16. Dan

SIXTEEN

DAN

Holly was asleep, but Sparkle and I were lying in bed, counting the minutes and seconds until the clocks on our phones tick-tocked past midnight and it would officially be Christmas Eve.

"Hard to believe our daughter will be one in a few minutes."

"What a day and night that was." We were spooning and reminiscing about my mate's short pregnancy, him giving birth, Santa arriving, presents, Riley yelling, and our friends arriving in the middle of the night to celebrate Christmas.

Everyone had agreed there'd be no early hours of the morning celebration this year and we'd wait until the evening to be together and open presents.

"Did you leave out the cookies, milk, and lichen and plenty of carrots for the other animals in Christmas Village?"

"Yes." My mate had reminded me Santa #1's reindeer didn't like carrots but preferred lichen. Like the rest of the world, we assumed Santa would come while we were asleep.

Last year was an anomaly, when my mate and Santa reconciled. Beginning this Christmas, Santa would sneak into our house and deliver our presents while eating the snacks and go on to the next house.

Sparkle yawned, and I told him to close his eyes. We didn't need to be awake at the exact time of Holly's birth. Our daughter was unconcerned and sleeping peacefully in her crib.

"Maybe. But it was such a special moment that I need to mark it by being awake."

I agreed, but what difference did a few minutes or hours make?

Sparkle stiffened and got up on one elbow. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" My shifter senses were more heightened than my elf mate's. Last year a sinus infection had muffled my ability to scent. My wolf didn't respond, which concerned me. What if my hearing was muted?

"Gods, not again. This can't be good." My mate scrambled out of bed and yanked the curtains apart. "He's here. They're here."

Wishing we could rewind time so we could be asleep and unaware of who was outside was pointless. Standing beside my mate, I peered into the back garden as snow pelted down.

There was no mistaking the sleigh piled high with presents, the team of reindeer, and the jolly man in the red-and-white suit surrounded by elves, all of them waving.

"Get more cookies quickly. And there's extra lichen in a box in the laundry. Do we have enough carrots?"

Next year we'd need to stock up. Maybe create a root cellar in a corner of the basement to store the carrots and lichen.

Sparkle scampered to the back door and pulled on my coat and boots. When I staggered out of the laundry room, my mate was outside, talking to the reindeer, while Santa and the elves were in the kitchen snacking and complimenting me on my cooking prowess.

I greeted them and wrapped a throw from the sofa over my shoulders before tearing outside with the lichen and carrots. The carrots went into the sleigh, and we divided the lichen between the reindeer.

Back in the house, Santa and the elves were nowhere to be seen, but the presents under the tree had multiplied and the stockings hanging from the mantle bulged with goodies.

Sparkle put a finger to his lips, and we tiptoed into Holly's room where our visitors were admiring our sleeping daughter and arguing over who she resembled. My mate beckoned them out and each one blew Holly a kiss. She opened her eyes, studied the people leaning over her, and went back to sleep.

As the sleigh took off, Riley opened his window and yelled, "They came back. I see Santa and his reindeer."

"Go to sleep," Jan mumbled.

"It's Christmas Eve, Mom. Can I open my presents?"

"Riley." Rafe appeared at the window beside his son. He waved, and we returned his greeting. Jan popped her head out, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Morning." She squinted at her watch. "Is it morning?"

"Early morning. Very very early," I deadpanned.

"See, everyone's awake." That was Riley.

Rafe nudged his mate. "You're always saying we need to create our own traditions."

Sparkle and I eyeballed one another. He kissed me. "I guess it's time. Merry Christmas."

"But Holly is asleep."

A cry from the nursery informed me I was mistaken, and I picked our daughter up and changed her diaper. When I strolled into the living room, Jan and family had arrived, and Arnold was removing his coat inside the front door, Lou at his heels. Everyone held bags of presents and food.

The living area was a little different compared to last year. We'd meshed my minimalism with my mate's need for frills and fancy.

As we did last year, we opened one present each from under the tree, leaving the rest until Christmas Day. And we dug out all the goodies in our stockings. Someone, I wasn't sure who, brought out a Christmas platter with fruit, cupcakes, pretzels, crackers, cheese, cookies, and candy.

Riley got a make-your-own gnome kit, Holly received a stuffed reindeer, there was a snow globe of Christmas Village for Sparkle, and Sushi received a personalized pillow that resembled her.

"You haven't opened anything, Dan." Arnold scrutinized me from the couch.

I draped an arm around my mate and cuddled our daughter. Sushi settled at my feet. "This past year and a little bit more have been the best present I could ever receive. I'm happy to watch everyone open their gifts."

But as our friends sat surrounded by wrapping paper, ribbons, and opened boxes, I reached for the smallest present with my name on it. The room was silent, no oohing or ahhing, no cracking or tearing of paper. I pulled out cloth, wrapped up tightly, and unraveled it.

"It's a T-shirt."

My face was on the front and underneath it read, "Elf-approved."

Everyone awwwed and insisted I put it on over my robe. I pulled Sparkle in for a kiss."I love it."

By 3 am everyone was yawning. Jan and family went home, promising to be back later when it was daylight. Lou curled up on the sofa and I covered him with a blanket, while Arnold climbed into the bed in the spare room.

Holly was fast asleep clutching her new toy, and my mate and I collapsed into bed.

"Is it odd that we celebrate Christmas like three times?" One we'd just done, the second would be this afternoon or tonight, and the third on Christmas Day.

"I like it, but there's a mess in the kitchen and living room. Shame we don't have a team of elves who could clean that up." Sparkle pulled the covers under his chin.

"Don't worry. It'll be done when you wake up."

My mate fell asleep, but as tired as I was, I was wide awake. Thinking of how different my life was now since Sparkle had arrived in my garden gave me the warm fuzzies.

I got up and wheeled Holly's crib into our room, and Sushi jumped up on the bed, worming under the covers between me and my mate. Sleep beckoned, and my eyes closed until a hand shook me awake.

"You didn't have to do that, Dan. But thank you. That's a lovely Christmas present."

Shoving hair out of my eyes, I sat up, wondering which of my presents he was referring to.

"Glad you liked it," I mumbled, hoping that wouldn't give away I had no clue what he was talking about.

"The cleaning up. You did that in the middle of the night."

"I did?" Maybe I'd been sleepwalking or sleep cleaning, because I had no memory of it.

Following Sparkle who had Holly over his shoulder, Sushi and I stood at the entrance to the kitchen before surveying the living room. Wow! I'd been busy.

"Are you sure I did this?"

"Who else would it be?" Light dawned in my mate's eyes. "Maybe… could it be… you mentioned a team of elves."

"Well, it could have been me." I didn't want someone else being lauded for my hard work.

"There's a note on the fridge." Sparkled unclipped it from the fridge magnet. "Thank you for the treats. We love and miss you, but we'll be back next year and every year after that."

"Oh." Tears formed in my mate's eyes. "That is so sweet. It's interesting that the legend was about an elf possibly reliving Christmas over and over again and my friends and Santa will be here each Christmas."

It was the best ending to the saga.

Hoisting Holly onto his other hip, he pressed his face on my chest. "I'm so lucky to have this life."

Pushing him back and tilting his head, I replied, "There's always a smidgen of luck in success, but you and I built this life, Sparkle. It didn't just happen." We kissed, and I squeezed his gorgeous ass. "I love you, and I'm so proud of you."

Sushi barked in what I hoped was agreement, and Holly leaned toward me, her arms outstretched.

"I love you too, mate. Forever and ever."