Page 50 of A Little Christmas Wish

Tears filled her eyes. “I love all of you as well. This is going to be the best Christmas ever, because I have all of you here.”

14

“Zippy, do you want to help me put some carrots out for the reindeer?” Betsy asked. “And some cookies and milk for Santa?”

It was Christmas Eve, a day after Zippy had tried to defend her from Ink.

She’d had another talk with Zippy about how she didn’t have to worry that anyone would hurt Betsy. That Ink was a good guy. And that she didn’t have to protect Betsy.

Betsy wasn’t sure how much of that had sunk in. But she knew that it was a process. Everything that Zippy had gone through couldn’t be erased in a few months.

Zippy gave her a cynical look, but she nodded and got up to help Betsy lay out the cookies and milk on a plate. Then, after telling Ink where they were going, they put their jackets on and went outside to lay out some carrots.

“Betsy?” Zippy asked.

“Yes?”

“You really like this Christmas stuff, huh?”

“Yes. But it’s not really about the gifts. It’s about the magic. It’s about spending time with my family. Like Ink, Baron, Royal, and you.”

Zippy frowned as she glanced up at the sky. “But I’m not really a part of the family. I’m just here for a short while. I could have to leave at any time.”

“Do you want to leave?” Betsy asked.

Zippy shook her head. “No! I want to stay.”

Betsy crouched down. “Good. Because that’s what I want too. And so do Ink and Baron and Royal.”

“But can that happen?”

“I hope so,” Betsy told her honestly. “I really want it to happen. And the next shooting star I see, I’m going to wish for the five of us to always be together.”

Zippy nodded. “Me too,” she said fiercely. Then she threw herself at Betsy, nearly knocking her over as he hugged her tight. “I love you, Betsy.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

“Come on,Button. It’s time for bed. It’s getting late and you’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

They’d spent the evening watching Christmas movies and drinking hot cocoa with whipped cream.

The kids were all in bed, but Betsy had just wanted to finish this movie.

“But I haven’t finished this movie yet.”

“You’ve watched this movie dozens of times,” he reminded her. “You know exactly how it ends.”

“I don’t think that’s the point.”

He threw her up over his shoulder.

“Ink!” she cried, laughing quietly as he headed upstairs. “What are you doing?”

“Taking my woman to bed,” he said in a low, gruff voice.

After entering the bedroom, he shut the door before laying her down on the bed and crawling over her. “Hello, beautiful.”

She blushed. “I don’t know about that.”

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