Page 93 of Once Upon a Holidate
He walked into the house and called out a greeting. Joylyn waddled out of her bedroom, smiling when she saw him.
“Hi, Dad. How was your day?”
“Pretty good. You look more rested. Did you get some sleep?”
She nodded. “I’ve been lying down every couple of hours. Even if I only sleep for a little bit, eventually it adds up, right?”
She pointed toward his office. “A package came for you. I put it on your desk.”
He smiled. “Good. I’ve been waiting for that. Give me a second to change my clothes, then we’ll open it together.”
“Now I’m intrigued,” she said with a laugh.
“Good.”
He went into the master and put on jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. After carrying the box to the kitchen table, he cut the tape before stepping back and motioning for her to do the honors.
She gave him a quizzical look as she opened the flaps and pulled out a smaller box. She opened that, then stared at the contents.
“Oh, Dad.”
Her voice was thick with emotion, but the happy kind. She removed a small round handprint ornament she’d made when she was five or six.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, touching the smooth clay.
“I called your mom and asked if she could send along your old Christmas decorations. She was going to give them to you when the baby was born, so she had them packed up. I thought you might like to have them on the tree here—you know, to make you feel it was more like Christmas. When you go back to Phoenix, I’ll get them together so you can take them with you.”
She put down the ornament and rushed into his arms.
“Thank you so much. I love them and yes, I want them on the tree.”
“Good.”
She looked at him, her mouth curved up in a smile. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You’re my best girl, no matter how old you are.”
He carried the box into the living room and set it on the coffee table. Joylyn sat on the sofa and directed him as he hung all the ornaments. And while he liked that he was making her happy, he wasn’t thrilled to know she would be leaving him before Christmas. If he had his way, he would like her to stick around through New Year’s.
But he knew that wasn’t practical. Once Chandler was home, she would want to get back to Phoenix and have her baby there.
When he’d finished, she took several pictures of the tree. “I’m going to text them to Chandler,” she said. “He’ll be so excited. I can’t believe we’re just under two weeks away from him coming back.”
“I know you’re excited. You’ll want him close for sure.” He cleared his throat. “If you, ah, want, you two could spend a couple of nights here before heading back to Phoenix. I’d enjoy hanging out with the two of you.”
She looked up from her phone. For a second her expression was unreadable and he thought maybe he’d stepped in it, but then she smiled.
“I’d like that, Dad. Let me make sure that’s all right with Chandler. I’m sure he’ll be happy to stay. With me so pregnant, we can’t go see his family this year, so splitting my time between you and Mom makes sense.”
“I’d like that,” he said, careful to keep his tone happy but not too happy. He didn’t want to pressure her.
He held up the empty box. “I’ll store this in my office until you’re ready to leave. Are you ready for dinner?”
“I am. I already made potato salad to go with the pork chops you’re barbecuing.”
“Nice. After dinner, I’m going to work in the garage for a little bit.” He was nearly done with the bassinet.
She rolled her eyes. “Men and their garages. If we ever have one, I hope Chandler doesn’t spend as much time in his as you do.”
