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“It’s good to have you here, son.” An elderly gentleman lays a hand on my shoulder as he passes by.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Clausen.”
“Happy Holidays, my boy.”
“Glad you could join us, Adrian.”
The chorus of greetings directed at me causes my heart to pinch. Hailey squeezes my hand as she watches on, returning greetings with her own.
“What’s going on, Hailey?” I whisper as she directs us toward the tree.
Oohs and aahs carry through the room as gifts are unwrapped and placed on the tree.
“An old-fashioned Christmas. All heart and no commercialism.” She leans into my shoulder, wrapping her arm around mine. She pulls a small brown package with a red and white twine bow from her jacket pocket. “This is for you.”
I stare at the package, soaking in the activity surrounding us. I’m in awe of Hailey and what’s she’s done to make this evening memorable. What everyone’s done.
“This one smells so good.” An elderly woman holds a ball ornament in her hands. “I adore orange and clove ornaments. Thank you, Secret Santa.”
“I’ve got one made of cinnamon sticks,” someone else calls out before placing it on the tree.
“Go ahead. Open it.” Hailey’s eyes glisten as she watches me.
I tug on the twine and unravel the bow, then peel the paper back. The popsicle tree ornament Hailey broke our first night together sits atop the plain brown paper. It’s been glued and touched up with fresh paint where the wood splintered, but otherwise, it looks the same. I turn it over and find my six-year-old childish scrawl with my name and the year Nana and I made it.
“You don’t have to hang it on the tree with the others. I know how much it means to you.” She blinks wetness from her eyes. “It isn’t the same as before, but I hope you like it.”
“It’s perfect.” I wrap my arms around her, fighting back the wetness that stings my eyes. I pull her close, unable to wait a second longer. “You’re perfect. I love you, Hailey.”
“You do?” She grabs my shirt, clutching it with her fingertips. Her eyes fill, and a single tear hangs at the corner. “I love you, too.”
My heart pounds against my chest as the buzz around us disappears. I claim Hailey’s lips, reckless and hungry. She’s made me whole with her selflessness and generosity. A gift I never thought possible in a world filled with excess.
“Let’s hang this on the tree together,” I whisper across her lips. “Nana would love that.”
“Me, too.”
***
Hailey and I are amongthe last to leave the ballroom. I couldn’t stop staring at all the handmade ornaments decorating the tree. It reminded me of Nana and Papa’s home at Christmastime. Memories spent with them during the holidays were crowded out by unpleasant ones. But Hailey’s idea of a Secret Santa old-fashioned tree decorating party brings those memories to the forefront.
“Do you ever get tired of this, Hailey?” We stare at the tree, taking one last look before calling it a night.
“Tired of what?” She clings to my arm.
“You know, all of it. The lights, parties, bustling around making everyone’s holiday memorable.” She spends every day for months doing just that at Winslow’s.
“Sometimes.” She turns in my arms and yanks on my collar. “But I never get tired of smiling faces, giggling kids waiting to sit on Santa’s lap, and Noelle’s Christmas cupcakes.”
“Of course, cupcakes.” I dot her nose, enjoying how adorable she is.
“You know what else I’ll never get tired of?” Her eyes gleam as her lips curl into a mischievous grin.
“What’s that?” I pull her close to my chest, needing her heartbeat next to mine.
“Mistletoe.” She glances overhead and grins naughtily. She tips on her toes and drapes her hands around my neck. “And little red dresses crumpled on the floor beside gray sweatpants.”
“I want those back, by the way.”
