Page 136 of Tangled Hearts
Closing my eyes, I focus on the soft, crooning Christmas music flowing from the TV, the crackling of the fire, and the warmth of Beck’s body pressed to mine.
Lexi’s frustrated huff pulls me out of my relaxation, and I open my eyes to find her standing in the doorway. “Ugh. I was video chatting with Eli. What’s up?”
If this is any indication of what her teen years will be like, I might not survive them. Eli was mostly calm and contained. Lexi is fire and impulsivity and fierceness. I love her for it, but I wish she’d save it for good and that we got just a bit less of it.
Beck chuckles. “Well, I was hoping we could open a present together and do our Christmas Eve tradition.”
I study her sour face. Three… Two… A blinding smile overtakes her scowl as she tosses her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. She doesn’t give Beck nearly the attitude she gives me. He gets his fair share, but normally he just flashes her a grin and she’s folding, and this time is no exception. She rolls her eyes, still smiling. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Beck stands, moving to sit under the tree. I join him as Lexi makes her way over. “Who’s gonna play Santa this year?” I ask, looking between the two of them.
Lexi shrugs, then waves her hand toward me. “You should, Dad. I was last year.”
Exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve is symbolic more than anything, since we always open a pair of Christmas-themed pjs. I reach under the tree, raising my eyebrows to make Lexi laugh as I pull out the box I know her Christmas Eve gift is in. I hand it to her, then grab Beck’s and my own.
When we’re all three holding our gifts, Beck starts his countdown from ten. With each number, he gets more animated, changing his voice and being goofy. Lexi’s smile grows until she’s giggling, and I can’t help but laugh too. I adore this.
When Beck hits zero, we all tear into our gifts, wrapping paper and bows flying as we rush to open them.
I hold up my silly Christmas pjs. This year, we had Eli pick them out for us, so none of us knew what we had. Turns out, mine is Rudolph printed, complete with blinking red noses on the pants. I can’t believe there’s actually a market for light-up clothing.
I shake my head with a laugh. Eli must have had fun with this. Lexi holds hers up, grinning like a loon. She’s been on a Nightmare Before Christmas kick, and once again, I’m awed by how well Eli knows her and by how much he cares for her.
“Well, what are yours?” I ask, glancing at Beck. He’s got them tucked into his arms, holding them against his chest. The flush on his cheeks has me suspicious. The man hardly ever blushes. “Well, let us see.”
“Yeah, Dad. Let us see.”
Beck shakes his head, letting out a nervous little laugh, but he holds them up in the air. It’s… “Holy crap.” I burst out laughing. “Why would he buy you that?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“We don’t have to wear them tonight,” Beck says smoothly, tucking the pjs back against his chest.
Lexi gasps in mock outrage. “No. That’s against the rules. The tradition states that we have to open our Christmas pjs and thenput them on.”
“She’s got a point, baby.”
Beck narrows his eyes at me. “I’m not wearing these, beautiful.”
“Fine,” Lexi says, pouting. “I’ll just call Eli and tell him you don’t like them.” She hops up with a little sniffle. I know it’s a show. She’s trying to play him like a fiddle, and when he jumps up after her, I know it’s working.
“No. Oh no. I’ll wear them. I’ll go get changed now, okay?”
Lexi sniffles, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, and then she nods at him. “Okay. Thank you, Dad.”
“I’ll go change now,” Beck repeats, rushing from the room.
I can barely hold back my laughter until I hear the click of our bedroom door shutting. “You played him,” I say, chuckling at Lexi’s triumphant grin.
“I’m gonna go change, Dad. Be right back.” She doesn’t even wait for a response before she’s skipping off down the hallway.
Since tradition states that we can’t see each other in our pjs until we’re all three dressed, I step into the hall bathroom to change.
By the time I’ve got my pjs on and I’m walking into the living room, Beck is already there.
“Aww, baby. You look adorable.”
Beck glares at me, crossing his arms over his chest. His fuzzy pink chest. He pulls his hood up over his head, trying to hide from me, but all it does is make me laugh more. “I can’t believe he bought you that.”
“I know,” Beck says, groaning. The get-upiscute, if not a little out of place on my forty-two-year-old husband.
