“I needed something to put in the bottom,” Felix answered. He plugged in the lights on the tree, took a seat on the floor, and patted the space beside him for me to join.
“There’s enough candy in here for me to need an emergency dentist check-up,” Alan continued. “Oh, gift cards! And scratch tickets! We go halfsies if I win, right, Dad?”
“Sure do,” Felix answered, still nursing his coffee.
I chuckled, watching the two go through obvious family traditions.
“Oh, hey, before I forget,” Alan said. He shoved the stocking stuffers to the side and reached into the boughs of the tree. He took out a tiny package and tossed it onto my lap. “I got it for you. Well, Dad paid for it. But it was my idea.”
“I don’t need any presents,” I told Alan, picking up the gift.
“Yeah, but it’s cool, so just open it,” he insisted.
I smiled and tore off the silver paper, removed a box, and opened the top. It was a bow tie. “How’d you know I’d want this?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
Alan pointed at it. “It’s got all our names on it. From band.”
“Huh?” I looked back down and studied the material closely. Sure enough, it had been made with the name of every single one of my first year’s band kids embroidered onto it. “Alan… this is really sweet.”
“Like it?”
“I do. Thanks, bud.” I gave Felix, who was finally starting to wake up, a kiss. “Thank you to you as well.”
He hummed and sipped his coffee.
“Can I open a present now?” Alan asked as he got on his knees and began poking at packages. “Shit, what is this? It’s huge! I don’t remember asking for a car.”
“You’re not allowed to grow up and drive away,” Felix muttered.
I laughed and pulled Felix sideways into a hug. “That’s from me,” I told Alan.
“Really?” He pulled the wrapped box out from under the tree and tore it open, tossing the paper over his shoulder. Alan cracked the lid on the box and his eyes grew big. “Oh my God! Is it a violin?” he shouted.
Felix looked at me. “How much did that cost?”
“It’s a student violin.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“I know.” I kissed his mouth.
Alan unzipped the case and took the protective velvet cover off. “Wow! And this is… mine?”
“Yours,” I agreed. “There’s some extra strings, rosin—”
Alan set the instrument aside, lunged at me, and I nearly spilled my coffee. “Thank you, Bowen.”
I wrapped my arms tight around him. “You’re welcome.”
Felix and I watched Alan open the rest of his gifts, an assortment of music and video games, mixed with clothes Felix insisted his son needed but that Alan wasn’t terribly enthused with.
That was when Felix took out a small gold box from his pocket and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, taking it.
He shrugged.
“You said no gifts.”
