December 24th – Worlds Collide
Snowflakes drift lazily around us, one landing on my nose and melting instantly against my skin. I scrunch my face, the chill startling but fleeting, and shove my red-mittened hands deep into the pockets of my oversized mint-green parka. Style be damned—priorities are warmth. Jake, standing beside me, hasn’t quite caught on to that philosophy. He’s shivering in his brown faux leather bomber jacket, breath fogging in the crisp winter air. I told him to wear gloves and a hat.
Men!
A few strands of my dark ruby hair escape the confines of my fuzzy ball-topped hat, teasing my cheeks as I glance at him. He hasn’t rung the doorbell yet.
“Jake? You there, or did your brain freeze over?” I tease gently, pulling one hand from my pocket to wrap it around his. My mitten swallows his bare fingers, and I rub them briskly, trying to bring back some warmth.
“Yeah, babe, I’m here. Just…” He pauses, looking at the grand door in front of us, his brows pulling together. “I’m nervous. I know Dad will love you. You’re, you’re amazing. But, like, you know,” his words tumble out in that unsure way of his, somehow bumbling despite the resolve I know he has within him. I can’t help but smile.
“Hey, mister,” I say, squeezing his hand. “I’m adorbs. He’ll love me. Besides, I promise I’ll be on my best behavior. No mention of pagan rites or Winter’s Eve sacrificial rituals, scout’s honor.” I stick my tongue out at him.
Jake’s grin breaks through, wide and unreserved, the kind of smile that first caught my attention. If I’m honest, it’s what made me stop and really see him.
I bite back a laugh, recalling my bestie Michelle’s snarky comment about my first date with Jake. “Must’ve gone to the pound,” she’d said, “because you came home with a Golden Retriever.”
She wasn’t wrong.
He bops me lightly on the nose, then leans down to press a kiss to my forehead. My heart swells. It’s one of those small things he does that makes me feel so loved, so safe. A memory of cedar aftershave and strong arms flashes through my mind. No! I won’t think about that—him.
_Jake is all I need—_I tell myself, trying to forget piercing grey eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.
“Thanks, babe. You’re right. You are adorbs, and Dad will love you. I know he will.” He trails off, his resolve flickering for a moment before his eyes sharpen. “It’s just a big deal for me. You know why.”
I smile and nod, squeezing his hand. The five-hour flight, the hour-long cab ride to his childhood home—it’s all been leading to this. Meeting his dad.
“I know, hun.” I lean into him, offering reassurance through the closeness. “Because of your mom…This doesn’t have to be as big as you’re making it out to be. We’re just here for the holidays. Your dad’s probably going to wine and dine us, wow us with his fancy mansion in the hills, and send us off stuffed with eggnog and gifts.” I pause, glancing around us. The doorstep is pristine yet gothic, flanked by ornate stone columns and carved wood that speaks of a rich history. The cobblestone path we walked glitters faintly under fairy lights, the soft glow of amber casting a dreamy haze over the winter scene. “Okay, I’ll admit it’s impressive. Very… big,” I add with a playful wink.
Jake laughs, the sound rich and boyish. “Big, huh? Well, that’s not the only big thing I’ve got to show you,” he quips, his grin now wickedly teasing.
“Jake!” I gasp, smacking his arm with mock indignation, though I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips even as I roll my eyes. “Be a good boy and stop stalling.”
“Okay, okay,” he says with an exaggerated sigh, his grin softening into something more real. “No need to break my arm, though,” he adds, his tone teasing as he rubs his arm where I hit him. But I can see it—the tension has melted from his stance, replaced with the quiet determination I admire so much.
Jake takes a breath, steadies himself, and reaches for the doorbell.
Ding Dong!
“Nervous?” Jake bumps me lightly with his shoulder, his grin crooked and endearing.
“Nope, not at all!” I reply, my voice just a touch too bright. “Not like you’ve built this moment up in my mind or anything,” I add with a deadpan expression, hoping my humor hides the faint flutter of nerves in my stomach.
Jake chuckles, scratching the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Okay, fair. Maybe I oversold it a little.”
“Just a minute!” A deep, resonant voice calls out from inside the house. It’s the kind of voice that commands attention—gravelly, rich, and smooth, like granite polished to a gleam over years of wear.
The sound jolts something in me, a subconscious realization. My chest tightens as I fight against the pull of the past.
Cool it, girl. That’s over. This is now.
I shift my focus to Jake, to the way his face lights up with excitement.
“It’s sweet how much you love your dad,” I say softly, leaning my head on his shoulder.
“Yeah, well, he was there for me after mom passed,” Jake replies, his voice quieter, his gaze dropping for just a moment. The vulnerability in his tone makes my heart ache for him.
“Aww, so cute,” I tease, drawing the word out just enough to lighten the moment.
“Watch it, you,” he warns in mock seriousness. “I’ll find my revenge when you least expect it—”
The door swings open mid-sentence, and warm light spills onto the snowy doorstep.
My breath catches. My chest tightens. The scent of cedar and winter air fills the space between us, and for a brief moment, I’m not on this doorstep—I’m caught in a memory I’ve spent the last half a year trying to forget.
“Hey, kiddo! Give me a hug,” the gravel-smooth voice booms, rich with unrestrained joy.
Jake steps forward eagerly, wrapping his arms around the tall figure in the doorway. “Missed you, Dad.”
I don’t follow. I can’t. My breath catches, sharp and shallow, as icy dread roots me in place.
No. No, no, no. This is not happening. This can’t be happening.
He’s taller than I remember—just as broad, just as commanding. The salt-and-pepper hair I used to run my fingers through is a little longer now, gracing his shoulders in a lion’s mane. It suits him. His piercing gray eyes, the ones that once held me captive, lock onto mine, widening for a fraction of a second. I wonder if he feels it too—the collision of then and now—if he remembers me.
It’s him. My Stranger.
I swallow hard. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to leave. My lips tremble as he looks at me again, recognition flickering behind his gaze. I force my lips into what I hope passes for a polite smile, but inside, I’m unraveling.
I think I’m going to be sick.
Then his eyes find mine, and our worlds collide.