Page 31 of Unexpected Gifts

“Yep. My mother’s saved us.”

She looked up at him, touched by the sincerity in his voice. “She seems to be saving me too. Both of you.”

“Nah, you don’t need saving.” Luke discreetly took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Abby was certain he was incorrect but kept it to herself.

“What about this one?” Jack asked, jumping up and down while pointing at the largest tree on the lot.

“You'd need a ladder to decorate a tree like that,” Luke teased, his breath visible in the frigid air. “And I don’t think it’ll fit through your front or back door.”

“We could leave it outside,” Jack said.

“I’m not sure that serves our purposes.” Abby laughed. “Let’s find one a little smaller.”

“Yeah, okay.” Jack ran off, clearly not loyal to his first choice.

“What about this one?” Sophie asked quietly, pointing to a short, fat tree.

“It has a nice shape,” Abby said. “But it’s kind of short. Let’s look at the next row.”

Luke and Lily, hand in hand, led the way to the next batch. Sophie stayed close to Abby, and they discussed each one they passed until Jack shouted that he had found the perfect tree. They hurried over to see. Abby had to agree. It was the rightheight and girth, with shiny needles and branches that had been trimmed perfectly for the hanging of ornaments.

“It’s great, right?” Jack’s excitement was infectious as he tugged at her sleeve. “Can we get this one?”

“What do you think, Sophie?” Abby asked.

“I like it too,” Sophie said softly. “Mom would have liked how fluffy it is.”

Abby wrapped an arm around Sophie’s shoulders, wishing she could say something that could take the sting out of all of these first events without their mother. “Then it’s a go. And now we need to find one for Grace.”

They continued looking until they discovered a tall, narrow tree perfect for the high ceilings in Grace and Walter’s front room.

“Mimi will like it,” Lily said solemnly. “She told Daddy to get a skinny one.”

“She doesn’t like it to take too much space in the living room,” Luke explained. “Because she has a thousand decorations. Anyway, I’ll tell Hank we’re ready. Jack, you want to come with me?”

He beamed with pride, clearly overjoyed to be asked to accompany Luke. For the first time, it occurred to Abby that he must crave the presence of a father figure. He’d only been a baby when his father had been killed, so most likely had no memories of him. But as Abby knew herself, one didn’t need to have met a father to miss him in one’s life.

“You don’t mind staying with Lily?” Luke asked, pulling Abby from her musings.

“No problem.”

Jack put his hand in Luke’s as they crossed the lot toward Hank. Something in that small gesture just about broke Abby’s heart. The sight of the small boy and large man was like something from a poignant painting. Or a Christmas card.

As they waited, Lily sidled closer to Abby. “Pick me up?” Lily asked.

Abby reached down and hauled the little girl into her arms. Lily was small and delicately built, fitting against Abby’s hip easily. Her mother must have been tiny because there was nothing delicate about Luke Hayes. Abby breathed in the scent of maple syrup and strawberries that emanated from the little girl.

Lily played with a lock of Abby’s hair. “I like your hair.”

“I like yours,” Abby said.

“Mimi says you’re pretty like a movie star,” Lily said.

“That’s very generous of her,” Abby said.

Abby felt rather than saw Sophie’s eyes on her. She glanced over at her and saw that Sophie watched her with curiosity and perhaps even a little trepidation. What did she see? Did it bother her that Abby was holding Lily?

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