Page 72 of All in December
“Can I go with him?”
“You can if you want, bud,” Nash pipes up behind me, his voice still a little raspy from sleep.
“Awesome! It’s like having friends over for Christmas!” Sam beams. “I can’t wait, then we can all play with our toys!”
I can’t help but laugh at the joy radiating off him. My heart feels like it could burst with love. Sam’s always loved Christmas, but today he’s extra excited, and that’s all I wanted for him.
Nash, Benji, and Emma have added so much extra love and joy to our lives, and knowing Sam feels the same makes this change a million times better.
“Well,” Nash says, sitting up and stretching, “you think we should check if Santa filled your stocking before we head out?”
“He did!” Sam yells, practically out of the room before Nash finishes his sentence, and I chuckle again.
“Good call on the stocking. That should help him have a little more patience than opening presents,” I compliment Nash.
“We can only hope.” He smiles back at me as we both get out of bed. Sam’s already at the fireplace, and I follow, still grinning as Nash pops into the kitchen to start the coffee. Sam grabs the blue stocking with a snowman on it off the fireplace and starts pulling items out, one by one. He’s got candy, a couple of small handheld games, a stocking-sized LEGO set, and a couple more odds and ends.
Nash is watching from the kitchen, leaning against the wall, smiling the entire time, seeing how excited Sam is.
“This is the best Christmas ever,” Sam says around amouthful of chocolate. “And we haven’t even done presents yet!”
Nash catches my eye over the top of Sam’s head and mouths,same.
I don’t say anything back. Just smile and think—yeah. Same.
“Alright,” Nash says, standing and stretching after Sam’s emptied the last of his stocking. “Time to go grab those other two elves.”
“I’m coming!” Sam announces, hopping up and rushing to put on his socks.
“You sure you don’t mind?” I ask Nash quietly as I rise and walk him to the door.
“Not at all,” he says before turning away. “Do you want to come?”
“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll stay here and get breakfast going so it’ll be ready when you all get back.”
“Okay, we’ll be back soon.”
Sam returns, jacket only half zipped. “Let’s go!”
Nash gives me a quick kiss before they head out into the cold, and I stand at the window with a fresh cup of coffee, watching the car pull away.
Before I get distracted cooking, I head back to my room and pull out my present for Nash. I’d been so nervous about it because I wanted it to be enough, and I hope he likes it, but it’s Nash, so he will.
In the kitchen, I turn on Christmas music, cook the bacon, and pull out what I need to make French toast. The bacon is almost done when I hear the door again, followed by the unmistakable voices of all three kids.
Sam comes barreling into the kitchen. “They’re here!”
I bend to let him hug me, and he’s still sticky-fingeredfrom the chocolate in his stocking. Then Benji and Emma come in, red-cheeked from the cold, and I wave them toward the table. Nash trails behind them with a big smile on his face.
“Morning, Caleb,” Benji says, eyeing the food with interest.
“Merry Christmas, you two. I’ve got bacon ready, and the French toast will be done in just a minute.”
“Awesome!” Benji grins. “Can we open presents first?”
“How about we eat quick first then we can open presents?” Nash interjects.
“Fineee,” Benji whines.
