The early morning rays pierce through the drifting curtains over the window, lighting up my corner of the loft. Rolling over, I peel the curtains back, watching the sun cast shadows across the snow banks, the sheets of ice covering the trees twinkling in the light.
Pulling myself up to sit, I glance around the room, waiting to hear the others talking in the kitchen, or shuffling in their rooms, getting ready for the day.
Slowly, I get out of bed, cringing at the cold temperature of the air. After putting on one of AJ's old hoodies, and my fuzzy socks, I sneak down stairs, nearly wiping out on the bottom rungs of the ladder.
Seeing as I didn't get the chance to last night, I look around the cottage, admiring the woodsy, cozy feel of it. Everything seems to be wooden and antique, slightly scuffed and faded, but only in a sense that makes it feel more lived in, more comfortable.
All is silent, albeit the ticking of the clock over the mantle, and the soft snoring coming from upstairs, the two sounds nearly in tune with each other.
I settle myself down on the plaid couch in front of the fireplace, staring at the rafters high above. Lost in my own thoughts, I don't hear anyone else enter the room until they're right above me, peering over the edge of the couch.
My heart skips a beat in fear at the sudden appearance, but I smile once I realize it's just Nathan, rounding the couch to settle down beside me.
"M-morning." His voice is still rough with sleep, interrupted by a yawn as he leans back into the soft cushions, bending his arms back behind his head.
"Good morning." I yawn too, unable to stop what he's started, and curl next to his side, loving his warmth.
"W-why are y-yo-you up s-so ea-early?"
"I don't know to be honest, the sun was shining in through the window, and it just kinda happened." He chuckles at that, his body shaking slightly in an attempt to hold it in. "Why are you up so early?"
"An-ant-Antonio s-snores." I can't help it but laugh, finally being able to place a name to the rhythmic snores coming from up stairs.
"Fair enough then. Did you get to sleep much, with the noise?"
He nods, eyes on the ceiling before glancing down at me, smiling slightly.
"I've sl-slpet o-ov-over en-enough t-to be u-used to i-it."
Simply nodding in understanding, I rest my cheek against his stomach, feeling my eyelids grow heavier by the second, slowly closing in rest, comforted by the warmth of the room and the soft cushions around me, already floating away into a peaceful sleep.
. . . . .
Stretching out my arms, I drop them tiredly over my stomach, opening my eyes to the ceiling above. The smell of bacon wafts from the kitchen, drawing me further and further into consciousness, away from the pleasant nap I'd had.
An arm drops onto my waist, scaring me half to death in the process, until I realize who's it is. Tracing it up to a bent elbow, slim shoulder, and finally, his face, relaxed with sleep. I can't help but smile, content to lay quietly for a bit until he wakes up, trying to fight the urge to follow the wonderful scents trailing from the kitchen door.
"Is he still out?" Enzo collapses onto the carpet in front of the couch, a staggering pile of food on his plate. There's eggs and pancakes and bacon and fruit and it all looks so good, my mouth waters at the mere sight of it.
"Like a light." I pat Nathan's hand affectionately, surprised when he hooks his finger around mine, holding it there.
"You're lucky I like you and I brought you food, this kid can sleep for days." Enzo offers me one of the two forks in his hand, and I smile gratefully, digging in to the fruit closest to me on the plate.
"I am lucky, thank you."
He winks at me cheekily, rotating the plate in his palm so we can swap sides.
"Anytime, bellezza."
The smell of food so close seems to wake up Nathan, who starts to stir ever so slightly as we eat, eventually coming to as we start in on the pancakes.
"Buongiorno a dormire bellezza." Enzo waves at him before cutting another piece and popping it in his mouth.
"Quanto tempo sono stato fuori?" Yawning, he stretches out his arm, frowning apologetically at me still stuck to his side, previously weighed down by his arm.
"Non sono sicuro. Vuole il cibo?"
Together, we enter the kitchen, wishing good morning to everyone else scattered around the room. The kids have taken over the table, while the adults crowd the counter, talking and laughing, a jumbled mix of English and Italian.
Enzo and Nathan eagerly help themselves to more food, joining the others at the table to eat, and I trail behind them, picking at a muffin.
"Have a nice snuggle session there, Em?" Peyton wiggles her eyebrows at me, grinning mischievously over her mug.
I send her a quick glare, thankful no one else heard overheard what she said.
"It wasn't like that, you know it."
"Whatever you say." Raising her hands in defense, she goes back to her food, leaving me to enjoy the rest of my muffin in peace, laughing and occasionally joining in on the boy's silly arguments.
Once everyone's finished eating, we're rushed upstairs to get dressed, as the adults start clearing plates and cleaning up.
It doesn't take me long to pull on jeans and a knit sweater, and make my way back down stairs to the living room. While I wait for everyone else, I throw my hair up in a bun to keep it out of my face, prepared for whatever last minute wedding task Edwardo and Angela can throw at us.
Once all the others are settled, we're joined by Maria and her list of chores for the day, her pen scratching along the clip board as she adds things last minute.
"Okay people, let's do this. The hall has left everything we need in the room, we just have to set it up. So, boys, you're setting up the tables first, when you're done, come find me. Mia and Peyton, you're on decorations with Angela and Helen. Emma, you're with me on flowers. Sound good? Great. To the car people."
. . . . .
I pushed the newly bow adorned hurricane vase aside, reaching for the next one in my pile to tie on the pale blue, silk ribbon.
After two hours of work, the tables are out and draped in ivory cloth, surrounded by the cute, beige wicker chairs. All the vases with bows tied across the front have been moved to their position as center pieces, and the winter themed decorations are almost all up.
"How's it going over here?" Maria squeezes my shoulder gently, admiring my handy work with the vases.
We have a sort of assembly line going with the vases. They start with me, and I tie the bow around them, then they go to Antonio, who places down the white fluff, cedar branches, and frosted pine cones. Last is Mia, who adds the thick, ivory candle in the middle.
"It's going good, we're almost done, just six left."
"Excellent, great work guys!" Skipping off to go see how Enzo is doing with the lights, I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, handing Antonio his next vase.
"I cannot wait until this is over, the smell of the branches is starting to give me a headache." He frowns as he places them down, quickly pushing it away from him, to Mia.
"It's starting to get hot in here too." I pause to retie my limp bun before moving on, desperate to finish up and take a break before we start our next task.
"Maria said we get lunch off," Matteo pops up behind me, poking my side as he rounds the table to stand across from us.
"Thank God, where do you guys want to go?" Eagerly reaching for the last vase, Antonio finishes it in seconds, falling back in his chair with a loud sigh.
"Well, Enzo and I heard there's a winter festival going on, thought maybe we could check that out, get some hot cocoa, relax for a little bit."
Everyone's quick to agree, and when lunch rolls around we tell Maria of our plans, promising to bring them back a coffee when we return.
We huddle together as we walk, a mass of parkas and boots against the frigid wind. At some point in time, Nathan's hand finds mine, keeping me close against his side as we go. Enzo leads us to the city square, where a series of tents have been set up around the block, holding vendors, games, and merchandise.
First, we stop at a food truck to buy beaver tails and hot chocolate, and after eating, we score through the different stalls, stopping to admire some of the merchandise.
Enzo, Matteo, Nathan, and Antonio wonder off to go see the band playing at the front, leaving us girls to look at the homemade jewelry and art, each chipping in to buy a beautiful, winter themed painting for Edwardo and Angela, as a wedding gift.
Slowly, we make our way through the rest of the tents, occasionally stopping to buy some trinket or talk with the vendors. Eventually, we meet up with the guys in the center, where there's ice sculptures on display.
After agreeing to come back at night and take pictures with them lit up, we grab Helen and Maria's coffee on our way home, happy we went, but even happier to get back to the warmth of the hall.
. . . . .
"I think I'm going to puke I ate so much." Patting his stomach, Antonio sinks lower in his chair, looking queasy.
"Whose fault is that?" Maria taps his shoulder as she collects plates, smiling slightly at his dramatic antics.
I jump up to help, grabbing the cups nearest to me to bring them to this dish washer.
"Hey, not my fault the food is so good." Cheekily, he winks at Angela and Edwardo, the creators of the amazing lasagna we just about devoured.
"Emma, sweetie leave those, you guys go put on a movie or something, we'll clean up in here." Helen ushers us out into the living room, leaving the adults to all start speaking in Italian as soon as we're out of ear shot, so their words sound muffled through the walls.
We squeeze ourselves around the fire place, squished onto the couches and recliners, silent as Enzo goes through the collection of movies they brought.
After going through the movies twice and being unable to agree on anything, we fall silent, looking around the cabin, the muffled sounds of rapid Italian floating over from the kitchen.
Breaking the silence, Enzo smiles over at us, looking as if he's trying to contain his excitement on the subject.
"Do you guys want to go see a snowmobile race?"