Page 69 of Stay this Christmas
“Good idea, you’re running low on those,” Sam said.
“I know what I like.”
And for good or bad, I still liked spending time with Sam more than I liked anything else.
TWENTY-ONE
sam
Harper and Ihad managed to scrub the last specks of chocolate sauce off of Finn and Willa’s faces before their turn came to sit on Santa’s lap. Following Ava’s instructions, I’d had them go together, and thankfully, they’d behaved like little angels in their effort to impress the big guy. We snapped pictures from different angles, capturing more than enough candids and posed shots to please my dad’s wife. Hopefully, anyway.
“I can’t wait to see my doll.” Willa walked between Harper and me, holding our hands and swinging our arms.
“What will you name her?” Harper asked.
“Hallelujah.”
Harper’s eyes darted to mine, a smile twisting her lips. “Good name.”
“What time are Mom and Dad getting us?” Finn asked.
“Are you sick of me already? We’re not done yet.” More importantly, Dad and Ava weren’t done yet. Georgia had agreed to get the littles out of their hair and away from the toy store for a couple of hours. We still had a while yet to go before it would be time to meet up with them at Dogeared.
“Don’t you want to see the decorations?” Willa said, the middle R pronounced like a W.Decowations. “Look at that tree!”
She pointed across town square at a ten-foot-tall Christmas tree lit up in front of a realtor’s office. Her enthusiasm seemed limitless—we’d seen about a dozen Christmas trees so far tonight, and she’d been impressed by every last one.
“Trees are boring.”
Finn sighed loudly after that downer proclamation, and I suspected I didn’t have long before the evening went fully sideways. Sure wasn’t prepared to deal with an unhappy kid when I couldn’t hand him off to his parents for another hour.
“Are wagon rides boring?” I asked.
All three of my companions gave little squeals of delight, Harper the loudest of all. Her pure joy curled through me like an endless spiral staircase, my own happiness climbing up, up, up. We herded our little group to the other side of town square where a line waited. More standing around wasn’t anybody’s top pick for the evening, but thankfully, the line was short.
“After wagon rides, we’ll visit Georgia in the bookstore.”
“Georgia’s my big sister,” Willa said, craning her neck to look up at Harper.
“She knows,” Finn said from my other side.
“She gives me toenail parties and cupcakes.”
Harper glanced at me, but I was about as baffled as she looked by that info.
“What are toenail parties?” Harper asked.
“It’s when she paints my toes.” Willa kicked a foot in front of her to demonstrate.
“My big sister used to paint my toenails, too.”
Harper’s sweet smile made my chest contract and swell at the same time. I knew she’d be good with the kids, but I hadn’t counted on what seeing that would do to me. Crazy longings took root deep in my chest, painting visions of the future I’d come home to find.
“She’s a good big sister,” Willa said, more to herself than us. “And now, I have two big brothers.”
“You always had two big brothers,” I said, shaking her hand in mine.
She hitched a shoulder in disagreement, the little move a silent, stinging rebuke. I’d come home once or twice a year at most, maybe even less since she’d been born. Never stayed more than a few days. Couldn’t be surprised she didn’t think much of the memories of me she’d had so far. Why not consider me a new brother? I sure hadn’t acted like one before now.
