"What the f..." I turned around and saw James with his mother's box in his hands. I walked up to him and knelt in front of him.
"I was going to put the presents away in my closet yesterday when I saw a hatch in the bottom right corner. I opened it and this laid there. Open it." I encouraged him. All eyes in the room were on the box and James. They all went silent and placed their things down. The vibe changed and I felt the heavy cloud that fell over us. He slowly lifted the top and took out the letter.
When he saw what was underneath it, his breathing stopped and he swallowed hard.
"The velveteen rabbit." Everyone gasped and Amber's hand flew to her mouth as her eyes started to water, as was Trish's and Jacksons mom.
James took out the letter from the envelope and started reading it. I saw his eyes starting to water and when he was done reading he jumped up from the couch and stormed off.
I looked behind me in shock when Jackson's mom, Anna, spoke in a weak voice.
"Go after him, honey."
I did as she said and walked after James. I was by the entrance unsure of where he had gone when I heard sobs coming from the kitchen. I walked in there and saw James sitting in a crouched position on the floor by the island.
I went and sat by his side, putting my arms around him like a protective wall.
Slowly but surely the sobs eased and he looked up. His eyes were red but other than that you couldn't tell that he sat on the floor crying his heart out.
"You okay?"
"Have you read it?" He asked me.
I nodded as I wiped a tear from my cheek. He leaned in and kissed my cheek before getting back on his feet. He extended his hand for me to grab.
"Let's get back, I just needed a moment." I took his hand and together we walked back to the others.
Everyone looked at us as we entered the room and we took our seats on the couch.
"The letter, it's from mom, it's from the day she and dad died." Alex was twisting uncomfortably in his seat and his eyes were starting to get glossy. Amber was crying and everyone else wasn't far behind.
James unfolded the letter and cleared his throat.
"Dear James, Alex and Amber. I hope this finds you some day so that you can have some closure. I am so sorry for the things that have happened to you. I'm so sorry that you lost us. The truth is, me and your father know what today will bring. Natasha had a vision of the war and deaths. She told us to stand back or run. But if there is one thing that we do not do in this family, it is to run away from important things, even when they scare us.
Me and your father will fight beside the pack, whatever the outcome. Maybe now that we know what we know maybe we can change the vision but incase we can't, I'm writing you this.
We love you children so so so much. And there is no one I would rather die to protect than you three. You have so much life left to live and if something were to happen to either of you, it would be much worse than death. I need you to know that this wasn't how we envisioned it, none of us did, but we have to protect the pack and most importantly, we need to protect you.
James, I don't know if Avery is with you just yet, but if she is, hold on to her. She is a very special girl. And please, my wonderful children, never stop smiling. Life is too short to be mad and unhappy. Find your happiness and hold on to it with your lives. I love you so much. My soul will always be with you and my heart will always belong to you.
PS: Just in case something were to happen to the house, I wanted to keep the book safe. You will always find me in the story, my beloved James.
With all my love, mommy "
I looked around the room and everyone was crying. They were tears of sadness mixed with tears of happiness.
They just heard from their mother one last time.
James put the envelope down and embraced me in a big hug. I didn't know if it was because of the book or because he needed comfort. Either way, I was glad he did.
Everyone had opened their gifts and we had eaten our Christmas dinner with Jacksons dad Alan and James reminiscing about the days when James parents were alive and the rest of us listened eagerly with the occasional laughter and tear.
Now it was time for one last gift.
" Wait here, I'll be right back." I told James who was standing by the stairs. I ran up to our room and grabbed our coats and hats before heading back down.
I handed James his coat and his hat. He lifted an eyebrow at the gesture.
"Baby, it's snowing and it's cold. I'm a werewolf but you're not, you're gonna freeze." I rolled my eyes and buttoned my coat.
"Just put on your jacket and come." I said as I took confident steps towards the door.
However as soon as I opened it, my confidence was swept away by the bone-chilling wind.
"It's Christmas so I won't say I told you so." He said with a glum look on his face as he strutted past me and walked outside as if it were nothing.
"You coming or what?" I looked around me trying to muster up the confidence I had thirty seconds ago.
I pulled my coat over my mouth and closed the door. We started walking to the clearing.
Alex had told me before that it was all cleaned up and ready. The lake was there too which made me really happy.
When we had walked for fifteen minutes my hands and toes were numb. Maybe I could have given him this as a birthday present next year instead.
"Where are we going?" James asked as he looked around his surroundings with a scrunched nose and squinting eyes from the snow hitting us.
"Almost there." I replied.
Another ten minutes and the clearing was just behind a few more trees. James stopped and I did too.
"Where are we going, Avery?" He asked me again but this time his facial expression was angry and his voice was much more serious. I had to admit I was a little scared and started to wonder wether this was a good idea.
"Do you trust me?" I asked him.
He looked at me for a while before nodding.
"Good, let's continue."
When we reached the clearing James' mouth dropped and his head was spinning around trying to take everything in. The sun was about to set and the wind had become tamer. Soon the moon would be on full display right above our heads.
"You did all this?" He asked me
"Oh, god no. There were trees and rocks, James. How the hell would I... never mind. No, I asked Alex for a favor. He and a few of the warriors did this." I said with a big smile on my face.
James walked around before going up to the lake and sitting down.
"Your ass is gonna freeze." I told him as I stood beside him.
He grabbed my arm and in one swift motion I was sitting down on his lap with our faces inches apart.
He leaned in. This was it.
Our first real kiss.
It was happening.
James' lips pressed against mine in the most romantic, sweet kiss I had ever had.
I put my hands on his cheeks deepening the kiss. James hand tangled in my hair at the back my head and a heat filled my entire body.
We pulled away to catch our breath and stared into each others' eyes.
" Merry Christmas." I said as I giggled.
" Merry Christmas." He replied in that dark, husky voice.