Chapter 68

CHAPTER 68

ZAYN

C hristmas mornings were always magical when I was a kid. But what was even better? Christmas morning when I was an adult with the power to dress up like Santa and completely control the chaos. I got to be the guy that was the star of the show. I was going to be the one they remembered twenty years down the road when they had their own children.

I had been given the honor of getting to play Santa Claus this year. Not everyone agreed with the decision, but I was up for it. It was my turn. And this way, all my brothers and cousins could be standing next to their kids when Santa walked in. They weren't going to be suspicious it was their dad. Since I didn't have kids, it seemed like the right thing to do.

"Zayn, you look ridiculous," Hudson said, shaking his head as I adjusted the padding in my fake belly.

"That's the point, Hudson. Kids love a jolly Santa." I stroked my fake beard. I ignored the fact it felt like I was wearing an itchy wool scarf on my face. But no pain, no gain. If I was going to be Santa, I was going all in.

My competitive nature had me fighting to be the best Santa out of all my family. Last year, Grayson had done it. The year before that, it was one of my brothers. This was my year. They were going to be wishing they were as good as I was.

"Am I good?" I asked, holding my arms out.

Hudson nodded, tugging at the sleeves. "Yeah, you're good," he said, chuckling. "A perfect Santa. Round belly, bushy beard, and a goofy laugh."

"I hope I don't scare the kids," I said, adjusting the red hat on my head. I looked at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing my own reflection.

That was the point. I didn't want them to realize it was Uncle Zayn. I wanted them to believe.

"Trust me, they'll love you. Just remember, jolly laughs and Ho Ho Ho's," Hudson advised.

The living room was chaos in the best way possible—wrapping paper everywhere, the kids running around in their pajamas, hyped up on sugar and excitement. The adults were trying their best to keep things somewhat orderly, but Christmas chaos was a special kind of chaos. The kind where you just embraced the mess.

I emerged from the back hallway in full Santa regalia—fake belly, oversized red suit, and a sack of presents slung over my shoulder. The kids' eyes widened as I stepped into the room, doing my best deep-throated "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Santa!" Ellie, one of my nieces, screamed, running up and hugging my leg. She was small, but dang, she had a vise grip. "Did you bring me presents?"

"Only if you've been a good girl this year," I said in my best Santa voice, which was, admittedly, more of a gruff pirate accent, but no one was going to call me out on it.

Ellie giggled and ran back to the tree, her eyes wide with anticipation. I started handing out gifts to all the kids, hamming it up for the crowd. At one point, I spotted Hudson smirking from the corner, his phone out, no doubt getting blackmail footage of me to use later.

I handed out presents, made sure to pat a few heads, and even gave Dad a gift while calling him "a very old boy," which earned a laugh from everyone except Dad himself. But I was on a roll—feeling pretty proud of my Santa gig.

Until I looked up and saw a face I hadn't expected.

Marigold.

There she was, sitting amongst my family, her eyes twinkling with amusement and that familiar smirk that always made my heart do weird, flippy things. She caught my gaze and moved her fingers across her lips like a zipper. Stay in character, she was saying. Don't blow your cover.

I almost choked on my fake beard.

I was dumbfounded. I talked to her that morning, and she told me she was going to be making dinner. I couldn't stop staring at her. I wasn't even sure if it was real. If I was hallucinating because of the chemicals in this fake beard, my brain had chosen the best image to conjure up.

Then she laughed.

My heart squeezed in my chest at the sound. At that moment, I forgot to be Santa Claus. I forgot about the itchy beard and the too-hot suit and just stood there like an idiot until a tug on my coat brought me back to reality.

"Santa! Santa! Did you bring me a present?" my cousin's son asked, tugging on my suit.

"Ho ho ho," I said, trying to refocus. "Let's see what Santa has in his sack for you."

I rifled through the remaining presents in the bag, pulling out more gifts.

I powered through and stayed in character for the better part of an hour, handing out the last of the gifts, avoiding Marigold's eyes when I felt them on me. I did my best to keep the kids entertained with a very mediocre rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

But inside? I was freaking out. What was she doing here? And how did she even pull this off?

When I finally slipped away to change out of the Santa suit and pull the scratchy beard from my face, I returned to find Marigold standing by the Christmas tree, sipping cider and chatting with Kathy, like she'd always been a part of this family.

She just fit. She was like a missing piece of a puzzle I never realized was being stitched together. I couldn't believe I had made it through life without her these past twenty-nine years.

I caught Dane's eye. He was staring at me like he had a big secret. "What?"

"Merry Christmas, bro," he said. "Best gift ever, huh?"

"You did this?" I asked, still stunned. I looked at Marigold, then back at him.

"Hey, it wasn't all me. Jay helped. And the family jet was just sitting there, so I figured, why not?"

I couldn't believe it. Dane had gone behind my back and orchestrated the best Christmas surprise of my life.

"Thank you," I said, trapping him in a bear hug. "Truly, I don't have the words."

"Okay, okay," he grumbled, shaking me off him. "I think I know a little about what you're feeling. I couldn't imagine not being able to spend Christmas with Ginger."

"You're definitely Bancroft of the year," I said. "You'll be getting a very nice gift from Santa."

He chuckled and playfully shoved me in Marigold's direction. "Stop talking to me already and go get your gift."

I made my way over to the best Christmas present I'd ever gotten. She looked up from her conversation with Kathy and shot me that soft, knowing smile that made everything else in the room disappear.

"Surprise," she said quietly.

I pulled her into my arms without a second thought, my face breaking into a grin. "You're really here."

She nodded, her hands resting on my chest. "I'm really here. Thought I'd crash the party. Hope that's okay."

I laughed. "More than okay. This is a dream come true."

Kathy smiled and nodded toward the table filled with cookies. "I'm going to do a quality check on the desserts. You two have fun catching up."

She left us alone. I was just happy to have her here, in this moment, surrounded by my family, making this Christmas even more special than I ever thought possible. At one point, I snuck her under the mistletoe by the front door and kissed her, not caring who saw.

She giggled. "There are kids here."

"Then they'll learn to cover their eyes when grown-ups are under mistletoe," I retorted, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for coming. This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."

It felt like everything had aligned.

She smiled. "This gift is even better once you unwrap it."

I groaned and pressed my forehead to hers. "Any more of that and these kids are going to see more than a kiss."

"Later, then," she said. "So we don't scar the children."

I shook my head and sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled you're here but I feel bad for your father. How is he handling it?"

"He's in the study or outside or somewhere." She laughed. "Last I checked, he was having a grand old time."

My eyes widened. "Your dad is here?"

"Yep. Your family invited him."

"Wow." I nodded. "Well now I don't feel guilty anymore. We can all enjoy the holiday together."

We moved through the room with Marigold talking to each of the kids. I could hear my dad and Jay laughing and talking through the half-open door down the hall. I knew they'd be treating him like one of the family, too. It was the Bancroft way—once you were in, you were in . I loved that Marigold and Jay were part of it now.

I leaned against the doorway for a moment, just soaking it all in. The kids were gathered by the tree again, this time with Kathy reading them a Christmas story. Some of the women were sprinkled throughout the house—some sipping eggnog or cider, others gathered around a massive cheese wheel in the dining room. It was a full house, but it felt cozy and right.

Marigold caught my eye from across the room and mouthed, "You okay?"

I nodded, smiling like a total idiot. I felt whole. That was the only way I could describe it. Whole in a way I hadn't been for a long time.

I crossed the room to stand next to her again, sliding my arm around her waist. She leaned into me. "You know," I said, my voice low so only she could hear. "I don't think I've ever been this happy."

She looked up at me, her eyes shining. "Me either."

We stood there, watching the scene unfold around us—kids laughing, family talking, Christmas lights twinkling—and I realized this was what it felt like to have everything you'd ever wanted. Not just the big things, like love and family, but the small moments, too. The ones that sneak up on you and make you feel like you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter. "Best gift ever."

Marigold smiled, resting her head on my shoulder. "Well, I figured you could use a little surprise. Besides, it's Christmas. I couldn't let you spend it without me. I got the best of both worlds. I have the two most important men in my life under the same roof."

I chuckled, but there was a lump in my throat now, too. This woman had completely changed my world, and I couldn't imagine it without her anymore. And somehow, she just knew —she knew I needed her here, even before I realized it myself.

As the evening wore on, we eventually drifted toward the back of the house, away from the noise of the party.

Marigold and I slipped out the back door to get some fresh air, the crisp winter night greeting us. It was lightly snowing. The backyard was quiet, save for the distant hum of conversation inside. We stood there for a moment, just watching the snow fall around us.

"Look at this yard," Marigold said with a laugh. "I don't know how your brothers and cousins get their kids to leave. This is like their own personal Disneyland."

"I think the only way they get them out of here is because their own backyards are pretty decked out. But my dad and Kathy have certainly upped the stakes." I smiled. "They say it's a grandparent's right to spoil the kids."

I rested my forehead against hers, breathing her in. "Merry Christmas," I whispered.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered back.

"Hey, we're doing carols!" Diana hollered. "Everyone participates. Even the lovebirds out here."

I grinned. "I guess we're about to humiliate ourselves with a little Frosty."

"Bring it on." She laughed.

Hand in hand, we made our way back inside. The family gathered in a semi-circle around the grand piano. Diana sat at the keys, sheet music spread out before her as she grinned from ear to ear.

"I hope you two have been practicing," she teased.

Taking our places among the chorus, Marigold rested her head against my shoulder while I slung an arm around her. I could see the kids giggling and dancing, their little faces lit up like the Christmas lights adorning the tree as we all sang together.

"I don't think I've ever had a Christmas quite like this before," Marigold whispered.

"Neither have I," I admitted.

It was surreal, surrounded by love and joy, singing carols at the top of our lungs, holding the woman I loved in my arms as we celebrated not just the holiday, but our bond with each other.

This Christmas was one for the books.