“Of course, bud. Let’s finish with the presents though, okay?”
Maisie did her best not to stare at him but it wasn’t easy. He was so good with Asher. With his sister. While he had a gruff, somewhat abrupt outer layer, she’d seen so many different sides of him now. She liked them all.
Nick lifted Asher off his lap, whispered something in his ear, andthe little boy ran to the tree, pulled out a little box that was neatly wrapped. He hurried over to Ellie. Apparently, Asher only had one speed on Christmas morning.
“This is from me, Mommy, but Uncle Nick used his money.”
The adults muffled their laughter while Ellie looked over her son’s head at her brother.
“You’re so sweet, Nicky,” she said to him.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Nick joked, his gaze coming to Maisie.
She smiled at him, happiness curling up inside of her because she knew all about his sweet side.
“Open it,” Asher said, pushing it up between them.
Ellie unwrapped the prettily wrapped present and revealed a dark gray box underneath. She lifted the top off it and her face went soft and sweet.
Maisie glanced at Nick, then back at Ellie as she lifted a thin gold bracelet out of the box.
Asher pointed at the little charm hanging from it. “It says ‘number one mom.’ That’s you.”
Clearly fighting tears, Ellie pulled Asher into a hard hug. “I love it, honey.”
“Uncle Nick, you were right. She’s crying.”
This time, no one held back their laughter. The rest of the morning passed surprisingly quickly and then they were all clearing up the living room, moving around Asher, who’d crashed right on the floor, his arms wrapped around the huge stuffed Spider-Man that Colt and Jake had given him.
“You all spoiled him,” Ellie said, looking around the room, crumpled paper clutched to her chest. Her voice was strained with unshed tears.
“You going to cry again?” Nick asked.
Colton threw a ball of paper at him. “Don’t be an ass.”
“But he’s so good at it,” Ellie said.
“I’ve missed this,” Maisie’s dad said, pulling everyone’s attention to where he sat in one of the armchairs.
“We don’t get to do this enough,” Maisie’s mom added. She looked at Nat. “And next year, you’ll have a little one for us to spoil.”
A pang of longing hit Maisie right in the chest. She covered it by avoiding everyone’s gaze, tidying up while the conversation drifted to visits and kids and working around hectic schedules.
When the others drifted into the kitchen, putting together snacks for a cozy lunch in front of another movie, Maisie went upstairs to pack her things. She wasn’t supposed to leave until the next morning but a large piece of her wanted to go now. Or at least tonight. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day and she didn’t know how she’d wake up and say goodbye to Nick, to Asher and Ellie. Or her own family. A soft knock interrupted her packing and she was both relieved and sad to see it was her mom and not Nick.
“Oh, honey,” her mom said, walking over to where Maisie tucked things haphazardly. “You need to have a separate bag for your dirty clothes. You can’t just pile it all together.”
“I’m just going to wash it all anyway, Mom. It doesn’t matter.”
Her mom lifted her hands and backed up. “Fine. It’s your stuff.”
It was her stuff. Her life, her choices. “I think I’m going to head out tonight.”
“Why?”
Tossing a sweater into the case, she looked at her mom. “It’ll be so chaotic in the morning. Today was perfect. I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I just want to close the door on a wonderful Christmas and wake up in my own bed.” She’d prefer to wake next to Nick, but she didn’t want to pressure him or pop this wonderful bubble of time they’d shared.Coward.She could admit it. To herself.
“Sit down a second, Maisie,” her mom said softly.
