Page 88 of The Santa Rules
I chuckle at his astute observation. “I’ve noticed.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Bella says.
“Open it,” I say, gesturing to the giant box in front of her.
Everyone else has opened all their gifts, but Bella had insisted that she would go last. She eyes the box up and down, trying to determine the best course of action. “I’m pretty proud of the wrap—” Before I can finish complimenting my own wrapping skills, Bella tears into the box as little scraps of paper fly all around her. It’s almost comical the way her arms areflailing as she continues ripping, but I see the minute she reveals enough of what’s underneath.
“Oh my God, Hardy. Is this—is this a giantDie Hardinflatable of Nakatomi Plaza exploding?”
There’s a stupid grin on my face as she scrambles to get up, nearly slipping on a large piece of wrapping paper as she runs over and throws herself into my arms.
“Does this mean we aren’t going discount inflatable shopping tomorrow?”
“We can still go, but I wanted you to have something to add to your Christmas collection.”
“So, you admit thatDie Hardis a Christmas movie?”
I nod my head. “Die Hardis a Christmas movie.”
She presses her lips against my ear, squeezing me into a tight hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you utter sexier words.”
Leaning back, I kiss her nose and then nod toward Isaac. “There’s one more thing. Isaac made you something.”
She climbs off my lap and walks over to Isaac as he hands her his phone. “What am I looking at?”
“Hey, Avery, you should go put your princess dress on and show Bella,” I suggest. “I bet it will look great next to the sparkly palace.”
“That’s a great idea,” she says, taking off for the stairs.
Bella’s brow pinches. “I’ve seen that dress before.”
“I know. I just needed her to be preoccupied for a minute.”
Isaac points to an app on his phone. “Tap the app with Santa on it.”
She follows his instructions, and it’s obvious she hasn’t figured out yet what she’s holding.
“This is cool. Are these like little Santa games? Did you build this for Avery?”
“Kinda?” Isaac says.
“Keep exploring,” I say.
“So kids play the games and earn nice points? And they can do chores and read stories to earn points too?”
“Yup. Now, hit the icon in the top corner of the screen.”
She frowns. “It’s asking for a password.”
“Type 1234,” Isaac says.
“You guys, what is this?” She swipes excitedly through the different screens. “Is this what I think it is?”
Isaac looks at me, his grin as big as mine.
“Did you build me an app for The Santa Rules?”
“Isaac did,” I say, full of pride for the kid.
