With Christmas morning a few hours away - literally - I've found myself sitting on the couch, my little Cherub in my arms as she sleeps and my eyes glued to this massive tree. The memories I have from the night it was put up, and decorated are now mixed with the memories I have of the years I had with my PaPa. Decorating the tree was always the best part for me. When I was little I'd get to put the topper on and know it belonged to my grandmother’s grandmother, and had traveled down through the years to my Grammy, then it was handed down to my Mama when she and daddy got married.

After she died that star was one of the many things PaPa had taken and put up to keep for me. He made sure I knew the story behind it when I received it for Christmas when I was… five. No, I was six. I remember that story like it was told to me yesterday. Every word was ingrained into my soul.

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I pulled myself from that memory and smiled, tears rolling down my cheeks. I really missed that man. My heart would forever have a hole in it. Abbie stirred in my arms and I shifted her to my shoulder as I stood. I moved over to the tree and I ran my finger over the small piece of that same star. We’d had to make it into an ornament a few years after that because it was so old it just wouldn't hold up anymore. Come to find out it was really stinking old. It was made around the early 1800’s by the husband of one of my great grandmothers…. It stemmed back through six generations. I was generation seven. So yeah, it had seen its good ole days. Old or not though, it was a treasured piece. One I'd always keep.

The wreck I'd had a few months ago had destroyed the box this piece and the two like it were in. The pieces had fared better than the box, but not much. They'd been placed back in another box and put up, but I had to have one of them on the tree. I had to have a piece of PaPa with me. This poor ornament had some serious damage - as in a few more dents and a long scratch across it - but I didn't care. It let me have a piece of my family here with me. I kissed my fingers and placed them against the cool metal.

I took a minute to compose myself before I started to back away from the tree. I was a few steps away from the tree when I ran into something. I squealed and heard Tango’s claws scraping against the floor as he came over to investigate the noise. I turned to find Tate standing there watching me. I blinked a few times and wiped at my face. Crap, how long had he been there? He must be part ninja, he was always sneaking up on me. My noise making had woken Abbie and she was a sour little thing when she first woke up. I cursed to myself and rocked her slightly to calm her.

“Shhh, it's okay, princess, daddy just scared the tinsel out of me.” I gave him a grin when he laughed. Okay, so it may have sucked as a joke, but come on, at 2 a.m. it's as good as I get. He pulled me and Abbie to him. The sorrow that had crept in and filled my heart was washed out by the love I felt from him. His lips brushed my cheek and I smiled.

“You all right, baby? Is Abbie?” His words were soft but I could see the worry in his face when his gaze met mine. I reached up and cupped his cheek with my free hand as I nodded.

“Abbie was a little fussy, but a few minutes of Rudolph and some cuddles had her back out. She's okay,” I kept my voice low as I spoke. “I’m-” I paused and sighed.

“What is it, Georgie? Come on, let me take her back to bed and we can talk. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said, shifting the cherub from my arms to her dad’s. I kissed her cheek and watched them walk up to the door way and up the stairs. Tango hesitated and I chuckled. “Go on, I'm okay.” As if he understood me he ran up the stairs after them.

I moved into the kitchen with a small smile still on my face. I opened the fridge, and after scanning it for a moment I pulled out the jug of milk, grabbed a couple of mugs and a small sauce pan. The milk went into the pan and I put the milk back and grabbed the cocoa, sugar and the bag of mini marshmallows. By the time Tate came back down I had the now warm, thick and sweet hot cocoa in mugs with the marshmallows on top.

“You sure know the way to my heart, don't ya?” Tate said as he took a tentative sip from his mug. I knew he loved his Mama’s cocoa - hell, we all did - but mine wasn't half bad. I smiled and leaned up on my tip toes to kiss his lips.

“I guess I do.” I leaned into his broad chest as I spoke.

“Come on, I have something for you,” he spoke as he took my hand and pulled me back out to the living room. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and grinned. Yeah, so I guttered that. So sue me.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he moved over to the tree and rummaged around under it. “Tate?”

“Hold on. Ah ha! Got it,” he said as he stood back to his full height.

There was a small red covered package in his hand when he joined me on the couch. I raised a brow as he took my mug of cocoa and sat it on the coffee table. He took my hand and leaned in to give me a toe curling kiss. I grumbled when he pulled back. He gently took my hand and placed the box there.

“Open it, baby.”

My hands shook as I shifted on the couch so I could see him better. His face was lit up by more than the lights from the tree. That smile of his, the dimples, man, my heart was skittering around like a hummingbird on a sugar high. I pulled the top off the box and froze. My mouth opened with a gasp as I got a good look at the jewelry before me. My free hand rose and I skimmed a finger along the bracelet and charms that lay against the white cotton in the box. There were a lot of small charms, and as I got a good look at them all the tears started again.

“You like it?” I looked up at Tate and shook my head slightly. I didn't like it, I absolutely loved it.

When the look of hurt and disappointment crossed his face I shifted to straddle his lap, the box gripped in my hand. My mouth moved to his and I kissed him hard. His arms wrapped around me and I was pulled closer to his body. I pulled back from his mouth and cupped his face.

“You asked… if I liked it. I- I don't like it, baby, I love it,” I whispered as I kissed his lips again. I shifted slightly so I was sitting in his lap. He grumbled and I couldn't help but chuckle. I ran my fingers over the bracelet again before he removed it from the box and fastened the clasp.

“I wanted something special for you. Something new, but something old too. I had one of the ornaments, the one that was all but ripped in half melted down and these charms were made from it.” I gasped as I turned to face him. There was a small pang of loss but the thing had been destroyed in the wreck. I looked between him and the bracelet.

“Tate… you… oh, my God.”

“I'm sorry baby, I should have asked but I didn't want to ruin the surp-”

I kissed him, cutting his last words off. “Don't.” I snuggled into his neck as his arms wrapped around me. “Thank you. I love it. This will be something I cherish until the day I leave this earth.”

“I love you,” he said and my head tipped back so he could kiss me.

“I love you, too. Now, tell me about my charms.” I was like a kid again.

“Well, okay.” He chuckled. “There are a few we made from your star. This one,” he said pointing to a dog. One that looked a helluva lot like Tango. Then there was a star, a wooden box, and a flat charm in the shape of Georgia with a heart and a peach stamped into it. The next one he pointed out looked like a lace doily, like the one I had in my jewelry box that was my great grandmothers. I gasped and turned back to his face. His gaze bore into me. Like a fire and balm all at once to ease my aching soul.

“These are all things I brought with me from my PaPa’s house…” I choked out a sob on the last word. His arms tightened around me and I laid there for a moment.

“This one,” he said, his finger skimming against it made me laugh a little as I wiped my face clean of tears.

“A bear?” I laughed again.

“Yes, your first hunting adventure. Then there is this one,” his finger brushed against a set of bull horns. “This one marks the first time I saw you. Even if I was an asshole to you.” He leaned down and kissed my lips softly.

“And, these other ones, they’re all sterling silver, to accompany the steel of your others. Ma and Pops got you a pair of boxing gloves, cause you're scrappy.”

We both laughed at that one. The rumble of his chest eased me even more.

“The boys, Abe, Jon and Danny got you these. This is a hay bale, a coiled rope - even though Jon said it's a whip, it's not - and a horse. They wanted you to have a piece of the ranch. Phoebe wanted you to have a cross, for your moments of clarity and prayers. You always have such faith in everyone. Now you can have a piece of faith with you.”

The tears had started again. Everything had such a meaning to them. I'd treasure this until I took my last breath. When Tate cleared his throat I looked back up at him.

“Last, but not least, this one is from Abbie.” His finger skimmed over a charm that literally made my heart stop.

“Tate…”

“You mean so much to us all. Abbie loves you, I can see it. You're hers and she is yours. This one was fitting.” He kissed my head as I ran a finger over the charm of the little girl. It was my favorite instantly. I squeezed my eyes shut and curled into him.

“I love you all so much. I'm so glad I have you guys.”

“We feel the same way.” I jerked hearing movement behind us and turned to see everyone sitting on the stairs. I laughed as tears started falling, yet again. I jumped up as they got up and I hugged them all super tight. This had gone from the worst Christmas to the best, because I had them in my life.