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“They are? Let me feel. Oh, your little piglets are cold,” he said as he wrapped his large hands around her toes and rubbed them. “Is that better, sweetie?”
“Yes,” she replied as she placed her little hands on his cheeks and gave him a kiss. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
He flashed his daughter the most loving look Elizabeth had ever seen. She dug deep in her memory bank trying to recall if she’d ever sat on her dad’s lap, or even told him she loved him. It saddened her that no such memory came to mind. She would have given up nearly anything for just one look from her dad like the one Joe just gave his daughter.
When Molly finished her hot chocolate, she slid from her dad’s lap and took a seat next to her brother on the floor, and continued to watch the movie. It was at the part where the Grinch’s heart was growing larger. Absently, Elizabeth placed her hand over her own heart. She could feel the calming beat of it against her palm.
She glanced at Joe, catching his soft smile. “This is a great cartoon.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen the Grinch before.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe I have.”
Lifting her feet from the floor, she tucked her still thawing, stinging toes under her.
Joe rose from his chair and took a seat next to her. “Are your feet cold?” he asked holding his hands out, palms up, as if she should place her feet on them for him to warm them like he did for his daughter minutes earlier. He couldn’t be serious.
She untucked her feet and turned toward him placing one foot on his lap and the other in his large warm hands. One more stroke of his fingers over her toes, and they’d likely start on fire. Her cheeks were already flaming, and his hands were nowhere near them.
“I think you need better boots for playing outside,” he teased.
“Well, I don’t normally play outside.”
“Maybe you should ask Santa for some boots,” Max suggested.
“Maybe I will.”
“Speaking of Santa, if we don’t get that tree set up, Santa won’t have any place to put the gifts,” Joe said as he sprang to his feet and retrieved the Christmas tree from outside.
He placed the tree into the tree stand and slid it toward the corner of the living room, then disappeared into the basement and returned with boxes of tree lights and decorations.
First, he tested the lights to see if they worked, then he wove the lights throughout the tree. He popped open a couple of large boxes full of ornaments. She watched as the kids tore into the boxes and hung the ornaments on the tree.
Joe retrieved a small box from within the large box of ornaments and handed it to her. “Would you like to put these on the tree?”
She took the container from him. “I’ve never hung ornaments on a tree before. Where should I hang them?” A rush of excitement passed through her.
“You’ve never decorated a Christmas tree before?” he asked. Shock and surprise filled his eyes.
“No, our housekeeper took care of the Christmas tree.”
“Well, this box of ornaments was my mom’s. They’re kind of old and frail, so you may want to hang them near the top where the kids or dog won’t accidentally knock them off.”
Elizabeth took great pleasure in carefully selecting the appropriate places to hang the beautiful, glass, icicle ornaments, and dainty round balls etched with old-time winter scenes.
She stepped back and stared at the completely decorated tree. The sparkling lights mesmerized her. “It’s perfect!”
Before she knew it, she’d spent the entire day with Joe and the kids playing in the snow and watching Christmas specials. The time just flew by.
“It’s time for you guys to get your rooms in order and get your backpacks ready for school tomorrow while I make supper,” Joe directed.
The kids scampered off toward their rooms.
He looked at her and smiled. “Would you like to join us for dinner?”
She thought for a moment about the work she’d planned on doing over the weekend, of which none got done, and then she thought about how much fun she’d had through the course of the day. The answer that popped into her head was unexpected. She didn’t want the day to end. “Yes, that would be nice.” She rose from the couch and followed him into the kitchen. “What can I help you with?”
