Home by Keeley Smith

good idea. Thank you everyone.”
    “ Okay, so back
to my blank piece of paper,” Ember said. “Cora, that is a voucher
for your wedding hair and makeup.”
    “ Wow! Ember,
thank you.”
    “ You will look
beautiful when I’m finished.”
    “ You don’t even
need to start,” Jack stated, kissing Cora softly on the lips,
making her sigh contentedly. “Already beautiful.”
    Cora smiled as
Ayden and Eli rolled their eyes, Ciaran grinned and Clay made
gagging noises.
    “ Cora, you need
to come with me for your present.” Tabitha stood and motioned for
her to move.
    Ember went
first and headed to her room. What had they done? The bedroom had
just been decorated and Jack would kill her, and then attempt to
kill Tabitha and Ember, if they had done anything to change
it.
    Tabitha stood
behind her as Ember opened the door and entered. Cora lost the
ability to breathe. Any thoughts that may have formed, simply
tumbled out of her head.
    “ This is your
wedding dress. It was made by your grandmother and mother in 1612.
Jack’s mother also helped.”
    “ And I’ve seen
this dress before?” Cora whispered, and not for the first time, she
hated that her thoughts were no longer with her.
    Cora’s finger
softly traced the white material of the long skirt. Pearls winked
at her as the sun’s rays danced upon them.
    “ Yes, you were
wearing it as they put the finishing touches on it. The day they
were attacked by...” Tabitha didn’t finish. There was no
need.
    “ Okay.” She
couldn’t help the jolt. Tabitha so rarely spoke about the time
before. She was always protecting her. This was a step in the right
direction. “It is beautiful, but will it still fit?”
    “ You don’t need
to worry about that,” Ember said.
    Cora looked at
the lace that swept up from the bodice. It would fit snug against
her neck. She wasn’t sure she could pull off such a look
now.
    “ We will change
the lace at the neck of the dress and turn it into a bodice, to
make it modern,” Tabitha said, as if she had read her mind. “It
will also mean we can put our names on that dress. Every person who
ever loved you has put something into your dress.”
    “ Thank you.”
She was overcome with emotions. Thank you didn’t seem to be
enough.
    “ You are
welcome. It can be your something old, rather than using
yourself.”
    “ Thanks, Tab,”
Cora sniffed and playfully slapped Tabitha’s arm.
    “ Come, it is
time to eat.”
    “ That bird is
done already?” she asked Tabitha, but it received a playful smirk.
Of course it would be done. This was Tabitha, she could do
anything.
     
    *
     

    “ I’ve got
another one,” Flynn boomed as the laughter continued.
    The wine and
Guinness had been in full flow for some time. The table glistened
as the darkness surrounded them. It wasn’t completely dark as the
moonlight bounced off the snow, giving the whole place an
illuminated glow.
    “ What did the
scarf say to the hat?” Flynn asked everyone.
    They’d
decided, after reading the jokes from the crackers, that they could
come up with better ones, ones they had heard before.
    Flynn waited
for another moment. “You go on a head and I’ll hang around
here!”
    The women
around the table groaned and rolled their eyes. Flynn’s jokes were
bad. He seemed to appreciate them the most.
    “ I’ve got one,”
Ayden said. “A blonde is overweight-”
    “ Oh my God, is
this going to be a long one?” Evelyn mumbled.
    “ Longer if you
interrupt me,” Ayden said with a wink that made her smile. “So, a
blonde is overweight and her doctor puts her on a diet. The doc
said, ‘I want you to eat regularly for two days and then skip a day
and repeat the procedure for two weeks.’” Ayden waited as he ate
another carrot.
    “ When the
blonde returns she’s lost nearly four stone. ‘Why, that’s amazing,’
the doc says, ‘Did you follow my instructions?’ The blonde nods.
‘I’ll tell you though, I thought I was going to drop dead that
third