Snowfall on Haven Point(108)

Marshall couldn’t believe they’d managed to find room for everyone—including Mrs. Finnegan and Sadie, who right now were both curled together on the rug watching the proceedings.

He was still considering building on to the little house. They were a family of five—plus two pets—and bursting at the seams. The yard was big enough they could easily build on to the house. He was thinking about adding a bigger family room in place of this den and a couple more bedrooms.

For now, it worked. He was never happier than when he pulled into the driveway, knowing his family waited for him inside.

“I said Chloe can get more paper from your office if she needs more snowflakes,” Will said.

“Why on earth would she possibly need more?” Andie asked, eyes wide.

“We’re hoping she doesn’t,” Marshall assured her. “We’ll know in a few moments, once I finish with these lights and you all can start decorating the tree.”

Andie moved into the room and inhaled deeply of the tree’s heady fragrance. “Oh, wow, it smells fantastic in here.”

“The smell is about the only good thing about a real tree,” Christopher groused. “Unraveling these lights is a pain.”

“It might be hard, but you guys are doing an amazing job.” She placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder and Marshall could tell it pleased him. Andie was amazing with his son. Whenever Christopher was in a mood, missing Nikki or simply being a surly teenager full of hormones, Andie could invariably tease a smile out of him.

“I still don’t know why we couldn’t just get another artificial tree for in here,” Chris said now. “I’ve always had artificial trees and it’s tons easier. You just pull them out of the box and plug them in.”

“New family, new traditions,” Marshall said.

“Exactly.” Andie backed him up. “Since this is our first year as a family, isn’t it fun to try a few different things so we can figure out which traditions we want to keep in the coming years together?”

“Last night was so fun!” Will said. “I loved when we went swimming and then cut the tree down at Evergreen Springs. My favorite part was the sleigh ride.”

“I liked the hot chocolate we had with Jazmyn and Ty,” Chloe said. “Especially the little tiny snowman marshmallows.”

“Those were cute,” Andie agreed.

“You had fun, too. You were lucky,” Will said wistfully to Christopher. “You got to cut down the tree. Next year I get to use the chain saw, right?”

Marshall winced at the idea of Will with a dangerous power tool. “We’ll have to see on that one, kid. I think I’m ready for the next light string.”

“What this party needs is some music,” Andie declared. “Christopher, can you stream some on your phone to the speaker?”

“Yeah, if you can come help with the lights. We have, like, three more strands.”

They traded places and Christopher found some kind of edgy rock version of “Holly Jolly Christmas,” then he followed it up with some classic Sinatra and a bluegrass duet about angels crying on Christmas Eve that had always made Marsh’s mother cry.

It was the perfect night, he thought as his family worked together to decorate their tree.

As he reached high to hang the star on the top of the tree, he couldn’t help thinking how his life had changed since that snowy December night a year earlier when Jackie Scott thought she could solve her problems with a stolen SUV.

He had been a different man then. Harder. Less giving and less forgiving.

He had been convinced he didn’t need anything—certainly not family or laughter, Christmas trees or paper snowflakes or hot cocoa by the fire.

Now, as he watched Chloe direct everyone on proper ornament-hanging in her bossiest tone and Christopher tease Will, who teased him right back, and Andie send him a laughing glance over her shoulder, his chest seemed to expand with joy so big the little house couldn’t contain it.

“Okay,” Chloe said at last. “I think that should do it. We used all the paper snowflakes and almost all the other ornaments, too.”

“Can we turn the lights off now and see it?” Will begged.

“Sure,” Marshall said. “Chris, can you do the honors?”

His son turned off the lamp and then the main lights in the room, leaving only the Christmas tree gleaming against the windows.

“Oh,” Will breathed. “It looks awesome!”

“I guess it’s pretty good, for a real tree,” Christopher agreed.

“I love it,” Andie said. She smiled at Marshall and slipped her arms around him. They all stood there for a moment, until he realized Chloe hadn’t offered her opinion; she was just standing and looking up at the twinkling branches.