15. Sparkle

FIFTEEN

SPARKLE

Dan helped me put on a robe. It was his and too big because I didn't yet have a complete wardrobe, having been here such a short time and been pregnant for most of it.

With our daughter in my arms, I inspected the back garden. It was dark, not surprising as it was winter, but it'd been daylight when I went into labor. But the moonbeams and starlight illuminated what shouldn't have been there.

I hugged the baby close as a spasm of fear jolted my body. Reaching out for Dan, I gripped his hand, holding it tight in case I was whisked away.

"Is that Santa's sleigh?" Dan pressed his face against the glass. "What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be delivering presents?

"Unless we've all experienced a time jump, it's Christmas Eve. Santa #1 starts his delivery rounds early." But Dan was right about one thing; why was Santa here?"

Dasher's reindeer pawed the ground while the other beasts stared at the sky or bobbed their heads. I followed their gaze and looked at the stars. Now I understood. He'd seen my message.

Santa #1 walked toward the window and beside him were some of my elf friends. The same elves who were outside Santa's office the day I was bundled out of Christmas Village.

He pointed to the back door.

"I think he wants to come in." Dan looked at me as if asking for permission.

I nodded, and Sushi took off in front of my mate, scratching and barking at the door. Santa stamped his feet on the mat and strolled in, and he gave the Christmas tree the once-over. His eyes lit up, the flames in the fireplace reflected in his eyes.

"Very nice."

My elf colleagues gathered around Santa #1, and Dan bowed, saluted, put his hands together and raised them, followed by a curtsy. My mate covered all the bases. "Your excellency," he said in a high-pitched voice

"You're looking well, Sparkle." Santa leaned over to look at the baby. "And who's this? Does she have a name?"

"Not yet."

"He knows she's a she," Dan whispered in my ear.

"I'm sorry…" I began.

Santa held up his hand. "We all saw your message." He pointed upward and then nudged my three elf friends forward and jerked his head at me. "Did Arnold help with that?"

I nodded.

Zimmer cleared his throat. "Sparkle, we owe you an explanation."

"Go on."

Dan put an arm around me and his other hand slid under our daughter. "You're not taking them. Sparkle is my mate, and our baby is a newborn. We are a family."

"We're not here to disrupt your lives," Zimmer informed us.

"Hurry, we have presents to deliver," Santa huffed.

"We were trying to help," Rathal piped up.

Kennel took over. "Santa said the word figure ‘cause he was figuring it out, and we were trying to help you by casting a protective spell, and boom , you got transformed into a figurine."

Dan stepped forward. "But what about the notes saying he had to mate by Christmas?"

"I mentioned Christmas," Santa offered. "And there is that legend about naughty elves and having to find their mate. It was all bound together and resulted in a complete mess."

"Mixed into the confusion of what Santa said, what we did, and the legend, it got twisted around, and boom , you were gone," Kennel said.

"But I lost almost a year." As much as I loved Christmas, I was ten and a half months older when I landed here, and I was peeved.

Santa shrugged. "I don't have all the answers, Sparkle. Part of the legend, I assume. It's something to do with Christmas."

"So it's over, we don't need to worry?" Dan's palms were damp, but I clung to them.

"That's right, we reversed our spell." Zimmer hung his head, as did the others. "Everything is as it should be."

"What does our future hold?" Dan asked.

Sushi licked Santa's boots, and he gave our dog some serious side-eye, so my mate picked her up.

"You can live your lives," the elves chorused. "And come home. We miss you, Sparkle."

"I am home." I rested my head on my mate's shoulder. "I love you all, but I'm not coming back."

"Oh." The elves' lips trembled and tears glistened in their eyes. They huddled around Santa.

I tapped my foot on the floor and narrowed my eyes at our guests. "Time fast-forwarded for me but not for you. If you missed me so much, how has it taken more than ten months to find me?"

The elves hung their heads, and even Santa avoided my steely gaze.

"We didn't notice," Zimmer admitted. "You were sort of wiped from our memories, even Santa's." He explained they had a vague memory of an elf who'd gone rogue. Santa #1 sent a memo about it. But they couldn't put a name or face to the elf.

"And yet you're here?" Like me, my mate expected answers. "What triggered your memories?" Sushi barked as if wanting them to offer a satisfactory explanation.

"We think it was the presents. They contained your scent."

Right, I'd made up a shortfall from the factory and sat in Arnold's backroom sewing for a whole day after Lou pleaded with me.

"But we have gifts." The elves raced outside and hauled in a bulging sack.

If they brought in gifts I had made, I would accept them, and Dan and I could laugh about it later. That would be a funny story we could tell our daughter.

There were presents of all shapes and sizes labeled with our names, including Sushi's. There were gifts for Jan's family and some with Arnold's and Lou's names.

"Give my regards to Arnold. He is a dear friend. Tell him we'll share a glass of wine in the new year." Santa hustled the elves out but not before they'd hugged me and admired our daughter. "And pass on my regards to Lou. He did a great job as usual, and he'll get a huge bonus tomorrow."

"Wait," Dan yelled, and everyone froze. "You speak of Lou as though you are Merry Elf Toys…"

We all waited, hoping Santa would finish the sentence. But he grinned and patted his belly. "I hear their CEO is rather elusive." He winked. "I wonder who it could be?" He waved and strode into the snow. The elves hugged me and raced after him.

Dan took the baby, and we shivered at the back door as everyone clamored onto the sleigh. Dasher's beast nodded his head, and they took off, soaring into the sky.

"I wish I could take a photo." Dan had the baby in one arm, Sushi in the other who was trying to lick our daughter while he fumbling with his phone. I removed the device, saying he'd never get a photo.

There was a shout from next door as Riley stuck his head out his bedroom window. "Mom, Dad, I just saw Santa."

"Go back to sleep, Riley," his parents chorused.

"Will any of his friends believe him?" Dan asked as we strolled into the nursery.

"Maybe."

We both looked at the crib, then each other, and Dan pulled it into our room. The baby was asleep, having slept through the encounter with Santa.

"I can't believe I met Santa." Dan rested his head on his hands.

"Santa #1," I reminded him.

"Maybe we've started a new tradition and they'll visit us every Christmas Eve."

"Who knows, but I need more food, and we have to choose a name for our little girl."

Sushi jumped on the bed and got in between us.

"Sushi has some suggestions: Tuna, Biscuit, Muffin, and Cookie." Dan grinned and kissed our dog.

"Thanks for that. Now I'm hungry again." The cheese and crackers hadn't dampened my appetite, and I was ready for more food.

My mate got busy in the kitchen, defrosting meals he'd made in preparation for when we were sleep-deprived new parents. Not that I'd paid much attention, thinking I might not be here.

Dan admitted he'd cooked so much to keep his mind occupied, worrying about my future.

While I was sore from bringing our daughter into the world, a huge weight had been lifted from my chest and I was as light as a feather; the sensation had me thinking I could float.

Dan arrived with a tray of lasagna and crusty bread. We sat in bed, devouring it, and I declared it was the best lasagna I'd ever tasted.

The doorbell rang, and we looked at one another, fear in our eyes. Sushi cuddled into me, not doing her usual barking and sniffing near the door.

"Maybe Santa left his cap behind." That was Dan's suggestion.

"Or they gave us the wrong presents and have come to retrieve me." That was me, fumbling for a reason someone would be at our door in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.

Dan ventured to the front door and said he was squinting through the peephole while I stood by the crib, ready to protect our daughter.

"It's our next-door neighbors."

"Sorry if we woke you," Jan's voice reached me in the bedroom. "But we couldn't sleep, and Riley insisted Santa had been in your back garden."

"Look, there are the sleigh tracks and reindeer hoof prints," Riley yelled as he opened the back door, and we shouted at him to close it.

"Hello." Now Arnold trundled up to the front door, gift bags in hand. "I hear we have a new arrival."

"You had the baby?" Jan shrieked.

I wandered out, leaving the baby in her crib. "I did."

"Congratulations." Lou walked in through the front door, laden with presents. "I saw something in the sky and thought I should come over. And Merry Christmas, everyone."

"We come bearing food and gifts." Rafe was behind Lou.

Was this the norm in Winterwood Bay, to barge into your friends' house in the middle of the night? I'd never experienced a Christmas here. Maybe that's what people did.

"Oh, there are presents with my name on them." Riley was on his knees under the tree. "Who's Holly?"

Dan and I hadn't had a chance to discuss our daughter's name, though Holly was one of them.

"What do you think, love?" Dan said with a grin.

Our daughter stirred and cried out, and he brought her in. Everyone crowded round, oohing and ahhing.

"I love it. She's the perfect Christmas gift." I kissed her plump cheek.

Jan and Rafe were in the kitchen brining a huge turkey, saying they'd cook it during the day, while Arnold was teaching Riley how to juggle. Sushi couldn't decide who she wanted to be with, and she raced from one person to the other.

"Did you see?" Dan cocked his head at the mantelpiece.

The stockings bulged, and there were ones for all our friends and our little girl.

"Christmas magic. I love it."

He took me in his arms, and we smooched. "And now we know there'll be many more."