Page 52 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
I clasped my hands together. “I don’t know why, but I thought it would be nice to have some appetizers while we decorate the tree.”
“Brilliant idea,” Nick said before going to the tray, smearing some brie cheese on a cracker, adding a dollop of jelly, and popping it in his mouth. He nodded appreciatively and said again, “Brilliant idea.”
It wasn’t long before Cal pulled two big boxes of ornaments out from storage. Cal and I worked carefully to put the lights on, and then the garland, and then it was ready for the fun part: the ornaments.
Most of the ornaments Cal and his family owned were mismatched and in varying conditions. Some were pristine, like the ones covered in glitter, and I assumed those were more recent purchases. Others had worn paint, scratched faces, or dented corners. My favorite ones were the ones that had been crafted by hand.
Most of the homemade ones had been made by Asher over the years. Every time Cal picked one out of the box, he insisted he be the one to hang it up. Cal’s face lit up whenever he discovered one of his son’s creations, no matter how utterly terrible it was, like the one from Asher’s second birthday which was just a folded-up piece of blue construction paper. Cal adored it and treated it like it was the most expensive item on the tree.
It made Asher glow as brightly as the lights on the tree.
Even though I still felt like I didn’t know Cal, I did know one thing for certain: he was a great father.
Once the tree was jam packed with ornaments, the cheese platter was coincidentally empty. Nick went and poured three glasses of rich red wine and brought them out to us while Asher sipped on a glass of chocolate milk. Cal called and ordered pizza, and the four of us sat on the massive, cream-colored couch with all the lights off except for the tree.
It was magical.
I lifted my glass to my lips and took a sip. As I held it up, I could see the tree through the base of the wineglass. The lights seemed to dance and jump and scatter, and when I lowered the glass again, I found myself smiling.
The moment was perfect. Even though I had no memory, no family, and no idea what I was going to do next, I was somehow content. Safe. At ease.
The home felt comfortable to me. The tree and the lights felt right. Christmas was in the air all around us.
Asher sighed and rested his cheek on Cal’s shoulder. “I’m hungry.”
“Pizza will be here soon, kiddo.”
“After we eat, can we put the stockings up?” he asked.
Cal shook his head. “You know the tradition. The stockings go up on Christmas Eve.”
“Right,” Asher said before indulging himself in a long, deep yawn.
Cal glanced over at me. “How are you doing?”
I smiled. “Really good. Thank you. All of you. For letting me be part of your holidays this year.”
“Of course,” Cal said.
“It’s our pleasure,” Nick offered.
“You are part of the family now, Lina,” Asher said, grinning up at me with droopy eyes. He’d had a long day. So had I. A long but good day.
Cal nudged the toe of my boot under the table to get my attention. Then he leaned forward a bit. “I’m going to take you out tomorrow. Somewhere that might help you remember.”
I nodded. “I’d like that.”
21
CALLUM
Christmas Eve
Asher slid the last stocking on the string before I secured it to the hooks mounted beneath the mantle on the fireplace. We spaced them out about a foot apart, with Asher and Lina’s in the middle.
Asher had gotten up early this morning to make Lina her own stocking. She had yet to see it, and I was sure she would notice as soon as she came down the stairs. It was a beacon of sparkly glitter that spelled out her name across the furry white cuff on the top of the stocking. The red velvet of the stocking itself was covered in glued-on little snowflakes. For a five-year-old’s handiwork, it wasn’t all that bad. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t all that bad.
Asher put his hands on his hips and nodded confidently. “It looks perfect. Do you think Lina will like it?”
