While he was excited to give Leah her gift a little bit early, there was still a tiny bit of him that wanted to make her wait the couple of days until Christmas. There were pros and cons to each side, he figured. Waiting until Christmas was a nice idea, but at the same time, this type of gift was better given privately, so the reaction could be exactly what she wanted it to be. Candid, but completely her.
Evan watched quietly, with a smile, as Leah sent Mari to play with her toys and then removed her coat. It was astounding sometimes, how big a difference a year made. He thought a lot about how things were different, but there wasn't much thought about how they'd stayed the same... mostly because the similarities were so limited.
The most obvious similarity, of course, was the trust between he and Leah. Even that, though, had changed in its own way. Naturally, they still trusted each other. They still had one another's backs more than anyone else and they still supported one another more than anyone else did, but that support was different now. The roots were stronger and now they were growing. I'm sure there's a metaphor in there about becoming a family tree, but... he thought to himself with a little chuckle.
Leah's question made Evan laugh and shake his head no. “No, no, I took care of all of that while the two of you were gone.” He pushed the box behind him, hoping that he was quick enough to prevent her from seeing it. “Everything we've got for her is wrapped. The rest of it, I'll probably end up having to do when everyone's asleep tonight.” For the most part, his nocturnal habits were quelled, but sometimes, old habits died hard.
He toyed with the idea of toying with her longer, then decided instead that he wanted to see the smile on her face instead. If she looked hard enough, she'd see the shoebox, but he hoped to keep her distracted for a little bit longer. Before he showed his cards, though, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her with a smile. “Were you up to anything interesting?” he asked with a little smile.