Page 30 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

The children erupted in cheers, Luna’s voice among the loudest. We moved en masse to the great room, where stockings hung from the mantle—including ones marked with Luna’s name and mine like she’d said.

Buck and Cord both played Santa, distributing gifts with theatrical flair. Luna’s eyes grew impossibly wider as a pile began to form in front of her—packages wrapped in colorful paper that she tore into with unbridled joy.

To my surprise, several appeared in front of me as well. “You shouldn’t have,” I protested softly to Flynn and Sam, who sat nearby.

“It’s nothing,” Flynn assured me. “Just a few things to make you feel welcome.”

Tears threatened again, but these were different from last night’s—born of gratitude rather than fear. I’d expected this Christmas to be difficult, spent in a strange town without the traditions Luna and I had built together with my dad and his friends who made up our hodgepodge family. Instead, we’d been welcomed with open arms, treated not as outsiders but as honored guests.

“Mommy! This one’s for you!” Luna exclaimed, bringing a small box wrapped in silver paper over to me. “It says ‘From Santa’ on it!”

I glanced questioningly at Flynn, who shrugged, equally puzzled. Luna climbed into my lap, eager to help me unwrap it. I pulled off the paper, revealing a velvet jewelry box nestled inside.

“Open it!” Luna urged, bouncing against my knees.

When I lifted the lid, my gasp echoed through the room. Resting against the dark velvet lay a stunning pendant on a delicate gold chain. The setting was deep blue, like the night sky, with a gold and diamond river winding across it beneath a crescent moon of tiny diamonds.

My breath caught as I instinctively looked up, finding Holt watching me from across the room. His expression confirmed without words that this was from him.

“It’s you and me, Mommy,” Luna said, touching the pendant with reverent fingers. “The river and the moon.”

The entire family fell silent, watching the moment unfold. I sat frozen, overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and significance of the gift.

“Mr. Wheaton,” Luna called out. “Can you help put it on my mommy?”

Holt crossed the room and took the necklace from the box. I turned, lifting my hair as he fastened the clasp. His touch was warm against my neck, lingering a moment longer than necessary.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice catching.

I’d never seen a pair of eyes as warm as his were right now. “You’re welcome.”

If there weren’t so many people focused on us, my daughter included, I’d hug him after easing her off my lap.

He smiled as if he could read my mind, then rejoined his brothers as conversations resumed around us. Luna returned to her gifts, exclaiming over a stuffed unicorn identical to those on her robe.

I touched the pendant at my throat, feeling the weight of it—both literal and symbolic. No man had ever given me jewelry before, let alone something so clearly meaningful.

After our conversation last night, when he said he’d had a premonition about Luna and me needing him, I couldn’t help but wonder.

As the gift-opening continued, I watched Holt with his family—the easy way he teased his brothers, his gentle patience with the children. When he laughed, the sound rolled through me like music.

The festivities gradually shifted as the children began exploring their gifts and the adults gathered in smaller groups. I found myself momentarily alone, touching the pendant at my throat, still processing its significance.

“It suits you,” Sam said, appearing beside me with two mugs of hot chocolate. She offered one to me. “I thought you might like the adult version again today,” she added with a wink.

“Thanks,” I said, accepting it gratefully. “So, are you actually related to the Wheatons?”

Sam tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “Through my grandmother Pilar—your aunt. It’s complicated, but yes, I’m a distant cousin to them on their mother’s side. My great-grandmother Cena was from the Rooker family, who were related to the Wheatons.”

“Family trees make my head spin,” I admitted.

“Mine too.” She smiled. “It’s still strange to me. It was just my mom and me when I was growing up. I never knew my dad. Then I find out I have this whole extended family I never knew about.”

I studied her face, recognizing something of myself in her expression. “I know what you mean.”

Sam glanced across the room to my daughter, who was showing her new stuffed animal to Buckaroo. “She’s beautiful, Keltie. You’ve done an amazing job with her.”

“I try,” I said, my voice catching. “Some days are harder than others.”

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