AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My eyes flicked to hers in the rearview mirror. “I’m not sure. They probably still need people working the farm.”
“Who doesn’t have a tree yet?” Addy asked incredulously.
I laughed. “You’d be surprised. Not everyone gets things early. They wait until the last second.”
“I want to keep ours up all year.”
“We can’t do that because eventually, the branches will dry out, and it could become a fire hazard.” I didn’t want to scare her, but it was a real possibility.
“If we had a fake tree, we could keep it.”
“I think Grace and I tried that when we were little, and it got super dusty. Besides, what’s the fun in that? Christmas is a special time of the year, but if celebrated every day, it would lose its magic.”
“I want presents every day,” Addy said stubbornly.
I chuckled. “Of course, that’s what you heard me say. But wouldn’t you get tired of having so many toys to play with?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Nope.”
“You just have to trust me. It wouldn’t be as special.”
Her lips turned down. “If you say so.”
When we turned onto the lane for the farm, Heath was at the gate, and he greeted us with a huge smile. “Is there a birthday girl in here?”
Addy giggled. “It’s not for a few more days, silly.”
“I think you get to be the birthday girl all week,” Heath said easily.
“It’s Christmas, though.”
“Your birthday is just as important.”
His words were sweet, but it only made me sadder for what we were missing. I loved Knox and his family. I loved the property and the history here. It was going to hurt when we went back to our regular lives. The ones without the holiday cheer and magic. I couldn’t imagine the Monroe brothers not being in our lives, and it had only been a few short weeks.
He gestured to the farmhouse. “Head on up to the main house. Mom and Ireland are excited to plan your party.”
I lowered my voice. “Are you sure this is okay for your mom to be doing this?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. Knox already called her doctor, and he cleared her for party planning as long as she rested as much as possible. So, no decorating for her.”
“I’ll help decorate,” Addy said from the back seat.
“We’ll all pitch in. It’s going to be great. Just wait until you see what Talon made for you.” Then he hung his head. “Sorry, I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“What did he make?” Addy asked eagerly.
Heath winced as he lifted his head. “You’re going to have to wait until the twenty-sixth.”
“Aw. No fair,” Addy mumbled.
“You bring the guests, and we’ll take care of everything else.” Heath smiled and then waved us forward, as another car pulled in behind us while we were talking. I slowly made my way up the lane, my stomach tightening as we drew closer.
When we got to the house, Ireland was sitting on the front porch. “Lori wants to show you something for the party, but she can’t walk that far right now. Emmett will take you to it.”
I followed her arm as she pointed toward the horse and carriage I’d missed, waiting on the side of the house.
“Another carriage ride?” Addy asked, her voice raising in excitement.
