Page 15 of Sexted By Santa
I sighed. She wasn’t going to let this one go. And maybe she shouldn’t. I wanted Tori to have a normal childhood, and that included spending the night with her friends.
It was times like these I really,reallywished that our insurance covered the newer continuous glucose monitors that delivered real-time data to a smartphone. Of course, then I’d also have to find the money for a newer model phone than my incredibly dated Samsung.
“I’ll have to talk to friends’ parents,” I said reluctantly, “so that you’re safe when you spend time with them. I’ll work on putting together some information they can read too, okay?”
“Really?!” A smile broke through the tears. “You promise?”
I nodded once, dread taking up space in my chest. This was the right thing, even if it felt all wrong. “I’ll check in, though. At least the first couple of times. I want to make sure—”
“Thank you, Daddy!” Tori strangled me in a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“All right, all right,” I muttered, patting her back. “How about we head to the grocery store and pick up supplies for dinner.”
“And the cake thing?”
“And the cake thing,” I promised.
I was a sucker for my little girl. I could deny her nothing, apparently. I knew realistically that the more independent she could become, the better. She’d be living with diabetes her whole life. I couldn’t be checking over her shoulder when she was twenty.
But she’s only eight, and it’s such a big responsibility. Too much for a kid.
Still, if Tori wanted to take charge of her life—I knew I shouldn’t hold her back. I just hoped my heart could take it when she finally set up that sleepover with Madison.
“The decorations look really good,” Tori said, more generous now that she wasn’t feeling sick or mopey.
“Right? Our house could totally go in a magazine,” I enthused.
She looked skeptical. “Maybe a blog.”
“An awesome holiday home blog?”
She giggled. “Only if you make the blog, Daddy.”
“I could totally make that blog,” I said. “Then Madison would be jealous of us.”
Tori’s smile was everything as she hopped up. “I’m going to take some photos and send them to her right now. I bet she likes our reindeer!”
For as long as Tori had been alive, she’d loved reindeer, and we’d amassed quite the collection. Tall, metal reindeer, shiny ceramic reindeer, and carved, painted reindeer danced over nearly every available surface: end tables, our coffee table, and even the floor as one large one stood beside the tree like a guardian.
I kicked back for a minute of respite and smiled as Tori documented our work. Seeing her happy was everything.
I might be a single dad with a limited income. Diabetes might challenge us both daily. I had a pile of problems that weren’t going away. But as long as I could make my daughter smile like that, I knew I’d find a way to overcome anything for her.
5
CHRISTIAN
The Hayworth College campus was a perilous place during the holiday season. I stepped out of my building to go grab a sandwich after my morning classes—and a group of eager students began singingatme.
They were doing some horrible mashup of holiday lyrics, complete with bells they rang between each song change. Every one of them wore a Santa hat perched at a jaunty angle, reminding me of the costume at home that I’d rather never don again.
“We wish you a Merry Christmas!”they trilled.
“Dear god,” I muttered and turned sharply on my heel to go around them.
A series of discordant bells rang out. I picked up my pace, tucking my chin down into my wool coat. The wind was sharp, slicing right through me, as I hurried along. The sidewalks had been salted, fortunately, or I’d probably fall and add a broken leg to my holiday torments.
The campus looked like a lovely winterscape from the weekend’s snowfall—everything sparkling and white—but it’d soon all turn to dirty slush. A fitting metaphor for the season’s cheer.
