22. What Emma Really Wants

As I lean against the doorway, my eyes scan the great room, taking in the sight of our family all together under one roof. The warmth from the fireplace competes with the warmth I feel looking at all my loved ones.

I turn to Tank, who's standing beside me with a drink in hand, watching the scene with a contented smile. “You know, I really should apologize.”

His eyebrows lift in surprise. “For what?”

I take a deep breath, my gaze sweeping over the happy faces before settling back on him. “For giving you a hard time about buying this new house. If we hadn't gotten such a big place, we could have never had all the different branches of our family under one roof like this for Christmas.”

Tank grins. “I know I can get a little crazy at the holidays. Somebody has to rein me in. Besides, I knew you’d come around.”

“Did I come around or did you wear me down?” I lean up to kiss his cheek. “Either way, this is what the holidays should be about. Having everyone together.”

Tank glances over. "Is this a good time to admit that I did get you more than one gift?"

I throw my head back and laugh. "At this point, I'll forgive you for breaking the budget."

He rubs his hands together. " Remember you said that later . Although, this particular gift didn't break the bank."

"Should I be worried?" I tease, raising an eyebrow.

"Just hold on," he says and disappears into the crowd in the great room.

Moments later, he returns, a knowing smile on his face, with Ivy trailing behind him.

She holds out a wrapped box, "Merry Christmas, Emma."

"What are you two up to?” I say, eyeing them both with playful suspicion. They both look so excited.

Tank nods at the box. "Go on, open it."

I tug at the ribbon gently, before pulling off the wrapping paper. I lift the lid and for a moment, the room falls away. My breath catches in my throat as I gently pull out the picture, the old wood frame exactly as I remember.

“Where did you find this?” I finally manage to say. My throat is suddenly so tight that I almost can’t speak.

This picture used to sit on the mantel of my family home when I was a child. I'm about five years old in it, and my hair is in two stubby blonde pigtails. My father is seated, with Ivy perched on his knee. I’m standing to his left with my mother right behind me. She has one hand resting on my dad’s shoulder. It’s very stiff, typical of the posed photographs everyone used to do back in the day except for the cheeky smile on my dad’s face as he looks over at my mom. That smile, a clearly candid moment forever immortalized on film, was why this photo was one of my favorites.

Ivy bumps her shoulder against mine affectionately. “Remember when we decided to sell the house?”

I nod, unable to tear my eyes from the picture. Earlier in the year, we had finally decided to sell our parents’ house. We should have sold it years ago since it was a constant reminder of the night our parents died, but we hadn’t been ready to do it before.

"When I was cleaning out the attic, I found a bunch of boxes. There was so much stuff in them that we didn’t have time to sort through them right away," Ivy continues. "I didn’t finish going through them until last month."

My eyes meet hers, and I see the same emotions reflected in them that I’m feeling—love, loss, and bittersweet regret. "This is just perfect. I thought we’d lost all these.”

Tank puts his arm around me, his presence a comforting weight. "When Ivy told me what she’d found, I knew you would love to have it. So I asked if she minded if you kept the original."

She nods. “I have a copy of this one. And I kept another one from when we’re older.”

I pull her into a hug. "You've given me back a piece of our childhood, a piece of them . Thank you, Ivy. Not just for this but everything . I am so grateful to have you as my sister.”

After we separate, I see that Ivy is wiping away tears of her own. "That's what family is for," she says, her voice steady and sure. She gives me one last squeeze before leaving us alone.

I turn to Tank. "And you. I don't even know what to say."

He looks at me with those eyes that always see right through me. "I know you've been missing your parents, Emma. And this way, you'll always know that they're still with you."

My head finds its familiar spot against his chest, his heartbeat a comforting rhythm. "I can feel them here, Tank. Not just in this picture, but in the love that fills this house."

I look down at the picture. “Let’s put this on the mantel.”

Tank nods. “That’s a great idea. They should be right here in the middle of all the craziness with us.”

“The funny thing is, they would have loved that.”

As he holds me close, I can almost hear my mother’s laughter, and feel my father’s embrace. They would have loved Tank, not just because he’s amazing but because of how well he loves me. But I know they’re here in the laughter that echoes through these walls, in the traditions we carry on, and in the love that never fades, no matter how many Christmases pass.

When we walk into the great room, Ivy is walking in from the kitchen with a tray of something that smells like heaven.

"Cinnamon rolls are ready!" she calls out.

That gets everyone’s attention, either that or the amazing smell.

Finn nudges Tank with a grin. "Hey, remember the Christmas we tried to make Mom breakfast in bed?" he says, his eyes twinkling with the memory.

Their mom, Claire, walks by. "I appreciated the thought. Those were the best burnt eggs I ever had!"

Gabe reaches over to grab a cinnamon roll off the tray. “At least you guys made them yourself.” He glances over at Zack. “Remember the Christmas when we stole all the gifts?"

His words spark another wave of laughter. Their moms shake their heads, too. Paula sighs. “It’s a miracle we made it through some of those years.”

Gabe leans back, a thoughtful look on his face. "Who would've thought that we'd end up having holidays like these one day?"

Tank places a hand on my shoulder. “We may not have had much back then, but we loved each other. The real meaning of Christmas,” he whispers.

As he looks down at me, I realize he understands what I was trying to do with our Christmas budget. All the wonderful things we have don’t mean anything without love behind them. I put my hand over his and squeeze gently.

When he moves away to look at some doll Maxi is waving around, I settle on the couch near the tree, my feet screaming with relief once the pressure is off. As I lean back, something glints inside the tree. It looks like there’s something stuck in the branches. Curious, I reach in and pluck out a small envelope, slightly crumpled from its hiding spot.

Before I can inspect it further, Maxi's delighted squeal cuts through the room. "Mommy, you found one of the hidden gifts!"

I turn the envelope over in my hands, puzzled. "What are you talking about, sweetie?"

But before Maxi can explain, Tank's voice booms across the room, "Who wants to go outside to make a snowman?"

Liam starts screaming and running around in circles. Maxi takes off chasing her cousin, her doll forgotten on the floor. Tank winks at me from across the room. I shake my head, amused at his antics.

For all his military strategy, my husband sometimes forgets that a plan is only as strong as its weakest link. The next time Maxi runs by, I crouch down to her level.

“Maxi, tell me more about these hidden gifts.”

She starts twirling, her small body a whirl of energy. "Daddy hid gifts all over the house!" She stretches her arms out wide as if to show how many.

"Did he now?" I glance over at Tank.

Maxi continues dancing around. “There are lots of secret gifts, Mommy!"

“Is that right?” I look over at Tank before I start to unwrap the secret present that was hidden in the tree. When I see what it is, I gasp. “It’s a homemade coupon book. How sweet is that?”

Tank claps his hands. “Okay kids let’s move. Faster. Faster! Knees to chest!”

Finn gapes at him. “Bro, they’re toddlers. I don’t think they’re ready for military formation yet.”

He leans down and helps Liam into his coat. Meanwhile, Maxi is still twirling so Tank just drapes her coat over her head and picks her up.

“We’ll see you later, Mommy!” He yells over his shoulder as they disappear into the kitchen.

Finn sighs and picks up Liam before following them out.

Ivy looks over at me. “That was weird. Weirder than usual, I mean.”

“Yeah it was.” I turn another page in the little coupon book. “A coupon for a foot massage. I will definitely need that tonight.”

Seven smiles. “That’s such a nice idea for a gift. And he actually stayed on budget!”

I make a face when I turn a page and see the next coupon. “A coupon for a pair of high heels? That’s not exactly budget friendly but okay.”

Ivy sits next to me as I continue turning the pages. She covers her mouth to hold in her laughter as each page is revealed.

When I look over at her, she shrugs. “He tried. I think.”

I march into the kitchen, laughter trailing behind me. All my focus is on getting to the window. It takes a little effort but I finally manage to lift the window so I can yell Tank’s name. All the guys look over at the sound.

Tank raises a hand and waves tentatively. “Hey, baby.”

“Tank Marshall. A house in Aspen! ”

Thank you so much for reading Blue-Collar Christmas .

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