“You’ll have so many traditions you can hardly keep up,” I promise her with a wink.
She giggles and nods. “I never really thought about why traditions mean as much as they do, but they connect the past and the present all at once. When you play an old song that your great-grandma loved to bake cookies to, it takes you right back there.”
“Do you think every couple has traditions?” Chloe asks, quietly. She’s been listlessly stirring her hot cocoa again, simply watching Stacy and I talk.
I lay down my spatula, walking around the counter toward the dark-haired beauty. She bites her lip, watching my approach, and when I gather her hands in mine, her head tilts to the side. Nearby, Stacy looks on while doling out the cookies onto baking sheets.
“Every couple has traditions,” I answer, gently.
I don’t know what answer Chloe needs to hear right now, but I have to offer her comfort in some way. She looks so worried, and Christmas is a time for joy, not stress! I say that to my sister enough as it is.
There must be something with the name Chloe that breeds worry.
I give Chloe another gentle squeeze. “Sometimes it takes a little time to find the traditions that fit. Don’t rush it. It’ll happen naturally and before you know it, you’ll be rolling your eyes over all the ridiculous things you’re trying to fit in each year.”
Chloe bites her lip. “I hope you’re right.”
“Girl, I grew up on a Christmas tree farm. I’m the closest thing you’re gonna find to an actual Christmas elf. There’s no way you leave this place without at least one tradition.”
Finally, I get a laugh out of the uptight girl. Chloe squeezes my hands back and I pull her into a hug.
“Me too! Me too!” Stacy yells, rushing over to join us.
Before we know it, we’re laughing and eating cookie dough while we reminisce about our favorite holiday traditions.
We might have just met, but it already feels like we’re family and suddenly I wish this could be a tradition that sticks.
Chloe Martin
As Stacy and Margot step back from our last fit of laughter and hugging, I swiftly drag the back of my hand against my cheek so that neither one of them can see the shimmer of tears in my eyes.
Being with these lovely ladies is just what I need to help ease my heart a little. Try as I might to shelve my concerns with Donovan, I just can’t seem to keep them from bubbling up.
This is especially the case when I’m around Margot and Stacy. It’s just so evident how in love and happy they are. I don’t begrudge them their joy one bit. I mean, how can I? Stacy is one of my best friends, and Margot is treating me with such genuine warmth even though she hardly knows me.
I don’t think it’s just Ava and Ryan who feel like they’ve known each other forever, it’s all of us.
There’s some real Christmas magic going on in this place. It makes me happy that I pushed Donovan to take some time off to make this trip happen.
Maybe that magic will rub off on us, too. It felt like it was starting to when we were snuggling in our suite.
“Mrs. Go-Go?” Ryan says, suddenly. His gaze shifts uncertainly to Margot while resting his hand on Stacy’s leg.
Margot giggles. “You can call me Go-Go. What’s up, little man? Need more books?”
He shakes his head and looks at Ava, who’s beside him. Ava beams brightly and turns toward Margot. My breath lodges in my throat as I watch the women interact with their sweet children. They all have such love in their eyes.
Will a child look at me like that one day?
Will that child be Donovan’s?
How can I love someone so much and be so uncertain about what the future has to offer?
“Mommy, we were just reading a book about Christmas trees,” Ava explains. She takes her time speaking, looking up at Margot as though she expected her mother to read her mind.
“Mmm-hmm . . .” Margot answers. “That sounds fun.”
Ryan clears his throat and laces his fingers nervously with Stacy’s. The comfort he finds in Stacy even though they don’t share any biology is so sweet.
“It made me start thinking about my own Christmas tree,” Ryan says.
Though color has begun to drain out of Stacy’s face, curiosity lights in Margot’s eyes. “Is your tree beautiful?”
With a very morose expression, Ryan shakes his head back and forth. He looks so sad it almost makes my own heart break. Stacy gently cuddles him against her. She kisses the top of Ryan’s head. “We didn't have a chance to decorate a tree this year,” she says, quietly.
“No Christmas tree?” Margot gasps. “That certainly won’t do, will it?”
Ryan eagerly shakes his head. “No!”
“See,” Ava says, proudly. “I told you my mommy could fix it.”
Ryan beams. “Do you have any ornaments that me and Ava could put up?”
Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Margot gazes around the kitchen. She smiles brightly at Ryan. “You know what? I think we might have a few extras somewhere!”
She flits off to a supply closet nearby. The sound of boxes being pushed back and forth punctuates the Christmas tunes playing cheerfully. Suddenly, she pops back into the kitchen again, holding out a box. It’s not very big and there aren’t many things in it, but it’s just the right size for two young children.
“Here you are! Go wild!” she says.
“I would hesitate to tell an Eckhart to go wild,” Stacy muses, earning loud laughter from both Margot and me.
“Eh,” Margot waves off Stacy’s concern. “They can’t do any worse than Co-Co and I did as kids. Besides, every kid should get to decorate a Christmas tree.”
“I agree,” I say, firmly.
“What about you, Chloe?” Margot asks, nudging me gently. “What traditions did you love as a kid?”
“I'm with Ryan; decorating the tree was always the best.
