Page 7 of Wrapped Up in Holly

“Merry Christmas, Holly.”

“Merry Christmas, Evan.”

Evan

“Can I hold the money?” Ari asked, her head tilted up to me as we crossed the parking lot to Target’s entrance. Every year, the girls were given twenty dollars in cash from my parents to buy Christmas presents. As if forty bucks had any real value anymore, and I wasn’t actually paying for everything on my credit card.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll lose it.”

She growled—literally growled—at me and attempted to wriggle her hand out of mine. Probably so she could stomp away.

“Nope. Nope. Nope. Stay with me. Riley, off the circle.”

“Sphere!” she corrected, spinning on top of the big red concrete ball.

“Sphere, whatever. Just get off. You’ll hurt yourself.”

She huffed, and not even five minutes into our shopping adventure, I had two angry little girls on my hands.

What else was new?

“Stay with me,” I said again as we passed through the automatic doors, since Riley was getting ready to sprint toward the carts, most likely planning to surf on the back of one. “It’s too busy for you guys to be running around like monkeys.”

Ari ripped her unicorn hat off her head and chucked it at me, followed immediately by her coat. “Hold it, Daddy.”

I raised my brow at her. “That’s how you ask?”

She smiled her most innocent smile. “Please hold ’em for me, Daddy.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I said with a ruffle to her hair and pointed to the red cart Riley was trying and failing to disentangle from the rest. “Hand on the cart at all times.”

“But—”

“No buts. One hand on the cart at all times.”

She scowled yet stayed silent as I helped Riley with the cart.

“I’m driving,” she told me, and I tossed Ari’s coat and hat in it before gesturing for her to steer it ahead of me. Ari curled her little hand around the side, and I dutifully followed behind them as they searched for Christmas gifts.

This was their favorite thing to do. Buying presents. They both enjoyed finding the perfect thing for all their aunts and uncles, but especially their mom. Their first stop was the booksection for their Aunt Claire then the gadgets, where they chose a sparkly pop socket for their Aunt Rosie.

Riley held up some new version ofAnimal Crossingfor Switch. “How ’bout this for Uncle Aiden?”

“You think Uncle Aiden wants that? Or do you want to play it?” I asked, and she giggled, putting it back.

My brother was a gamer, and Riley had been begging us for a Switch for a while. Santa would finally be bringing it for her this year.

“Come on,” I said, pushing the cart away from all the games and televisions since Riley had already given up on driving it. “Let’s keep going.”

We perused the game boards and toys, and they not so subtly pointed out everything they wanted before I finally convinced them to continue our shopping for other people, the real reason we were here. They chose a wallet for their Uncle Aiden, a set of notebooks for their Aunt Julie, and matching socks for their Uncles Ryan and Tristan. The girls insisted all their gifts matched because they were twins. For Mimi and Pop, they picked out a set of hot chocolate bombs along with coffee mugs.

But when it came to their mother, they couldn’t decide.

“What are you getting her, Daddy?” Ari asked, and I took in my younger daughter’s face that was almost a spitting image of mine.

---