Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

December 20 th

5:23 P.M.

Another Friday night, another date.

Only this one was a whole family affair.

More than that, it was inviting Donovan into a special tradition that she and her son shared.

Every Christmas they bought a bunch of little, cheap gifts, wrapped them up in the traditional bright and garish Christmas wrapping paper, and dropped them off on their neighbors’ doorsteps. Freddie always had so much fun doing it, and even though it meant losing a little bit of the budget she would have spent on gifts for her son, Jessica had always felt that the trade-off of him learning about giving was well worth it. Besides, she always managed to get him the things he wanted the most and he was young enough to not even know that he could have gotten a couple of extra toys if they didn't do this.

Better to give than receive.

That was an important motto, and she wanted her son to learn it. Wanted him to know that helping others and doing nice things for them without expecting anything in return, was the way to make the world a better place. She was pretty darn proud of her son for already knowing that when so many adults didn't. The joy and excitement he got each year when he got to put on his Santa hat and play at being the jolly gift giver reassured her that she was doing this whole parenting thing pretty alright.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Donovan whispered in her ear as he helped her into the car. He’d been so sweet these last couple of days, fussing around her like a mother hen, making sure she was okay, ensuring she took her pain pills on time, and ensuring she ate even if it was just a little soup. He helped her shower and get dressed, carrying her around so she didn't have to walk. He took care of Freddie, made sure he was entertained, took him to school yesterday and today, and helped him with his homework.

Honestly, he’d been perfect. There was nothing more she could have asked of him.

“Positive,” she assured him. Even if she wasn't there was no way she was going to miss out on this special Christmas tradition. She would drag herself out of her sick bed, which given the constant headache and lingering dizziness and nausea, she was actually doing just that because this was one of her favorite things to do in the festive season. Actually, it was something she looked forward to all year.

“All right then, let’s get busy being Santa Claus,” Donovan said, buckling her seatbelt for her then checking to make sure Freddie was buckled in before starting the car.

Christmas music played inside the vehicle as they sang and giggled on the way back to her and Freddie’s neighborhood. Even with the threat of the stalker hanging over their heads, and her injuries, there was plenty of Christmas spirit to go around.

“Where do you want to start?” Donovan asked when they came to a stop outside her house. Usually, they dropped off little presents to all the houses with kids on their block. Nothing extravagant, some doll’s clothing, a soccer ball, some nail polish, or matchbox cars, just a little something to let people know they were special and cared about.

“Mrs. Hunter’s house,” Freddie replied immediately. While the elderly woman didn't have any children, she also didn't have anyone in her life. Her husband had been gone for almost twenty years and she had no other living relatives. It always broke Jessica’s heart that the poor woman spent Christmas alone, despite her many invitations to join her and Freddie, so she always made sure they included a gift for her as well.

“I think I’ll wait in the car,” she told the boys as they climbed out.

“Are you sure?” Donovan asked, sticking his head in the open car door. “I know this is your thing to do with your son. If you want, I can wait in the car or even at your place.”

Smiling so he knew that this wasn't just because she wasn't feeling great after the head injury, she gave a small shake of her head. “You don’t need to do that. I want you to be involved, and so does Freddie. I'm fine here, I can watch you two play Santa.”

“Come on, Donovan,” Freddie urged, fiddling with the fluffy pompom on the end of his Santa hat. “The street is quiet, no one will see us, but if we don’t go now, we might get caught.”

For a little boy, trying to drop off the gifts without getting caught added a whole new layer of fun and excitement.

“You got it, buddy.”

Grabbing the first present from their bag in the trunk, Donovan took Freddie’s hand, and she watched as the two of them looked up and down the street, then darted into the front yard of Mrs. Hunter’s house. Like the funny, crazy goofballs that they were, they darted from tree to tree, then onto her porch. While Freddie carefully set the present on the mat, Donovan hung a candy cane from the doorknob.

Then they slunk back through the yard, giggling and whispering to one another as they went. By the time they scrambled back into the car both of their eyes were twinkling, their cheeks pink from the cold, she’d forgotten all about the pain in her head.

How could she think about it when there was so much joy flooding the car?

There was no way this time last year when she and Freddie had done this together, she could ever have predicted that in just a year’s time there would be a man in their life. Even a week ago when she went out on her first date with Donovan and asked him to spend the night, she couldn’t have predicted that she would have fallen this hard this fast.

But she had .

And she didn't regret a single thing.

Life was to be lived, and that’s what she was finally doing. No more hiding, she was getting out there and taking her life by the horns.

No stalker who wanted to destroy her newfound happiness was going to win.

No one was taking this future away from her and her son.