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“More!” they all yelled, and I laughed, taking slow sips of my drink.
“Well,” Jax groaned softly, “IthinkI saw the Grinch trying to hide some of the presents in the firewood cupboard.”
All three children scrambled up and ran to the door which Theo reached first and opened for them. Several more presents were grabbed and brought back to the tree where the kids began tearing into them.
“They’re savages,” Luke laughed loudly.
“Nothing compared to you,” Tabitha replied sharply. “Do you remember that Christmas you got your first bicycle? Never had I seen you move so fast to get to it, and the tantrum you threw when your father told you it wasn’t for you.” Tabitha chuckled so hard that her face took on a rosy glow. “Then you tore it open like a terror, all my careful wrapping gone to waste!”
“It was the best present though, hands down,” Luke grinned.
“Y’know, I can picture that.” Theo grinned. “You’re a menace with anything wrapped up all pretty.”
Luke glanced at me, winked, and my cheeks warmed. I focused on my drink, setting the empty cup aside when I was done, and shifted closer to Jax.
“You’re okay?” I asked softly. “Nothing terrible?”
“Sore but okay,” Jax replied as he took my hand, squeezing firmly. “Thank you.”
It did little to calm the lingering worry in my heart, but it soothed my mind enough that when Bonnie needed help opening more presents, I could do so with a grin. As the presents slowed down, I turned the wrapping paper into a game to help clean up. This time, none of the children minded when Luke and Theo won that game even with the victory candy that went with it. The softness of my dress meant I was easily able to get on the floor and play Batman versus Joker with Kane, give Ava attack tickles, and join Luke in engaging Bonnie in a light game of tag so she could run around in her new light-up sneakers.
By the time Tabitha called for lunch, hearts were full and tummies were hungry. I escorted all the children into the dining room where a large finger food spread was laid out. From mini sausages, quiches, mozzarella sticks, and more; there was more than enough to satisfy everyone.
“This is your lunch tradition?” I mused to Jax who sat down near me and settled Bonnie between us.
“Yup. We tend to eat dinner late so having a lunch where the kids can pick what they want keeps them happyandgives us all more time to cook later,” Jax explained.
“Makes sense,” I grinned, taking a couple of mozzarella sticks.
“Why—what about your family?” Bonnie asked, her bright eyes staring up at me. The question caught me slightly off guard, and I forced a smile.
“I don’t really have one right now,” I explained softly.
“Why not?”
“Well…” I glanced up at Jax, unsure how to approach the topic ofdeathat a time like this. “They’re just not with me anymore. That’s all.”
Jax shot me a sympathetic smile as Bonnie nodded, licking some sauce off her fingers and watching Jax spoon some spaghetti hoops onto her plate.
“That’s okay,” Bonnie said. “You have us.”
It was such a simple phrase, yet it warmed my heart more than I could ever imagine. A glance around the table and Tabitha was having a discussion with Kane about how Batman couldn’t go swimming in the gravy. Theo was laughing saying that surely the Clay Monster was buried in the mash and wouldn’t Batman be better there, much to Tabitha’s horror. Ava was having a dinosaur chicken nugget battle with Luke on her plate while they both wore tinkling reindeer antlers.
I watched it all, listening to the laughter and the warm words, the hubbub of family andlove. Then I glanced at Jax who was watching me intently as Bonnie snacked on her mozzarella sticks.
“She’s right,” he said quietly. “If you want it. It’s right here.”
I smiled and warmth stirred behind my eyes. I did want it. I wanted this feeling to never end, this warmth and protective family dynamic to be something I could take with me all the way back to the States. And yet even as I gave Jax the smallest of nods, Felix remained not far from my thoughts, skulking in the back of my mind.
One word from him, and all of this would be dust.
28
SUMMER
“Here, two is all I can give you,” I said softly, pressing two painkillers into Jax’s waiting hand. “They’re maximum strength so it should help. At least until we can get you to a doctor.”
“I don’t need a doctor,” Jax replied with a smile, then he tossed them back into his mouth, chasing them with a large gulp of water.
