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“Steve, are you sure?” Danny asked, again, referring to them changing their flights from December 30th to December 27th, giving them extra time in New Jersey.
“Babe, it was my idea!” Steve replied, glancing over to the shop where Grace was.
“Well, yeah, but...”
“No buts, Danny, I want to do this,” Steve said, changing his view to Danny now, Grace still at the magazine section picking out which ones she would be getting for the flight. “And, little bit late now anyway.”
“Thank you, Steve,” Danny said, looking up and meeting Steve’s eyes with his own. “I know this isn’t cheap.”
Steve shook his head and pulled Danny against his chest; Danny’s arms automatically circled Steve’s waist.
“Doesn’t matter, it’s worth every single cent,” he said and kissed Danny’s head.
They stayed like that, happy and content, while Grace finished up in the shop, walking towards them with five magazines in her hands, One Direction gracing the cover of each one.
“Ready, monkey?” Danny asked as he let go of Steve and reached down to pick up his discarded bag and put the magazines safely in there.
“Uh huh,” she said. “I’m so excited, Danno!”
“Me too, monkey, gonna show Steve all the sights aren’t we?”
Grace looked up at Steve, nodded, and grinned, a face-wide smile that couldn’t help but turn Steve into mush. She grabbed hold of Steve’s hand as they made their way to the gate assigned for their flight and started chattering excitedly about everything they’d see.
Steve had chosen the latest flight possible which, thankfully, was direct into Newark arriving there in the early afternoon. They’d barely been at the gate for 10 minutes before boarding commenced; being in first class, they were some of the first on board and settled themselves in.
It wasn’t long before they took off; Grace had the window seat and was staring out as the Island got smaller and smaller before nothing, but sea was in view. She pulled the first of her magazines out, which Danny had placed in the seat pocket for her, and started reading all the latest happenings in the pop music world. Danny sat in the middle, hand entwined with Steve’s.
“Ok, babe?” Steve asked, looking over to Danny who was flicking through the small TV screen in front of him. He stopped, gripped onto Steve’s hand harder, and smiled.
“I really am,” he said, leaning forward and softly kissing Steve. “Thank you, a million times, thank you.”
The hours went by, and soon enough they were taxiing down the runway in Newark airport. They disembarked the plane and made their way to baggage reclaim as quickly as they could. While they waited for their luggage, Danny informed people they’d landed safely; he quickly got a text back from his Mom informing him that the fire was lit, the food was nearly ready, and the only thing missing was them.
It automatically made Danny grin. He’d missed Jersey so much.
When their bags had finally arrived, the three of them shuffled off to the side to sort themselves out; the long flight had given them all cricks that needed sorting. Danny knelt down to open his bag, pulling out a coat, hat, and scarf for Grace, and some for him. He’d advised Steve to bring some, but Steve being Steve declined and said he’d be “fine.” They dragged their luggage through the terminal and over to the rental car stand where Danny had pre-booked a car. As he filled in all the necessary forms and picked up the keys, Grace was holding Steve’s hand, swinging their arms wildly between them as she continued chattering about everything they’d be doing. She picked up exactly where she’d left off at Honolulu airport, and it was as if the last 10 and half hours hadn’t existed.
They made their way outside to the parking lot to pick up the car and were greeted by a blast of cold, bitter wind.
“Holy cra...” Steve started.
“Small ears present, Steven,” Danny interrupted him with wide eyes. It wouldn’t be the first time that Steve had something that wasn’t child friendly in front of Grace.
“Cricket, it’s cold!” Steve said, saving himself. He wrapped his light jacket around himself as far as it would go. “Why didn’t you tell me it was gonna be this cold?”
“It’s Jersey!” they both said with a “d’uh” tone to their voices.
They finally located their rental car, literally throwing their luggage in the trunk and all jumping in. They cranked the heating up as high as it would go, turned the radio on, and made the 25 minute drive to Danny’s parents where they’d be staying the first two nights of their trip.
Danny had barely pulled into the driveway before Grace jumped out and into the arms of her waiting Grandma.
“I’ve missed you so much, Gracie.”
“Missed you too, Grandma,” she said, hugging her even tighter.
“Gramps is inside; he can’t wait to see you,” she said as she kissed her hair before she let Grace go who ran straight inside to her waiting Grandpa.
She made her way over to Danny and Steve who were gathering the last of the luggage out of the car, Steve placing them on the floor as he locked the car.
“Hey, Mom,” Danny said, as he dropped the bag he was holding and enveloped his Mother in a hug. “Missed you.”
“Missed you too, my boy,” she let him go and moved over to Steve, arms as wide open as they were for Grace and Danny.
“Welcome back, Steve. It’s lovely to see you again,” she gave him a gentle squeeze as she spoke.
“Thank you, Mrs Williams. It’s lovely to be back,” he said as they parted.
“Steve, what have I told you? It’s Alison, not Mrs. Williams. That makes me sound old!” Steve grinned. She’d said the same to him last time. “And really, where’s your coat? You must be freezing!”
“Well, someone didn’t tell me just how cold it would be,” he said as he bent down to pick up some of the bags, leaving Danny with the one containing various Christmas presents for the family.
“Oh, Daniel,” she said in her “you may not live under my roof anymore, but I’ll still scold you” tone.
“Hey, Gracie and I both tried, but he insisted he’d be fine,” he picked up the remaining case and gently nudged Steve with it, gave a small shake of his head, and smiled at him.
“Hmm, anyway, come on boys, inside, out of the cold. Coffee’s ready for you,” she said as she hurried them inside.
Steve took the bags upstairs as Danny greeted his father. It was the same room they’d had the last time they had visited; the room itself was basic, but had everything they needed and more: fresh towels on the end of the bed, the radiator on warming the room in advance for them, a small potted plant, and what looked to be a brand new wardrobe and chest of drawers. “Definitely new,” Steve thought as he ran his hand along the wood.
Unlike their room in Hawaii, which overlooked the beach and miles and miles of sea, this overlooked the small back yard and the back yard of the house in the next street. The views were such a contrast, but this view, in some ways, meant more to Steve. The simple things in the yard: the snow covered trees, an old dog kennel that had definitely seen better days, various children’s toys scattered around, and a snowman, half completed, in the centre of the yard.
He could hear Grace laughing from downstairs, that soft, sweet giggle that he’d loved from the first time he’d heard it, and Danny laughing, a broad and deep laugh. It had been a while since he’d heard Danny laugh so much in such a short space of time.
The smell; from the moment he’d stepped inside the house the smell had hit him. He took another deep breath and inhaled some more; it was a mixture of various foods, their smells all mixing together to make one of the sweetest smells he’d ever known: the freshly cooked bread, the cinnamon, the apple pie, and various others that he couldn’t even name. Separately, they were nothing special, but those combined with the warmth and love he knew this was why Danny loved it so much.
It wasn’t just a house, it was a home.
He doesn’t know how long he was stood at the window, but his thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking at the door. He turned his head and saw Danny standing in the doorway.
“You ok, babe?” Danny asked, concern on his face. “You’ve been up here a while.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Just, y’know...thinking,” Steve said with a small, but sad smile before turning back to the window, his hands resting on the window ledge. Danny didn’t need to ask; he knew how hard the holidays still were for Steve. He walked across the room and wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist, his hands resting on Steve’s own, their fingers entwining. Danny rested his head on Steve’s back and pulled their hands up and rested them on Steve’s stomach. Steve could feel himself relaxing in Danny’s embrace and whispered his thank you’s to Danny. Danny said nothing, just held on that little bit tighter to him.
Minutes passed in silence before Steve broke it.
“We should go down. They’ll wonder where we are.”
“You sure?” Danny asked.
“Yeah, I’m good now,” Steve said as he unlinked their hands and turned round to face Danny. “And, I really should say hi to your dad.”
Danny waved his hand as if to hush Steve. “It’s fine. He understands.”
“Thanks, babe,” Steve said and kissed the side of Danny’s head.
“It’s what I’m here for.”
**********
They made their way downstairs; Steve greeted Danny’s father with a handshake and a nod.
The conversation picked up as if Steve has been in the room the entire time. Danny’s Mom switched between the kitchen, as she finished the evening meal off, and the living room where everyone else was. Grace was telling her Grandparents all about school and the latest project she’d been doing and how Christmas had been with her new baby brother. With the mention of Christmas, Alison Williams walked out of the room only to return with a sack full of gifts for them all. They exchanged the Christmas presents between them all, the majority being for Grace. The room was littered with brightly colored wrapping paper.
The rest of the day was spent as a family: a home-cooked meal followed by a game of Monopoly in front of a crackling log fire (Steve and Grace teamed up together and won by a landslide, the others all going bankrupt. The two of them shared a high-five at their victory, bringing out smiles from everyone), but soon enough it was nearing Grace’s bedtime. She begged to watch some of the DVD her Grandparents had bought her for Christmas before she went; it was the Hannah Montana movie.
“Pyjamas, teeth, and then the movie,” Steve said, receiving a pout from Grace, who was currently sat between her Grandparents on the couch, which soon turned into a grin as she jumped off the couch and ran up the stairs.
“WALK, DON’T RUN!” Danny shouted after her. “Hannah will still be here when you get back.” They could hear her feet softening as he finished speaking.
She soon skipped back down the stairs and into the room straight over to the chair Steve was sat in. She swung her arms side to side, her dressing gown swaying as she did, before Steve opened his arms. “Come on then,” he told her before she climbed up and settled herself on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head on his chest. Danny flicked the play button, and the movie started. His eyes weren’t on the screen, but on Steve and Grace. The film was barely ten minutes in before Grace was sound asleep; the lack of sleep from the night before and switching time zones had caught up with her, and Steve was softly running his fingers through her hair as she slept.
“Want me to take her up?” Danny asked. Steve shook his head.
“It’s good, don’t want to disturb her,” he said, looking down at her. Danny nodded and flicked his eyes back to the screen, but soon enough they were back on Steve and Grace. Steve’s focus was now back on the screen, but he had no idea what was happening.
Half-way through the movie, Danny’s parents bid them goodnight, leaving just the three of them.
“Babe?” Danny asked, but received no reply. “Steve?” He tried again, but still, nothing.
He left the chair he had been sitting in and crossed the room to Steve and Grace, who were both now fast asleep.
He knew he should wake Steve so they could all go up to bed, but he couldn’t. The sight gave him goose bumps, and even though he didn’t think it was possible, he felt more love than ever before. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of them, the flash thankfully waking neither of them. He switched off the TV and DVD player and grabbed a blanket that was on the back of the couch. He draped it over the two of them, making sure they were covered. He gave them both a kiss, told them he loved them, and switched off the main light, leaving just a small lamp on in the corner of the room.
He glanced back at the two of them before he left and started to make his way upstairs; his smile grew wider and wider as he climbed them. This really would be the perfect New Year.