19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Shimmersnap

Never in my life did I imagine I would get free rein over decorating an entire house for Christmas. Granted, Walter had given me permission to decorate the living room and the outside, but of course, once the ideas started flowing, I suddenly needed a tree in every room with different themed ornaments and decor. Plus, there was the roof to decorate with lights and other things. The whole porch was a decoration on its own.

He drew the line at the mailbox. Apparently, there were laws against such things since the mailbox needed to be accessible. Still, I was holding out hope that we could put a full mural on the garage door. I was envisioning a moonlit scene of a cutesy cartoon version of Santa’s workshop with those cute elves! That was an idea I kept in my head and hadn’t yet said out loud.

At first, I worried about what it would all cost, but then Walter showed me the balance of my bank statement where my paycheck had been deposited for the past year. Six months, and I hadn’t had any bills for myself. I had acquired quite the sum! After donating a chunk to the local food bank to cover their holiday feast expenses, I got to work on decorating.

Walter showed me the value of secondhand stores, as well as estate sales. His friend, who usually went with him to these sales, had laughed the entire time as I filled up not only his vehicle but ours as well with vintage Christmas decorations. I had a vision, and it was going to become a reality.

“Is there anything I can help with, Shimmersnap?” Walter asked.

“No, I’m fine,” I replied, standing on a ladder pinning up the evergreen garland that lined the archway. “Once I’m done with this, we’ll put up the lights, and then I have some frosted glitter that sticks to the garland.”

“Of course you do,” he said with a smirk. “Couldn’t you just snap your fingers and have this all done?”

I looked at him incredulously. “Sure, but what’s the joy in that?”

“What indeed,” Walter said, shaking his head.

He stood next to me as I worked, probably to make sure I wouldn’t fall. With only two weeks until Christmas, I thought it best to have the place decorated to the nines.

“And how long will this stuff stay up?” Walter asked.

I smirked. “I guess the date is negotiable.”

“I take it the day after Christmas is out of the question?”

“Absolutely not,” I replied. “We’re still well into the holiday season at that point. We have holiday parties to attend all the way until New Year’s Eve.” Once Walter and I made our relationship official, we began reaching out to some of his old friends. They were more than happy to bring him back into the fold.

“New Year’s Day?”

“February first,” I said with a grin.

He laughed. “I can agree with February first. Then we have the whole year to negotiate when it’ll go back up.”

“October first,” I said without hesitation. “With a few things making an appearance during Christmas in July.”

He laughed again. “I suppose that will be just fine.”

“There.” I placed the last ornament on the garland, stepping down from the ladder and admiring the display.

The green of the garland had a shimmer of sparkle that resembled snowcapped trees glistening in the sunlight. There were ornamental balls of varying shades of red, some with sparkles, some smooth glass. Nestled in between the garland were branches of winterberry giving the decor the pop that it needed.

“Hmmm, it needs a little something,” I said, tapping my finger to my cheek.

Walter came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle, his hands resting over my tummy. “It could use a little more sparkle,” he murmured, kissing my neck.

I smiled. “You’re absolutely right, it could.”

With a snap of my fingers, a coat of glitter shimmered over the decorations. The overhead lights caught on them, casting a soft glow across the room, and everything sparkled.

“Perfect,” I said, satisfied.

“It really is.” He led me to the couch, pulling me down beside him. “You know, if you’re this good at decorating, we should work on the baby’s room next.”

I gasped. “Oh, can I? I have so many ideas!”

“Will it be Christmas-themed?” he asked, chuckling.

I laughed too. “I don’t think so, but there will be a little bit of sparkle.”

“Of course.” He smiled and held me tight. Walter rarely went long without holding me in his arms as if he was afraid I might disappear any moment. He also never hesitated to accept my sparkle. I was pretty sure he was going to love the glittered ties that I’d snuck under the Christmas tree.

“I do like the idea of reds and greens, maybe polka dots for the baby’s room.”

“Whatever you wish, we’ll make it work.”

We hadn’t yet talked about whether I’d keep my job or how that would work with the baby coming. I wouldn’t mind working, but once the baby arrived, I’d probably need to care for them full-time. Plus, I’d learned just how much volunteering was needed in the human world. Helping others sounded more enjoyable than crunching numbers all day. Though I was hesitant to leave Walter shorthanded. I really had been very helpful with his work. Either way, we had time to figure it out.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

“You expecting someone?” Walter asked.

“I know two humans in this world— you and your friend. Who would I be expecting?” I joked.

Walter laughed and went to the door, returning with an envelope.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Not sure,” I said, eyeing it. It had an aura to it, so I knew it was from the North Pole.

The envelope was decorated with swirly gold scrolls spelling out my name: Shimmersnap. I opened it to find a letter.

Congratulations on your mating. You are officially off the naughty list .

“Walter, I’m off the naughty list!”

“Fantastic,” he said with a smirk. “I’m sure you’ll find your way back there.”

I slapped his arm playfully. “Don’t joke about that! The naughty list is serious business, Walter!”

As I set the envelope down, a small picture fluttered out. Walter picked it up, glancing at it with wide eyes.

“Is this...?” He turned it over, showing me. It looked like an ultrasound picture. “Is that what I think it is?” he asked.

“It’s our baby,” I said, my voice soft with wonder.

“Santa did an ultrasound?” Walter wrinkled his nose at that thought.

“Santa can do anything,” I said. I read through the letter quickly. “Congratulations on your upcoming child. I’ve taken the liberty of making sure the little elf is doing well. Enclosed is a picture, and we’ll be sending an elf doctor to monitor you regularly.”

“Oh, how exciting!” I beamed.

“Great,” Walter said with a grin, kissing my cheek.

“This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”

“Maybe,” Walter said with a shrug. “I’ll bet every Christmas with you will be the best ever. And every day will be better than the one before.”

I slapped at his chest playfully. “I’m already committed to you, Walter. There’s no need for the flirting.”

He kissed my cheek again. “I mean it, Shimmersnap. You brought light into my life again. Into my home. And I promise never to take that for granted again.”

I kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I love you, my grumpy alpha. All of you.”

“I love you, Shimmersnap. Never dull your sparkle, mate.”