Chapter Twenty one - Gifts from the heart
Light snow was falling in Genoa city as first stars were glowing at the sky, The Newman Ranch was w completely covered with snow, and the grounds were white and slippery as Victor Newman’s car pulled into of the drive way around 7:15.
Victor got out of the car, straightening his jacket.
He was about tp take the gifts from the back sit of the Rolls as he stopped for a second to admire the decorated ranch, it was a beautiful sight , that somehow managed to lift his spirits a bit.He took out the gifts from the back sit and walked to the door, pausing for a second before knocking on the front door.
Nikki was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom, adjusting her make up and looking at herself in the mirror, her hands were shaking and she couldn’t put the eye liner on, after a third try she threw the eye liner against the mirror, she had a headache that haunted her ever since the morning and only got worse.
She eyed herself in the mirror in disapproval, she looked like she haven’t slept for days and she didn't want any of the family to see how badly she was falling apart, and there was another reason, Victor was coming over and she couldn’t help wanting to look good.
She cursed herself for even thinking about it right now, but it was there, she wiped her eye and decided to give up the eye liner today, there was no use.
Suddenly she heard the ring in the door and Miguel answering it, she looked at her watch, it was too early.. she walked downstairs slowly and gasped when she realized Victor had already arrived, as she heard his voice greeting Miguel hello.
She took a deep breath to compose herself before walking downstairs carefully.
Victor walked into the ranch, and greeted Miguel.
He stopped for a moment to look at the house and smiled, he always loved the traditional decorations, it had been collected over the years and now he knew every one of them....
He walked toward the tree, and stopped to look at the ornaments, and thought back at his little daughter running to him to show him the ornament she made especially for him.
And than he thought of Nicholas... he had only missed two Christmases with him, the Christmas of 1992 when the fact Nikki had chosen to stay with Jack was too painful for him and he never showed up, and when he got stuck in Kansas because of the snow.
But now every Christmas looked like one too many, he never realized how much he valued his relationship with his son until those last couple of years ever since he got back from boarding school, they have finally formed the father/son bond that was always missing in their relationship and....
His thoughts were interrupts by the sound of someone walking down the stairs, he turned around to see Nikki standing there, looking at him, she said softly “I didn’t mean to disturb you”
He replied “You weren’t...”He looked at her, she looked beautiful in a long, deep red dress, and yet he could see the evidence of stress on her, she looked pale and her eyes were puffy from too many tears and lack of sleep.
Nikki eyed him just the way he looked at her, he was wearing a new black suit and... and the tie she got for him a few years before, she couldn’t help but smile and out of habit sent her hand to smooth over his tie, they smiled for each other in affection, there was no need of words.
Nikki asked him “What were you thinking of?”
Victor moved his hands on Nick’s ornament, tracing the caption on it and said sadly “I was just thinking about the Christmases I didn’t spend with him”
Nikki said gently “There had only been two...”
Victor looked at her and said “I know, but, I can’t help by regret it now...”
Nikki put her hand over his and said “Victor, don’t beat yourself over this now, you and Nicholas built
such a beautiful relationship in the last couple of months, it really warmed my heart to see how close
you two have gotten, he knows you love him with all his heart, don’t ever doubt that”Victor looked into her eyes as the hand sent a wave of heat straight into heart and said softly “I know... I know... thank you...for saying that” as he entwined his fingers with hers.
Nikki whispered “It was my pleasure..”
They stood there for a few seconds and than Nikki asked as they both pulled a little back “So what do
you think of your daughter’s handy work?”Victor looked around the ranch with a smile “I love it, she have done a wonderful job...”
Nikki smiled faintly “Yea, she did a better job than I would have done”
Victor asked her softly “You weren’t here?”
Nikki shook her head, and tried not to become upset “No, I went for a drive...I couldn’t sit here and decorate the house like it was just every year... and Cole said it was okay with Victoria...”
Victor said “Well, the ranch is beautiful”
Nikki smiled at him as Victor asked Nikki pointedly “You did invite Sharon haven’t you?”
Nikki muttered “It’s not like I had much choice, but yes, I did”
Victor raised his eye brow at her “And you’ll play nice...”
Nikki smiled sweetly at him “Don’t I always?”
Victor shook his head in amusement, trying to hide his smile ”When you want to..”
Nikki reassured him “I promise you I won’t give Sharon any hard time, but keeping her guessing for a while is not necessarily a bad thing”
Victor looked at Nikki and decided to let go of the subject, actually he was amazed she was softening toward Sharon at all.
Nikki’s smile quickly turned serious and concerned “Do you think Nicholas would call?” she asked worriedly.
Victor nodded “I think he would, I hope he would”
Nikki said emotionally “Oh god, I hope so... I hope he’ll talk to me, he might decide he doesn’t want
to...”Victor tried to comfort her “Sweetheart, I’m sure he would, I know he misses you just like you miss him, it’s just hard on him”
Nikki wiped a tear away “I know, it’s just so hard, all that time without even hearing his voice, and knowing he is where he is...I just miss him so much Victor...”
Her voice broke and Victor hugged her warmly as she sniffed through her tears, he had a hard time controlling the dampness in his eyes as he said “Okay, now you stop crying now, Victoria and Cole should be arriving shortly, and we both want it to make it a happy Christmas, as much as possible anyway”
Nikki nodded silently though tears were still forming in her eyes, she asked him “Why did you come early?”
Victor smiled at her “I wanted to talk to you before everyone else arrived”
Nikki asked him “Oh?”
Victor took a small packet from his pocket and handed it to Nikki “I have a Christmas present for you...”
Nikki gave him a dazzling, yet tearful smile “Oh really?...I have one for you too, you know”
Victor smiled at her and said “Well, you go first...”
Nikki came back holding a large box, Victor sat on the couch and his eyes sparkled as he was about to open his present.
Nikki smiled at his almost childlike reaction and he stopped to look at her for a moment and their eyes locked, both of them missed a beat as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
A flustered Nikki commented “Well, aren’t you gonna open it?”Victor smiled “I am, I am..”
He unwrapped the present to find a long, warm winter coat inside in the color was light silvery gray,
Victor said to her “It’s beautiful, and I do need a new coat”
Nikki smiled at him and said quietly “I knew you did...”
Victor said “Well, I love it..”
Nikki said “There’s something else in there...”
Victor looked at her with surprise and reached out to under the coat, he found a blue- white baby quilt with the name “Nicholas Christian Newman” over it.
Victor looked at her, a bit confused as he said “It’s the quilt I bought for Nicholas years ago”
Nikki said, a bit uncertainly “It was his favorite blanket when he was just a little boy...I think he slept with it till he was five...I don’t know... I..” she paused for a moment and continued “I just thought you
might want it” she ended the sentence and looked at him, waiting for reaction.Victor didn’t say a word, his gaze transfixed on the quilt and than he looked up to Nikki, tears in his eyes “I don’t know what to say...” He said quielty.
Nikki smiled softly at him “You don’t have to say a thing... I know, I know you don’t have much of his things at the apartment, and I know it makes me feels like he is still here, instead of rotting in some jail...”
She looked away in pain, Victor was silent and said “Thank you, so very much... but isn’t it something you want to hold on to?”
Nikki smiled at him tearfully and shook her head “I would really like you to have it, I know you think a lot about the times you’ve missed with Nicholas and I don’t want you to dwell about that, I want you to think about the times you did, because until Nicholas is out of there, and I have to believe that he would get out of there... those moments that we spent with him here is what we should treasure the most”
Victor looked at Nikki and wordlessly hugged her and said in a bit unsteady voice “You have no idea how much I appreciate it sweetheart, more than I could ever tell you”
Nikki sniffed and said as she pulled back to look at him “If it weren’t for you we wouldn’t even be here, having Christmas as a family, I would have been miserable if we haven’t, it’s me who should be thanking you”
Victor said “We’re both very lucky to have each other”
Nikki looked straight into his eyes and whispered “Yes, we do....”
Victor took a deep breath and said “Now it’s time for yours...”
Nikki laughed, a laugh that released the tension of the last few moments “Oh good” She said as she grinned at Victor.
Victor took a medium sized jewelry box from his pocket and said with a smile “I hope I got everything right..”
Nikki looked at Victor with curious smile and opened the box, and gasped in Awe when she so what was in it “Oh, Victor...”
She sent her hand toward the diamond charm bracelet “It’s stunning, thank you”
Victor enjoyed her reaction to the gift as he put it on her wrist, and showed her the charms “Hmm, well, we have a strawberry”
He said as he pointed out to a diamond little strawberry “Because it’s your favorite food”
Nikki laughed, wiping a tear away “And a miniature horse, and a little piano... and a small lilac...” He said as he showed her the tiny, perfect charms “And your Birthstone, Emerald... and the children’s, Victoria’s - Sapphire and Nicholas’s - Turquoise”
Nikki stared at the charm tearfully and shook her head as she told him “I love it... more than anything you’ve ever given me...”
She looked into his eyes and said “How do you do it? Choose the most perfect gifts?”
Victor smiled at her warmly as he caressed her cheek “I know you for a long time, you know’
Nikki let out a laugh “That has nothing to do with it, you were always good at it from the very beginning”
Victor grinned at her “I’d like to think of it as a special talent”
Nikki said with a naughty glimmer in her eyes “Among your many others...”
Victor and Nikki smiled to each other, enjoying the lighter moment in the middle of all the chaos around them as the door opened and Victoria and Cole walked in...
