Pressing my hand against his chest to stop him, I ask, “What time to we need to be at your house? I don’t want to be late.”

“We’re fine.” He skims his lips over mine right as my mom walks into the room.

“Oh, Drew, before you leave, I wanted to let you know that dinner tomorrow will be at three.” She’s told him twice already.

“Thanks, Mom, I think he’s got it.”

“I’ll be here before then, Mrs. Forbes. I can’t stand to be away from my girl that long.”

My mother actually blushes. For the love of god, will someone just help me here? Then she gushes, “Ah, that’s so sweet, Drew.”

Now it’s my turn to blush, because I’m embarrassed for my mother.

“Okay, Mom, we’ve got to go now. I’ll be back later.” Clamping my fingers around Drew’s bicep, I literally drag him out of the house.

As we’re leaving, I hear Drew calling out, “See you tomorrow Mrs. Forbes.”

Flying into his car, I slam the door closed before he has the chance. He gets in and says, “I think this is becoming a habit here.”

“Oh gawd! My mother, acting like an adolescent … no. Just no.”

“She wasn’t that bad.”

“Yes, she was. She batted her eyelashes at you. Do you have this effect on all women?”

Drew is backing the car up but at my question, he puts the car back in park, turns to me and says, “Cate, I don’t care about the effect I have on all women. I only care about the effect I have on you.”

My heart seriously falls to pieces and liquefies into one big giant puddle of goo. I unbuckle my seat belt and fly across the console straight into his arms. “This is only one of the many reasons why I love you, Drew McKnight.”

“Well, hell, if I’d have known that was all it took to get you to fall for me, I would’ve told you that a long time ago.” His blue eyes twinkle and we both end up laughing. “Now are you gonna get back over to your seat and buckle up so we can go to my parents’, or are we gonna sit in your driveway and make out like a couple of teenagers and entertain your family again?”

I climb back into my seat and say, “I’d like nothing better than to make out, but there’s no way I’m letting my family in for that show.”

“Maybe I’ll have to sneak you up to my room later tonight, and pretend I’m showing you something, like I used to in high school.”

“Oh, is that how you worked it?”

“Yeah, but my parents monitored my time, so I’d have to be quick.”

“Hmm. I’m sure you were.” Then I start thinking about it. “I bet you had a ton of girlfriends in high school,” I tease. “I bet they were all over you, like ants on honey.”

He shrugs and says, “I had my share of them. Except for a few, they were actually more bothersome than anything else.”

Knowing Drew, he was probably too kind to tell them to get lost. “So, did you have a special one?”

“Not really. I went out with Jilly Rivers probably the most, but other than that, just, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“What about you, Cate?”

I shake my head. “None for me. I was the one that had all the guy friends. But I didn’t go out with any of them. I was too busy with school, too.”

He gives me a quick glance and then his eyes are back on the road. “That’s very hard for me to believe. I have this vivid image of dozens of hormone driven boys knocking your door down, trying to get to you.”

“That’s a good one, but far from the truth.”

About this time, we pull into his parents’ driveway. “Oh, no. Aunt Edna beat us here. I was hoping we’d get here first.”

His descriptions of her have me so intrigued, I can’t wait to meet this woman. “I swear Cate, don’t be shocked or surprised by anything that comes out of the woman’s mouth.”

“Drew, look who you’re talking to. I had to warn my dad not to bring up his hemorrhoids to you and my sister drools in your presence, not to mention my mother’s eyelash batting. I live in the house of loons.”

“Oh wait. You haven’t seen loony yet.”

And he’s right. Aunt Edna sits in a chair and I do a double take at what she wears. It takes me awhile to figure it out, but I think she’s taken Christmas place mats and sewn them together to create a vest. Each one is depicts different scene, so she’s quite the holiday image. She also wears a baseball hat encrusted in red and green sequins and other sparkly things. Under the hat her hair pokes out in various curls here and there, creating the old I just stuck my finger in an electrical outlet look. Red pants and black boots, similar to what Santa Claus would wear, complete her ensemble. No doubt, Aunt Edna certainly has the Christmas spirit. The only things missing are ornaments and lights. I’m truly speechless.

Drew and I have decided to exchange gifts privately, but I’ve brought a gift for his parents. It’s nothing fancy, but a lovely picture frame. Those are something everyone can use, so after discussing it with Drew, we both decided to give the same thing to each of our families.

During the exchange, they are very gracious when they open it. Then Letty opens Aunt Edna’s gift to her, and Drew pinches my thigh. “Check it out.”

Inside the box is something that may resemble a purse. I’m not sure. It looks like it might have been a Clorox bottle at one time, but it was cut and holes were punched into it, and then red and green yarn was woven into it to create the purse effect. It’s so hideous, I have to cover my mouth to prevent the snort that threatens to explode out of me.

Drew leans over and whispers in my ear, “What the actual fuck is that?”

That’s my undoing. I bend in half and try to cover up my snort with a cough.

“Cate? Are you all right?” Drew asks.

He damn sure knows what’s wrong with me. He grabs me and hauls me out of there to the kitchen where I proceed to die laughing.

“Oh my god! That was the worst she’s ever given, I swear,” he says.

A response isn’t possible as I gasp for air. When I’m capable of pulling air into my lungs, I say, “I’ve never. That was awful. She reminds me of Aunt Bethany in the movie Christmas Vacation. Are you sure she doesn’t have a cat wrapped up in a box somewhere?”

He starts to laugh again and says, “It wouldn’t surprise me. Maybe I should check the house. Didn’t I warn you? A new kind of crazy, right?”

“True, but don’t ever whisper again. That’s when I lost it.”

We rejoin the family, me with a glass of water in hand. Drew’s parents eye us as his mom winks. We share one of those looks and continue with the opening of the gifts. Ray’s gift isn’t quite as bad. Aunt Edna gives him one of those gigantic inflatable block pillows you use for flying. You’re supposed to put it on your lap and rest your head on it during the flight. The only problem is you look like an absolute dork if you do.

Now it’s Drew’s turn. He unwraps his box and inside is a huge pair of Playtex yellow cleaning gloves. He’s clueless until Aunt Edna pipes in.

“I heard how important it is for you doctors to keep your hands clean so I thought these would come in handy for you when you examine your patients.”

This time, I shake as I hold my laughter inside. I don’t dare look at Drew as he thanks his aunt, but I can tell how his voice squeaks, he’s about to lose it. Just when I think we’re done, I look to see a box under my nose.

“And here’s one for you, dear,” Aunt Edna says, as she wobbles back to her seat.

Shit!

“Why thank you! But you didn’t have to.”

“Aw, just open it.”

So I do and inside is a hand knitted scarf by what looks like a kindergartener. It’s the thought that counts, Cate. Unfortunately, the colors are horrific. Red, green, purple, orange, rust, a blend of clashing shades, it pains my eyes to look at it.

“Oh, it’s so … lovely. Thank you so much for thinking of me.”

“Why, you’re welcome.”

I lay the thing on my lap and hear Drew snicker, so I don’t dare look at him. But as I’m staring at the scarf, I notice something else. It’s literally covered in cat hair. And I mean layered in it. Now I really want to laugh. But I can’t. So I put the thing back in the box and fold my hands in my lap.