Sebastian is sipping his coffee when Tinley comes running into the room. She runs straight to him with a smile to get her morning hug. Aiylin walks in just in time to watch.
“Good morning, my heart. How did you sleep?” he asks, pulling her into his arms.
“Good Daddy,” she wraps her arms around his neck, and Elizabeth watches the way Aiylin smiles at them.
“Perhaps we should ask our guest how she slept?” Elizabeth asks.
Aiylin walks over to the sideboard and pours herself a cup of coffee before sitting next to Elizabeth. She purposely chose to sit on the opposite side of the table from Sebastian.
“Yes, it would seem you had a visitor in the middle of the night,” Sebastian teases.
“Or two,” she murmurs and sips her coffee.
Sebastian raises his eyebrow and grins when Tinley grabs his face and guides it back to her. “Please don’t be angry, Daddy. I was cold, and my fire went out.”
A frown of concern has Aiylin immediately jumping to her rescue.
“Truly, Mr. Becker, it wasn't a problem.”
“Call me Sebastian,” he corrects her and glances at his daughter. “You could have come to me. Our guest needs her rest.”
Tinley pushes out of his arms and runs around the table to Aiylin who wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her close. “But, Daddy,” she says exasperated. “You sound like a bear.”
Sebastian sputters, and Elizabeth laughs as Aiylin covers her mouth with a hand to stop her own laughter. “I’ll tell you a secret, Tinley, all Daddy’s sound like that. My Papa is big, and my sister, Mena and I would try to sleep with our parents, but he took up the whole bed.” Aiylin gives an exaggerated sigh.
Tinley climbs into her lap with a giggle, “What did you do?”
Sebastian and Elizabeth observe their interaction. Tinley has no boundaries, but Aiylin doesn’t seem to mind.
Aiylin hides her face in Tinley’s neck and mumbles, “I can’t tell you. It was very naughty,”
Tinley giggles and pleads. “Tell me, Miss Aylin.”
She looks up with a smile. “Mena was afraid. She often had bad dreams, and one night, they were especially bad. Mena didn’t want to sleep in our room, and it was my job as the big sister to make her feel better.”
“Of course,” Tinley nods. “What did you do?”
“I thought really hard about what would make her feel safe. Then I snuck downstairs and let our dog, Beringer inside.”
Aiylin smiles when Elizabeth recognizes the old German word for bear. “What type of dog is Beringer?” she asks.
“The massive type,” Aiylin laughs, “He weighed about a hundred and twenty pounds, mostly fur.”
“What happened?” Sebastian asks, drawing her attention. He’s enchanted by the thought of a honey-haired version of her as a child.
Aiylin blushes and glances away from him, “Beringer didn’t know that he was supposed to go to our room.”
“Oh, no!” Tinley giggles and covers her eyes.
“Oh, yes. He hit the stairs running and didn’t stop until he landed straight on top of my Papa’s chest. Papa shouted, scaring my Mother, who fell out of bed. Mena and I just stood there watching the chaos unfold,” Aiylin laughs at the memory.
Sebastian and Elizabeth laugh while Tinley giggles uncontrollably. “Was your Papa very angry?”
“No, he got up to take Beringer back downstairs, and when he came back, he found us in bed, asleep with Mama.” Aiylin smiles softly. “That was the last time they forgot to lock the door.”
Sebastian grins at her. “That is exactly why we don’t have a dog.”
“Just a bear,” Elizabeth says.
“Exactly,” Aiylin laughs, “Beringer was the perfect sized dog for my Papa, but not a good inside dog.” The light in her eyes fades as she thinks about him.
“What happened to him?” Elizabeth asks.
“Berringer died a few years ago from old age. We were lucky to have him.”
“Don’t be sad, Miss Aiylin. You can make a wish under the lantern, and maybe Santa will bring you a new puppy!” Tinley says and hugs her.
Aiylin frowns, “Under the lantern?” she asks.
“Are you hungry, Tinley. We have hotcakes!” Elizabeth asks purposely.
“I love hotcakes. Do you like them?” Once again, Tinley distracts Aiylin who gets up to help her make a plate.
“Good job, Mother,” Sebastian grins.
“Thank you. I’m no amateur,” she laughs softly.
Chapter 13
“Today, we are decorating for Christmas and making cookies. Daddy isn’t going to work, not even a little, right, Daddy?” Tinley asks.
“Not even a little,” he promises. “Stanley and I brought the boxes down, but I warn you Aiylin, it’s a lot.”
She looks up at his use of her first name. “No one does Christmas like a Miller,” she sasses. “I assure you. I’ve seen it before.”
Elizabeth leads the way into the family room with Tinley, and Sebastian follows Aiylin. When she stops abruptly upon entering, he leans down to whisper in her ear.
“Do you like a challenge, Aiylin?”
Chills erupt all over her body, and she forces herself to walk into the room. Boxes are stacked three high, and Sebastian laughs at her.
“Speechless? That is a feat,” he teases.
“I take it back, Elizabeth. No one does Christmas like a Becker!”
“The rest is in the sunroom,” Sebastian grins.
“The rest?” Aiylin is incredulous.
“We haven’t brought it all down in years,” Elizabeth says holding up a stocking with Sebastian’s name on it. “Oh,” she sniffs, “do you remember this?”
“Dad and I made it as a surprise for you,” Sebastian says as he walks over to her. She sniffs again. “This will be the perfect Christmas, Mother,” he pulls her close and presses a kiss to her head.
“Is that a promise?” Elizabeth asks.
“What do you give the woman who has everything?” he asks as he looks into her eyes.
“A
