Page 9 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“Am I cutting into family time?” he asked her.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “It’s nice to have company. And the kids made pudding.”
“Now we get to decorate it,” Pixie told him importantly.
“Wow,” River said. “Well, I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
Pixie grinned at him and followed her brother into the kitchen.
“Have a seat,” Nora told River, indicating one of the stools at the tiny counter.
“Can I help with anything?” he asked.
“No, no,” she told him. “The kids have it all under control. Right, guys?”
“Yes,” John-John said. He had a little plastic bottle ofsprinkles in each hand and he was shaking them like maracas, and also shaking his little bottom with a silly smile on his face.
Pixie almost fell over laughing at the sight and Nora had to chuckle too.
When River’s deep laughter joined in, like the missing bass notes of a harmony, Nora felt a welcome warmth spread in her chest.
She headed to the fridge and grabbed the cookie tray, which held six little bowls of the vanilla pudding they had made from a mix earlier.
“Here we go,” she said, setting the tray down on the counter.
Pixie climbed up onto the other stool and John-John trotted over to join her. River started to move, as if to give up his seat, but John-John just scrambled up onto his lap.
Nora was so surprised that she didn’t say a word.
And the expression on River’s face was the most endearing mix of pride and wonder, almost like he sensed John-John’s shyness and appreciated that the boy felt comfortable with him already.
“We have to put the sprinkles on the pudding,” Pixie explained to River. “But you can’t get the sprinkle bottle into the pudding, and you don’t wanttoomany sprinkles. So you have to be careful.”
“Youmightget the bottle in the pudding by accident,” John-John said worriedly. “But Aunt Nora can clean it off if it happens, and it’sokay.”
The boy spoke from experience. Nora hid her smile as River nodded seriously to John-John.
She watched as John-John handed his sister the greensprinkles and carefully opened the red bottle himself. Pixie held out her bottle to River.
“Oh, no,” he said with a smile. “You guys do it. I just want to watch.”
John-John frowned with concentration and shook the little bottle as gently as he could.
They had done this enough times that he had no trouble getting a nice layer of pretty red sprinkles on each bowl of pudding.
He sat back when he was finished, sagging against River’s chest in obvious relief. Pixie leaned forward over the counter and shook green sprinkles onto the puddings, making them look super festive.
“Now they’reChristmas puddings,”John-John cried happily.
“Everyone choose one,” Nora said.
John-John grabbed the nearest bowl. But Pixie studied her options carefully before making her choice.
“Let’s take them into the dining room, guys,” Nora said. “That way we can all sit.”
Pixie scrambled down with her treat and headed to the table.
“Can I lift you down?” River asked John-John quietly.
