The Prince and the Bookworm

Chapter 34

I woke up the next morning, my conversation with Dallas from the night before still fresh on my mind. He talked a lot about his family, and all the contributing factors that had pushed them apart. 

But mostly he talked about how much he just wanted them to be a real family again. I found myself being able to relate completely. After my dad got locked up, I found myself dreaming of him somehow getting out one day. Dreaming about how maybe he would show up at our doorstep one day, ready to come back to us. And then our family would be fixed, we would life happily ever after, just the three of us. 

Needless to say, that didn't happen. 

Beside me, Mariah shifted in bed, breaking me away from my thoughts. I looked over at the clock to see that it was just before 7 AM. I groaned inwardly, annoyed that I woke up so early. Dallas and I stayed awake until almost midnight last night, meaning I didn't get very much sleep. I was busy fuming inwardly when something finally dawned on me. 

It was the 25th. It was Christmas morning. 

I felt a smile spread across my face, something that had been foreign to me for so long. Not very long ago, I used to hate Christmas. Everybody was so happy and joyful while I just sat on my bed all day, missing my father and wishing that the day would just end. But I didn't feel like that anymore. Now I was with my family and Dallas, and Christmas had a whole new meaning. I was actually excited for once. 

Due to my sudden excitement, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. So I quietly crept out of bed, trying not to wake up Mariah. I grabbed a jacket out of my bag and pulled it over my shoulders before I silently left our room and walked downstairs. The first thing I noticed was that a fresh pot of coffee was just about to finish brewing, meaning someone was already awake. Nobody was in the kitchen, so I walked over to the living room. My mom was sitting in front of the fireplace, curled up in a ball with a blanket wrapped around her. 

She must have heard me coming because right when I entered her head whipped around to look at me. As soon as we locked eyes, a warm and comforting smile crossed her lips. Before she could stand to her feet, I walked over, sitting down beside her. She immediately opened her arms and I curled up into her side as she wrapped the blanket around both of us. A feeling of nostalgia swept over me as I remembered we used to do this every morning when I was younger. 

"Merry Christmas, Sadie." She whispered softly, kissing the top of my head. 

"Merry Christmas." I replied, resting my head on her shoulder. To be honest, I had missed this. A couple years ago I had gotten to that point where I thought I was too old to snuggle with my mom. But since then I had learned that sometimes you need some time like that with your mom, no matter how old you are. 

"What are you doing up so early?" My mom asked, a pensive look in her eyes as she stared into the fireplace, where orange flames were flickering in a calming manner. 

"I just woke up, I guess." 

"I thought if anything you'd sleep in longer. You and Dallas were up pretty late last night." My mom stated. I couldn't help but notice how pleased she sounded. I rolled my eyes heavily. 

"We were just talking, mom." 

"About what?" 

"A lot of stuff." I answered vaguely, shrugging my shoulders. 

"Yes, I know that." She said exasperatedly. "I mean what specifically did you talk about." She pressed for more information, playfully jabbing me in the ribs. 

"He did a lot of the talking. Mostly about his family and stuff." 

"I've always wondered what his family life was like." My mom voiced out loud. "Being the son of a mayor has to have its advantages."