Holly

“C’mon. Hurry up!” I nudged Jacob in the back, too excited to move slowly. I’d been looking forward to this moment ever since I’d seen those two pink lines on a little white stick—on Christmas morning exactly one year after I’d found Jacob standing on my front porch… one week before our first wedding anniversary.

My mom had surprised us with a New Year’s Day ceremony, something she’d set into motion the same day Jacob had called to ask for her permission to propose to me. She’d been so excited that she’d called his parents and convinced them to come down for New Year’s Eve. We’d all gone out for a fancy dinner, celebrating the countdown and our engagement at the same time.

When we woke up the next morning, and my mom sat us down at the kitchen table and said she’d needed to talk to us about something important, I’d blushed clear to my roots and squeezed Jacob’s hand tightly, thinking we hadn’t been as quiet the night before as I’d thought. With a teasing glint in her eye, my mom had told us that she wanted us to start our new year out the right way—as man and wife… especially if we were sleeping together already. So yeah, we definitely hadn’t been as quiet as I’d hoped. But really, who could blame us? We had a lot of time to make up for!

As Jacob, four-month-old baby Joy, and I approached the North Pole display in the middle of the mall, I couldn’t help but think back to the impossible feat my mom had somehow managed to pull off—our wedding ceremony, right here in this very same spot. Jacob and I had exchanged our vows with the winter wonderland surrounding us, him in his tuxedo with a deep red bowtie and me in a flowing white dress, holding a bouquet accented with seasonal flourishes like cedar boughs and brunia berries.

It had been better than I’d ever hoped and dreamed, just like every moment with Jacob was. Except maybe this one, but only because it was taking us too long to reach Santa.

“Patience, baby,” Jacob rasped in my ear before parking the stroller off to the side and lifting Joy out of it.

“You know I don’t have any.”

“I promise to reward you for it later.”

Standing there with our beautiful baby girl in the crook of his arm and his heated blue eyes smiling down at me, he looked sexier than ever. He was an amazing husband, and a great daddy to Joy. He loved to spoil his girls, as he loved to call us. Hence this trip to the mall on the first day Santa was open for pictures.

“It’s a deal,” I breathed out, lifting up on my toes to give him a quick kiss. Then I fussed with Joy’s Santa tutu, tunic and leggings, twisting them back into place since she’d been squirming around in the stroller during our walk through the mall. Once her outfit was put to rights, I ran my hand lightly over her wisps of blond hair and leaned over to kiss her chubby cheeks because I just couldn’t resist them for long. When I lifted my head again, her bright blue eyes were locked on my face as she giggled. My heart soared at hearing the best sound in the whole, wide world.

“I’m surprised you didn’t put her in the dress your mom sent.”

I knew exactly which dress he was talking about. It was made from red sparkle velvet and had white, fake fur trim at the hem and sleeves, along with a white bow at the waist. It was very Santa inspired and would be perfect for a picture with the big guy. “That’s for next time.”

“Next time?” He looked down at me oddly. “But she won’t fit in it for more than another month or so.”

“Exactly!” I chirped. “Just think of how many more times I’ll be able to bring her to see Santa between now and then.”

“I should have known,” he fake grumbled, the laughter in his eyes giving away how little he minded several trips to the mall to satisfy my need for pictures of Joy.

Before long, he was placing her on Santa’s lap. As we hovered to the side, I tugged him lower to whisper in his ear. “Two years ago, my wish to Santa for you came true. One year ago, our wish for a baby brought us Joy.” I pulled his hand down and placed it over my belly. “This year, I think I’m going to wish for no morning sickness, since I already took a test this morning and it was positive.”

* * *

Jacob

“Merry Christmas, Holly Berry,” I whispered, nuzzling my wife’s nose with my own.

“Mmmmmm, Merry Christmas,” she returned as she stretched and sighed. “Go back to sleep. The kids will be up—”

“Mommy!!!”

“Daddy!!!”

“Santa came!!!”

Three sets of small feet thundered through the house and burst through our bedroom door.

“It’s Christmas!” yelled Joy.

“Wake up! Santa came!” shouted Nicholas.

“Presents! Santa!” squealed Ivy as they all piled up onto our bed.

Holly dissolved into giggles, and we peppered each of them with kisses and hugs. I laughed at their excitement, but we weren’t a complete family yet. I hopped out of bed and swiftly walked to the room next door. December was awake, sitting in her crib and waiting patiently. She was our little thinker, always calm and observing everything around her. Her big blue eyes stared up at me, sparkling with delight. I lifted her into my arms and she clapped her hands on my cheeks. “Da!”

“Merry Christmas, baby girl.” I started walking back to the master bedroom and raised her up to blow a raspberry on her little tummy. Her giggles drew everyone’s attention as we returned, and they shouted greetings to their little sister. Holly held out her arms and I placed December in them, where she received morning kisses from her mommy.

All the kids snuggled up next to Holly, and I stood there in awe. This was my family. How had I gotten so damn lucky?

Every year when Christmas came around, it reminded me of all the miracles in my life.

Later, Holly and I sat on the couch laughing and watching the children open their presents. Christmas carols tinkled in the background, and the lights twinkled on the tree.

“No!” December yelled excitedly from her perch on the floor. I looked around to see what was upsetting her, but she started crawling towards the large picture window in the room. “No! No!” she pointed outside.

Holly laughed and got to her feet, walked over and scooped our baby into her arms. “That’s right, December. Snow!”

All the kids exclaimed and ran over to the window, jumping up and down with exuberant enthusiasm.

“Looks like sledding has been added to today’s activities,” I drawled.

“God bless us, every one!” Nicholas crowed.

I couldn’t imagine what else I could possibly be blessed with. I moved to stand behind my wife, slipping my arms around her and nuzzling my nose in her neck. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

Want access to new release news, giveaways and more? Sign up for our !