38. Hannah

38

HANNAH

L iddy squealed and tore the paper from another box of ornaments. “Can we use all of them?” Her eyes twinkled in the glow of Christmas lights. She spun and danced, an ornament in each hand. Thankfully, Scott had set aside the shatterproof ones so even when she inevitably dropped one, it bounced instead of sending shards in every direction.

“Yes.” I added a red ornament to a branch and reached for another. “You can use every single one.”

And at the end, we’d add the snow globe ornaments. Arthur had taken it upon himself to gather them all up and line them on the mantle out of Liddy’s reach. I stopped to examine them again. He’d even gone to my house and brought mine over to join theirs. Four snow globes filled with four miniature villages with Christmas lights on the houses and gingerbread cookie characters dancing in the yards. Four tiny reminders of Dad to remind me of the truth behind the holiday season. It wasn’t about the presents under the tree, though I couldn’t wait for everyone to open their gifts. This year proved to me above all others that love was the most important thing.

Ryland picked up a strand of red snowflake garland. He looped it around the tree, stopping to kiss me every time he passed and Liddy wasn’t looking. I’d been cautious at first, worried about Liddy’s reactions, but whenever she did catch me hugging or kissing one of them, her whole face lit up with a smile. She knew I was happy, and that made her happy.

And Megan…

I ducked my head to check on Megan where she sat in the corner with a photo album Ryland had handed her an hour ago. She studied each picture with a furrow between her brows. Three times she’d stopped to ask Arthur a question about one of the pictures. I’d heard them discussing each one, memories building with every conversation.

Ryland finished with the garland and lifted Liddy into the air. “Where do you want to put that one?” Liddy pointed at a branch high overhead and Ryland set her on his shoulders. Liddy locked an arm around the top of Ryland’s head, stretching out her other hand to hang the ornament. It caught on the end of the branch and dangled precariously until Ryland nudged it back.

“More.” Liddy pointed at the box.

Scott pressed a lingering kiss on my lips while Arthur crossed to Megan and held out a hand with a sleigh ornament in his palm. “Here. You should hang this one.”

“What’s this?” Megan took it and turned it around in a slow circle. “Is that us?”

“Yes. I had it custom-made.”

Arthur picked up an ornament from Liddy’s box and nestled it in the tree. Scott turned up the music and plucked Liddy from Ryland’s shoulders. He set her toes on his and danced them around the living room while singing “Jingle Bells” completely out of tune with the music. It reminded me of Dad, and my throat tightened. My stomach gave a familiar twist, the twins awake and deciding to join the festivities with a few barrel rolls.

Arthur dimmed the lights, causing the Christmas tree to cast a luminous glow across the room. I thanked Ryland with a nod as he prodded the fireplace and prompted the fire to blaze brighter. The ambient light warmed me, and I stepped back to take in the whole scene.

“What are you thinking?” Arthur slid an arm behind my back and rested his hand on my hip.

“I’m thinking I finally found my true family. You are the people who make me happy, make me feel loved, and who I want to spend the rest of my life with.” I wiped the tears from my eyes and cleared my clogged throat.

These three men had sworn to do anything for me and Liddy. They’d given us hope when I’d reached the end of my tether. I’d barely been hanging on when I accepted Scott’s job offer and walked through their front door. Now, I stood beside Arthur and counted my blessings.

Arthur pulled me in close to his side. I put my arm around his back and held on through the storm of emotions. Soon we’d add two more to our family. I rubbed my growing stomach and smiled. The twins continued to flip and flop. A foot pressed against my belly button, making it pooch out at an odd angle. I rubbed the lump and poked Arthur. “Your children are acting up.”

He brought his other hand around and set it on top of mine. “You two settle down in there. You’ll have plenty of room to run around once you’re born.”

Another gouging twist and both babies quieted. “You have the magic touch.” I kissed his jaw. “Guess that means you’re on bedtime duty. They already listen to you.”

“It’s the accent. The strict tone.” Megan puffed out her chest and puckered her lips, faking a British accent. “Knock it off in there. Too much racket.” She waddle-walked toward Arthur and hugged him. “Too bad I missed out on inheriting the accent. Would’ve been cool to be the only British-sounding Irish girl in prep school.”

“They would not have known what to do with you.” Arthur returned the hug.

Megan guffawed. “I didn’t need an accent to keep them on their toes. Half my teachers passed me just to get rid of me. I was smart enough to do the work and mean enough to refuse.” She shot me a wide smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t let that rub off on my siblings.” Turning away from Arthur, she held out her hands to Liddy. “Come on, Liddy. Let’s show him a real dance.” Liddy’s laughter mingled with Scott’s huff.

This was the kind of Christmas I’d always dreamed of for her. A house full of love and laughter. A father—fathers, in this case—who would do anything for her and the babies on the way.

“Marshmallow time.” Ryland stepped over a stack of boxes and moved to the couch. “Come on. New tradition.”

I eyed the snow globes. “One more thing first.” I handed each of them a globe, then reached into the box I’d hidden behind the couch and passed a new globe to Megan and another to Liddy. “Everyone has their own, but I want us to hang them up together.”

The six of us made a circle around the tree. I hummed Dad’s favorite Christmas carol. Megan sang the words, cautiously at first and then with gusto. Arthur joined in, his deep voice lending depth. Scott hummed beside me. Ryland and Liddy added their voices last, singing the chorus as we all reached out and placed our snow globes on the tree. They swung back and forth for several seconds as we finished the song and came together in a giant group hug.

By the time Liddy and I made it to the couch, Ryland had already passed out marshmallows and Arthur was busy pouring hot chocolate. I stuck my marshmallow on a roasting stick and held it out to the fire.

Arthur settled next to me and handed me a warm mug. “We have all night. Including opening presents.”

We gathered around the fireplace, laughing and talking late into the night as the fire crackled. Liddy bounced back and forth from the marshmallows to the tree. Even the hope of opening presents and the joy that came from new toys faded beneath the true spirit of Christmas and the promise of our very own unique happily ever after.