Page 19 of A Collier First Christmas
Determined not to freak out about it, I put on a smile and said, “Come on. We have work to do if we’re going to pull this Christmas off.”
Thomas
Chapter 10
I was still in shock that Lily had left the baby with me. I was happy for the change, but also a little concerned about my mate.
I had a meeting with Luke Larken, my Beta. I certainly hadn’t planned on having Cammie in tow for it, but there was no way in hell I was telling Lily no. I couldn’t even believe she’d said yes when I offered.
I pulled up to the house already decorated inside and out for Christmas. Mom had always gone all out for Christmas and I had fond memories of it from my childhood. There were some years that just weren’t the same though. Like times after my sister Maddie had gone missing when Mom couldn’t even muster up the energy to get out of bed, let alone celebrate a holiday.
I’d try to pitch in on those years, but she was just so sad that it made me angry, mostly at Maddie for leaving us. Christmas had never been the same for me even though my mother had found her holiday cheer once again.
Since Lily came into my life, I’d walked through the motions of celebration, but mostly I let Mom handle things. We’d celebrate at the Alpha house with my siblings and their growing families. I hadn’t thought anything of it and Lily had never once complained.
As for the Pack, I made sure the streets were decorated with lights and that had seemed enough… until now.
This year felt like everything was different. Lily suddenly wanted to go out of her way to do all the things, and there was no way I wouldn’t indulge her every whim possible. It was our daughter’s first Christmas and I got that it was a big deal, but Christmas just didn’t excite me anymore and it hadn’t for a very long time.
I looked down at the baby I was carrying into the house I’d grown up in and sighed. I was going to have to try to muster up a little Christmas cheer even if just for her. My daughter deserved all the warm and loving memories of Christmas that I once had experienced as a child.
“Thomas is that you?” my mother yelled from the kitchen.
“Yes, Mom.”
“Come try these muffins I just baked,” she said as I unstrapped the baby and carried her back towards my mother’s voice. “They’re orange cranberry.”
She practically stuffed it into my mouth the second I walked in and then she froze as her jaw dropped.
“Cammie!” she practically squealed. “I didn’t know Lily was coming with you today. I thought she was helping out in town.”
I finished chewing the tangy sweet muffin and swallowed.
“She is,” I confirmed.
“She left the baby with you?”
My mother sounded so astonished that I had to laugh.
“I am her father,” I reminded her.
“I know that. Don’t be ridiculous,” she said giving me a stern look.
I knew Mom had rarely been given the opportunity to hold Cammie and I could see she was itching to do so now.
“I have a meeting with Luke this morning. Would you be interested in a little Grandma, granddaughter time? It would really help me out.”
She looked uncertain for a moment. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Mom, it’s fine. Lily even told me to get your help if I needed.”
“And you need it?” she asked gleefully.
“No, but I think you do,” I said passing Cammie into her awaiting arms.
I left to go retrieve the cooler bag of breastmilk in the diaper bag and put it into the refrigerator.
“Lily topped her off before we left, but if she gets fussy or my meeting runs late and she’s ready for lunch, there’s milk in this bag. Just heat it up on the stove top, not the microwave.”
