Page 104 of Single Mom's Christmas Wish

“Have you decided on a name yet?” Chelsea asks.

Maisie and Trevor inch closer, their eyes wide as they admire their little sister. They keep talking to one another in a low voice, and I can’t hear a thing they’re saying, but I’m just too happy to see them getting along to even care if they’re plotting to take over the world or something.

Trevor has been such a good older brother to Maisie, and Maisie has learned to be more patient with him, especially in the past few months. They’re still a work in progress, but we do our part as parents to make sure that our children have all the room they need to feel loved and free to express themselves.

It will take some time for us to fully adjust to this new formula, yet I am anything but scared. Ever since our wedding day, the universe has been settling around us, one layer at a time. The chaos and confusion I came from are gone as is Keith. I don’t know what Maddox said to the man, but when I filed to remove his parental rights altogether so that Archer could adopt Maisie along with Trevor, Keith didn’t object. He simply signed the papers and sent them back to me without a single word.

“A name? Not yet.”

“Don’t you have some ideas?” Chelsea’s eyebrows pop up. “You’ve been googling name meanings incessantly over the past couple of months.”

“Yeah, and we’re stuck on four possibilities,” Archer groans as he relinquishes his hold over our baby so that Maddox can enjoy her, too. “Because nothing will ever come smooth and easy in this family. Clearly.”

Maisie raises a hand, grabbing our attention. “How about Sally?”

“Wow, she went straight for the feels with that one,” Archer mumbles, genuinely impressed.

“Well, you loved Grandma Sally,” Maisie says with a soft shrug.

I hear a knock on the door, and I look to see Callie standing in the doorway.

“Hi. Sorry to interrupt,” she says in a low voice. Regret drips from her tone. Her brown eyes are bigger than ever as she takes in the whole room. Every single one of us eyes her suspiciously, measuring her from head to toe. “I wanted to come by and congratulate you.”

Her red hair is combed in a tight, conservative bun. She’s wearing camel-brown slacks and a white blouse, clean and loose-fitting, complete with a pair of cream moccasins and an ivory tote bag. She wears no jewelry and barely any makeup. Something is noticeably different about Callie, and I am trying to quickly figure out what it is. I don’t trust her; therefore, I have to size her up in record time.

“How did you know we were here?” I ask, my brow furrowed as I reach over to Maddox, quietly asking for my baby back.

“I made some calls,” Callie sighs, her shoulders dropping. “Can we talk?”

“Now?”

“It would be ideal while I still have the courage.”

I look over to the guys and notice how relaxed they are. Technically speaking, Callie isn’t a threat anymore. She didn’t object to the inheritance once Rawlings notified her of the impromptu wedding. She hasn’t been in touch since, though I did notice her among the viewers of my social media stories andposts over the past few months. She hasn’t caused any issues in a long time, so I can’t help but wonder what this is about.

Chelsea sighs deeply. “What do you want us to do, Dakota?” Her tone is flat and unwelcoming, but Callie isn’t deterred. She keeps her chin up and quietly waits for my decision.

“Give us a minute,” I say.

Smoothly, Archer, Reed, and Maddox are the first to get up. They take Trevor and Maisie with them while Chelsea opens the paper box and points out some of the items inside. “There’s food here. Your favorite Cajun fries and crispy chicken, Nola sauce, plus a couple of butter biscuits. You should eat.”

“Thanks. I could smell all of it from the minute you walked in,” I giggle.

“I’ll be right outside,” Chelsea feels the need to underline this particular detail while giving Callie the glare from hell. “Right. Outside.”

She walks past Callie and carefully shuts the door behind her. My baby girl is sound asleep. A minute passes in heavy silence as my sister takes a good look at me and the little bundle of joy in my arms.

“You gave birth what, just a few hours ago?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“And yet she’s the tired one,” Callie replies with a wry smile.

I chuckle softly. “Right? It’s like she did all the hard work.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“What are you doing here, Callie? We’re not friends. We’re only half-sisters because we share similar DNA. And after what you did—”

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