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Nick opened the gift and Maggie held her breath. Had she done the right thing?
He opened the box. “It’s a soft toy. A dog.” He pulled it out, puzzled.
“Yes.” Maggie felt ridiculously nervous. “It’s a representation of course. The real thing is waiting for you at home. There’s a photo of him in the box.”
Nick put his hand back in the box and pulled out a photo of a litter of puppies. “Black Labs?”
“The Baxters’ dog had a litter last month. I’ve helped her with them occasionally.” When she’d been upset and missing Nick badly. “One in particular took a shine to me. I thought—I know you love dogs, and we’ve never been able to have one because of Rosie’s asthma, but now it’s the two of us I thought it was time. Walking it will keep us both fit. And I know we’ll need to be careful when Rosie and Dan come to stay—” she smiled at her daughter “—but the Baxters have promised to take care of him whenever we need them to, and we will never let him upstairs in the bedrooms, and our downstairs has wood floors so they should be easy to clean.” She waited, watching his face.
“A puppy.” Nick studied the photo. “He has intelligent eyes.”
“He’s so intelligent. I’m already in love with him.”
“I could take him to work to soothe stressed students. When is he ready to leave his mother?”
“In a few weeks, but the Baxters will hold on to him for as long as we like. What do you think?”
“I think,” Nick said slowly, “that this might be the best gift anyone has ever given me.”
“If you’re getting a puppy,” Katie said, “I might have to rethink moving back home.”
“I can’t wait to come and stay,” Catherine said. “Is February a good month to visit Oxford?”
“Wait until May. Spring in Oxford is gorgeous. It’s warmer and it’s a perfect month to see all the gardens. We’ll walk along the river and I’ll take you round the colleges. I’m already looking forward to it.” Maggie raised her glass. It seemed unbelievable to think that a month ago she’d been dreading this week, and anxious about meeting Catherine. “We drank to the happy couple yesterday, so today we’re drinking to Catherine. Thank you for welcoming us into your home and your life, for giving the White family our first genuine white Christmas, for doing such an incredible job arranging a wedding. To new friends, and new family.”
Everyone raised their glasses and chorused her toast.
“Thank you.” Catherine was blushing. “I was rather hoping Christmas here could become a new White-Reynolds family tradition. What do you think? Spring in Oxford, and Christmas in Colorado?”
Nick put one arm round her, and the other arm around Maggie, the champagne in his glass dangerously close to spilling. “I’m
not sure.”
Maggie raised her eyebrows. “What?”
“If you’re given more opportunity for practice, you might beat me in a snowball fight.”
“I already beat you.” Maggie thought about her anxieties that this might be her last family Christmas with her daughter. All she’d thought about was repeating the past. In fact, she’d hung on to the past so hard she’d almost made dents with her fingernails. What a waste of time and energy that had turned out to be. Life did change. Nothing stayed the same. But sometimes the life that lay ahead could be even better than the life they were leaving behind. And whatever happened, she was going to be living that life with Nick. With her family.
She raised her glass again. “Christmas in Colorado.”
* * *
