Page 111 of When in December

The doorbell rang.

I hopped once, unable to contain the nerves and excitement. They were here already.

Aaron looked me up and down and chuckled.

“Go answer the door.” I waved him off.

This was it. This was the culmination of the days I had put into this house over the past month. It’d all come together—not only for it to be cozy and livable, but also for this holiday, which I hoped they’d remember for a long time. And not because I was still worried about accidentally burning their morning rolls.

Every detail had to be right for today. And tomorrow. But today especially.

My last day in the cabin.

“Uncle Aaron!” Liana called, her voice carrying through the house.

Oz rushed past me from where he was sitting, hoping I’d drop something. He raced toward the action. I brushed off my hands on a towel, turning the oven off, but leaving the buns inside. I peeked around the corner to the living room.

Sarah entered behind her daughter, her face breaking into a wide grin. Behind Sarah, the rest of the family spilled out of the car, each one radiating a mix of holiday cheer and relief at finally arriving at the cozy cabin.

“Whoa! This is ah-mazing!” Gavin screamed as he raced inside, straight into Oz, who was more than excited to greet him. Gavin responded with a shout and a bubble of laughter. “Down, Ozzy. Ozzy!”

Sarah shook her head, peering around in complete and utter awe. She covered her mouth with the top of her hand, unbelieving.

Her husband, Nathan—with perfectly groomed hair swept over to one side of his head and glasses that reminded me ofSimon’s pair, but Nathan pulled it off much better—walked in behind her. His arms were full of duffel bags and a tote of presents.

I took that as my cue to rush forward, easily taking them from him.

“Oh, thanks,” he said, not seeing me first before handing a few things over.

“Not a problem in the least.”

I moved everything back to the two guest rooms, the smaller one for the kids. I dropped all the bags into the larger one until they could figure out whose stuff was which. However, I had a good feeling the race car bag was Gavin’s from what I remembered from the kids’ last visit.

By the time I made it back out into the main area, I was able to watch Nathan’s eyes widen, along with the rest of the family’s Each of them slowly turned around the space as if they needed to take it all in, all at once.

“Wow, they really managed to fix up this place.”

I smiled, listening to their amazement at how the place came together as I stuck the bag of presents in the hall closet. I’d let Sarah and Nathan know where they were before I left so they could sneak them under the tree before morning.

Hugs were exchanged, much to Aaron’s obvious chagrin. Soon, the front door was shut, and everyone was inside, savoring the warmth. Sarah’s eyes continued to sweep over the carefully arranged decorations, the twinkling lights around the tree, and the spread of treats on the table.

I really should get those cinnamon rolls out of the oven. As I carefully moved past everyone toward the kitchen, Aaron’s sister caught my hand.

Did she grab the wrong person?

Sarah looked directly at me.

“It’s perfect,” Sarah whispered, squeezing my hand once.

My heart swelled in my chest. I smiled, glancing at Aaron. Was he smiling as well?

I beamed.

Sarah watched the exchange.

I turned my attention to her. “If anything is missing, please let me know. I’ll head out and be out of your hair in a bit so that you can enjoy your family holiday together.”

Sarah’s brows lowered as she looked again between Aaron and me. I mean, I knew I’d been here the other day when she picked up the kids, and she might’ve assumed that something irregular was going on between us, but I didn’t want her to think?—

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