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“There’s so many…”
I kiss her cheek. “There’s never too many for you, love.”
She blushes. “I didn’t get you guys enough for all of this.”
“Oh, hush, dear. Christmas isn’t tit for tat. I just went a little crazy. I haven’t ever had a daughter to spoil before, and now I do. Let an old woman spoil you a little.”
I can tell my mother’s words have completely shocked Winter. Being called her daughter wasn’t something she ever expected, but I can see how much she likes the thought of it. She wants it to be true so badly. It’ll take a while for her to realize that she’s no longer alone in the world. She’s got me and my mom, and we aren’t going anywhere.
“Alright, ladies first,” I say.
Mom immediately dives in, ripping the paper off her gifts. Winter giggles as she watches. My mom gushes over everything I got her. She gets to the gift from Winter and opens it much more slowly. Taking the time to carefully untie the silver ribbon and pull off the dark blue paper. There is a simple black box inside. My mom lets out a gasp when she opens it, and tears fill her eyes.
Winter looks at me in panic. She’s totally freaked out that she made my mom cry. I’m curious about what she bought my mom to make her so emotional. Mom doesn’t cry easily or often, so I’m beyond intrigued.
“Winter, honey, it’s beautiful. Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s perfect.” My mom holds it up to me, and I look at it curiously, not understanding what made her so emotional. “It’s your birth month flower.”
Oh. Now I get it. Winter really did find the perfect gift for her. She’s so kind and thoughtful. My sweet babygirl.
“Your turn, Winter,” my mom says excitedly.
Winter shyly opens the first present, gasping at what’s inside. “An iPad?! This is too much.”
“Oh, hush. Jude told me you’ve been reading on your phone, which won’t do. I got you the iPad because you can read and work on it.”
“I love it! Thank you, Claire.”
Winter opens all her gifts with the excitement of a child. She loves everything and has thanked us both at least a hundred times. She’s looking at the charms on the bracelet I got her with a smile. It’s only got two right now: a Christmas tree as a reminder of our first holiday together and a car that’s two in one. It’s a reminder of how we got to this point. If her car hadn’t broken down that night, we may not be here now. It’s also a placeholder for her fully restored Nova. It’ll be done by New Years, but she doesn’t know that yet.
“Your turn, Jude.”
I open the gifts from my mom first. She got me several new books, a sweater, tickets to see my favorite hockey team, and a unicorn that spits balls out of its butt when you squeeze it. She always includes one completely ridiculous thing every year. Somewhere, there are probably two more of these poppers for her and Winter.
Winter’s twisting her fingers nervously when I get to her gift. I want to reassure her that I’ll like it no matter what, but the only thing that will work is for her to see that I love it. I find the same style of black box as my mom’s gift, only smaller. I open it and pull out the silver ring, admiring the shimmering black stone that circles the middle of the band.
“I love it, babygirl,” I say honestly, then slide it on my right ring finger. I’d rather it go on my left hand, but that’ll come soon enough.
“Are you sure?”
I pull Winter onto my lap and kiss her long and hard. “I’m positive, my love. It’s perfect.”
She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tight. “I’m so glad you like it.”
“You worried for nothing. Turns out you’re a great gift giver.”
She giggles. “I got lucky this time. Next time, I could go off the rails.”
“Doubtful, but I’ll love it even if you do go off the rails.”
“There’s one more gift…” I say, sliding Winter off my lap.
“More?” she says incredulously.
“Just one…”
