Nathan dropped them off at their apartment. “See ya tonight?”
“No. We’ll hit Orchard Hill for tonight’s service. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Mom’s not going to be happy.”
“I told her the plan. We need to rest before we face the entire Acton clan.”
“Well, at least all your packages arrived. Clever of you to ship smaller, wrapped packages in a bigger box. Mom is going nuts over the one for them.”
“She’ll have to wait like everyone else.”
“See ya tomorrow, Nikolos. It’s good to have you home even if only for these few days.”
“Thanks for picking us up, Nathan.”
The door closed, and Niko went to find Tia collapsed on the bed, her shoes off and her parka tossed across a chair. “Tired, sweetheart?”
“I thought he was never going to stop talking and leave.”
“He’s excited.”
“I know. I’m tired.”
“Doesn’t fatigue end in the second trimester?”
“Yeah, well, flying is exhausting.”
“You rest, and I’ll wake you in time to get ready for tonight’s service.”
“Are they really expecting you to play?”
“Just the offering.”
“For all three services?”
“No. Only the one.”
“Okay. Did you pick your song?”
“Greensleeves.”
Tia grinned. “Also known as ‘What Child Is This?’ You are a silly man. Did you tell Pastor Dan?”
He nodded. “You told Stephanie, right?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned over to kiss her, and she pulled him onto the bed. “Sure you don’t want to join me?”
Niko grinned. “I’d be delighted.”
* * *
Tia sat through a brief sound check so they could get a good level on Niko’s guitar. When he was finished, he came to give her a kiss and they walked out to the lobby to mingle with friends who were coming for the service.
Stephanie wasn’t attending the evening service, since they were celebrating Levi’s first birthday and Christmas with Roberto’s family in St. Louis. Tia was sad she couldn’t see her friend on this trip home.
She sat alone during the first part of the service and had the unusual position of being in the audience to watch Niko play. He sang as well. Soulful and sweet. She was in tears by the time he set his guitar down. He joined her as the message started, and she held his hand tightly, so grateful for this man’s ability to lead her in worship, not only tonight but every day.
Tia snuggled in that night with her husband’s strong arms holding her, and she thanked God for the answered prayers and the blessing of being married to this man.
* * *
Niko’s body thrummed with excitement. Christmas! He had as much anticipation for the day as he had when a child. But he was in his early thirties, and he had a fun surprise for his family and a lovely wife by his side. While he would gladly give up the tragedy of the summer, he was grateful for the blessings God brought out of that agony. He longed for Tia to be free of it. She slept better at night but experienced moments during the day when she looked lost and scared, and he wondered if her night terrors were manifesting themselves now in the daytime.
He kissed his bride awake. “Merry Christmas, Tia.”
She stretched and gave him a sleepy smile as she reached out to touch his whiskered chin. “Merry Christmas, Nikolos. How does this work? When do I get to give you your presents?”
Niko grinned. “We can do it now, if you want?”
She laughed. “You’re as bad as a child. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Due to their short trip home, the small space lacked any Christmas decorations. She had shipped the gifts, though, to her mother-in-law, who had a key to their apartment, with instructions to put them in the closet. Tia went to get them now, making a few trips back to the bedroom. The last trip, she brought back a box almost as tall as she was.
Niko’s face had a silly grin, and Tia grabbed her camera and snapped a photo of him on the bed in his t-shirt and pajama bottoms surrounded by boxes.
“How did you do all this, Tia?”
“Do you want me to take some away?” She joked.
Niko laughed. “No! But what should I open first?”
“Why don’t you start with the smaller packages and work your way up?”
He opened the smallest package and found new guitar pics in his favorite brand as well as a new capo and embroidered guitar strap. “Thank you, Tia. I needed these.”
He opened the next package and found a leather-bound journal. It contained pages filled with his own writing of the lyrics to the songs he had penned over the years. “How did you…?” He hugged it to himself and leaned over to give her a kiss. “This is the most personal gift I think anyone has ever given me.”
Tia settled down on the bed next to him and handed him another package. He opened up this one. It was another leather-covered journal in his favorite color of blue. Inside were empty pages of recycled paper with faint orange lines. He let his fingers touch the pages. “How did you know I preferred this?”
Tia only smiled and placed another gift in his hands. He opened it to reveal a fancy pen and mechanical pencil with his name engraved on each. Both blue. He swallowed hard. All that remained was the large box.
“I would have been thrilled with any one of these gifts, Tia. You’re spoiling me.” He kissed her, savoring the moment.
“This is our one and only Christmas alone. Next year, we’ll share the holiday with a child. Life is going to change. I wanted to make this Christmas special for you. We don’t know what the future will hold. I wanted to do all I could now because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.” She pushed the last box to him. “Go on. Open it. This one I agonized over the most.”
Niko took the bow off and placed it on her head. He unwrapped the ribbons and strung them around her neck. He ripped open the paper as if he were four years old again. The cardboard gave him no indication of what was inside. He cracked open the tape and peeled back the flaps. A black traveling guitar case with his name embroidered on the nylon in a bright metallic blue. “What…?
She stood and took the box from the bed so the heavy guitar case sat in front of him. “Open it, Niko.”
He tugged on the zippers to release the top of the case. Tia snuggled next to him as he opened it up to reveal the most beautiful guitar he had ever laid eyes on. Mother of pearl detailing on the frets and inlaid decorations around the opening.
“Take it out.”
He was almost afraid to touch it. The rich colors mesmerized him. He pulled it out and checked out the rich wood finish. It had a pickup. Well, he needed that. A built-in tuner as well as a small equalizer. His hands traced the beautiful shape. Tia handed him a pick. He set the guitar on his lap, tuned it, and strummed. The tone was rich and warm. “Tia. It’s beautiful.”
“It’s custom made. I ordered it months ago. Johnny helped me, but he hasn’t seen it yet. Do you like it?”
Niko did some fancy finger picking, strummed, and started to sing the song he wrote for their wedding. Tears ran down his wife’s face.
“Tia. I love it. No one has ever given me a gift so wonderful before.” He leaned forward to kiss her.
“It’s insured. So you can travel with it. I wanted you to own a guitar worthy of your talent, Niko.”
He swallowed hard. Humbled at the faith his wife had in the music and gifts God entrusted to him. He placed the guitar back in the case, zipped it up, and set it aside. He placed all the other packages around him in a pile on the dresser. He pulled Tia to himself and held her close. “No one believes in me like you do.” He kissed her deeply. “Do you want your gifts?” he asked.
“You didn’t need to get me a gift, Niko. I have everything I could want already.”
“I know. You never ask for anything for yourself. It makes you hard to buy for.” He rose out of the bed and knelt to drag
wrapped packages from underneath. He brought them onto the bed and sat them before her. He gave her a small one first.
Tia opened up the package revealing dainty pearl earrings and smiled. “Niko, these are beautiful.”
“You often wear the same pair of earrings. You don’t own much jewelry. You are a pearl of great price, and I wanted something to symbolize that.”
Tia put them on right away. Niko handed her the next box. She opened it to find a dainty necklace of tiny pearls on a chain. Niko took it out for her and secured it around her neck.
“You had to have something to go with the earrings, right?” He grinned as he wiped away a tear from her cheek. “We can add pearls to it if we want.”
“It’s beautiful. I’ve never owned anything so precious besides my wedding band.”
Niko gave her another small box. She lifted the lid and gasped.
He spoke softly as he pulled the ring out. “I hadn’t been able to get you a real wedding ring until now. I had this custom made.” The platinum band wound in an intricate design inlaid with tiny diamonds wrapped around a beautiful pearl. He helped her put it on. “I would marry you all over again if I could.”
Tia reached up to give him a kiss. “Thank you. These are beautiful.”
“One more thing. Because great minds seem to think alike.” He handed her another package.
She opened it to find a burgundy leather-bound journal with her name engraved on the cover. Blank pages awaited her pencil. “Oh, Niko. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t think of the pen and pencil idea, but you can share mine if you want.”
Tia gave him a kiss, set the journal on her nightstand, and expressed her appreciation more fully.
* * *
They arrived at Mom and Pop Acton’s home in time for lunch. Niko brought his new guitar with him, with the strap that had an embroidered design matching the guitar. He looked forward to thanking Johnny when he saw him tomorrow. They set the guitar in the entryway and hung up their coats as Niko grabbed Tia’s hands to bring her into the house brimming with noise and energy.
Mom Acton rushed forward to give Tia a hug and kisses and grabbed her son. “You look wonderful, Nikolos. Marriage has been a good thing for you.” She nodded to Tia. “Thank you for making my son happy. Now come. There is plenty of food, and the children are anxious to get to the presents.” She dragged them down the hallway to the dining room. Niko pointed out the family room, where the large tree was lit, decorated, and almost buried under boxes.
The meal was loud and noisy and filled with more food than Niko could handle. He was happy to see Tia finally able to eat more. She was dressed in an emerald green sweater and black leggings with black boots. She looked so good to him, and when she glanced at him and winked, he wanted to whisk her off to a bedroom upstairs.
Lunch was finally done, and Niko let Tia go to help with the cleanup, while he went to hang with the men as the kids ran wild with excitement.
Soon everyone settled down in the family room, and gifts were distributed to the children first. Tia sat on Niko’s lap due to the lack of space, but he didn’t mind putting his arms around her and inhaling her light perfume. Her sweater was soft, although it did catch on his whiskers she begged him to keep. She loved the unshaven look but not a full beard, so he had kept it trimmed to about a two-days’ growth. Soon the kids ran off to the basement to run and play with their new toys. Only a few gifts remained since the adult children didn’t exchange presents.
Nathan was cleaning up and found a box under the tree. “Hmmm. Mom, Pops. Here is a gift for you from Nikolos and Tia.” The parents had already opened up gifts from the other siblings of gift cards or certificates. Mom and Pops sat and smiled as they unwrapped this box. Mom pulled out the small Mickey Mouse ears, the booties, and a small onesie with Tigger on it. Her eyes glanced up to Niko and filled with tears.
“Niko? Tia?”
Tia shrugged and turned a delightful shade of pink. “You wanted Nikolos to give you grandchildren, and he succeeded.”
The room erupted in cheers, and Niko got pats on the back as Tia received hugs and kisses by Niko’s mother, sisters, and sisters-in-law. Mom came to Niko and put her hands on his cheeks. “No wonder you are happy. She has been good for you.” She kissed his cheeks and hugged him close. She whispered in his ear, “You made me very happy, Nikolos.”
“Merry Christmas, Mom.”
After the excitement calmed down, Niko went to grab his guitar and sat down on the edge of the couch with Tia by his side. “My lovely wife gifted me with this handmade guitar. I thought I’d play it for you.”
He started to pick, strum, and sing as his family clapped along. They sang some Christmas songs as well. When he finished, he put the instrument away and headed to the kitchen to sit with the men over a cup of coffee while the women visited in the family room.
“So, Nikolos,” Alexander started. “You’ll need to find a bigger hole in the wall to live in when this tour is done.”
Niko startled. “Why?”
Nathan laughed. “Babies and all their paraphernalia take up space. Trust me. Even if you plan to tour again and leave Tia and the baby behind, she’ll need room. Your tiny apartment won’t suffice for long.”
“It might be time to consider buying a house,” Pops suggested. “There is one two doors down from here that could work for you.”
“I’m not sure if we can afford a house yet. Sure, I’ve been saving money, but still…”
“And Tia? Has she been saving too?”
Niko frowned. They hadn’t ever discussed their individual incomes, but they were married now. Marital property laws said it was jointly theirs. He hated talking about money and had left everything in Tia’s hands. “I’m not sure where we stand. Tia’s the whiz. I haven’t considered it.”
“Don’t worry about it, Nikolos. Sometimes things take care of themselves.” Pops winked at him, and Niko’s spirits sunk as the reality of the responsibilities this child would bring weighed down on him.
“Enjoy married life while you can, little brother. It all changes when the baby comes and you find you’re not number one anymore in your wife’s eyes,” Brian, his sister Athena’s husband, chimed in.
“Come on, now. Sophia wasn’t like that. Trust me, passion can survive a baby, but you need to pursue it and make it a priority.” Stephen, another brother-in-law, said.
“Nikolos, you’ll be fine. Don’t let these Debbie-downers get to you.” Pops smiled. “Obviously, I wouldn’t have five children if passion faded after one kid. It might throw you off your stride, but it’s worth it when you hold that little one in your arms. It’s like your heart has left and dwells in another body. Magical. Wonderful. Amazing. And watching your bride become a mother is a wonder to behold as well. It makes you grow up in ways you never could realize. It’s all good, Nikolos.”
“Thanks, Pops. There’s a lot we haven’t figured out yet. The tour has been busy, and I’m trying to make time to date Tia away from the band, but it’s a challenge.”
Nathan nodded. “Don’t ever stop dating her. Make it a priority.” The rest of the men murmured their agreement.
Brian nudged him from the side. “You’re going to be a great dad, Niko. Don’t let them scare you. Sure it is terrifying, but it’s worth the fear when you get to the other side.”
“Thanks guys, I think.” Niko sipped his coffee and wondered how Tia fared.
* * *
“So, Tia, you got him that beautiful guitar for Christmas?” Ana, Niko’s sister-in-law, asked.
“Yeah. Johnny helped me with the order and specifics. I considered it for his birthday, but I couldn’t wait.”
“And a new baby on the way? How are you feeling?” Claire asked. She was married to Niko’s brother Nathan.
“I was tired the first trimester, but it seems to be going away. I regained my energy and an appetite again. I escaped morning sickness, so I’m grateful for that, considering I travel with a bu
s full of men.”
“When you come back from tour, we’ll throw a baby shower for you. Perhaps tomorrow we can shop for maternity clothes as you’ll be needing some soon.” Athena, her sister-in-law, offered.
“I don’t possess a big clothing budget.”
“Don’t worry. We know all the discount stores. And I would expect most of us have things you could borrow as well. How about I pick you up tomorrow and we get together to figure out what we all have and what you might be able to use. We can meet at my house?” Sophia was bouncing in her seat from excitement.
“Oh, okay. I’ll check with Niko to see if he plans for tomorrow. We fly out the next day.”
“I’m glad you came for Christmas to give us the news.” Mom Acton said. “I was sad you weren’t coming, and when you announced your changed plans, it was a beautiful gift.”
“I’m glad we made your Christmas special, Mom.”
“How did your parents react to the news?” Ana asked.
Tia sighed. “My mom is dead, and I’ve not communicated with my dad in years. I did send him a letter. I received no response.”
“Well, you have us, and trust me, many would say the Acton family gang is more than enough for anyone.” Claire laughed, and the ladies joined in. “Don’t worry. You’ll have all the love and support you need as you head into this new adventure.”
“Will you stay home when the boys tour again?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it.” Tia frowned.
“Has Niko talked about finding a house? You can’t raise a child in that one bedroom box of an apartment you live in. You’ll need a new car too. Niko’s is too small for a child seat, and yours is a rust-bucket.” Sophia sniffed.
“We’ve not thought that far ahead yet. The reality is we’ve only known for about six weeks. It’s been too soon to make all these plans.”
“You need to start thinking of these things,” Claire offered. “While the pregnancy is going to feel like it drags on forever, that baby will be in your arms sooner than you realize, and you don’t want to make last minute decisions.”
Feta and Freeways Page 15
