for your thoughts sir?" he looks over and smiles at me.

"I used to drive so fast down these roads.. Almost died a few times" he says chuckling to himself like there is a story there but i don't pry. I go back to looking out the window.