AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You stole a Pony Pal from him?”
“See, I knew you knew what they were called. You’ve always known. You just call them ‘pony things’ because you don’t want people to know how much you secretly know about the Pony Pals universe.”
Ben tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and snorted. “I don’t know anything about the Pony Pals universe.”
“Well, thanks,” I said. “For Peachblossom and Butterbear.”
His jaw twitched. “Berry.”
“What?”
“It’s Butterberry.”
“Yeah, I know. And so did you.”
He snorted again and looked away. “I might have picked up a few things from watching the cartoons with the girls.”
Oh, okay,therewas the ache in my chest that I’d been expecting much, much earlier in the night. “I’d like it if you were still in our lives, Ben. God knows that growing up in Christmas Valley, they’re gonna need a cool, city-dwelling uncle to visit when nobody else in their lives understands them and they didn’t evenaskto be born and it’s just notfair.”
“That sounds oddly specific.”
“My teenage years in Christmas Valley were not always the happiest,” I said, looking out at all the twinkling lights on the houses as we turned onto my street. “But I’m starting to think most of that was a me problem.”
“This place is a lot though,” Ben said. “The hotel we’re staying at has a life-size Santa decalinsidethe shower stall, and it says, ‘He’s always watching!’ It’s very lifelike.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know. Kyle almost had a heart attack.” We pulled up to a stop outside my house. “This is a nice-looking house.”
“Yeah, it turns out that if you move somewhere nobody in their right mind would want to live, the housing market is actually quite reasonable.”
“I mean, I’d say something rude about this town, but...” He shrugged. “Creepy shower Santa is always watching.” He cut the ignition. “Listen, I’m not gonna intrude on your Cookies with New Santa—”
“It’s just Cookies with Santa.”
“New Santa.” His lips quirked, and shit, maybe wewereat the stage where we could joke about it? “But I’ll help you inside, and say hi to Ada and Em, then grab some wrapping paper and get out of your hair. But if you really meant it about me and Kyle coming by tomorrow, that’d be really nice.”
“I really meant it,” I said. “And now that I know you have a Peachblossom for Ada, I actually insist.”
Ben laughed and shoved the bag into the back again. And just in time too, because my front door burst open, and two little girls in pajamas came racing outside, heading straight for the car.
“Don’t slip, don’t slip, don’t slip,” I chanted under my breath as they hurried down the path, because I’d already spent long enough at the hospital tonight.
Ben got out of the car and slowed the girls down long enough with hugs for me to do the same.
“Daddy!” Em exclaimed as I very slowly and carefully navigated my way onto the sidewalk. “I thought you’d have a cast! I was going to draw on it!”
“Well, good news,” I said. “I have to go back to the hospital in three days, and they’re putting a cast on then. The swelling has to go down first.”
“Ew,” Em said, but she sounded impressed.
“Daddy! Ben! Guess what?” Ada danced around us.
“What?” I asked her.
“Santa came! He’shere!”
“He did?” Warmth spread in my gut.
