Will

After skating, Will sent a quick text message to signal the next phase of his plan while Emma took Colin to grab some food from the cart vendors. Colin came back with a giant soft pretzel, while Emma held two knishes in her hands. She was practically glowing as she handed one to Will.

“I haven’t had a knish in over a year,” she remarked. “Do you know they don’t sell them in Boston?”

“You’re joking?” He had the good manners to look appalled as he shook his head, soaking in her adorableness.

“I tried ordering one at a deli once and they looked at me like I was speaking another language.”

“Were you speaking Dothraki?” Colin asked around a mouthful of pretzel.

“No smarty pants, she was speaking New Yorker,” Will said ruffling his hair.

Emma bit into her piping hot knish and moaned. The noise was almost obscene and Will struggled to keep his composure as he watched Emma lick the pastry crumbs from her fingers. He’d never been so jealous of a crumb in his life.

Luckily, the sound of hooves and bells interrupted his less than PG thoughts about Emma. Right on time, Will thought as he turned to see a horse drawn carriage pull up behind them. The driver got out and opened the door, folding out the steps.

“Is that for us?” Colin cried.

Will winked. “You know it, little man.”

“This really is the best day ever!” he shrieked.

“Thank Emma,” Will said. “This was all her idea.”

Colin ran into Emma will all his might and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re the best sister in the whole world, Emma.”

She knelt down and hugged him back. “You’re pretty great too.”

“I love you,” Colin whispered throwing his arms around her neck.

Will caught the astonished look on Emma’s face as she held Colin to her chest. Her eyes glistened with emotion and Will smiled. If he couldn’t be with his family, bringing someone else’s together was a close second.

He rescued Emma from near tears and hoisted Colin up and into the carriage. Will climbed in himself and extended a hand to Emma. She took it, looking at him with wonder. “Seriously, how did you do all of this?” she whispered.

He shrugged. “I’m full of surprises.”

They settled next to each other in the carriage and the driver handed Will a plaid blanket and a thermos of hot cocoa. Colin asked if he could sit up top with the driver, who kindly obliged, which left Will and Emma alone in the back.

This was working out even better than Will had planned. He snuggled closer to Emma in the back seat, stretching the blanket over their laps before pouring her a mug of cocoa as the carriage began its jaunt through the park. The sleigh bells on the horse’s harness jingled merrily as they bounced.

Emma grinned. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?” she asked taking the cocoa.

“I don’t know about everything.”

“Will, I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted you to have a great day getting to know your little brother.”

“Well I did,” she said leaning into him. “Today’s been perfect.”

Will slipped his arm around Emma’s shoulder. She fit with him like a missing puzzle piece, so Will wasn’t surprised that he felt complete with Emma tucked against him.

“Thank you, Will. It was nice to be a kid at Christmas again.”

He smiled. “I still have one more surprise up my sleeve.”

Emma

Emma couldn’t suppress her grin when they pulled up to Macy’s. The doorman unclipped the red velvet rope to what was dubbed as the ‘Path to the North Pole’. Will led Emma and Colin past festive window displays decked out in holiday cheer and through a winding aisle inside the massive department store until they reached an elevator labeled ‘North Pole Express’.

Colin pressed the button and the doors slid open letting Christmas music spill out. The walls inside of the elevator were wrapped in gold foiled Christmas paper, with red velvet ribbon crisscrossing it to make a perfect bow directly above them. It gave Emma a very Willy Wonka-like feeling of being inside a gift box. As the elevator smoothly climbed to the eighth floor, she glanced up and noticed a bough of mistletoe swaying innocently above her.

“Seriously? More mistletoe?” she asked, looking at Will. Although she found she didn’t mind the insinuating plant as much as she had a few days ago.

Will shrugged. “It’s nearly Christmas. I think our mistletoe moment is unavoidable.”

“What’s mistletoe?” Colin asked.

Emma laughed. “You speak Dothraki but you don’t know what mistletoe is?”

Colin only shook his head.

“Do you wanna take this one?” Emma asked looking at Will.

He grinned. “When you see mistletoe you find someone you like and offer them a high-five. If they high-five you back, that means they like you too.”

“Cool!” Colin exclaimed, raising his mittened hand in the air.

Emma tugged Colin’s soggy mitten off and high-fived him. Then so did Will. Colin’s rosy cheeks glowed. And just when Emma thought he couldn’t get any more excited, the elevator doors slid open to the most elaborate Christmas wonderland she’d ever seen.

“Welcome to Santaland,” a snow-covered nomad exclaimed. The Nordic actor was brushing the fur of a gigantic animatronic polar bear as fake snow fell over the whimsical scene.

Colin was bouncing on his toes trying to take it all in. There were caroling snowmen, real reindeer and lively elves bustling around carrying stacks of gifts or passing out candy canes to the people waiting in line.

Of course, Will had found a way to make Santaland even more magnificent by securing VIP passes so they didn’t have to wait in line to meet Santa. As they walked to the front of the red carpet and Santa came into view, Colin began to shake and Emma’s heart swelled. She remembered what it was like to still believe in that kind of magic and it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

“Is that really Santa?” Colin whispered.

Will knelt down. “Why don’t you go talk to him and find out?”

“How will I know?” Colin asked.

“You have to ask for a special Christmas wish and if it comes true you’ll know the real Santa got your message.”

Colin smiled at Will like he was the most brilliant person in the world, and Emma couldn’t help thinking maybe he was.

She turned to Will. “You’re going to ask that Santa what Colin wished for, aren’t you?”

Will nodded. “I learned a trick or two from my brothers.”

“What if he wishes for something you can’t get him?”

“He’s seven. He’ll wish for a new toy or video game.”

Emma sighed. “Not all wishes can be purchased. Although, life would be a lot less complicated if they could.”

Will looked at Emma with an intensity that made her insides coil feverishly. “Kids don’t wish for stuff like that.”

“I hope you’re right. I want Colin to have a good Christmas. I have a feeling he hasn’t had one in a while.”

It sounded ridiculous to say after seeing Colin’s room. The endless pile of toys and video games showed the boy obviously had more than he needed. But after spending the day with him, Emma could tell the thing Colin really valued was time.

Smart kid, she thought to herself. Emma would do just about anything for more time. More time to appreciate the happy moments she’d had with her parents. More time to figure out where she wanted to go to school next fall. More time to go back and fix her mistakes with Will. More time to make everything right.

“Your turn, Emma,” Colin said when he bounded back over from Santa.

“Oh, I’m too old to ask Santa for presents.”

“You’re never to old to make a Christmas wish,” Colin argued.

Will chimed in. “Yeah, Em. You’re never too old.”

“Fine.” Emma sighed, feeling ridiculous as she marched up to the Santa performer. He patted his lap and she shook her head. “No way.”

“Come on, dear. Don’t be shy.”

Emma looked back at the line of people waiting. This was absurd. There were little kids dying to get their turn with Santa. She didn’t want to make them wait. The best thing to do was just get this over with quickly. She balanced herself on the Santa impersonator’s knee.

“So, tell me . . .” Santa began.

“Emma.”

“Ah yes, Emma. What’s your Christmas wish, Emma?”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I wish . . . I wish . . .” But the words stuck in her mouth. Emma stared back at Will and suddenly all she wanted was another chance with him. “I wish I could make things right with him,” she whispered.

“That’s a tall order, young lady.”

“What?” Emma looked at the Santa in shock. She hadn’t realized she’d even said anything out loud.

“If you open your heart, maybe your wish will come true.”

Emma stood abruptly. Suddenly she wanted to be anywhere but there. “Thanks,” she mumbled hurrying off the stage.

“Did you make your wish?” Colin asked when she rejoined him and Will.

“Yeah,” she muttered, still feeling a bit shell-shocked.

“You’re next, Will,” Colin instructed.

Will gave them a wink and jogged over to Santa. Emma watched as he leaned in to whisper something in Santa’s ear. Santa laughed and whispered back, wiping the confident smirk from Will’s face. He glanced back at Emma and Colin and frowned. Emma watched as Will reconfirmed whatever the Santa-clad man had told him. But Santa only shook his head. Will thanked him, shook his hand and walked back over to Emma and Colin, wearing the same dazed expression Emma had when she’d left the stage.