A Little Cinderella Moment

Chapter 97

"I'm happy they picked them charities too sweetheart. So, moving on to the reason of our call," Chase hold up the present I got him and gives it a gentle shake. "This has been in my jacket pocket ever since you gave it to me, and it has been driving me crazy wanting to know what's inside it."
I hold up the box that Chase gave me too. "I must admit, I have been the same too. Shall we open them together?" I ask him.
"Together on three?" I nod and we both start counting down together and when be both say three, we tear into the wrapping to see we each hold a velvet-looking box.
I give Chase a questioning look at my box. It's too small to be anything big like a bracelet or a necklace, or even a watch. But the box is too big for it to be a ring too. Chase is sitting there on his bed looking at me with a sexy smirking look on his face and he gives me a flirtatious wink. I open the box to see the most beautiful pair of emerald earrings I have ever seen. "Oh, my gosh."
"Do you like them, Savannah?"
"Oh, my gosh Chase, I love them. They are so beautiful," Putting my finger under the emerald and feeling the weight of it, and wow. "It's heavy but they are so beautiful, and I know the perfect occasion to wear them to for the first time out in public."
"Oh yeah! Where's that to?"
"I have my best friend's 18th birthday party on New Year's Eve and it's double lucky for me too."
"How's that sweetheart?"
"It's also her twin brother's party too, and I am the lucky one who gets to call him my boyfriend."
"True fucking right I am baby. I am so happy you love them, and I cannot wait to see you wearing them at mine and Jen's party." Chase smiles at me and holds up his box. "Do you want me to open this up now?"
I nod with a flirtatious smile of my own as he opens the box. He looks up at me in shock, pulling out the gift from the box. He holds up the platinum chain necklace and then puts it around his neck and fastens it. "Thank you, sweetheart, I love it," he lifts the bottom part of the chain and gives it a kiss and a squeeze. "I will never take this off, even during my games. This will now be my good luck charm."
"I'm so happy you like it. What are your plans for the morning?"
"We'll wake up and have breakfast and then get dressed for church, after the service we'll come home and open all the presents and enjoy the rest of the day having a couple of drinks and a couple of family games after we've eaten. How about you? What will you and your dad do in the morning? Will Toni be celebrating with you?"
"Toni has gone to San Francisco to spend the holidays with her brother and his family. I don't know what we'll be doing in the morning, as we have usually gone to see my mom for a while on Christmas morning, and with this being our first Christmas in California it will be different. I would have to ask Dad in the morning after breakfast." I can't believe I forgot about my mom and this being the first Christmas we won't be visiting her.
"That's nice Toni has gone to family for the holidays it's just a shame her son couldn't make it home from deployment."
"He will be home for her birthday in February."
"How do you know that?" Chase asks me.
"My dad has connections in the military, an old middle school friend I believe, and they had a chat his friend found what unit he is based in and has ordered leave for then. Your mom has arranged for a private function at one of her favorite restaurants where both our families will be, and her son will bring out her cake."
"Now that will be one hell of a birthday present for her. I'm happy that my family will be a part of this celebration. I know my mom loves Toni she is an amazing woman."
"She is one of the best," I stifle a yawn "I better get to bed it's been a long day and I want to get some sleep. You're not mad at me are you?"
"Why would I be mad sweetheart? Go to bed and get some sleep and I will ring and text throughout the day. Merry Christmas Savannah."
"Merry Christmas Chase, I love you."
"I love you too." Chase ends the call and I curl myself under my covers and drift off into a peaceful sleep.
Waking up on Christmas morning normally is filled with joy and happiness, but today it feels different. I feel the joy and happiness I always feel but today I feel guilty as well. Climbing out of bed I put my robe on and slide on my slippers before I head downstairs to brew a pot of coffee.
While the coffee is brewing, I make some pancakes for breakfast. Nothing sounds better than white chocolate chip pancakes cut into Christmas trees with powdered sugar sprinkled on top of them for a Christmas breakfast. Oh, can't forget the coffee, when it was brewed, I got the peppermint syrup out of the pantry and put a couple of pumps into the coffee for me and my dad. When the pancakes were done, I cut them one by one to shape before I plated them. By the time I placed both plates on the breakfast bar the coffee on coasters beside the plates and arranged the powdered sugar into a sprinkler bottle ready for us to put on as much as we like, Dad walks into the kitchen and gives me a kiss on my head.
"Good morning baby girl and Merry Christmas," Dad says as he takes a seat at the breakfast bar and takes a sip of his coffee. "Peppermint?" he asks, I nod as he takes another sip, "Perfect start to our Christmas morning thank you, sweetpea."
"It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't have mom's peppermint coffee in the morning and your chocolate chip Christmas tree pancakes for breakfast," I say as I sprinkle some powdered sugar over my trees and cutting a bit off to take a bite.
Before Dad tucks into his breakfast, he programs Alexa to play some Christmas tunes. We listen to Nat King Cole singing 'The Christmas Song' as we enjoy the rest of our breakfast. Once the pancakes were consumed and the coffee drank Dad helps me clean up the kitchen. We were singing and dancing around the kitchen as we tidied up having some fun. Fun we've not had in a while I think, dad has been so busy with work and I have been just as busy with school, work, the dance, and getting enough to submit for that music scholarship we have just not had time for us to be father and daughter.
Once the kitchen was clean and tidy Dad and I went into the family lounge to open the Christmas presents that was under our tree before we decided what to do for the rest of the day.
"I have a huge surprise for you sweetpea," Dad hands me a package that's about A4 size for me to open. I gave him a quizzical look "Trust me, baby girl, this is something you would not have suspected, something you've missed, and it's something you recently experienced and I want to give it back to you."
Feeling slightly confused but having a small guess at what this could be I open it up. When I pull out the thing inside, the first thing I see is a picture of a chestnut-colored Carolina Marsh Tacky horse. Underneath the picture is everything you need for ownership of a horse, the vet health check, the breeding standard certificate, information on what stable the horse is at, and its condition. Everything.
"You got me a horse?" I ask Dad, and all he does is smile at me and nods his head. "Oh my gosh," I stood up and went over to my dad and threw my arms around him, and gave him a huge hug. A hug only a daughter can give to her father. "Thank you so much dad, I can't believe you did this. I thought we were doing small gifts for each other this year?"
"That was the original plan until I gave Chase the idea about going riding. All it took was for me to see the smile on your face when you came through that door before you saw your surprise was enough for me to get you something you have missed in so many years."
"I do miss Blue Star, Dad, yes and I understand now that it was her time. She was an old mare I was ten when she passed during the night in her sleep. But thank you Dad this is the perfect Christmas present you could have ever got me. A piece of home."