Sutton huffs impatiently, but she doesn’targue as I fire up the coffee machine and Kodie makes her a hot chocolate loaded with cream and marshmallows.
Only a few minutes later, we’re all sitting on the floor in the living room, and Sutton is practically vibrating with excitement.
“I’m doing the big one first,” she squeals before tearing at the paper with two hands.
As she predicted, there’s a new “big girl” bike inside.
“Yesss,” she squeals before hitting her stocking.
She takes her time gently unwrapping each one and spends a minute or two focusing on each gift. She explains every single one of them to us as if we weren’t the ones who chose them and tells us all the reasons she wanted them and loves them.
She’s about halfway done with her gifts when she suddenly pauses.
“Daddy, we should give Casey hers now,” she states with her hands on her hips like she owns the place.
“Yeah?” Kodie asks.
Sutton dives under the Christmas tree, stretching right to the back where they must have hidden it.
She passes it over before stepping back. Kodie reaches for her and sits her on his lap, both of them watching me impatiently.
“Go on then,” Sutton encourages when I don’t make a move to open it.
Curious, I carefully unwrap the paper, finding a small white box inside.
I glance up, my eyes narrowing at the anxious expressions on their faces.
What have they done?
Forcing my eyes away from them, I gently pull the lid off and then peel back the tissue. Inside, sitting on a velvet cushion, I find a key inside attached to a little metal house keyring. Written on that house are three names.
Kodie.
Casey.
Sutton.
“Baby,” Kodie says softly, shuffling them both closer. “Make it official.Move in with us?”
My eyes bounce between his before dropping to Sutton’s.
The lump in my throat is so huge, I can barely breathe.
I nod, my smile spreading across my face.
“Yes?” Kodie asks, needing verbal confirmation.
“Yes. Yes,” I cry, reaching for both of them.
We hold each other for the longest time as we prepare to embark on the next chapter of our lives as a family. When we eventually part, I look between them and confess, “My gifts are going to be such a disappointment after this.”
Laughter rings through the house, and it stays the same way for the rest of the day.
Dad and Kathleen join us, and Kathleen and I take charge of the kitchen, melding our family traditions together into a whole new one.
Everything about the day is perfect. There is so much love and happiness. It’s exactly what Dad and I have been missing.
Sutton eventually concedes and lets us put her to bed an hour after her usual time. The four of us play games, drink, and laugh until the early hours before Kathleen retires to her pool house and Dad heads to one of Kodie’s guest rooms.
