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Twenty-Eight
Katie
I pinched myself so many times I would be black and blue, but I just couldn’t bring myself to stop. It had to be a dream—an elaborate scheme designed to lure me into a sense of false security. Everything had been hellish. My whole life, holidays were lonely, disappointing miseries.
Now, though?
This was my dream. It was what I’d always thought the holidays were supposed to be. Like every Hallmark Christmas movie had procreated with every TV sitcom holiday special to produce the most idyllic Christmas Eve dinner ever.
Even though I was living in heaven, pins and needles kept me from fully enjoying it. I waited anxiously for it all to be jerked away from me.
“Katie, do you want some wine?” Olivia asked, pulling me out of my head.
I just shook my head and whispered, “I can’t. The doctor has me on medication.”
Sorry, Santa.
One little white lie wouldn’t ruin the dream. At least, I hoped not.
“Liar,” Jackson whispered in my ear.
Turning my face to him, he smirked at me. An air of mischievousness oozed from him whenever that look graced his face. Before I could chastise him for being…well, him, Jackson kissed me. The lightest brushing of my lips made me crave some alone time. When we parted, he dropped his forehead to mine. Walker broke into our moment when he asked Jackson about something racing related.
I glanced around the table at the faces gathered there. My found family. People who had opened their hearts and lives to me, welcoming me with gusto. They’d never once made me feel unwelcome or unwanted.
As I watched everyone laugh, enjoying each other and the meal, I took notice of the setting around us. I didn’t know when Lillian had a chance to put it all together, but the house was filled with festive cheer. There were twinkling lights and decorations everywhere.
I’d never seen a house decorated like this. Every room, every wall, every surface had been touched in some way. Tastefully decorated and accessorized to the point it could’ve been a magazine ad or commercial for a winter wonderland.
After dinner, I waited for the men to wander off to the living room, but yet again, the Holt family pulled together. Everyoneworked together on every task, so the workload was shared among us all. In less than half an hour, all the food was put away; dishes were in the dishwasher, and the ones that weren’t had been washed and put away.
We all congregated in the living room. Everyone spread out across the furniture and the floor. Walker and Liam began handing out presents. I was shocked. There were presents to everyone from everyone. I suddenly felt self-conscious that I’d not bought for everyone, but Marcie patted my leg.
“Jackson and I made sure it was done,” she murmured. “He and I didn’t want you any more overwhelmed than you already were.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and I couldn’t help but hug her.
When I started to unwrap one, Jackson halted me. His eyes glistened as he said, “We open them youngest to oldest.”
Emotion burst in me like the Christmas Crackers we had all gotten on our plates when we sat down for dinner. Next year, Jackson and I would help to open our little ones’ gifts.
Gift wrap flew through the air with hugs and thank yous handed out once the paper and packaging had been passed to Walker to toss in the trash bag he had hidden next to the couch.
I received so many nice, thoughtful gifts. I was astonished.
One of my favorites was the custom sheet music notebooks Anthony had given me. I nearly cried when I saw the pages with my name on them. I’d never had anything like this to write music in—a regular old notebook was all I’d ever used.
Walker and Lillian gifted me with two things. Walker had given me a key to the house because this was my home, too. ButLillian was who broke me. She gifted me with an album of press clippings and photos of Jackson and me from birth onward. I don’t know where she’d gotten them, but she’d worked a miracle because I’d not ever seen some of them. She’d organized them chronologically from Jackson’s birth, so the first few pages were just of him. Then, when I was born, she’d started adding in my things, too. It was like walking through our lives.
I couldn’t wait to add the photos from today. I just hoped I didn’t look as awestruck as I felt by this family and the way they included everyone and loved everyone. After my upbringing, I was certain it would take years to come to terms with the fact that happy, loving families existed. And that I would now be a member of one would take even longer. My babies would have a home and a family. They would have roots and history because that’s what Lillian’s gift was to me.
Everyone started talking about dessert when Jackson got to his feet behind me, helping me up as well.
“If y’all would bear with us for a second, Katie and I have a couple of other gifts to give out, then you can go pilfer the kitchen for seconds and thirds.”
Everyone chuckled. Jackson pulled out some envelopes and said, “This present is actually from Morgan and Charlotte.”
He walked over to Adam and Brock and then Hayden, Declan, and Marcie, handing them each an envelope. As they looked at each other and us, guessing what it could be, I went and grabbed the gift bags for all the family members and the security team.
