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As Ed made his way down the hallway to his office, he could hear Dean Martin’s Silver Bells softly playing from the other side of the door. Lorraine had asked him to give her thirty minutes to get his gifts wrapped before rejoining her. Although he was reluctant to leave, he took this time to bring Lorraine’s presents down to the living room.
Tomorrow, Lorraine would have a new bell for her collection and fuzzy slippers. The gift he was looking forward to giving her the most though were the small gold hoops she had been eyeing a few months ago. He would’ve bought them for her the day she saw them, but she wouldn’t let him. Lorraine was constantly giving to others and forgot to let others do the same for her.
With a cup of chamomile in hand, Ed poked his head inside to see his wife in the same spot he had left her; on the couch surrounded by scraps of festive paper and colorful bows. The only difference was that she was now wearing his gray hoodie, which put the biggest smile on his face. He always loved seeing her in his clothes.
“Are you just gonna stand there and stare?” Lorraine teased. She didn’t have to look up to know he was there. She could always sense his presence.
Ed smirked and shook his head. He hadn’t realized he was still at the doorway. “Sorry, was just admiring the view.” Ed set the tea on the coffee table and took a seat beside her. “That a new jacket?” He asked tugging on the sleeve.
“This old thing?” Lorraine looked down at the worn garment. “No, it’s actually my husbands.”
Whenever Ed wasn’t around, it brought her a peace of mind to wear something of his to make it feel like he was with her.
“Well you look very pretty in it.” Ed placed a soft kiss to her temple. “Now how about you take a break?”
“In a minute, I’m almost done. I have two more things to wrap for Judy and then I’ll be able to move everything into the living room.” Lorraine reached for the next gift to wrap but was stopped by Ed’s hand. She looked at him for the first time since he came in and could see the concern in his eyes.
“C’mon hon, you’ve been at this for hours and by the time you’re done your tea will be cold.”
She knew he was right, but didn’t want to admit it. In half an hour it would be Christmas and Lorraine was determined to get everything under the tree before midnight. Usually she’d have everything done a week or two in advance, but a case had kept them longer than expected. They arrived home on the 23rd and slept most of the day despite Lorraine’s protests. She would have preferred to have gotten things ready before Christmas Eve, but Ed insisted she rest. He could tell the case had taken a toll on her and needed to make sure she was taking care of herself. If she wasn’t going to put herself first, he would do it for her.
“I know but…” Lorraine’s voice trailed off. She was torn between doing as her husband suggested and going against his best wishes. Sensing her distress, Ed brought her into his arms and held her tight. He always had a way of calming her down and she couldn’t be more thankful for him during times like this.
“How about while you drink your tea, I wrap up the remaining gifts.” Lorraine bit her lip trying to stop the laugh that was threatening to come out. Ed gave her a quizzical look. “What? What did I say?”
“Hon, every time you offer to help, I end up having to re-wrap what you’ve done.” Ed brought a hand to his chest in mock offense.
“That can’t be true. Judy has always pointed out how good my wrapping skills are.”
“Oh hon,” Lorraine giggles, “that’s because I rewrapped them.”
“I think I’ve really improved this year though,” Ed frowned. “Please Lorraine, I can do it.” He was pulling on her heartstrings and knew she would cave.
”One of these days I won’t give in so easily,” Lorraine said, passing the finished gifts towards him. “Put these by the door, would you? Then I’ll let you wrap the remaining two.” Ed took the presents and did as he was told. Though, that didn’t stop him from trying to guess what was in each one.
“I bet I can figure out what’s inside by shaking them,” Ed said, carefully tilting the boxes.
“Ed,” Lorraine playfully warned, “don’t you dare.”
“Is it a new pair of shoes? A new paint set? Oh, I know! It’s that tool kit I mentioned in passing.” Lorraine tried to hide her amusement within her tea.
“You’re worse than Judy,” she laughed. “Come here and start wrapping. We only have a few minutes left.”
“Aww, you’re no fun,” Ed pouts, taking a seat back on the couch.
“Oh really? That’s not what you said last night,” Lorraine teased. It’s not often that Ed blushes, but his cheeks never fail to flush whenever he’s with her.
“You’re funny,” Ed smirks, grabbing the wrapping paper. “Now watch the master gift wrapper work his magic.”
Lorraine sipped her tea as she got lost in the memory of their first Christmas together. Ed had taken it upon himself to put the lights up unsupervised while she was baking cookies. Half way through mixing the ingredients, Lorraine heard a loud crash and rushed outside to find him buried in the snow tangled up in lights. Sometimes she missed the days when they were young and naive. They had no idea of the trials and tribulations they’d face in years to come, but it only made their devotion to each other stronger.
“Annnd done. What do you think, hon?” Ed proudly holds up his gift as he pulls Lorraine back from her thoughts. She took notice of the crinkled edges, but other than that he kept his word.
“Wow, looks like you have gotten better. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“You had every right. I’ll admit my wrapping skills weren’t the best, but you spared my feelings.” Lorraine smiled and placed a chaste kiss to his lips.
“You would’ve done the same for me.”
“I’d do anything for you.” Lorraine leaned her head against his and watched as he wrapped the last gift. As she watched him, it took everything in her not to nit pick what he was doing. He had something to prove and she was going to let him if it made him happy.
With five minutes to spare, all the presents were wrapped and brought to the living room. Ed watched as Lorraine carefully arranged them under the tree. The way she was illuminated by the tree lights made his heart flutter. She looked like an angel and he would argue that she actually was one. With the last gift placed, Lorraine stood up and let out a sigh of relief finally being able to relax after weeks of stress.
Ed walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around Lorraine’s waist. “You did good, hon,” he said while resting his chin on her shoulder.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Lorraine smiled. She placed her hands over his and reveled at how warm he was. Even with his hoodie on, she’d always prefer the comfort of his body on hers.
“Sure you could’ve.” Lorraine shakes her head and turns to face him.
“I wouldn’t want to though. I’ll always want to do this with you.”
“I guess it would be boring if you had to do it all on your own. Who else would bring you tea, lend you their clothes and make you laugh?” Ed cupped her face between his hands as she burst into a fit of giggles.
“I love you,” Lorraine said with as much love as one could convey in three simple words.
Before Ed could respond, the clock struck midnight letting them know it was Christmas Day.
"I love you too, Mrs. Warren. Merry Christmas."
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Warren,” Lorraine managed to say before Ed brought her into a kiss.