It had been her first instinct to turn about face and get back in the cab when she stood in front of the house. Yet Andrew’s hand was in hers and that kept her rooted to her spot in the midst of the blowing snow. The house had changed very little since she left, but that could have been expected. Icicles hung off the overhangs and the snow rolled in small mountains over the front yard; a snowman with a carrot nose and twig arms waved merrily to her from near the doorway. An old silver Camry was parked outside the long driveway to the left of the house, and Evelynne couldn’t help but smile at the thought of what was inside.

“Alright, love?”
“I suppose so, yes.”
“Then perhaps we should head inside before the snow carries us off?’
“Perhaps.”

She remained standing where she was, the taxi leaving behind them as Andrew pulled his hand from hers to stick them in his jacket pocket after flipping his collar up.

“Evie…it’s freezing out here. Can we go inside?”
“In a moment.”

For someone who had wanted to turn around and leave a minute ago, Evelynne wasn’t quite sure why she was so intent on standing outside in the snowstorm. Her eyes trailed over the contours of the house again and again; Christmas lights twinkled on a large fur in the bay window and a wreath hung against the door, and wisps of smoke rose out of the chimney, which could only mean one thing.

“Evelynne Janice Tregusis! Get in this house right now!”

Her head turned to the oak door that was now open- a short brown haired woman standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. An apron was wrapped around her midsection, and a knitted shawl hung over her shoulders as the woman’s voice carried across the lawn.

“I’m serious, Missy! Inside this instant! That poor boy of yours is catching his death!”

Evelynne would have laughed if it hadn’t been for Andrew’s chattering teeth beside her, grabbing her suitcase and bag from the sidewalk and pulling along her fiancé. As she neared the house she could hear her mother muttering about the cold, and from behind her she could hear Andrew doing the same; with a smile tugging at her lips Evelynne pulled open the screen door. Her mother had stepped aside to usher her in, yet seemed to be more involved with getting Andrew inside and out of the cold than anything.

“Come in, come in! I cannot believe she let you stand outside all that time! You poor boy, you must be frozen! Here, let me take your bags, dear. Evie, move on out of the way. Let him into the house!”

Her mother’s voice washed over her as Evelynne did as she was told, slipping off her high heels in the corner as Andrew was taken by the arm and whisked into the warm house. Smoothing down the plaid red skirt that was fastened together by several pins over black stockings, she shrugged off her black jacket to reveal an oversized black sweater that hung off one shoulder. Her silver charm bracelet shone in the light from the fireplace as the woman moved into the living room.

The house smelt like cookies and pine, and something comforting, and above the sound of the crackling fire there was her mother’s voice going on about something, and every once in a while Andrew could be heard agreeing. How funny things can change so much yet stay so much the same in other places; her life had changed ten-fold since leaving the Ontario city, but the house she had grown up in was the same. Pictures littered the largest wall of the room- frames of all sizes and shapes surrounded smiling faces and laughing children of her childhood. She was in many of them- from her baby pictures to graduation and everything in between. There were more photographs than she remembered, though; there were at least a dozen crowded onto the mantle above the fireplace. These ones were less of her and more of others; her parents as teenagers, her mother in Columbia, the whole family on their first trip to California, and others.

Lazily, her sight drifted downwards to the stockings hanging from the mantle’s edge, ticking off the name of each in her head. Mom, Evelynne, Andrew, Nikki (who must still come by every Christmas), Hana….

She paused on the last one, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. There were a hundred thoughts suddenly in her head as the voices came closer, turning around to see her mother and Andrew entering the room. Her eyes feasted on her fiancé for a moment, his brown hair hanging in his eyes, the blue and gray stripped shirt with a popped collar overtop of a pair of dark denims. He looked amazing, and Andrew knew it as he winked at her.

“So this is where you got to, Evelynne,” her mother bustled forward, “Let me get a good look at you!”

She allowed herself to be pulled way from the fireplace to the center of the room where her mother held her at arm’s length. The feeling of being studied washed over the brunette as the older woman’s blue eyes carefully raked over each inch of her with a critical eye. Evelynne wasn’t surprised by this appraisal; she had known since the moment she had called home to tell her mother of her engagement that she was going to have to come back to Ontario.

It hadn’t helped that Andrew had been nothing short of ridiculously supportive about leaving Scotland to spend their Christmas in Canada with her mother. He seemed almost giddy at times with the prospect of a ‘Canadian Christmas’, and had been almost insufferable during their flight across the Atlantic. He believed absolutely nothing about the nature of her mother, no matter what she attempted to tell him, although as she looked at him now Evelynne was certain she saw the beginning of some understanding. After all, it wasn’t completely without reason she had left home for Scotland.

“You’re looking peaky, dear. Are you eating enough?”
“Yes, Mum.”
“I hope you’re eating meat as well. That ridiculous diet you were on…”
“It wasn’t a diet, Mum,” she sighed, “It was a choice.”

Her head whipped up to glare at Andrew who had broken out in snickers, patting himself on the chest and attempting to make it look like he was coughing. He smiled brightly at her and raked a hand back through his hair.

“Are you alright, Andrew, dear?”
“Yes, Ms. Tregusis.”

Evelynne smiled as her mother turned her attention back to her, grimacing inside as a hand reached out to straighten her sweater.

“It was a silly choice, Evelynne. What would your father say? Both you girls were ridiculous.”
“One of us more than the other…”
“At least tell me you’re eating meat again.”

The brunette nodded, something that seemed to appease her mother as she stopped her fussing and moved to pat Andrew on the cheek.

“You’ve had a good influence on her, obviously, dear,” Isabella shook her head at Andrew, “She and Hana gave their father such a headache when they decided meat was harmful. Those two were such a handful…”

The voice trailed off; Evelynne was left standing facing Andrew who raised an eyebrow while the sound of pots and pans began to clank from the kitchen. She took several steps forward, arms snaking up around her fiancé’s neck where she toyed with his hair. As if by instinct, Andrew’s hands wrapped themselves around his waist, his lips pursed in a teasing line.

“And who might Hana be, Evie?”