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Angela, Gabriella, Val, and Alice stayed in the living room while the others had already left and turned in for the night. Fire crackled in the pit in front of the couch where Angela and Gabriella sat; Val and Alice took the two armchairs on either side. 

The smell of sandalwood permeated the living room, mixed with the scent of a Christmas tree stationed at the corner of the room that\'s decorated with lights and ornaments. The ceiling lamps were off, and only the Christmas lights on the tree and the mantel above the fireplace illuminated the place. It felt cozy and homey that made Angela suddenly miss her brother and father. 

A loud sneeze rocked out of her, and she covered her mouth with a tissue. After tossing the tissue into a bin, she sanitized her hands with a gel sanitizer. It was the sixth time she sneezed since the men left for the club that night. "Excuse me. God, it\'s so cold tonight."

"Bless you." Gabriella handed her a fleece blanket, and she used it to cover her legs. "I\'ll get you a jacket upstairs to keep you warm."

"No, it\'s okay. Thank you. This is fine." She smiled.

Gabriella was a beautiful woman. She could see the resemblance between her and Alessandro, though she got her mother\'s eyes and lips. When Angela met her earlier tonight, Gael didn\'t even have the chance to finish introducing her before Gabriella pulled her into a tight embrace as though they were friends who hadn\'t seen each other in a long time. 

It was sweet, and it made Angela feel welcomed. Gael told her that Gabriella was very picky to whom she would be close with. So for Gabriella to hug her was a big deal. Knowing that Gabby was a fan of Galatea like Gael had told her before, Angela got her a small present that she was supposed to bring tonight, only she forgot it in her luggage. She\'d have to give it to her next time they\'d see each other.

"Are you worried?" Val asked.

"Hm?"

"You keep checking your phone. I assume you\'re waiting for his text."

Angela looked at her hand, realizing that she hadn\'t put her phone down since Gael left with the others. Her cheeks heated, and she chuckled in embarrassment as she set her phone down the coffee table. "Sorry, that was rude of me. I wasn\'t even aware I was doing that."

The others chuckled, and then Alice reassured her, "It\'s understandable. And don\'t worry about them. Security at The Manor is tight."

"How do you do it, Alice? Your husband… You must be worried every time he goes out for…work," Angela probed.

"Well, it wasn\'t easy at first. And I still worry, but it\'s bearable over time."

"Besides, the Morellis have left earlier today. There\'s nothing to worry about," Val added.

Angela\'s brows rose. "They left?" 

"Yup. That woman flew back to Chicago. We drove her to the airport this morning before the blizzard."

\'That woman,\' Angel thought. Even without being specific, she knew that Val was referring to Lauretta. Angela forgot about her because Gael and the others hadn\'t talked about the Morellis until now. "I see."

Val moved to sit on the floor cross-legged and poked the fire in the pit with a rod. "I have to say, Anj… I thought we\'d never see you here again."

"Why is that?"

"I don\'t know. I just haven\'t seen Gael being with a woman longer than five minutes."

That was an exaggeration, but Angela got what Val was trying to say. Although the thought of Gael being with other women in the past stung her chest, Angela pulled her lips into a small smile. "Does he date around?"

Val exchanged glances with the others. "Well…"

"Never mind. I don\'t really want to know." She shook her head and laughed—so did Val.

"Okay. I\'m curious. And I am because he\'s family. But what do you see in him that made you like him? He\'s a classy asshole."

Angela laughed even more, noticing Gabriella and Alice leaning forward as though they, too, were interested in what she had to say. A classy asshole was one way to put it. Gael had this aura in him where he exuded poise and nobleness, like an aristocrat, but with a modern take of being blunt who cusses like a sailor, and yet he appeared hot and sexy whenever he did. "You know what? I do agree. The second time I met him, he was such a jerk."

"The second time?" Gabriella wondered. "What about the first?"

"Yeah." Angela smiled, staring at her phone on the table while imagining Gael. "The first time we met was nearly four years ago at a wedding on Hillberry Isle. He was a gentleman."

"Mm. I can\'t disagree with that. He\'s annoying, very protective, and also annoying." Gabriella made a face.

"He\'s charming," said Angela. She peeked at them through her lashes, feeling a little shy about what she was about to admit to his family. "And if I\'m being honest… I like him because he makes me feel that I\'m me."

"You\'re you? What does that mean?"

She took a deep breath, pulled her knees up, and hugged them. "I\'m a private person, and usually, I like to keep things to myself. But with Gael, I… I find myself wanting to show him what I like or who I am without feeling the need to hide. I\'m comfortable being myself around him. I guess that\'s what I\'m trying to say. I don\'t know if I\'m making sense…"

The others exchanged knowing smiles. Gabriella moved to sit next to Val, extending her hands towards the fire as she told Angela, "I have to say. I didn\'t think you\'d be the kind of woman my brother would introduce to us. I\'ve met a few of the girls he dated in the past, and most of them were like queen bees who forgot they were no longer in high school. One time when he was a college freshman, there was this girl who came to me and told me to stay away from him."

Angela arched a brow. "But you\'re his sister?"

"Exactly my point. Anyway, so when I met you tonight… I was happy you\'re nothing like them. I like you, Angela."

She smiled, feeling warm inside. "Well, if I\'m gonna be in a room full of De Lucas, being likable is a priority," she joked.

***

Alice made eggnog from scratch after dinner. She served it in the living room, along with a plate of peanut butter cookies that Val brought tonight. Although Angela could hardly taste the eggnog now, she remembered how delicious it was when she tasted it earlier tonight. She was probably coming down with a cold because of the weather, but she was fine, apart from the sneezes she had earlier and the lack of taste. Though it was probably a good idea not to drink too much eggnog, or she\'d get drunk fast.

Laughing, Val asked Angela while pointing a half-eaten cookie at her, "How many cookies have you eaten?"

Angela laughed too, unsure why she was feeling giggly as she looked at her hand and the plate on the coffee table. The four of them were now sitting on the floor with their backs against the couch. She couldn\'t remember how many she ate, but she gingerly raised two fingers. "I don\'t know… Three? Four? I can\'t remember. I don\'t even taste anything, but I can\'t stop eating."

Gabriella burst out laughing. "I had my fifth. I think."

"I can\'t remember the last time I felt like this. It\'s been a while," said Alice as she munched on a cookie.

"Mommy? I had a nightmare." Elisa emerged from the stairs, and the four of them slowly turned their heads towards her. Alice excused herself and informed the others that she\'d return after putting Elisa back to bed. The little girl curiously peeked at the plate and asked, "Can I have a cookie?"

Angela, Val, and Gabriella exchanged stares before a fit of giggles came out of them. Alice motioned to her daughter to go up the stairs as she told her, "Sorry, sweetheart. It\'s not for kids."

When Alice and Elisa disappeared, Angela stared at the plate of cookies and the glass of eggnog next to it. She thought she was feeling woozy because of the booze in the drink, but now that she heard what Alice just told her daughter, a realization hit her, and she was laughing again. When Val brought the cookies to them, she said it was called "Happy Cookie". Val brought weed cookies.

Angela covered her face. "Oh, god. Oh, god. Happy Cookie. Gael is gonna kill me."

Val snorted. "You just realized that?"

"I can\'t taste for shît. He\'ll fûcking kill me." Angela couldn\'t control her laughter, and the other two joined her. "Do you hear that? There\'s music in my head."

Gabriella pressed her ear to the side of Angela\'s head like she was trying to listen, her mouth hanging open. "I can\'t hear anything."

The three of them giggled some more as Val wobbly got to her feet and pulled the other two with her, saying, "Get up, stone-faced. Let\'s dance to the music in Angela\'s head."