A lump swells in my throat.
God, I’m just sohappy.
“Everyone’s fine,” Georgia announces quietly as she comes back into the living room. “I got Lily back to sleep with the promise of watchingThe Nutcrackerin the morning. Clara and James are still asleep. So I think we’re in the clear.”
“Good.” I reach for a stuffed bunny, already debating the best way to wrap it. “With Christmas only a week away, we need to get these presents wrapped. And once the guys get back, we’ll be busy with all the holiday stuff in town. Caroling and the Reindeer Rodeo and?—”
A soft tap on the door interrupts me.
Georgia looks at her watch. “Oh. I bet that’s Elle. She said she’d stop by after her class to help. Since she’s done with her wrapping already.”
Chuckling, I say, “Of course she is.” Elle isn’t just brilliant; she’s incredibly organized. So it’s no surprise that on top of taking care of one-year-old Noel and teaching a full load of courses at Fordham, she somehow managed to get all her Christmas wrapping done early.
Though I’m sure Georgia’s right, I still grab my phone to check the security app. It’s silly, really, considering there’s no way anyone could get inside HQwithout being invited, but being overly concerned about safety is a habit I don’t think I’ll ever break.
And anyway, there’s nothing wrong with being overly careful, is there? Especially when we all know firsthand how devious danger can be.
But the video camera positioned above my front door doesn’t show danger. All it shows is petite Elle, holding a large paper bag and smiling brightly.
“It’s Elle,” I confirm. “I’ll just go let her in.”
“Stay.” Georgia gestures for me to stay put. “I’m already up. I’ll do it.”
Long hair flowing behind her, she hurries to the door and quickly opens the three locks keeping it shut. After years of practice, she can do it without thought, but I still have memories of fighting with those locks when I first moved here.“Why are they so complicated?”I asked Cole in frustration one day, after spending nearly a minute trying to get them open.“The whole building is secure. Don’t you think one lock is enough for the apartments inside?”
Cole just gave me a earnest, solemn look.“When it comes to your safety, it’s impossible to do too much. Really, I’d prefer more locks. But when we were building this place, Zane reminded me that too many locks would be a fire hazard. So I settled for three.”
Once Georgia has the door open, Elle comes bustling inside. Her cheeks are still pink from the cold, and there are tiny flakes of snow melting on her coat. She looks at our mounds of presents and laughs. “I guess I’m not too late to help, after all.”
“Not quite,” Georgia agrees. She takes the bag fromElle, so Elle can slip off her coat. “I think we may have gone a little overboard with the presents this year.”
“Nah.” Elle takes the bag back, then carries it over to the coffee table and sets it down. “You should see how many presents I bought for Noel.”
She starts pulling items out of the paper bag as she continues, “Zane was giving me a hard time about buying too much. But he’s one to talk. I busted him coming home with bags overflowing with gifts. We’re going to need a bigger apartment for all of them.”
“That’s what I said!” exclaims Georgia. She peers at the boxes Elle is setting out. “Did you get macarons?Andpetit fours?”
Elle grins. “I did. From that gourmet bakery right near campus. I thought it might be nice to have a little sustenance while we wrap presents.”
“We should bring some over to Hanna and Charlie,” I suggest.
“Already done,” Elle replies with a smile. “I stopped by Charlie’s place on the way here. I figured it was the least I could do, since she was watching Noel for me.”
“How are they doing?” Georgia asks.
“Good.” Elle opens the box of petit fours and holds them out to me. “They were watching old Christmas movies. And—” She makes a little aww face. “Noel and Sam were both conked out on the couch with Rylan, one on either side. It was the cutest thing.”
“Awww,”Georgia and I echo.
“So.” Elle takes a petit four for herself, then plops down on the floor beside me. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Anywhere you like,” I reply. “This pile”—I gesture to my right—“is for Clara. This one is for James. And yes, I know he’s too young to unwrap them himself. But I don’t care. And that pile is for Lily.”
Elle gives the mounds of gifts an appraising glance. Then she laughs. “You definitelydoneed my help.”
For the next few minutes, we settle into wrapping in comfortable silence, only interrupted by the occasional crinkle of paper or the slice of scissors.
Surrounded by two of my closest friends, a feeling of contentment comes over me. Yes, I’m missing Cole while he’s away on business, just as I’m sure Elle and Georgia are missing Zane and Leo. But we have each other—for laughter, jokes, comfort, support—and that’s pretty great, too.
