11. Welcome to Tank’s World

ELEVEN

WELCOME TO TANK’S WORLD

A s soon as I pull open the double doors of the cabin, I find a crowd waiting for me. Finn and Rissa are in the front, each with a child in their arms. Behind them stand Gabe and Sasha.

I gesture grandly. "Welcome to Marshall Manor!”

Finn smirks. "Someone's been watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous again."

Rissa elbows him gently. "Ignore him, Tank. The place looks amazing."

I move aside so they can all come in. As soon as he crosses the threshold, Gabe lets out a low whistle. "Nice place."

“Thanks.” I extend a hand and pull him into a quick hug before turning to greet Sasha.

She looks around shyly. “Have my parents arrived yet?”

Emma emerges from the hallway. "Hi guys! You’re the first here. I talked to your mother this morning Sasha. They should be here this afternoon.”

Finn looks up. He’s trying to get his son Liam’s coat off and the little boy is squirming all over the place. As soon as his arms are free, Liam takes off running. I grab him before he can pass by.

“And why is my nephew trying to run away without saying hi?”

Liam screams with laughter when I hold him upside down by his ankles.

“Hi, Unca Tank.”

I turn him right side up before tousling his hair. “Hey kid. What did you ask Santa for?”

He holds up the toy in his hand. “Peeka Puppy!”

The plastic animal vaguely resembles a dog but the head has been half-chewed and it looks like it’s missing a leg. I glance over at Finn in amusement.

“He’s as rough on his toys as you used to be.”

Emma walks by and kisses Liam on the head before heading over to give hugs to Finn and Rissa. “Zack and Josie are coming later tonight, and Seven just texted that they are leaving now. Traveling with an infant is always tricky."

Sasha nods. "I can’t even imagine."

I clear my throat, drawing everyone’s attention. "Well, step inside everyone. This is the first time you've seen the place since it's been finished."

Finn starts asking questions about the remodeling and I’m answering as we give them a quick tour of the kitchen, the children’s playroom and a quick pit stop to show off the garage to Gabe. We end up back in the great room.

"And of course this is where we spend most of our time. This tree is a fifteen foot Balsam fir that I had flown in from?—"

Emma turns and glares at me.

"But…that's not what's important. What truly matters is that we're all here together for Christmas."

Behind her I see Finn and Gabe struggling to hide their laughter. I ignore them and look at the luggage they deposited near the front door.

“I’m sure you’d all like to take your bags up.”

Emma gestures to the stairs. "Let's show everyone to their rooms."

While everyone is walking upstairs, Gabe suddenly appears next to me. "Hey, do you have any wrapping paper? I just found the perfect gift and didn’t have time to wrap it."

"Of course. Follow me.”

After everyone else is gone, I lead him to a small closet near the front door. Opening the door reveals shelves lined with rolls of wrapping paper, ribbons in every hue, and tags that could adorn gifts for a lifetime.

Gabe's eyes light up. "This is definitely Emma’s doing. There’s no way you’re this organized."

Playfully, I pull the door closed.

He lunges for the handle. “I’m just kidding.”

We enter the room and I grab an armful of gifts from the small table and move them to the corner. “I use this room to wrap things out of sight. Then I’ll transfer them under the tree when Maxi isn’t looking.”

“Sounds like a good plan. After I’m done, I’ll leave my gift in here so you can transfer it under the tree, too.”

Gabe pulls a small package from the inside pocket of his coat. Then two envelopes.

I raise an eyebrow.

He points to the envelopes. “One of them is actually Finn’s gift to Rissa. Long story. This whole budget thing really threw us all off.”

I scoff. “Tell me about it. Let’s hope they don’t make this an annual tradition. Otherwise, I'll have to start buying gifts for every random holiday just to compensate. You know, National Pie Day, International Talk Like a Pirate Day..."

Gabe laughs. "Finn probably has National Pie Day marked on his calendar as sacred.”

The sound of one of the kids screaming sounds from the floor above.

“I’d better go see what’s happening. But I’ll distract Sasha so you have some time to wrap before she comes looking for you."

Gabe claps a hand on my shoulder. "Thanks. I’ll owe you one.”

When I leave, I close the closet door behind me and almost bump into Ivy.

She glances behind me curiously. “Hey. What are you doing?”

“Just a little last minute wrapping. Where is everyone?”

“They’re still upstairs. I was just getting everything ready for lunch. Also, Emma is looking for you.”

“Thanks.” I pull her into a hug. “I’m glad you’re here, you know. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Her look of surprise melts into a soft smile. “Thanks, Tank. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else either.”

The sudden peal of the doorbell startles us both.

“Tell Emma I’ll be right there.”

Ivy gives me a thumbs up before she heads for the stairs. Meanwhile, I walk over to the front door. I open it to find Zack and Josie shivering on the front porch.

“Hey! You’re here early. Emma said you weren’t coming until later.”

They crowd into the front hallway, dropping their bags and stamping ice from their boots.

“We were able to leave a little early,” Zack says before handing over his coat. After I collect Josie’s, I hang them both in the coat closet.

Josie looks around in awe. “This place is so cool. I’d love to get some photos while I’m here, if you don’t mind.”

I give her a look. “You know you don’t even have to ask.”

Zack slaps me on the back. “Well, show us around. All I’ve been hearing about for months is this new cabin.”

We take a quick turn through all the rooms finally ending in the great room where everyone else has gathered. When the others notice that Zack and Josie have arrived, the group erupts into a flurry of hugs, handshakes and chatter.

Emma greets them both with hugs. “You’re just in time for hot chocolate. It’s my mom’s special recipe.”

Ivy walks in from the kitchen with a tray of steaming mugs.

Once everyone has a mug, I lift mine in a toast. "To Emma. The greatest gift I’ve ever received.”

Finn immediately raises his cup. “I’ll drink to that. Emma, you deserve better.”

Rissa cuffs him on the back of the head lightly as everyone raises their cups in agreement.

I walk around making sure everyone has what they need and is comfortable. I leave Zack and Finn in the middle of their usual debate (about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie, which obviously it is) and move over to where Emma is standing at the window.

She looks up when I approach. I open my arms and she cuddles against my chest. Liam runs by screeching as Riley trails behind, toddling unsteadily.

Emma looks up at me with an amused smile. “I’m starting to understand why you were so determined to buy this place before Christmas. This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Having everyone all together.”

I look around the room, at everyone talking and laughing, and realize she’s right. This is exactly what I was envisioning when I decided to buy this place. The location in the mountains of Northern Virginia was perfect, the size was ideal and I loved the design of the house, but it was this vision that really sold it.

All the people we love coming together is what makes any house a home.

“You did it,” she whispers. “You got everyone together for the perfect Christmas.”

I look down at Emma, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of happiness and the exhaustion she thinks she's hiding.

“No, you did it. None of this is possible without everything you do. Thank you, Emma. I appreciate this more than you know."

She leans into me. "You don’t have to thank me. They’re my family too."

And she's right. Because the true magic is how we’ve blended our families together. Finn is now her brother and Ivy is the little sister I never knew I needed.

Now we get to spend this holiday together.

“I can’t wait until Luke and Seven get here. This is going to be the perfect Christmas.”

She smiles. “So are you ready to admit that I was right about keeping things simple?”

I pause. “Well, I’ll let you tell me that later. You may change your mind after you see my gift.”