Sorry it has been so long since I have written about these two but Holidays are crazy!

Grace and Matty's date had been perfect. He had been standing right outside her office building, with two cups of hot coco with way too many marshmallows on the top. They had walked through the park that was between her apartment and her office. It started to rain, and quickly turned into snow. Matty stood with his face turned up to the sky, letting the snowflakes hit his face as though he had never seen snow before.

Grace stood watching him for what seemed like a long time. Matt pulled her in close and touched his freezing lips to her warm ones. It had been the best kiss that Grace had ever had in her life. Shortly after that kiss, when he was walking her into her apartment building, she asked him what he was doing for Christmas and when he had said he was staying home Grace invited him to her family’s house for the holiday.

x-x-x-x

Matty picked Grace up from her apartment and drove thirty minutes to a rural area where a small house was perfectly decorated for Christmas. He stepped out of the car. Grace, already out of the car, stood looking at the house in front of him.

"You ready?" Grace took his hand.

"Not really. I would much rather play in the snow first!" He joked.

But Grace hadn't taken it that way. She took a bunch of snow in her hand and plopped it right on the top of his head.

Matty jumped with surprise at the snow that had been put on his head. "Oh, you are going to pay for that one, Grace!" He yelled, then ran and tackled her in a pile of soft snow. They laughed and wrestled in the snow for a few minutes.

"Grace Ann! What in God's name are you doing playing around like a six year-old?” Chided an older voice, bringing Grace and Matty to their feet.

"Hi Mom." Grace took a step forward, then pushed Matty back into the snow for no good reason. "Mom I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Matty," She stifled a giggle as Matty came over with snow all in his hair. "And Matty this is my mom, Joanna Jenkins."

Matty held out his hand for her to shake but she only looked down in disgust. "I have made dinner and it is getting cold. I was waiting for you two to get here and I come out to find you playing in the damn snow!" Her words tailed off as she walked inside the house.

Over dinner Matty had found out a lot more about Grace. She was good at everything she did, but her favorite was sports and music. She had played every sport she could: volleyball, basketball, softball, track, soccer, and even a little bit of flag football and ice hockey. She had won trophies and medals in all those sports but her mom threw them into a box and stuffed it in the attack along with her drums and guitar.

Grace's mom was much more focused on her being like her older brother, Thomas, who was a very successful doctor, and her sister, Marci, who was a lawyer in Maine or Maryland. Grace told her mom that she was a stockbroker and one of the best in her office but her mom had laughed and asked Grace if she was kidding which of course she wasn't. This brought a scowl from her mother.

After dinner most of Grace's family had gone to their rooms as if knowing that Mrs. Jenkins was just getting started.

"Other than the fact that you have the worst job in the world, honey, I see you've also lost your sense of fashion."

"Mom, why in the world would you say that?"

"Because your hair makes me want to throw up, and your clothes are even worse.

I spit up in my mouth when I look at you!"

Matty sat quietly in the corner, transfixed at how mean Grace's mom was.

"Mother," Grace stood up furiously, "There is no need to be rude!"

"Darling, I haven't even begun to be rude. I was going to start with you looking a little bit heavy but I thought the fashion would be a better start."

"Ugh, you do this to me every time I come and visit. 'Grace you look like this and Grace why don't you find a real job'. Rude! Rude! Rude! Matty and I are leaving. We will spend Christmas with Sam's family. They are much more like my family than you!" She grabbed her coat and Matty's hand and headed for the door.

x-x-x-x

"Sorry Matty. I just couldn't handle it anymore." Grace as they backed out of the drive way.

Matty smiled, "I was actually happy when you finally told her we were leaving. The look on her face was priceless. It was like she had no idea you would say that to her!"

"I wouldn't have."

Silence fell between them. They drove along listening faint sound of the car radio.

"Matty, I meant to ask you this the other day but what do you do?" Grace looked over at him and noticed his face grew concerned. "I mean, you never seem to have to be anywhere or do anything. Are you a millionaire or something?"

Matty laughed, and scratched the back of his head uneasily. "Well, um, I was hoping I could tell you over some fancy dinner instead or in a lame ford truck but I guess there is no time like the present."

Grace nodded and waited staring at him.

"I am in the Army," He said bluntly, fighting the urge to look at her.

She sat speechless. A cloud moved and the moon shun into the car and she smiled. "My grandpa was a solider. My grandma always told me this story about her and grandpa."

Matty glanced over at her as she begun to tell him the story. "He was just about to ship out for the first time and she was crying like a baby. He had to leave the night before because it was a long drive so he looked up at the full moon and said. 'Every night look up at the moon and the stars and tell it to tell me you love me and every night I will tell it the same thing.' My grandma had done just that, told the moon she loved me grandpa."

Tears formed in Grace's eyes, "My grandpa's squadron were bombed. When they found him he was holding this tin lunch box which held a letter he'd written to my grandma. It said he'd looked at the moon every night no matter where he was and told it he loved her and he will always love her. I believe he is up there in heaven today waiting for her to come home. My grandma still tells the moon she loves him."

By the time Matty pulled into his condos parking lot, he had tears in his eyes. "Wow, Grace that was beautiful. I would love to meet your grandma one day. She seems like a great person."

Grace smiled and whipped away the tears from her cheeks, "Matty, do you mind if I spend the night here I don't want to spend Christmas Eve alone. I would fe-"

Matty leaned over the console and let his lips touch hers for one of his perfect kisses that she loved so much. "Of course you can. No one should be alone on Christmas or Christmas Eve."

Grace sighed in relief, "Well then. Race ya to your condo, rich kid!"