Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses(115)

“Good morning.” Nick met them at the bottom of the stairs with a big smile on his face. “Merry Christmas.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, brushing his lips against hers as he pulled back. He bent down and grinned warmly at Max. “Merry Christmas to you too! Did you leave Santa a note at your house?”

Max nodded.

“I thought maybe you had because he’s left quite a bit of loot for you in the living room. Would you like to see it?”

Max’s eyes lit up and he started to run down the hallway.

“Wait, Max! I want to get a picture!” Abbey said, scrambling behind him as quickly as she could. Nick picked up his pace as Abbey pulled her phone from her back pocket. They arrived just in time to catch his expression, and Abbey snapped a photo. “Phew,” she said to Nick. “I almost missed it.”

“Mama! Look what I got!” Max grabbed his iPad and turned it on. “This is so cool!” He set it down and got on his scooter. “Look at this! The wheels light up!” He rolled over to her to show her and the orange wheels glowed as he rode across the floor. Carefully, he set it down a few feet away and ran back to where they had been. “Mama! I got Willie Mays! I can’t wait to show Gramps!” Thomas climbed off of his jeep to see what Max had received.

Robin and James were sitting next to Susan and Carl, with Caroline in the chair across the room. All of them had their eyes on Abbey with very odd expressions on their faces. She smiled, looking at them all.

“Merry Christmas,” Caroline said to her.

“Merry Christmas.” She looked around and couldn’t believe where she was. She’d only noticed just then that Nick had his arm around her, a loving look on his face. Thomas and Max were playing together, showing one another their new toys. With the Christmas lights, the tree, the presents, and the delicious aroma of breakfast, she couldn’t imagine a better holiday. She’d wanted the perfect Christmas—well, she got it.

“I got you a present,” Nick said, and Abbey immediately felt anxious. He’d already given her so much with Gramps’s care. “It’s in my office. Would you come with me to see it?”

Everyone was looking at her expectantly, their faces full of excitement.

Nick grabbed both her hands and looked down at her. “Come with me,” he said as if she were the only one in the room.

She looked over at Caroline, who nodded in encouragement.

Nick took her hand and they walked to the office. There was an excitement to his walk, and a contentment to the way he held her hand. He pulled it up to his lips and kissed her fingers.

When they entered the office, there was a small gift wrapped in green and red paper with gold scrolling. The ribbon tails cascaded over the edge of it.

“I do have one more Christmas wish, but first, here’s your gift. It’s just something small.” He took the gift off his desk and placed it in her hand. Abbey sat down in the chair and unwrapped it as Nick leaned against the desk watching her, a smile on his face. She couldn’t help noticing how much he’d been smiling lately.

Abbey pulled the paper off. It was a picture frame. She turned it around and felt a flutter. The frame was unfussy, just a simple black one—she wondered if he’d thought of her apartment when he’d gotten it—and inside was the picture of Max on Santa’s lap.

Abbey stood up and gave him a kiss. She lingered there on his lips, wanting more, but he pulled back and set her down gently in the chair.

“It’s for your new office, if you plan to actually follow your dream and become a full-time interior designer,” he said. “It’s very small, but I know you’ll decorate it well.”

“What?” she asked in disbelief.

“It has two offices and a conference room. It’s downtown. Centrally located. I own the building so it’s rent free.” He smiled.

She threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll be happy to pay you rent…”

“We’ll work all that out,” he said. “Now, you surprised me with that amazing music book but it’s time for your second gift to me.” He pulled an envelope off his desk, and Abbey noticed how similar it looked to the one Max had with his Christmas wish in it. It was sealed just like Max’s. “In Max’s class, the sons and fathers were supposed to write wishes to each other and share them next year. I modified our assignment since I wasn’t Max’s father. I told Max, instead, to write what he wants most in this world, and then I’d do the same, and maybe they’d come true.”

Nick kneeled down in front of Abbey so that they were eye to eye. She waited, her heart pounding for what he had to say. He took the framed photo from her hands and set it behind him on the desk and then turned back to her.