“Mandy, wake up!”

Someone was shaking Mandy’s shoulder, and she was considering doing said individual some bodily harm. That was until she recognized Elliot’s excited voice whispering far too close to what she assumed would be hideous morning breath.

Mandy shot up covering her mouth, “What is it?” Did something happen?”

Elliot shook his head grinning like an idiot, “No! It’s Christmas!”

She wrinkled her brow, “You woke me up at...” Mandy glanced over at the clock on her nightstand, “seven in the morning to tell me it was Christmas? Elliot, I am aware of the date. I am going back to bed.”

Elliot frowned, looking like a little boy with this favorite toy taken away.

“Mandy, you are supposed to get up early on Christmas. Don’t you want to see if Santa Clause came?”

She snorted, “I haven’t believed in Santa Clause since I was four.”

He wasn’t taking no for an answer. So, Elliot scooped up Mandy, bedcoverings and all and began to walk out into the living room.

Her protests died on her lips as she saw the wonderland that had once been Elliot’s lavish living area. There were beautifully wrapped boxes everywhere. Not to mention a swing, top of the line, high chair, and other baby items that Mandy hadn’t bought yet.

“Elliot,” she breathed in amazement.

He wasn’t sure if she would be angry or not, but he wanted to spoil her and decided that she deserved it.

Mandy’s eyes darted around, “Who are all of these for?”

Elliot blushed, “Um, well some are for Mrs. H, and one or two for Robert as well.”

Mandy narrowed her eyes, “What about the other eighteen thousand?”

“There aren’t that many presents,” Elliot set Mandy on the couch trying not to stare at the way her rounded breasts curved against the tank top she had worn to bed.

Mandy was beginning to feel panicked, but right at that moment, Mrs. H came out of the kitchen with breakfast trays for the both of them.

“I knew that you would want to get on with the presents, Mr. Brand. So, I thought we could make a picnic for breakfast.”

Elliot loved that idea, and soon Robert had joined them for pancakes, eggs, sausage, and toast. Mrs. H wiped her mouth gently with her napkin and smiled at the way Elliot was watching Mandy.

After Elliot’s mother had passed, Mrs. H had taken him on as an adoptive son. She was thrilled to see him falling in love with such a worthy young lady.

Mrs. H still didn’t know who the father of Mandy’s baby was. But she had come to adore Mandy in the short time they had all lived together. It felt nice to spend Christmas morning as a family, even if it was rather unusual.

Robert gave Elliot a few books that he had been looking at. Elliot, in turn, gave Robert an all-expense paid trip to anywhere in the world for a week. With one stipulation, he had to come back!

Mrs. H gave Elliot a hand knitted scarf that was every bit as fine as something one would find in a fancy boutique. Elliot gave Mrs. H a years’ subscription to her favorite audiobooks service, along with a gift card for her favorite teas and cakes shop. She too was given the all-expense paid holiday.

Elliot gave Mandy so many different things that one could hardly list them all. There were clothing and gift cards to all of her favorite shops. Every book in her favorite series had been wrapped up and signed by the author. Mandy felt overwhelmed by the outpouring of love.

There were gifts for the baby, and Mrs. H confessed that many of them she had gone out to shop for. It was so exciting to have a new baby coming, she said.

When it came time for Mandy to give Elliot her gift, she hung back feeling shy.

Mrs. H and Robert promptly got up stating that they had things which needed to be taken care of immediately.

Elliot quirked a brow and waited for Mandy to hand him the gift. When he opened it, he stared at it for a long while without speaking.

Finally, in a gruff voice, he asked, “Where did you find this?”

Mandy felt sick. It had been a stupid idea, she told herself.

But she wasn’t one to back down, “Mrs. H was showing me some of the photo albums from when you were a child. I thought maybe you might like to have something like this.”

He turned the frame over so that she could see her own artwork. Mandy wasn’t a professional by any means, but she had an eye for design and had been drawing since she was a child. It was often an escape for her when life got too overbearing.

In the picture, there were two sketches facing each other. One was of Elliot, and the other was of his mother in the last picture Elliot had of her.

He wasn’t sure how she had done it. But somehow Mandy had managed to create love in his mother’s gaze as she looked at her adult son.

Elliot would have done anything to have one more moment with his mom. This was the next best thing.

He tried swallowing the lump in his throat and partially succeeded.

“This is the best gift I have ever been given,” he rasped.

Mandy shook her head, “I know it isn’t much.”

“No,” Elliot’s voice was firmer than she was used to as he spoke with her. “This is priceless. Do you understand what you have done here? Mandy, you have given me back my mom.”

Mandy didn’t know what it was like to love your parent as much as Elliot loved and missed his mother. But she was thrilled that he liked her gift. She gave him another one of the packages that she had set aside for him and he opened up a navy striped tie.

“Hey,” he wrapped it around his neck, “How do I look?”

Mandy giggled, “Very handsome!”

He clutched her then and brought her in close to give her a hard kiss.

“This is the best Christmas I have ever had,” she whispered against his lips.

He smiled, “It is the first of many.”

**

NATE AND KIM ARRIVED around noon, and there were more presents passed around. They had a large dinner with turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, and all the sides. Elliot insisted that Mrs. H and Robert joined them again for dinner and they all laughed and talked for hours, long after the food had gotten cold.

When it was time for Nate and Kim to leave, there was a knock at the door. Elliot shrugged, not sure who would be calling at his house on Christmas day.

Robert returned with the visitor and Mandy felt the color leaving her face.

“Hiya, Mandy-girl!”

Kim narrowed her eyes. She had never been a huge fan or Shay’s. And she didn’t like the way her sister’s friend was eyeing Nate like she knew him from somewhere.

Nate looked ill, “Shay? Isn’t it?”