As the evening progressed, the hot chocolate and the warmth made everyone increasingly relaxed and silly.
At some point, the girls started making up increasingly ridiculous Christmas carols, which led to a group sing-along that would have had professional musicians crying.
"Jingle bells, Connor smells, I saved the day," I sang purposely off-key, “Jax lost his marbles, but we love him anyway!"
"That doesn't even rhyme properly," Connor pointed out.
"It's called artistic license," I replied with a dignified grin.
"It's called being tone-deaf," Estelle corrected, though she was giggling.
The fire crackled merrily, casting dancing shadows on the walls, and the Christmas lights created a magical atmosphere that made everything feel suspended in time.
"This is perfect," Isla murmured against my chest, her voice soft with contentment. “So perfect."
"It is, isn't it?" I agreed, running my fingers through her hair. "Though I have to say, I'm looking forward to showing you your real Christmas present."
"Real present?" she asked, lifting her head to look at me with curious eyes. "As opposed to fake presents?"
"As opposed to the warm-up presents," I clarified mysteriously.
"Warm-up presents?" Sierra echoed. "There are warm-up presents?"
"Oh, they're definitely getting suspicious now," Connor observed with amusement.
"Good," I said with a grin. "Suspense makes everything more fun."
"I hate surprises," Isla complained, though her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"No, you don't," I said confidently. "You love surprises. You just hate not getting them.”
"That's... actually accurate," she admitted grudgingly.
"I know my angel," I replied, pressing another kiss to her hair.
As the night wound down, we all seemed reluctant to break up this perfect moment.
The combination of good food, better company, and the magical atmosphere had created something special—a memory we'd all treasure long after the holidays were over.
CHAPTER TEN
Adrian
The last day at the cabin dawned crisp and impossibly bright, the kind of mountain morning that made you believe in magic. Fresh snow had fallen overnight, blanketing everything in pristine white.
I stood on the wraparound porch with Connor and Jax, nursing a steaming cup of coffee and watching our girls make the most of their final hours in paradise.
They were fucking perfect.
All three were bundled up in layers of winter gear—puffy jackets, thick scarves, Santa hats with pom-poms that bobbed with every movement.
But despite being covered from head to toe, they moved with that particular mischievous grace that marked them as our girls.
I’d wrapped Isla in so many scarves she looked like a colorful snow burrito, but somehow she still managed to look angelic as she threw herself backward onto a pile of snow.
"I'm never leaving!" she declared dramatically, spreading her armswide to make a snow angel. "This is my home now. I'll live off pine needles and melted snow."
"Very romantic," I called back, grinning as she stuck her tongue out at me. "I'm sure you'll love it when the bears show up."
