Chapter Seven
Alex awoke to the sounds of bells jingling and the soft tromping of hard boots. She grabbed her robe and tossed it on before tiptoeing out into the hall. A large shadow loomed near the kitchenette table. No way. Santa? She rubbed her eyes and crept around the corner. “Gotcha!”
Connor turned around wide-eyed, and choked down half of a sugar cookie and grinned at her. “Caught in the act, huh?”
“You still have a bit of red frosting in your whiskers, Daddy.” She strode forward and grazed his chin with her fingers. “So, what is all this?” She glanced at the plate of half-eaten cookies and carrots and giggled. “You even nibbled on the carrots just like a reindeer would.”
He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “Sorry I messed up the surprise.”
Her eyes took in the gleaming lights on the Christmas tree. They always turned it off before they went to bed for safety reasons. Connor had placed extra presents under the tree. These were wrapped in special paper with Santa and reindeer all over them. He had also filled the stockings, which were now lying on their sides on the floor, overflowing with small toys and candy.
“This is amazing! You didn’t mess up a single thing.” Her face felt like it would crack from how hard she was smiling. She ran back and forth, allowing the youthful excitement to wash over her. Presents from Santa, stockings, the lights…” she laughed. “The eaten plate of food.” She ran back to him, soaring through the air to jump into his arms. “This is the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you! Thank you, Daddy.”
Connor carried her over to the tree and set her down on the floor. “Okay, baby girl. It’s 1:00 a.m. which officially means it is Christmas day. Why don’t you open up your presents. Then we can go back to bed and sleep in in the morning.”
“Okay!” She was giddy with excitement. Her daddy had done this for her. He had even eaten a few of the sugar cookies which she knew he hated. They made his stomach ache for days. But he had done all of this to give her the Christmas she had always longed for. “Here, Daddy. You open one first.”
They took turns opening all their presents—even the pretend ones from Santa—and finally leaned back against the front of the couch. Alex was covered in discarded wrapping paper. Connor’s side was a little more tidy since he had taken time to throw everything into a trash bag, and had neatly piled up his gifts. Alex wasn’t sure if Connor liked his presents. Yes, he had needed a new wallet, and a new hat, a belt and new socks. But they weren’t the amazing gifts he had given her. Somehow he had known she would love a matching tutu and handcuff set.
She wore the fluffy tutu now as she jumped up and danced around the living room picking up her empty boxes and colorful paper. And the fake Santa gifts were cute too. A huge plastic bear filled with gummy bears. Nail polish. A My Little Pony doll with a mermaid tail. They were all wonderful, but she had the best gift of all. Her heart was filled with love. And it was because of the man who was sitting on the floor against a couch beaming up at her as she danced. The love shone in his eyes. Her daddy loved her more than anything in the world. And she couldn’t ask for anything else.
“Wait, there’s one more in the back.” Connor pointed at the box.
She laughed to herself and picked it up. “It’s addressed to both of us from Santa. Hmmm, what could this be?” Connor must have done another Santa gift. How sweet.
“You want to do the honors or shall I?” he asked.
“Well, it is for both of us, so we should open it together. But first… eat or wear it?”
He furrowed his brow and gave the palm sized package a light shake. “I’d say eat it. It’s too small for us to wear. “Or it could be a gag gift from Santa,” he said, winking knowingly at her.
She giggled. Of course Connor would pretend that he hadn’t wrapped it. “Okay, eat it. One, two three!”
They tore off each side of the paper and opened the box. “Oh my gosh, is that…”
She took the box from him and pulled out the ring. It shone and sparkled in the red and green Christmas lights. She turned it sideways and saw the inscription her father had had done for her mother all those years ago. Her mother’s ring. This wasn’t a replica. It was the real deal.. The small scratches on the side were still there. But it looked no less glorious than it had when she’d last seen it. Tears pricked at her eyelids. “How did you…”
Connor’s eyes were huge and his face had gone pale. Paler than when he had been shot during that undercover bust they had done at the BDSM convention. “Pip, did you…”
She shook her head. “I thought you…” she turned the box over, and a note fell out.
Thank you for reminding me that there is still Christmas spirit in the world. I had to do a bit of searching, but I found this and knew you’d want it back. Thank you, my favorite elf and favorite undercover photographer.
Sophie and I wish you the best of luck with your new lives together.
P.S. She’d love to come to the wedding. You know where to send the invitation. Merry Christmas,
- K
“You don’t really think…” Her mouth struggled to find the words.
“Yeah, little girl, I think. In fact…” He pulled her up and sat her on the couch before stating, “I know. So are you ready to go back to bed?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. “Come on, little elf. It’s time to celebrate Christmas properly.
She heard the quick jingle of bells, followed by the distant call outside the window. “Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas!”
“Thank you.” She snuggled into her daddy’s arms and smiled out the window. This was the best Christmas ever.