Page 7 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
NORA
Nora froze in the threshold for a moment looking up at the dark-haired figure in confusion before her mind supplied the information she was looking for.
Yes, I know this man.
No, it’s not Edward.
Of course she recognized River. It just took a second because he looked so different than the last time she’d seen him. He was bigger than his older brother now for one thing, his wide shoulders stretching the fabric of a lined flannel that made him look like a handsome lumberjack. The fact that he also seemed to be wearing a hula hoop on each arm only made things more confusing. He still had the same dark hair and sharp jaw, but where Edward’s eyes were icy blue, River’s were warm and brown.
And right now, they were filled with worry.
“River,” she murmured, stepping back automatically. “Come in.”
It was only when she had to take a second step back that she realized how much he was carrying. In addition to the hula hoops over his shoulders, he also held a large bag in each hand.
“You havetoys,” Pixie announced excitedly.
“Toys,” John-John echoed from behind her.
River’s face lit up as he turned to the kids, and it was suddenly easy for her to see the young man she had known years before.
There he is.
“I, uh, did bring a couple of things,” he said, his dark eyes sliding over to Nora’s. “Is it okay to share them now?”
“Sure,” she said, feeling pleased that he’d thought to ask, instead of just handing the toys over.
“Okay, guys,” he said, sliding the hula hoops off his arms and crouching down to hand over a bag and a hoop to each child. “Here you go.”
“Wow,”Pixie yelled, pulling a gigantic container of bubbles with a fancy wand out of the bag.
John-John had already dumped his bag on the floor and was crouched over his new treasures, looking delighted.
“A Frisbee,”John-John announced. “A water blaster, a big, big thing of bubbles.”
“This is so kind of you,” Nora said, turning to River.
“You can really tell I didn’t grow up in the city,” he said, frowning as he watched the kids with their new things. “Sorry.”
“Can we have a water war?” John-John asked, looking to Nora with shining eyes.
She scanned the rest of the stuff and realized thatRiver was right. They definitely couldn’t use any of it inside.
Pixie was already stepping into the hula hoop. She was standing right beside the glass table where Edward’s crystal awards from work were still displayed. And it wasn’t like there was really any better place for her to try it out.
“These are theperfecttoys to bring to the park tomorrow,” Nora told the kids quickly. “How exciting. Let’s put them back in the bags and leave them by the door so we don’t forget them.”
“My blaster,” John-John said sadly.
“I have an idea,” Nora told him. “Should we try it out in the bathtub tonight? We can make sure it’s working really well for the park tomorrow.”
“Yeah,”John-John said happily.
“Okay, great,” Nora said, relieved that she had found a compromise. “Everyone who wants to test out their water blaster, go put it in the bathroom. And then pack up the rest and put it by the door. You guys are going to have the best park trip ever.”
Pixie and John-John beamed and scampered off to do her bidding. But Pixie stopped about halfway down the hall and darted back into the room.
“Thank you for the toys,” she said politely to River. “What’s your name?”
