I wake in the morning when I hear Jack’s feet on the stairs. It’s only seven, but I guess he can’t wait any longer.

I smile. Jack’s enthusiasm is a pleasant change from my recent holidays; each Christmas waking up alone, not knowing what to do with myself when work isn’t knocking my door down.

It’s Zoe’s voice I hear next; well, her laugh. It echoes down the hall as she encourages Jack’s excitement. Megan opens her door next. I hear the catch as she turns the handle, soon followed by the sound of her steps padding toward the bathroom.

I don’t want to get up. I want to spend a while longer listening to the sounds of a normal family Christmas. Not quite normal.

We’re going to see Laura in the hospital to exchange our gifts as soon as we’ve eaten breakfast, then come back for Christmas dinner.

I can’t stay in bed any longer, so I place my feet in my slippers and head downstairs. Everybody is still in their pajamas in the family room, gathered around the tree we chose together. Jack is scrutinizing each gift from a distance. I can see that he’s itching to grab one, but he stays kneeling a few feet away, waiting for the rest of us to gather.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” All three of them look up at once with matching grins. I grin right back. “Are you ready for a great day?”

Jack bounces up and down on his knees. “Are we going to see Mom?”

“Of course, we are. First things first, though: coffee.” I head into the kitchen and switch on the coffee-maker. I lean on the counter to watch it drop into the pot. I love the smell of fresh coffee.

As I’m facing the machine, I feel arms slip around my waist. I spin to find myself face-to-face with Zoe. She smiles up at me.

She’s a vision, as always. Her hair is ruffled from sleep, falling over her shoulders in fluffy waves. She’s wearing a set of reindeer pajamas with her polka-dot house coat thrown over the top. She lifts her lips to mine, kissing me softly. “Merry Christmas, Tom.”

“Merry Christmas.”

Zoe leans back against the counter at my side, her elbows on the marble. She closes her eyes and lets out a long, content breath. “Christmas is here at last.”

“It sure is.”

“It’s weird without Laura here.”

It is strange to be in Laura’s house, with Laura’s kids, on Christmas morning without her here. But waking up to the sight of Zoe by the Christmas tree doesn’t feel strange at all. It feels right. “I know. We’ll drink this and head straight out. I know Laura will be dying to see the kids.”

We drink our coffee and load the gifts into the car. When we arrive at the hospital, it takes three trips between us to get them all into Laura’s room.

It’s festive inside. Someone has set up a small artificial tree in the corner and hung up some tinsel along the ceiling. The kids lay the presents out beneath the tree, then hug their mom.

Laura’s looking a lot better. She’s even sitting up. There’s some color in her face, and there’s hardly any trace of the cuts and bruises she first had after the accident. She’s moving her hands and arms more easily and has a ready smile from the moment we enter the room.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!”

“Merry Christmas, Mom!”

I step toward Laura and lean in to kiss her cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

Zoe is standing slightly on the sidelines, waiting for the family to greet each other. Laura beckons her over, then holds out her arms for a sisterly hug.

Zoe gingerly hugs her back, careful not to squeeze too hard. “Merry Christmas, Laura! It’s good to see you looking so well.”

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to coming home.”

I pull up a chair at Laura’s side and smile. “It’s all arranged. The nurse is ready to start next week.”

Zoe frowns. “What nurse?”

Laura answers her brightly. “Tom’s arranged a live-in nurse to come stay at my house for a while until I’m back on my feet, so to speak.”

Looking betrayed, Megan turns to me. “Does that mean you’re leaving?”

“I’ve got to go back to work in the New Year.”

“But Mom’s not well yet.”

“Megan!” Laura interrupts gently. “Your uncle can’t leave his business forever. I’m sure he’ll be back before long. Won’t you, Tom?”

I nod. “I promise.”

Megan looks tearful, but she stops herself from showing any emotion. “You’ll mean to visit, but once you get back to New York, you’ll get caught up like you always do.”

“I’m going to do my best not to let that happen.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Zoe hanging onto my words. I know that she’s waiting for me to bring up my imminent return to New York and what will happen between us then. Little does she know that I’ve got it all figured out.

After everyone is finished greeting Laura, it’s time to open gifts. Soon, they forget about me leaving and get caught up in the magic.

I grin from ear to ear when I watch Megan open her new dress. When she realizes it’s an authentic designer brand, she shrieks with excitement, then leaps into my arms. “I can’t believe you remembered! Thank you!”

Laura loves her software. As far as I can see, it’s boring as hell, but Laura is thrilled. “This is going to be a lifesaver!” she gushes.

Jack is over the moon with his new console, tearing it out of its packaging and moving his thumbs over a new set of controls.

Finally, it’s my turn to give Zoe her present. I smile knowingly as I watch her accept the little gift-wrapped box.

Her lips part in surprise, and then her expression softens. She looks up at me from under her lashes, biting down on her lip like she’s suddenly shy. I can understand why—all eyes are on her.

Laura and Megan are leaning forward intently. Even I’m holding my breath. I know that Zoe’s not one for expensive things, but I really tried to get her something she’d love.

She unwraps the paper and sees that there’s a jewelry box inside. She silently lifts the lid, then gasps. Her eyes fill up with tears; she’s touched.

Inside is a necklace I spent hours choosing. It’s understated but special. The necklace is formed like a flower; platinum and diamond petals encircle a small pearl. The whole pendant is smaller than a dime—I know Zoe wouldn’t like to be dripping in diamonds. This is something inconspicuous, but meaningful.

I want to tell her that I’ve never bought a woman jewelry before, but I don’t know if she’ll believe me. I hope she realizes that I wanted to give her something thoughtful and meant just for her.

“Oh, Tom.” She takes a quick breath. “It’s beautiful.” Her response is worth every moment spent crawling internet pages and walking through shopping malls to search for the perfect gesture.

She lifts the delicate chain from its velvet bed and holds it out to me. “Would you?”

I stand behind her, and she lifts her hair so I can thread the chain around her neck. I fasten the clasp, and she turns to show me.

The necklace rests just below her throat, between her collarbones. She lifts it between her fingers and turns it from side to side.

She smiles. “It’s a flower.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

Megan covers her mouth with her hands in girlish excitement and spins on her chair to grin at her mom. Laura has the same knowing grin plastered on her face.

Jack doesn’t quite pick up on the nuance that the girls understand. “That’s pretty, Aunt Zoe!”

“It is, isn’t it?” Zoe turns to me, and without caring who’s watching, she gently presses her lips against mine, then slips her fingers into my hand. “Thank you.” She pauses, remembering something, and pulls away. “I have something for you too!”

She picks up a large, round, and tall gift from under the tree and carries it to me. When she passes it over, the weight takes me by surprise.

I laugh. “What is it?”

“Open it!”

I pull back the paper to find a black glass pot filled with soil and a chrysanthemum plant in bloom; its flowers are puffy, round, and red.

I notice a little card resting against the stem, but Zoe blushes when I reach for it and places her hand over mine, shaking her head. “Read that later.”

Laura laughs. “I don’t want to know what that note says.”

“Is it instructions on how to keep it alive?”

Zoe grins. “No, but I’ll email you those. We don’t want you drowning the poor thing.”

“Thank you. I love it.”

I really do. It’s not big, flashy, or expensive, but it’s a little reminder of Zoe that I can take home. There’s nothing I can think of that would mean more.