The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(118)
Yvonne nodded appreciatively, enjoying the crisp flavor of the wine as she and her mother continued their old tradition of making sugar cookies to frost. After they filled two sheets, Debbie placed them in the heated oven, brushing the flour and dough off her hands on a hand towel.
She winked at Yvonne before speaking loudly.
“I suppose now is the time to open the Christmas Eve presents. It’s a shame Megan is so moody; I would have liked to give her one.”
Slamming her book on the table, Megan stared with wide eyes at her mother.
“You would seriously deny me a present just because of my mood?”
“I don’t know, can you earn one by showing me a little Christmas cheer?”
Megan’s lip twisted up in a reluctant smile.
“Almost there…” Debbie goaded, stepping over and wrapping her daughter in a hug.
Just then, Mya walked in.
“You’re hugging her? No fair! I’m the favorite!”
She bolted over and the two girls began to giggle as they fought over who was the real favorite twin, their mother smiling warmly down at them, insisting that they were both her favorites. She glanced up at Yvonne, realizing her faux pas.
“All three of my girls are my favorite,” she corrected, and Yvonne took another drink from her glass.
As the cookies baked, the four of them headed out to the living room, where Yvonne’s stepfather was busy putting a few extra bulbs on the tree. When he saw Yvonne, he smiled and gave her a hug.
“It’s good to see you, Yvonne. I’m so sorry we didn’t plan better. We thought you were with your dad on Christmas Day; otherwise, we would have planned something different.”
Yvonne shrugged.
“I’m an adult, Dan. I can handle a Christmas on my own. Besides, I’ll be spending it with someone.”
Her mother’s ears perked up at that statement, even as she was in the middle of opening matching headbands for the girls. They slid them on and ran into the other room, turning their heads from side to side to admire their new gifts.
“Who are you spending it with?” she asked, her voice heavy with suggestion.
“No one of consequence…just a work acquaintance.”
The last thing she needed was her mother’s lecture on the dangers of dating in the workplace. Seeing her resolve, her mom’s face fell a little as she stared wistfully at her eldest daughter.
“I just wish that you could find a nice boyfriend, Yvonne. I’d love to see you settled down with a family of your own.”
It was a phrase she had heard time and time again. Repressing a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
“I barely get out of the office nowadays—and even when I do, the D.C. dating scene is pretty abysmal. Maybe someday I’ll find a flower among the weeds.”
“We can hope,” Debbie said.
Before they could continue, the oven beeped. Sporting their new headbands, the twins led the way to the kitchen table, which was already set.
Per tradition, the cookies were set to cool while the family ate together around the table, a large turkey already cut and prepared. Yvonne sat across from the twins, who whispered to one another, sharing private jokes and giggling as they played with their food.
Yvonne watched as her mother and Dan looked on, their eyes glowing with love. She felt like she was standing outside, looking into a world she had never really known.
After dinner, her mother pulled the wishbone from the turkey and held it out to her.
“Make a wish,” she said, her eyes bright.
Yvonne smiled as her sisters groaned about not getting a turn to wish, but she felt special to be singled out by her mother. Grasping the slippery bone, she closed her eyes, and made her wish—to have a family of her very own.
When they pulled on the bone, Yvonne won, and her mother grinned.
“I hope it comes true, my love.”
“Me too,” Yvonne agreed.
She checked her watch, realizing that if she wanted to make it to her father’s house in time, she wouldn’t have time to decorate the cookies. Saying as much, she stood, the rest of the family standing to bid her farewell. Her mother hugged her extra tight before she stepped from the warm house back into the cold.
“Give your father and the family our best,” Debbie said, and Yvonne nodded.
“I will,” she promised.
She turned and walked back to her car as the door closed behind her, feeling somehow very full and very empty all at once. As she turned her key in the ignition, she made her way back onto the road, and toward another happy family.
She thought about her wish, and turned the radio back up once more.
Chapter Four
Two hours later, Yvonne wound her way along the dirt road that led to her father’s lake house.
Always the great outdoorsman, her father had opted to get closer to nature after the divorce, while distancing himself effectively from her mother. She’d adapted to only seeing him every other weekend, eventually meeting the woman that would become his second wife, and welcoming from afar another sister and brother from their union.
Turning into his bumpy driveway, she winced as her car dipped and slid along the ragged surface of the gravel, her father’s Swiss chalet style house coming into view. The building was triangular, with a pointed tip and a wooden porch on each level of the building. On the second floor, tall glass windows showcased a beautifully lit-up Christmas tree, a golden star sitting at its top.