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Dad: We’re sorry to disappoint you on Christmas Eve. Know that we love you with all our hearts and we’ll be together to celebrate as soon as we can. Call you later.
A series of hearts made up the final message.
Caleb knew how much today and tomorrow meant to her just from the way she’d spoken earlier. Even he was sad that she wasn’t going to get to spend this time with her parents.
She used her sleeve to wipe her face.
Caleb placed his finger underneath her chin and gently turned her face so she could look at him. She was so sad and brokenhearted; he wasn’t sure if she’d be able to read his lips with her eyes so full of tears. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not your parents, but I’d love to spend Christmas Eve with you.”
“You would?” she asked.
“Definitely.”
Naomi’s face lit up. It’s not like he had any other plans. And if it would make her happy, why not?
Caleb wondered though if it wouldn’t be better for them to go to her parents’ house rather than stay at the cabin. For one thing, they had water there—hot water at that—and he desperately yearned for a hot, sudsy shower. But there was the food issue to consider. He hadn’t planned to do any holiday cooking, so unless she wanted a frozen dinner or a can of soup, making the trek to their house seemed the most logical thing to do. Not to mention, she’d have her own clothes to change into, too.
When he suggested the idea to her, she immediately agreed. “Not too far to walk,” she said with hope in her eyes.
“We should probably go while it’s still daylight too.”
If they took his car, under normal conditions, they could be there in a minute or two, but that was a risk he didn’t think they should take. And in all honesty, he doubted his little sports sedan would even make it out of the driveway before sliding off into a ditch.
She held open his backpack while he shoved a few things inside. He didn’t need to take much, just a change in clothes for today and tomorrow. And the more he thought about a shower, the more excited he became.
They both bundled up tightly and laced up their boots. Caleb gave her another extra long-sleeve shirt of his to wear so she’d stay warm. Hopefully, they could make the walk with no issues.
Making sure the fire was safely extinguished, Caleb made a final walk through the cabin for anything he felt he might need. He wasn’t looking forward to the cold, but knowing a shower wasn’t all that far away, the walk would certainly be worth it. Not to mention, the more time he’d get to spend with Naomi.
After locking the front door, he gave the set of keys to Naomi to slip into the front pocket of the backpack. And they were on their way.
It was almost impossible to hold her hand with the thick insulated gloves they both wore, so he looped his arm through hers. The last thing either of them needed was to slip and fall and get injured.
Naomi didn’t say anything as they made their way to the end of his driveway. The ground was still slick from all the ice accumulation in certain parts, but otherwise, it was rock-solid hard. Thank goodness it wasn’t snowing anymore.
The view of the Gardner home suddenly appeared, and Naomi quickly raised her glove to point to it. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were the rosiest shade of red from the cold.
“Not much further,” she exclaimed, excitement obvious in her voice.
Thank goodness because Caleb was already freezing to death. Naomi, on the other hand and despite her smaller size, didn’t appear to be as cold as him. Could be she was just used to it more than he was having lived here all her life.
Just as they made it to the edge of the property, she pulled off her glove and slipped her hand into the front pocket of her jeans to retrieve her house key. The house was sure to be ice cold, but a fire in the fireplace would soon remedy that.
Much to Caleb’s surprise, the house wasn’t as cold as he’d expected, and he began to strip off the layers of clothing he had on. Naomi did the same, except she kept one of his shirts on. If she only knew the thoughts that ran through his head…
Other than a rug and a few holiday-themed what-knots sitting on a table in the entryway, there wasn’t much indication that Christmas was a day away. Until Naomi led him into the family room on the back side of the house.
A gigantic tree decorated from top to bottom sat in front of the big open window and Naomi couldn’t wait to turn on the lights for him to see it all lit up.
“Did you do this all by yourself?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, my momma too.”
Then, she grabbed hold of his hand and walked him closer.
The two of them must’ve spent hours adding all the décor and ornaments. There had to be at least a hundred if not more ornaments perfectly placed all over the tree. There wasn’t a single area left bare. What caught his attention though, were the homemade crocheted snowflakes and glass redbirds that had been strategically placed in between the other ornaments. Obviously, someone had a fascination with cardinals. Caleb had to admit, it was one of the prettiest trees he’d ever seen. And if his mother could see it, she’d be in awe too.
When Naomi was finished pointing out the various Christmas decorations, he could see why she’d been so upset about her parents not making it home—Christmas was abigdeal to the Gardners. Not that his family didn’t celebrate in the traditional way, but things had changed over the years for them following his brother’s death. The empty feeling of losing a loved one wasn’t one he wished on anyone.
