The red thornless roses mean love; white lilies mean virginity and it’s heavenly to be with you; calla lilies signify beauty; white carnations indicate pure love; orchids represent love and beauty; and the meaning behind the tulips nearly brings me to tears. There are red ones which symbolize a declaration of love; the variegated ones mean beautiful eyes; and the yellow ones suggest there is sunshine in my eyes. Tulips in general also represent the perfect lover. The fact that he went through all this trouble to select these flowers tells me more than the flowers themselves.
“Drew. I … this is so beautiful. I never knew any of this.”
“I only wanted you to have something that showed my true feelings for you.”
“They’re perfect.”
“Flowers are perfection and should be enjoyed. I’m glad you appreciate them because I intend for you to enjoy them often, Cate.”
Just one more reason to love Drew McKnight.
Our six blissful days together pass like light speed and I find myself seated next to him for the flight home to Charleston. A rush of happiness steals over me. The angst I had over spending time with him was all for nothing. We were great together, like peas and carrots, as Forrest Gump would say. Now I’m dreading the stay at my parents’ house for a week until I can get back to Drew’s.
“Oh gawd,” I moan.
“What?”
“The idea of staying at my parents’ house just plowed into me.”
“That bad, huh?”
“You know how nutty they are. I love ’em to pieces, but …”
Drew chuckles. “There’s always that but.”
“Just wait. You didn’t get the full impact at Thanksgiving. But you will. Trust me.”
“Never lose sight of the fact that they love you, Cate.” His face is all kinds of serious.
“You never have a bad thing to say about anyone. You are the kindest person in the world. Probably the universe.”
“I doubt that.”
“No, I’m serious. I’ve never heard you say a bad word about anyone. I don’t think you have it in your nature. How do you do it?”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” His eyes are sincere when he says it.
“Let me give you an example then. Take my family for instance. My parents, bless their hearts, mean well and I love them. But my dad is the world’s biggest hypochondriac and drives me nuts with all his incurable ailments that are a figment of his imagination. You would sit there and listen to him patiently and ease his mind, while I, on the other hand, would brush him off and tell him nothing’s wrong with him. That’s what I mean. You have that way about you. And you don’t think ill of others. There’s only kindness is in your heart.”
“Oh, Cate, I don’t know. I think you see something that’s not there.”
“Nope. I disagree. I’ve seen it with you many times. You don’t have a mean bone in your body, Drew McKnight. You are too good for this world. And that’s the truth. I think you were sent here to make this world a better place.”
He slants his head and those intense blues of his pin me, right before his lips meet mine. “I think you were sent to make my world a better place, Cate Forbes.” His fingers weave with mine and we huddle together in our seats as our plane takes off. “I think this is going to be my best Christmas ever,” he says.
“Mine, too.”
Our parents are at the baggage claim waiting for us when we land. Drew’s parents know all about his feelings toward me. I haven’t exactly been wide open with mine. It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s just that my family isn’t like that. We’re not all huggy kissy like some families are. So I’ve decided to tell my mom over the holidays. But when it’s time to part ways in the parking lot, Drew grabs me and lays a major kiss on me, in front of everyone. And since it’s Drew, I do what I always do—turn into a boneless heap right there in his arms. I become oblivious to the fact that two sets of parents are witnessing this. When he finally, finally ends the kiss, and mind you I really don’t want him to, he tells me in front of everyone, “See you tomorrow, sweet thing. And I love you more than hockey.”
Without blinking an eye, I respond, “More than hockey?”
“More than anything.” And he lays another monstrous kiss on me!
“I love you, too.”
Then I turn around and see The Parents! Oh shit! His are grinning from ear to ear and mine have their mouths hanging open, jaws on the asphalt. So what do I do? What any girl in my shoes would do. I grab my parents by their arms and say, “Come on Mom and Dad, let’s go home. See you tomorrow Letty and Ray.” I give them all a little wave and we walk to my parents’ car.
“You’re in love?” my mom asks.
“That boy loves you?” my dad asks.
“Yes, now come on.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Mom asks.
“I was going to tell you when I got home, but Drew beat me to the punch.”
Then I’m met with silence. Neither of them utters a word until we pull into the driveway and the garage door is going up. It’s my mom who speaks first, laughing, “Well, you could’ve done a lot worse.” And then my dad says, “And a doctor. Hmph. Just what I need. Did you pick him for me?”
“Yeah, Dad, just for you.”
“What kind of a doctor is he?” Dad asks.
“He’s going to be an oncologist. You know, a cancer specialist.”
“A cancer specialist! Why would he want to do that?” Mom asks, horrified.
“Because it’s his calling, Mom. That’s what drives him.”