Page 136 of A Very Merry Mistake

“There they are!” Mawmaw announces.

Heads turn, and everyone cheers when they see us.

“Finally! I guess now we can eat,” Hudson says.

Colby wiggles off the couch and bolts toward me. I bend down and lift him in my arms. “Unckie!” He laughs.

“Did Santa bring you everything you wanted?”

He holds the toy in his hand. “Yes! I got this truck!”

“Sweet ride, buddy!”

“Who is that?” he asks as Claire grins at him.

“Oh, this is my girlfriend, Claire,” I tell him.

“My friends call me CeCe, though,” she says, and he turns his head and acts shy.Claire holds back laughter.

“She doesn’t bite,” I tell him. “And she’s really nice. You would like her.”

He looks at me. “Does she like dinosaurs?”

“You should ask her yourself.”

Claire nods. “I love dinosaurs! My favorite is a stegosaurus! That’s the one that’s big with things on its back. It has four legs, but it could also walk on two, just like you!”

Colby looks impressed. “Wow. I like T-Rex.”

“Really? Did you know their teeth were so strong that they could crush cars?”

I love watching her with him, seeing her so excited to share facts about dinosaurs.

“Whoa!” he exclaims.

“And the head of a T-Rex would have been as large as I am tall! Just his head alone!”

He looks her up and down and giggles.

“T-Rex is the coolest,” Claire says, holding out her hand, and Colby gives her a high five. He wiggles down from my arms, just like Tinsel does, and runs back to Hudson. He turns around and points at Claire as Hudson listens to him.

I wrap my arm around her and lean in to kiss her cheek. “You made his day.”

We move further into the living room and find some folding chairs off to the side. “Oh, don’t let me be rude. This is my Aunt Pamela and Uncle Jerry, my dad’s brother.”

“Nice to meet you,” Claire tells them, waving.

“Nice to meet you, too! We’ve heard so much about ya,” my uncle says. “I assume you’ve already met the girls?”

“Yes sir, I have,” Claire tells him, smiling at Wendy, Bella, and BJ.

“My dad’s other brothers couldn’t make it this year. They decided to go on a ski trip,” I explain.

“And they’re gonna have a lot of makin’ up to do when they get back,” Mawmaw adds.

She was pissed when they’d announced they were leaving for the month to spend the holidays in the Rockies. I don’t blame them, though. I love the mountains.

“Can we please eat now?” BJ asks, and when Mawmaw stands, we all get up and enter the dining room.

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