29. Ryland

29

RYLAND

I ’d always loved Christmas, but this year made it obvious to everyone that we were celebrating more than usual.

It was decorating day. I wrapped twinkle lights around the pergola, plugged them in, and stepped back. “What do you think?”

Scott was finishing the final touches on the swing he’d put together for Liddy. “I’m thinking we could’ve hired people to do this for us.”

“Could’ve, but it wouldn’t have been half as special.” I raked up a handful of snow from the table and threw it in his face. He spluttered and spat snow in my direction, but I’d already moved out of the way.

“Right.” After brushing snow from his hair, he held out his arms. “Are we done now?”

I surveyed the yard we’d spent all morning preparing. Snow had fallen thick and heavy overnight, coating everything in six inches of powder. My breath fogged the air as I laughed. “Yeah, we’re done.”

“Great.” He yanked out his phone and dialed. “Hannah, can you and Liddy come down to the backyard?”

Arthur stood beneath the pergola, his entire face a mask of pretend indifference. He’d worn that look since Megan’s arrival, and the only time he took it off was at night when Hannah joined us.

Squeals and bright laughter snapped me back into the present. Liddy leaped off the top step and ran straight for the giant lighted snowman in the center of the yard. “Wow. He’s huge.” She made a complete circle, her hands clasped beneath her chin. “Can we make a real one?”

“Of course. Let’s get started.” I rolled a snowball between my gloved hands.

Liddy mimicked my actions and plopped the lopsided lump on the ground. “Let’s make ten snowmen.” She held up her mittened hands and attempted to splay her fingers out. “This many.”

“That’s a lot of snowmen,” Scott said as he helped created another ball. “Why so many?”

“Family.” Liddy shot us a look, then scanned the yard. “Lots of family.”

Of course. I swallowed the lump of emotion balled up in my throat and worked on following Liddy’s orders.

Hannah and Arthur carried on a conversation out of earshot, both of them noticeably relaxing by degrees as they spoke. Megan had joined us for dinner again last night, and for the first time, she kept her temper in check and almost seemed to enjoy herself. It was agony waiting for the other shoe to drop, the moment she decided she’d had enough and made it her mission to destroy Arthur again. But it never came.

“Hey, Liddy.” Scott finished his snowman and slapped powder from his hands. “Have you ever been sledding?”

Her nose scrunched in an exact replica of Hannah’s when she found something disturbing. “Nope.”

“Want to try it?” Scott dragged the sled out from behind the swing and pointed. “We can go down the hill.”

We’d tested it already to make sure Liddy would be safe. The low hill offered enough speed to be fun but was slow enough that we could maintain control of the sled.

Hannah walked up behind Scott and hugged him. “I’ll go.” She rested her chin on his shoulder. “Wow. I’ve never seen the city like this.”

I turned to follow her gaze. The valley below us stretched out for miles, our mansion on the hill offering a crisp view of the city covered in snow. Lights twinkled, winking in and out as a cool wind whipped down the valley. “It’s like being in a snow globe.”

Hannah smiled her agreement. “It truly is. Alright. Who’s sledding first?”

“How about a race?” Scott grabbed the handle of another sled. “You and Ryland, versus me and Liddy?”

“Deal.” She slapped him on the shoulder and hauled the sled toward me.

Liddy scrambled to climb onto the sled and giggled when Scott dragged her around the yard for a few minutes before lining the sled up at the top of the hill and climbing on behind her. We shot down the hill at a decent speed. Hannah gripped my knees and leaned into my chest. Her laughter lifted my spirits more than any sound had the right to affect me. I relished every pop of joy and every giggle from her and Liddy. They were the only bright spots in my life aside from my friendship with Scott and Arthur. Soon, we’d be adding two more to our group.

As soon as we reached the bottom, Liddy jumped up from her seat. “Again, again!”

“Let’s make snow angels instead.” I hopped up and walked over to a clean patch of snow, falling over backward in the soft landscape.

Liddy squealed and ran over to join me. “Me too. Me too.” She fell onto her back and waved her arms and legs. “Look, Mama. I’m a snow angel.” She ended up throwing more snow than a puppy, but it brought out a smile in Arthur, and that was always a win.

Snow angels complete, we trekked back up the hill and rode down in the sleds a couple more times. Frigid air burned my cheeks and I laughed until my ribs ached, but I’d never felt more alive. Every day with Hannah and Liddy was a blessing. This time next year, we’d be preparing for one year old birthday parties and our first Christmas with the twins. My heart galloped at the thought that we’d created our own little family.

“Mama, can we make cookies and hot chocolate?” Liddy licked her chapped upper lip and pushed her furry hood away from her forehead. She’d changed so much since we first met, in her speech as well as growing from a toddler to a little girl in such a short span of time.

Hannah’s teeth clacked together and she rubbed her arms. “Great idea. I’ll make Dad’s famous Christmas cookies.”

“The frosted sugar ones?” I spun Liddy around by the arms and plopped her into a pile of snow, sending it spraying up into the sky. “You know the recipe?”

“Of course. We make them every year.” Hannah held out a hand to Liddy. “It’s tradition.”

Liddy skipped ahead of us into the house and had already removed her snow boots and coat by the time I closed the door. She ran into the kitchen and climbed onto a stool. “Me and Scott can decorate.”

Scott arched a brow. “We can, huh? What if I want to eat all the frosting?”

“Then you’ll get a tummy ache.” Liddy rubbed her belly. “Mama says so.”

“That’s right.” Hannah moved with her usual grace to the stove and began preparing homemade hot chocolate. She pointed the bar of chocolate at Scott. “No cheating, either. Liddy’s tried everything, but none of it works on me.”

Scott made a perfect pouty face, sticking out his lower lip and scrunching his forehead. “Aww, but it’s Christmas.”

“Precisely why I don’t want anyone getting sick.” She turned back to the stove and added the chocolate to the milk as it warmed. “Ryland, will you grab the flour, sugar, and eggs please?”

I jumped up to do her bidding and hauled Arthur over when he hesitated in the doorway. “Don’t be an ass,” I whispered under my breath. “Try to enjoy yourself.” He opened his mouth, an objection rising in his eyes. I punched his shoulder and he snapped his teeth together. “It’s not Hannah’s and Liddy’s fault nor is it yours. You deserve to smile and laugh. It’s Christmas for fuck’s sake.”

Arthur’s nod was almost undetectable, but he followed me to the pantry anyway and helped carry cookie ingredients over to the kitchen island.

“The trick is to mix everything by hand.” Hannah pulled an apron over her head and tied it behind her back. The baby bump poked out a tiny bit, and it took my nails biting into my palms to keep from pulling her in for a kiss. She might not mind, but we’d decided to keep things casual when Liddy’s around. “Dad always said that cookies, especially Christmas cookies, are made with love.” She pushed her sweater sleeves up to her elbows then measured out flour and sugar in separate bowls.

“The first time he made these, I accused him of robbing a bakery.” I smiled at the memory. “He showed up with them before dawn, all proud and excited as he handed them out in our dorm rooms.”

“I thought his mom sent them to us.” Scott cracked eggs and whisked them into a pale yellow froth. “Then he showed up a week later with more.”

“He made them twice a week during December.” Hannah scooted the sugar toward Scott. “Dump that in and keep whisking.”

“I thought he was decorating.” I took the bowl from Scott and pushed him back toward the island. “Let everyone else have some fun, too.”

“Arthur, do you have any cookie cutters?” Hannah stayed behind the counter, but the obvious way she tried to include him prodded Arthur into joining us.

He kicked off his shoes. “I’ll get them.”

Hannah dumped nutmeg and cinnamon into the hot chocolate. The blend of fragrances warmed the air and took me back years to a nostalgic place. “Henry always smelled like Christmas.”

“He stuck holly and pine in his pockets.” Hannah grinned when my jaw dropped. “He said it made kids think he knew Santa. He loved telling them he was an elf in disguise and that he’d personally talk to Santa for them.” She lifted her head and sniffled. “He loved Christmas. Every year, on Christmas Eve, he’d bake a big batch of cookies and we’d take a bite out of two each, then leave the rest in front of the fireplace.”

“We’re doing it again this year.” Liddy squirmed in her seat. “We have to feed the reindeer. They like Pop Henry’s molasses cookies the best.”

“That’s right. We’ll make plenty of molasses cookies for the reindeer.”

Hannah poured cups of hot chocolate for everyone and instructed me on adding flour to the dough. Henry clearly instilled a love of Christmas in Hannah, and she’d passed that down to her daughter. They laughed and joked together, talking about past Christmases when the reindeer had eaten all the cookies and left crumbs all over the house. Hannah locked eyes with me over the rim of her mug and winked.

I grinned in response and dumped the dough out onto the clean counter. “Let me guess the next step.” I put my thumbs against my temples and wiggled my fingers in the air so they resembled antlers. “We make tiny little balls of dough and flatten them out like pancakes.”

“No, silly!” Liddy laughed so hard she snorted and almost dropped her hot chocolate. Still giggling, she handed Hannah her mug and leaned across the counter. “You make frisbees.”

“Is that right?” I wiggled my fingers again. “I think we should turn them into snowmen and throw them at each other.”

“No.” Hannah held up both hands in a protective gesture. “Please, no more food fights. Deena will whip all of us.”

“Nah.” I pinched off a piece of dough and pretended to eat it. “She’s used to our messes. Besides, Arthur will clean it up. Or Scott. That pouty lip is already dragging the floor. He might as well make it useful.”

Arthur set a basket of cookie cutters on the counter and returned to his seat. “I’m here to eat cookies, not clean them off the floor.”

“Great.” Hannah took the dough and portioned it out into three sections. “Now make those into disks, wrap them in clear plastic wrap, and let them chill in the refrigerator for two hours.”

“How long before we’ll have cookies?” Scott asked.

“Tonight.” Hannah placed her hands on his cheeks and squished his face. “Don’t worry. You’ll be okay until then. We’ll go back out and play in the snow to pass the time.”

“More snowmen?” Liddy’s cup banged on the counter. Chocolate ringed her mouth. She licked it away, then swiped the back of her hand over her chin. “And angels?”

We were in for a full day of snow activities. I followed Hannah’s instructions to the letter while they told stories about Henry. His memory lived on in his daughter, and I’d never been more relieved to have her in our lives.