Chapter 22
Nora
I lean my forehead against the cool window, watching the snowflakes swirl outside. This is the most perfect Christmas ever. My belly feels all warm and fluttery, like I swallowed a bunch of butterflies, but the good kind.
When Mom and I used to have Christmas, it was nice.
We’d make cookies and decorate our little tree, and she always found a way to get me at least one special present, even though I know now that money was tight sometimes.
I’d see the way she counted bills at the kitchen table when she thought I was asleep.
But this Christmas is different. It’s loud and crazy, with so many people, and they’re all my family. My real family. I have uncles and aunts now, not just pretend ones from Mom’s stories.
I look back at everyone admiring my drawing. Uncle Kane is pointing at the part where I drew him extra tall next to Kori. Aunt Kat is laughing about how I got her crazy hair just right. They like it. They really like something I made.
I’ve never had so many presents before, but that’s not even the best part. The best part is hearing everyone laugh and watching Mom smile more than I’ve ever seen. Her eyes look different now—not so worried all the time.
Last night, I made my wish on the star charm Uncle Rory gave me. I held it tight in my hand, squeezed my eyes shut, and wished as hard as I could. I hoped that we could stay here forever, with everyone. That we wouldn’t have to go back to being just me and Mom again.
I love Mom more than anything in the whole world. She’s my best friend, and she takes care of me, and she’s the bravest person I know. But sometimes I see her looking sad when she thinks I’m not watching. Sometimes I hear her walking around at night when she can’t sleep. I know she gets lonely.
Uncle Declan catches my eye from across the room and winks at me.
He’s scary sometimes with his serious face, but he always has chocolate in his pockets, and he never talks to me like I’m a baby.
Yesterday on the ski hill, he showed me how to make better turns and didn’t even get mad when I accidentally sprayed snow all over his fancy jacket.
I twist my new bracelet around my wrist, watching how the star charm catches the light. Next year, maybe I’ll have more charms. Next year, we’ll all be together again for Christmas. Maybe by then, Mom will have found someone special, like Uncle Declan, Aunt Kat, Uncle Connor, and Uncle Kane has.
But what I really want is a dad. That’s what I’d wish for next Christmas.
Not that I need one exactly. Mom says we’re perfect just the two of us.
But I see how Uncle Kane looks at Kori, all soft and smiley, and I think Mom deserves someone to look at her that way.
Someone to help her carry the heavy stuff —both the real things, like groceries, and the invisible things that sometimes make her shoulders look tight.
Maybe Jake from next door. He looks at Mom when he thinks no one’s watching, kind of like how Prince Eric looked at Ariel in my favorite movie.
Plus, he has horses, and he let me pet the baby one last spring when Mom and I were walking Scout.
He didn’t talk much, but he smiled when I told him the foal looked like it was wearing socks.
“Nora!” Mom calls. “Come help us sort out all this wrapping paper. We need to save the bows for next year!”
I push away from the window, hugging my new knowledge close like another Christmas present. This is what a family feels like. This is what home means. And next year will be even better, especially if my new wish comes true.
“Coming!” I call back, skipping across the room. Uncle Rory hands me a garbage bag for the torn paper, and Aunt Wren shows me how to carefully peel the tape off the fancy bows.
I’m a MacGallan now. I have a family. And families can always get bigger, can’t they? There’s always room for one more, especially if he knows about horses and makes my mom smile.
I just need to figure out how to make it happen before next Christmas.
Merry Christmas
The End
Continue reading for a peek into Wrangled Strangers and a surprise after it!