ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴀ sᴛᴏʀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴀᴜɴᴛ ᴅɪᴀɴᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʏᴇᴀʀ. Depending on the year, the story would change. Last year, it was something of pure fiction, one that I wrote no-less. Not that I minded, it allowed Matt and I to get ready for the family while the rambunctious six-year-olds sat quietly entertained. This year's story seemed to be something of a tale long ago. Long ago meaning that this tale happened roughly seven years ago.

     "Auntie Diana, Nona, what are you going to tell us this year?" Lila asked. She enjoyed the stories the most—she took after me in that regard.

     Diana, my friend since the summer of prior to my freshman year of college, had dated Matt once upon a time. She wasn't my very best friend—that slot belonged to Madeleine, a woman I knew since fourth grade. But, Diana gained a sister-like status throughout the years of one-sided rivalry, mutual respect, and friendship. If I ever had a relationship more tumultuous than the one I had with my family during my teenage years, Diana had to be it.

     "Nona is tired," my mother told Lila with a yawn. "Abuelo and I had to get up early to catch the first plane out, remember? But Auntie Diana could handle this year's story on her own, right?" She asked Diana with a smile.

     "Of course," Diana replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Go get some rest. I will tell them a special story." That did not worry me as much as it should have. I am not lying.

     "Ella," Matt called from the kitchen. I pouted slightly (the story was always a favourite Christmas tradition of mine as well) before walking into the kitchen. It felt like the sun exploded the moment I entered the room.

     "Yeah, Matt?" I replied as I leaned against the cream-coloured wall.

     "Can you get me some nutmeg from the cabinet? I need to add a bit more to the eggnog."

     "Sure thing." I walked over to the cabinet and thanked God for the fact that the spices were within reaching distance. I grabbed the small container of nutmeg then handed it to my husband. "Just so you know," I told him with a pointed look. "Should the parents get into this there may be some dangerous comedy to ensue. I am holding you one thousand per cent accountable."

     "I highly doubt that that will happen. Also, your percentile is most likely mathematically impossible." I raised an eyebrow at his response. "And this is coming from a forensic lab technician. I only deal with numbers and percentiles," Matt pointed out.

     "I think it's possible to have a thousand per cent of something."

     "That's the English major talking with hyperbole."

     "I am a literal person."

     "No, you are a sarcastic person without caffeine," Matt volleyed.

     "While I am not saying that that is not true," I began only to be cut off by an over-theatrical gasp. Sighing, I looked to Matt. "I need to handle her theatrical self, don't I?"

     "Do you wanna cook?" Matt asked me.

     "Um... I'll take no for four hundred, Matt."

     "Then go. I'll have coffee for you when you get back."

     I smiled and shook my head. I walked into the warm-coloured living room and a light floral scent mixed with pine and burning ash hit my nose. I saw Lila with her mouth wide open and Nico covering his eyes. "Wait, so you and dad orchestrated the whole wedding so that mom would marry dad?" Lila asked with her face lighting up. Yep. I definitely should have been scared.

     "How would that have even worked if dad was meant to marry you?" Nico asked sceptically.

     "Well, your father and I talked about it a few days beforehand and both came to the same conclusion. We didn't love each other the way your father and your mother love each other."

     "So you devised this whole switcharoo plan in order to make them happy!" Lila finished with a triumphant grin.

     "Yes, and when I came home with a ring on my finger and a husband in hand my mother basically said I made my own decisions thus I must live with the consequences," I chimed in. The kids' heads snapped to me and smiled. "My father was too shocked to say anything and your zias didn't know what to think."

     "So Nona and Abuelo were okay with it?"

     "Nope. Not a chance in hell. Didn't Diana tell you I was only nineteen when this all happened?"

     "What?" Nico screamed. Diana and I cringed back at the sheer volume of my son. "Mom! What were you thinking! You were nineteen when you married dad? What the heck?"

     "Don't question decisions you don't know a thing about," Diana interceded.

     "I think it's romantic. Mom knew she wanted to be with dad even at that young an age."

     I was about to reply when I felt arms wrap tightly around me. "I think she knew before then too, but don't tell her I knew that," Matt whispered really loudly to the kids. Both children laughed as they nodded. Before I even had the chance to rebut, I was handed a ceramic white mug filled to the brim with cafe con leche. "After all, I bring the coffee." He winked to the kids who doubled over laughing.

     I shook my head and said, "Incorrigible. All of you are incorrigible." Still, that didn't stop the smile that graced my face.

     Matt kissed my cheek. "I don't think that means what you think it means."

     "I want to hear the story from Mom and Dad now!" Lila exclaimed as if it was the best idea. Matt raised an eyebrow at me and I checked the time on the cable box.

     "We have some time before Jo and Dylan arrive here. Why not?" I told him.

     "Well, you're the storyteller. Tell them a story."

     I glared at them before clearing my throat. "It was a cold day and nearing Christmas. Your father was going to marry your Auntie Diana and I painted on a smile to be happy for both of them. For some reason, I just couldn't let him out of my heart, but I knew that, if I did anything then I may lose him forever." Lila stood up and gave me a hug. Her dark chocolate hair splayed across my lap as she nestled her neck into my stomach.

     "It's okay, Mommy," she said to me.

     "Well, of course, it is. If it wasn't, you wouldn't be here."

     "Oh. Right," Lila realised. She blinked a few times with her mocha eyes just staring at me like an owl as she processed this information. "You can continue," the little girl said once everything seemed to have settled within her mind.

     "Well, that was when your Auntie Diana gave me a garment bag and said to put it on. I was very confused but did as she said. When I came out to look in the mirror, I saw that I was wearing a really pretty mint green dress. I went to ask her what was going on and she told me to wait for the cue then to start walking. I asked her what cue and she said I'd know."

     "Did you know?" Nico asked curiously.

     "Not really. But when she left and did not return for the Bridal March I kind of pieced a few bits of the plan together."

     "Meaning?"

      "I began to walk when the Bridal March played. I started freaking out as I continued down the aisle, and you both know that I can't handle stress all that well. So your father got down from the altar and made me look him in the eye. We walked down the entire runner together and I never lost my cool. Then we got married much to the semi-confusion of the people looking on."

     "So you were married before you dated?"

     "Yep," Matt replied.

     "That's my new favourite story," Lila decided with a firm nod.

     "That may be mine too," Nico agreed.