It’s the week before Christmas. The last two months have flown by. It seems like only yesterday that Halloween was on our doorstep, and now we’re into the holidays. To think it was October when Tom first arrived, and now we’re halfway through December.

I’m taking Megan to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. She’s been doing a lot better since she came back. We haven’t spoken much about it. She and Tom have kept the whole thing under wraps, and I’ve decided not to interfere. It’s good to see the two of them growing closer, developing trust.

The mall is packed to the rafters with Christmas shoppers. But even though it’s chaos, I kind of like it. The mall is decked out in Christmas decorations, with fiberglass reindeer, bright lights, and baubles hanging from the ceiling. Up on the second floor, you can look out over the balcony and see Santa’s grotto down below, a line-up of excited kids. Every shop has a Christmas song playing. It feels festive. All the drama and tragedy of the last couple of months is like a distant memory.

“We’ve made it to Christmas!” I say brightly. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a nice family Christmas.”

I say the words, and then realize that I’m not really family. I’m once again hit with the cruel reminder that I’ve only been borrowing Laura’s life. Soon you’ll be back to your lonely apartment.

Megan smiles. “Me, too. It’s been a tough few months. I’m looking forward to Mom coming home.”

The doctors predict that Laura will be able to come home just before New Year’s. It is wonderful news. Now we’re all counting down the days to when she’s home, and trying to enjoy the holidays the best we can while she’s still in the hospital.

“Got any gift ideas?” I ask.

“I was thinking I’d get Mom some audiobooks. I know she’s bored to death in that place, and her favorite author has a new release.”

“That’s a great idea. She’ll appreciate that. What about your uncle?”

Megan smiles. “I’ve thought about that.”

I wonder what she has in mind. I don’t have the first idea what to buy Tom. What do you get the man who has everything?

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m going to get him one of those calendars that you can print with your own pictures.” She pulls out a USB from her coat pocket and shows it to me. “I’m going to get one printed with pictures of me, Mom and Jack, so Uncle Tom doesn’t forget us when he goes back to New York.” She shrugs. “I know it’s stupid and sentimental, but I’m going to miss him when he’s gone. Maybe he’ll even miss us, too.”

Inside, my heart is breaking. The reality that Tom is going to leave after the holidays is starting to sink in, and I’m not prepared. I smile. “I know he will.”

We pass a café. I can smell the freshly ground coffee and sweet treats inside. I nod toward the door. “Want a hot chocolate?”

“Sure.”

Inside is crammed with dozens of shoppers. The counter is surrounded by customers waiting for their drink orders to be filled. I look up at the board behind the counter. The menu is full of Christmas specialties with festive twists—gingerbread lattes, candy cane hot chocolates, mulled wine herbal tea.

“Ooh, this looks good.” I grin. “I’m going to have a gingerbread latte and one of those little peppermint macaroons. What about you?”

“Hot chocolate, please.”

“Macaroon?”

“Can I have one of those candy cane brownies?”

“Of course!”

I order us both a drink and sweet treat, and we wrestle our way upstairs and manage to find a table for two against the back wall. It’s sweltering inside the coffee shop, the heat of all those shoppers and their coffees filling the room. It’s hard to move among all the bags on the floor and coats slung over the backs of seats, but we manage to get seated at last.

“Wow, it’s busy in here,” Megan says.

I grin. “Christmas.”

“What are you going to get Mom and Tom?”

“I’m getting your mom this cushion with robins on it. She loves robins, and I thought she’d need propping up for a while when she gets out of the hospital.”

“She’ll like that. What about Uncle Tom?”

I frown. “I have no idea.”

“You should make some big romantic gesture.”

I raise my eyebrows. I always forget how astute Megan is. She’s known about Tom and me from day one. She’s missing nothing now.

Megan smiles, stirring her hot chocolate with a long, thin spoon and licking excess whipped cream off her fingers, then nods. “Like giving him the key to your apartment in a little box or a promise ring. Something like that. Something to show him that it’s not going to end after Christmas. I mean…it’s not going to end after Christmas, is it?”

I smile. “What would your mom say if she knew I was gossiping with you about your uncle and me?”

“She’d pour a glass of wine and join in.”

I laugh. Megan’s right—Laura’s been behind the idea of Tom and me from the beginning. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen between us when the holidays are over. Your uncle has business in New York, and my life’s here.”

Megan looks down at the table for a moment, then back at me. “You could go to New York with him.”

“I don’t think I’m cut out for the Big Apple.”

“You’d really let it come to an end?”

“I’m not saying that, sweetie. I’m just preparing myself for the possibility that sometimes these things don’t work out. Your uncle’s a very busy man. Once he’s back in the city, I know that work will take over. Think about how long it took him to come visit you guys! Tom has always put work first.”

“But he’s different now.”

I smile. Megan’s tugging at my heartstrings, but I know I have to be real with myself. Tom is going to leave when the holidays are over, and he might not come back. “Well, let’s hope I’m wrong. I’d love to carry things on with Tom.”

“You love him, don’t you?”

I laugh, my skin flushing red. “Megan! I shouldn’t be talking about this with you.”

Megan lifts her chin defiantly. “I’m fifteen, Aunt Zoe, and I’m not blind. Mom and I talk about you two all the time. It’s hardly a state secret. I won’t pass anything on to him. Come on, Aunt Zoe, you can talk to me.”

My eyes prickle with tears, and I blink them back. I don’t want Megan to see me cry and realize how much I adore her uncle. I swallow.

“I care about him a lot. I enjoy his company. But with what happened with your mom and everything, it’s been a strange situation. People always feel close in tough situations. It’s easy to feel close when we’re living under one roof and spending lots of time together. It won’t be the same long-distance.”

“Sometimes it works out,” Megan insists. She casts me a hopeful smile. “Don’t forget that he’s Thomas Vermont. He can make things happen.”

“A weekly private jet to my front door?”

Megan laughs. “Why not?”

I change the subject. “Enough about Tom and me. What about you and Justin? You guys still haven’t made up?”

Megan’s face darkens, and she looks down at her drink. She gives a tight little shrug and clears her throat. “No. We’re not speaking. And we won’t. Ever.”

I still don’t know what happened the night that Megan went missing, or how Justin was involved. All I know is that whatever happened that night caused a rift between them that has been irreparable. I’m sad for Megan, and how much the break-up has hurt her. But I’m also secretly a little relieved. Since she’s broken up with Justin, Megan has spent more time at home and grown closer to us; some of that attitude has melted.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Megan lifts her chin and smiles fiercely. “Don’t be. He was a jerk. I’m better off without him.”

“Good for you, Meg. Give it time. You’ll find someone special. You’re still young.”

But my heart is left aching. The thought of Tom leaving is unbearable, and every time it’s entered my mind, I’ve pushed it back down.

I’ve gotten used to having Tom in my life. I’m used to waking up to the smell of pancakes and finding him downstairs, wearing a towel over his shoulder and a grin. I’ve grown used to jumping in his car after a long day at work, to exchanging knowing glances over dinner. To teasing each other over silly little things and talking about the kids.

Life with Tom feels real; it feels like mine. The truth is, it’s not really my life, and our time together is coming to an end.

I drink the last syrupy mouthful of my coffee and force a grin. “Come on, Meg. Let’s go to that game store. I’m going to get Jack something new for his DS.”

Megan finishes her drink, and we leave. Even watching her walking around the shops makes my heart break a little. For just a short while, I was more than their mom’s friend on the sidelines. I’m going to miss those kids.