Page 29 of Decorated

“Looking good,” he told the angel girl once he’d fastened the back of her costume. “Do you have your halo?”

“Right here,” the girl said, beaming at him as she reached for a headband with wires attaching a tinsel halo on the table by the side.

“Okay, who’s next?” Alfie asked, clapping his hands together and turning to face the rest of the kids.

“Me!” one of the other girls shouted. “I’m a Christmas fairy, but I need help with my wings.”

“Then you’ve come to the right place,” Alfie said, stepping around the angel as she donned her halo headband. “I’ve flown planes before, so I know a lot about wings.”

Several of the kids gasped.

“Are you a pilot?” one boy asked, his eyes wide with awe.

“He’s in the Royal Air Force,” another boy said, sounding a bit snooty. “My uncle is in the RAF, too.”

“Wow! Do you fly fighter jets?” one of the girls asked.

Alfie laughed. “I get asked that all the time,” he said. “But no, I was part of the crew that flew supply planes.”

He reached the Christmas fairy, who handed him her wings, then crouched down to fasten the wings to her back.

“Have you ever been in a war?” the first boy asked, abandoning his costume prep to gather around Alfie with the others.

Blaine almost felt like he’d been pushed out by a pack, but was so fascinated just with watching Alfie interact with kids like it was second nature to mind.

“I was,” Alfie answered gravely. “I was part of operations in Afghanistan, but that’s all I can say about that.”

“Look, he has a commendation for his service there. That’s what that pin right there means,” the boy whose uncle was also in the RAF said, pointing to one of the bars on the front of Alfie’s uniform.

Blaine felt a little stupid for not knowing that’s what those pins were.

Those stupid feelings quickly vanished under the pure fascination of watching Alfie at work.

“Who else has wings or a costume that needs help?” he asked, standing.

“Me! Me!” several of the kids called out or waved a hand in the air.

Blaine had half a mind to ask for Alfie’s help with something, too. Even when the swarm of kids closed in on him, everyone needing help of one kind or another, Alfie looked completely calm and unfussed. Blaine almost forgot he was supposed to be helping, he was having so much fun.

“Have you ever thought of doing something with kids?” Blaine asked fifteen minutes or so later, once all the kids were in their costumes, waiting by the side of the dais at the front of the room. He and Alfie were waiting with them, even though Rebecca was the one in charge of the Christmas show.

Alfie huffed a laugh and turned to him just as he crossed his arms. “Yeah, I’ve thought of it.”

Blaine’s brow shot up. His words were a contrast to the tough, solid way he stood as they waited for Rebecca to start the program. “Really?” he asked. “In what way?”

“I don’t know,” Alfie said, frowning. His look was far away again, which made Blaine feel guilty for not asking more about what was going on in his life. Alfie already knew so much about him, the least he could do was be interested in his life in return.

“Have you ever thought about having kids of your own?” he asked, going warm as the idea wrapped itself around him.

Before Alfie could answer, Rebecca came over to them and said, “Okay, is everybody ready for the program?”

“Yeah! Yes!” Several of the kids answered, getting excited.

“Right, well, take your places and we’ll get things started in just a minute,” Rebecca said, gesturing for the kids to move on. “Thanks, guys,” she told Blaine and Alfie.

“You’re very welcome,” Alfie replied with a nod.

In the shuffle to get the kids where they were going, Blaine and Alfie had to step back and move out of the way. They ended up slightly behind the other end of the line of rainbow Christmas trees, then had to step under a decorated trellis archway Blaine had added to the décor at the last minute.

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