The Stocking Was Hung(37)

Reggie and Bev are squatting in front with their hands on their knees, Nicholas, Casey and Aunt Bobbie are standing on the ends behind them, and Noel and I are in the middle of everyone, her arm around my waist and my arm flung over her shoulder. Her head is tilted to the side resting against my chest and everyone has big, cheesy grins on their faces. You can see the blurry white of the snow falling around us and the glow of all the lights behind us.

It’s my first family photo and it’s perfect.

“Listen, Noel. I need to tell you something,” I begin softly, pulling my gaze away from the photo to look into her eyes.

“You hate the picture. I knew it was a dumb idea,” she sighs, reaching out to grab it from me.

“No!” I shout, moving it out of her reach. “No, I promise I don’t hate it. It’s perfect. I have to tell you something else. Something serious and important.”

She takes a step toward me and gazes up at me, her beautiful green eyes staring at me and I watch her swallow nervously.

“Good. Because I have something serious and important to talk to you about too,” she whispers.

Shit, was I wrong about this being one-sided? I mean, I’ve been hoping and wishing, but it all seemed too good to be true. The hopeful look in her eyes and the way she twists her hands together nervously makes me think I’ve been a big idiot and should have said something sooner instead of waiting until the day I’m supposed to leave.

Noel takes another step toward me until the frame is pushed up against my chest from her closeness, the wrapping paper I tossed on the floor crinkling under her stocking feet as she steps on it.

I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself to say the words out loud.

“Noel, I lo-”

“NOEL! I LOVE YOU!”

A shout from outside cuts me off, proclaiming the words I was just about to say.

“What the f*ck?” I mutter as we both turn our heads and look at the closed door right next to us.

“NOEL! ARE YOU IN THERE? I LOVE YOU!”

“Holy shit!” Noel gasps, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

Footsteps sound in the hall behind us like a herd of elephants as the family runs out of the kitchen.

“What in Sam hell is all that yelling?” Reggie asks in annoyance, while I laugh like a lunatic hearing my name come out of his mouth for the first time. Of course it would be as a curse.

“NOEL! I’M SORRY! COME BACK TO ME! I LOVE YOU!”

Another muffled shout sounds from out of the front lawn and I hear Noel whimper next to me.

“No, no, no, no,” she mumbles under her breath.

“Brace yourself, Casey. The shitteth is about to hit the faneth,” Nicholas says as he wraps one arm around his wife and gives me a sympathetic pat on the back.

What the hell is happening right now, and who the f*ck just interrupted me telling Noel I love her?

“Why is there a man in a three-piece suit with no coat, out on our front lawn yelling like a crazy person?” Bev asks, looking out the window right inside the living room next to us.

“Oooooh, that’s Armani. Very nice,” Aunt Bobbie coos, scooting next to Bev to get her own look out the living room window.

“NOEL? PLEASE! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!”

“Leon, do you know this person?” Bev questions, looking back over her shoulder at the extremely quiet woman standing next to me, before lowering her voice in a loud whisper. “Is he on drugs? Leon, are you friends with druggies?”

Aunt Bobbie laughs nervously and takes a step back from the window.

“Druggies? Who knows druggies? I don’t know druggies, do you know druggies?” she asks. “No drugs here, especially not Ecstasy or anything crazy like that!”

There’s a hard knock at the door right next to us, followed by more pathetic shouting.

“WE DON’T HAVE TO GET MARRIED! IT DOESN’T MATTER, I JUST WANT YOU BACK!”

Son of a mother f*cking bitch! Logan is here???

Reggie shoulders his way between Noel and I and flings open the front door. I stare in irritation at the man on the front stoop with perfectly slicked back hair, black suit, and a pansy-ass white scarf around his neck.

“What the hell is all this yelling for? Are you a druggie? Does my daughter owe you money?” Reggie shouts at the dumb-shit in front of him.

“What? No, I’m Logan,” he states, puffing up his chest and holding his hand out in front of him.

I groan and Noel whimpers again.

“No you’re not, he’s Logan,” Reggie argues, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in my direction.

Logan looks around Reggie and glares at me.

“No, I’M Logan. I have no idea who that is. Who are you?” he asks me angrily.

“This is LOGAN,” Bev shouts, coming up from behind me. “LOOOOOOGAAAAAANNNN.”

She yells louder, stretching out the word like the dumb shit is hard of hearing.

Logan looks around at everyone in confusion.

“I think he is on drugs, he looks very confused,” Bev whispers. “Or maybe he’s def. What’s sign language for ‘Get off our porch’?”

“I’M LOGAN!” Dumb-shit shouts in a huff.

“HE’S LOGAN!” Reggie yells back, pointing his thumb at me again.