“Rafael Achilles Cordova! It won’t kill you to let go of Danary for just a moment to help your mother out.”
The little lady of the house stuck her head out through the kitchen window in a huff, glaring at the said man latched onto my shoulder. It was quite clear who Achilles inherited his fiery gaze from despite her old age.
I smiled sheepishly as I tried to unlatch Achilles’s arms around from my waist. “Love, your mother is calling for you.”
He made a disgruntled noise with his eyes still closed and his arms as unmoving as ever. “She’ll be fine.”
A loud clang rang from the kitchen at his reply, making me smile nervously at the woman with the heavy frying pan in her hand.
I turned my head around and leaned up with much difficulty to press a kiss on his cheek, trying to coax him to listen. “Just help her out a bit… For me, okay? I’ll be alright by myself.”
He let out a discontented sigh before eventually, albeit reluctantly, releasing me from his grasp and walking off in the direction of the screaming old lady.
I giggled softly at his unusual behavior as I started to make my way toward Liam. Achilles had always been a bit of a momma’s boy, never arguing with her and always helping her out without being asked, even though he acted like he couldn’t care less. So, I just found it a tad funny to see his mom yell at him for ditching her when I knew that he would always hold a soft spot for her.
I rounded the corner and found Liam sitting with Achilles’s father next to the fireplace with a hefty-looking book nestled snuggly between them. They were so immersed in their own little bubble that they didn’t notice me approaching until I peered over them from behind to take a glance at the book.
Surprisingly, Mr. Cordova was showing Liam an old album containing photos of what I could only assume were Achilles and his younger brother from their childhood. In one of the pictures, they were standing side to side with matching unamused expressions in a set of matching khakis pants and button-up shirts that I could only imagine was the result of their mother forcing them to wear it.
Mr. Cordova looked at me with a soft smile and explained, “Don’t you think Liam looks almost identical to Rafael in this picture?”
I nodded as I quietly scanned over all the other pictures of a young Achilles on this page of the book. To think that my giant fiance was once so small.
His hair was cut just a tad bit shorter than Liam’s in these pictures, but their facial shapes were outstandingly similar. The sharpening jawlines and high arching eyebrows perfectly framed their piercing eyes.
As he slowly flipped through the pages, Mr. Cordova continued, “I just wanted to show him how much he was already like his dad. Even if they aren’t related by blood, I don’t want Liam to ever feel like he doesn’t belong.”
Mr. Cordova was never one who spoke much. Like all the other Cordova men I’ve met so far, he wasn’t one to socialize much unless necessary. So it warmed my heart to see him making an effort to get to know my little boy.
“I hope he never does, too…” Easing into the seat next to Liam, I gently ran my fingers through Liam’s hair, eliciting a small but contentful hum from him as I pushed his hair back ever so slightly.
Liam’s cheeks turned a faint pink color. “But dad is very smart… and understanding… and mature… Everyone looks up to him… I want to be just a good, so no one will doubt his decision to take me in…”
I pressed my lips together as I gently raked my fingers through his hair.
He was the smartest little boy I knew, sometimes even helping me with my tax forms. And though he could be a bit harsh with his words, he always put those he cared about before himself. So it greatly pained me to see him doubting his own worth like this.
Mr. Cordova closed the book and set it aside as he turned to look at Liam. Taking Liam’s tiny fumbling hands out of his lap and into his own large, aged hands, he calmly explained, “Liam, I will only say this once, but no one, and I mean no one, will ever doubt my son’s decision to take you in. You are the brightest little boy I have ever met. Following along with conversations about the fiscal status of the current market that even some college graduates cannot comprehend. Offering advice that even some of my best stock market advisors could never come up with. To add on, you haven’t even properly entered college yet. I’m sure that once you grow up, you will become one of the brightest minds of our generation. But even if you weren’t, Rafael would not care. He may be known to be quite cold to others, but he would never allow anyone to harm his family in any way, physically, mentally or emotionally. So I hope you never feel pressured to force yourself to be someone who you are not because you are already wonderful the way you are.”
Though he was trying very hard not to let it show, I could tell that Liam was moved by his words. He tried very hard not to let his lip waver or to let the water in his eyes fall, but in the end, he still couldn’t restrain such strong raw emotions.
Quickly hiding himself in my embrace, he buried his head into the crook of my neck as he furiously tried to wipe his tears away.
I smiled softly as I comfortingly patted his back.
As his hiccups started to die down, Liam hesitantly lifted his head from his hiding spot with a soft sniffle. In the timidest voice, he shyly whispered, “Thank you, grandpa.”
Mr. Cordova’s eyes softened at the newfound tender address. “There’s no need to thank me, sweetheart. We’re family.”
Liam nodded meekly as he tried to hide his last few sniffles. Turning his head to the side, he tucked his head back into the crook of my neck, hiding underneath a curtain of my hair with his little arms wrapped around my neck.
Mr. Cordova smiled at the sight and politely excused himself, disappearing behind the dining room doors to give us a bit of privacy.
Though he was crying, they were tears of joy, something he had probably never felt comfortable enough to let out until now.
I silently rubbed soothing circles on his back.
Only a few minutes passed by before a worried-looking head popped into the room. He was still in an adorable, baby-pink kitchen apron as he made his way over to us, probably ducking out of the kitchen the moment his father showed up and completely forgetting about his getup, which I could only assume was done by his mother’s handy work.
Achilles sat down next to me and anxiously asked, “Is something wrong? Is he not feeling well? We can go home early if-”
Before he could finish his sentence, Liam had thrown himself into Achilles’s lap, burying his head in Achilles’s chest without a second thought. “It’s nothing, dad. I’m just very happy.”
Achilles warily glanced at Liam but eventually gave in and wrapped his arms around him. “Okay… but you know you can tell me anything, right?”
Liam let out a soft hum, his face still buried in Achilles’s chest.
Achilles shot me a nervous look, still unconvinced by Liam’s response, to which I only respond with a reassuring later and mouthing the word “later.”
He nodded acceptingly and went back to gently patting Liam’s back.
After Liam finally calmed down, he shyly poked his head out of his hiding place and asked, “Dad, why are you wearing a pink apron?”
Achilles’s cheeks immediately turned the same pink shade as his apron as he stuttered, “Y-you know how your grandmother is…
Liam giggled at the response. Fingering the pink strap straining against Achilles’s hard chest, he continued to tease his dad, “You look like a unicorn vomited on you.”
Achilles playfully gasped and retorted, “She got you one too. It’s just stuck in the mail system right now, but I’m sure you will end up just like me the next time we visit.”
Liam paled at his words. He frantically looked toward me for help and asked, “Do I really have to wear that next time?”
I teasingly squeezed his puffy cheeks and replied, “I’m sure you will look wonderful, matching your dad.”
He pouted, seemingly wanting to refute my words, but he was cut up by a loud call from the kitchen, stating that dinner was done.
Achilles perked up at the sound, standing up from his seat with Liam in his arms and reaching out with his free hand to help me.
I gratefully accepted his hand, loving how it felt to have our hands slide together like two pieces in a puzzle. How he fluidly interlaced fingers together like it was second nature to him and gently tugged me along with him.
My heart warmed at the action.
Though he could be a bit awkward or too blunt at times, Achilles always showed his loved ones how much he cared for them through his actions, whether through a grand gesture or the little ones like this.
Dinner passed in a joyful blur as the usual events went on. Achilles stuffing my plate high with food. Liam trying to pass off his unwanted veggies to me. Mrs. Cordova’s overzealous display of happiness. Mr. Cordova trying to keep his wife calm. Achilles’s brother quietly inserting comments here and there. The usual.
Even though I haven’t been to many of Achilles’s family dinners yet, with the count still only on the one hand, it just felt right.
After my brother died, I spent many holidays alone with no one to celebrate with until I met Liam. And now, here I am in a warm house with joyous chatter filling it up to the brim and my loved ones on either side of me.
If anyone ever asked me, I wouldn’t be able to come up with a Christmas wish because I already had what I had been waiting for all these years, and I would never be grateful enough to have gotten to meet Achilles, the only one who could make me feel whole.
Noticing my stare, Achilles turned toward me with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if something was wrong.
I mutely shook my head.
He eyed me skeptically before letting it go. Instead, he quietly pulled my chair closer to him until he was able to wrap his arm around my waist, giving me a comforting squeeze before looking back at the conversation on the table.
I couldn’t help smiling at the gesture.
I leaned into his warmth and looked up to bring my attention back to the table, listening to Mrs. Cordova’s cheery chatter as she served plates of a dessert trifle to each person.
Once she reached the three of us at the end of the table, her eyes lit in realization. She quickly took a 180 in her conversation and exclaimed, “I almost forgot, but I still haven’t given my Christmas present to the three of you yet!”
She dropped the plate she was originally holding out to us, giving Liam a good jump in surprise, before running out of the dining room.
Achilles shook his head in exasperation before calmly cleaning up the mess of cream and fruits dropped in front of Liam’s plate. “She really needs to learn to focus on one thing at a time.”
I giggled softly, “You sound just like Liam when he reprimands me.”
“Well, I think you should also learn how to take a page from your son as well.” He playfully pressed his forefinger between my eyebrows. “You wouldn’t miss your own mouth and drop an entire spoonful of food onto yourself if you weren’t trying to read your novel at the same.”
I pouted and mumbled, “It was only once…”
He pecked my pouting lips with a soft smile. “But I don’t mind. Just means that I get to have an excuse to feed you more often in the future.” Holding a spoonful of properly served trifle to my lips, he cooed, “Now open up, darling.”
I bashfully wrapped my lips around the spoon, not wanting to prolong such an intimate scene in front of his family, even though he may not care much about it.
Luckily, Mrs. Cordova came back before he could try to feed me again. She had several different boxes wobbling in her arms as she tried to bring them all in one go.
She dropped them unceremoniously on the ground, marking the end of her trek with a big bang. Grabbing the largest wrapped box, she excitedly hopped up to Liam and held her gift out to him. “I hope you like it. Your grandpa and I had to contact a friend of ours in the aerospace department of the military to get a hold of this.”
A gift from the military?
I worriedly glanced between Achilles and his eccentric mother. Would it really be alright to give him something from the military? He was still only a five-year-old child…
But Liam couldn’t seem to careless as he eagerly accepted the gift. His eyes sparkled as he peeled off the wrapping paper, revealing a slightly rusted metal gear that was bigger than his head with some sort of writing inscribed along the edges.
I looked the gear in confusion, but Liam seemed to recognize it right away.
“It’s a piece from the original Apollo 11 rocket,” Mrs. Cordova explained. “Your grandpa’s friend was being all fussy about not letting me take it from the display in his work building, but I can be quite convincing when it comes to pleasing my grandbaby. What do you think of it, sweetheart?”
A big smile spread across his face as he jumped off his chair and ran over to Mrs. Cordova to give her a giant hug, barely wrapping his little arms around her legs. “Thank you, grandma! It’s wonderful!”
Her eyes widened as she just barely caught herself from toppling over under his little body. It was the first time that Liam had willingly seeked out affection from her, so to say that she was moved was to say the least.
She gently ruffled his hair and replied, “It’s nothing, sweetheart. Just wait until it’s your birthday. I’ll get you something even better.”
The mischievous glint in the elder’s eyes caused her husband to reflexively shudder in his seat. It was clear that Mr. Cordova loved his wife dearly, enough so to put up with all of her antics even if he found them ever-so-slightly troublesome.
Once she straightened back up, she left Liam to his own delight and walked over to us with a bag in hand. Surprisingly, she gave the gift to me and not Achilles. “It’s not much, but I hope you will like it.”
I gratefully accepted the bag. “Thank you, Mrs. Cordova. But you really didn’t have to get me anything… I didn’t even get a chance to get you anything…”
“It’s alright, sweetheart. Besides, I told you not to get me anything.” She smiled warmly at me. “It was a last minute decision of mine to give you this… I know that you and Rafael aren’t married yet, but I want you to have this.”
Rafael glanced over my shoulder curiously as I opened the bag. I pulled out the small velvet box sitting at the bottom and carefully opened it up, revealing a large teardrop-shaped white diamond with white gold prongs attaching it to a simple but thin chain.
My eyes widened as I took in the sight. “M-Mrs. Cordova… I c-can’t accept this. I-It’s too much. Please-”
She tenderly cupped my hands and gently pushed the box back to me. “It’s an heirloom that Rafael’s grandmother gave to me when I married his father and now I want to give it to you. Think of it as a welcome gift for joining the family.”
“But I-I haven’t married-”
“Don’t worry about such little things. You will be married soon enough. And I’m sure that if it was up to my son, you would’ve had your ceremony already.” She patted my hand reassuring and turned to Rafael. “Why don’t you help her put it on? I want to see how it looks on her.”
Before I could even try to refute, Achilles already eased the box out of my hands. He fluidly pulled the necklace out of its case and despite his thick digits, he had no trouble unlatching the dainty clasp.
Holding out the necklace in front of me, he smiled softly down at me and asked, “Can you move aside your hair for me for moment, love?”
Unable to refuse their eager looks anymore, I gave in and pulled my hair to the side, leaving my neck bare to his eyes.
His fingers brushed against my skin as he brought the necklace up to my neck. His warm breath hit against the nape of my neck as he leaned down get a closer look to tighten the clasp.
After what felt like forever, he finally pulled away with a satisfied smile.
Mrs. Cordova clapped her hands together happily. “It’s looks wonderful on you, Danary. I just knew it would be perfect for you. Right, Rafael?”
His eyes softened as they drifted down to the pendant rest on my chest. Seemingly lost in thought, he murmered softly, “Just perfect…”
I blushed under his gaze and bashfully diverted my eyes. Trying to change the subject, I asked, “What about the present that you were searching for with me? Don’t you want to give it to Achilles next?”
At the sound of his name, Achilles pulled himself out of daze and asked, “A present for me?”
I looked up at him and nodded. “Mrs. Cordova said that she was having trouble picking something out for your birthday and asked me to come along with her, but I’ve actually haven’t seen the present yet…”
Mrs. Cordova perked up. “Oh, that!”
Achilles furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. “You didn’t need to get me anything, mother. I already have everything I need.”
She waved him off and continued, “I think you will like this year’s present. It’s something that I helped Danary pick out for you. She’ll show you it when she gets home later.”
My eyes widened in realization at what she was referring too.
But Achilles only cocked his head to the side in confusion. “You didn’t get me anything, love. I’m already content with-”
I hurriedly covered his mouth with my hands, cutting him off. My cheeks were burning from the emabressment of being called out by his mother even though all the other boys were still at the table and highly confused by the vague description.
I stuttered, “I-I’ll show you later… J-Just please stop talking.”
He arched in eyebrow in question but still nodded acceptingly.
I had mulled over it all week and had almost forgotten about my nervousness after Achilles’s surprise early arrival. It was something that would take a lot of courage on my end to show him, but I knew that it was something that I would only want to try with him.
My heart was already pounding at the mere thought, but I had already made up my mind days ago.
I planned to finally take the next big step in our relationship tonight and I could only hope that I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.