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One was plenty.
“I’m gonna go grab the gifts from the truck and get to wrappin’,” I casually proclaim, hands finding their way to my pockets. “Need a refill or maybe a sniggerdoodle before I go?”
She opens the door to our ensuite bathroom and flashes me a tickled grin. “Was that the type of cookie we left out for Santa?”
“Nope.” It’s my turn to look amused. “That would be the inside out double chocolate chip cookies.”
Arley leans against the door frame, ribbon from her closed satin red robe, seductively swaying at the space between her thighs I doubt I’ll get to enjoy any time before our traditional Christmas Day nap.
The girls get up a little after five, we enjoy pancakes shaped like Christmas objects, and then begin opening presents, which takes several hours due to their desire to openevery package to play withsaid gift immediately. They tend to crash from excitement and exhaustion around eleven. It works out well. They nap. We fuck. And then they get up ready to have lunch with family.
Our system is practically flawless.
“Hm,” my wife hums and folds her arms across her chest. “Little surprised by the choice. Would’ve figured a snickerdoodle or oatmeal surprise considering I only make the inside out double chocolate chip cookies for birthdays and Christmas.”
“Guess they felt Santa deserved that extra love this year.”
“Can’t blame ‘em.” She allows her smile to remain. “Speaking of extra love, are you ready for your Christmas Eve gift?”
Quirking an eyebrow can’t be helped. “That a trick question, Angel Cake?”
“Because of course you want a gift?”
“Who the hell in their right mind wouldn’t want their half-naked wife to give them a gift?” I playfully poke back encouraging her to giggle. “But I meant, was that a trick question when we both know I don’tdeserveone.”
“What?” All signs of mirth instantaneously vanish. “Why don’t you deserve one?”
Her bafflement ignites my own, yet I push onward. “’Cause I let you all down tonight.”
“Cowboy-”
“I should’ve been there. I should’ve been eatin’ the marshmallows the girls made snowmen out of for their gingerbread houses. I should’ve been around to help Dad and Tom haul in firewood. Hell, I should’ve been there to stop T from havin’ his third glass ofponche navideñoand made sure you got to have at least one. And I definitely should’ve been there to feed reindeer with my cowgirls instead of watchin’ y’all do it in a video from Blu– who requested an actual trophy for his imaginary Godfather of the Year Award ceremony.” After brushing off his demand with an eye roll, Idefeatedly shrug. “I failed my most important duty on one of the most important days of the year. I’m sorry, Angel Cake.”
“I’m not.”
The unreluctant rebuttal catches me off guard. “’Xcuse me?”
“Slater, had you been withusinstead of Kolby, a little boy might’ve been harmed more than he already was.”
“Yeah, but-”
“Had you been withusinstead of at that mall, a mom…a momlike mewould’ve had to spend her holiday frightened and crying and begging for a miracle instead of getting to appreciate the one she received by having you right there at the right time.”
Guilt does it’s best to waiver only to be met by more resistance. “True, but-”
“You wereexactlywhere the angels needed you to be just as you always are.” She sweetly beams, glow successfully lowering my shoulders. “And while I was upset at first, you did what you do best, babe.”
I lift my eyebrows in question.
“Improvise.”
Bewilderment immediately returns.
“You missed making gingerbread houses, so you brought them Lego people tenants.”
The girls were really excited to give them an HGTV worthy walk through of their tiny food properties.
“You missed hauling stuff in the house yet had no issue hauling out the trash. You didn’t get to feed the reindeer with the girls, but you got to take them to say goodnight to all of the animals. And for all the singing and dancing you missed, you put on quite the performance in the truck on the way home.”
