Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
ZALE
It was still dark and my eyes were closed but I smiled because our daughter was talking to her toys. This was her happy morning sound as she chatted to her toy family in the next room. I could listen to her all day.
Abi was in her room that had been the nursery but we’d made some ‘big girl’ changes now she was three.
It still had the walls my mate had painted yellow, the curtains Mrs. Trent had made and the rocking chair Benjamin had refinished.
My mate and I had spent many hours in that chair when Abi was tiny.
But now she had a big girl bed and a lot more books than when she was a baby.
We were in our apartment which was double the size of the original thanks to us buying the building next to the bakery and expanding the business and our living space.
So much had changed in the years since I’d arrived in town, and it was hard to imagine the person I was when I stepped off that bus.
The first year of Abi’s life had been exhausting with sleepless nights and learning to parent together. The second year Abi started walking and we’d baby-proofed the entire apartment. Now at three and a half, she was a whirlwind of energy."
I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Hawthorn. Abi must have forgotten it was Christmas because I’d expected her to wake us at three in the morning. But before I could slip on my robe, a pair of bare feet pattered over the floor and a tiny body flung herself into my arms.
"Merry Christmas, Papa."
I picked her up and smothered her with kisses. "Merry Christmas, my darling."
“I looked at the clock like you told me to and waited till the little hand was pointing to the six."
I was so proud of my little pup.
Abi peered over my shoulder. "But can I wake Daddy now? It’s time." I agreed and she raced into our bedroom and jumped on the bed. "Daddy, Merry Christmas."
My mate fake-groaned. “Who is this jumping on my bed?"
"It’s me. Abi."
“Do I know an Abi?" My mate’s eyes were still closed but he couldn’t hide his grin.
“I’m your little girl, the one you say is the smartest pup in the whole wide world."
"Sounds familiar." He kissed her and then tickled her sides and they almost rolled off the bed.
"What do we do first? Presents or eat breakfast?
" It was a silly question because everyone always chose presents, though Hawthorn and I insisted on making coffee first. Abi grumbled about grownups and coffee as she sat under the tree staring at the large object we’d wrapped last night and the bulging stockings hanging from the mantle.
The next thirty minutes were filled with the tearing of wrapping paper, plus oohs, ahhs and squeals.
Abi’s present from us was a tricycle which she insisted on riding around the sofa until I told her it was for outside.
I unwrapped a locket Hawthorn had made that contained a picture of the three of us.
On the back it was inscribed, "To us & the teddies. "
My present to my mate was a voucher for a seven-day stay at a mountain resort.
We’d met two baker brothers who resurrected the bakery in Ivybrook and one of them had agreed to take over for us while we took a week off.
My mate had agreed to the idea but I knew once the time came, I’d have to drag him out the door.
We'd invited Mrs. Trent, Benjamin, Marg and Adrian for dinner. It’d be a small gathering but that was how we liked it. We’d taken part in the town’s Christmas Festival with the community but today was for close friends.
We made breakfast of cereal and toast, not that our daughter ate much as she was too excited for what came next and to take her tricycle to the local park.
"Ready." Hawthorn held Abi’s hand. "What time are people coming?"
"Not until five. We have plenty of time."
"Good. Because I have plans for the morning."
"Oh? Whatever could they be?" Abi and I looked at one another, pretending we had no clue what he was talking about.
He grinned. “I thought we could do something that commemorates a very special day. We're making teddy bear cookies."
We’d done this since our daughter was born. It brought back so many memories of me obsessively making those cookies when I was nesting, before I knew I was pregnant. It was now a family tradition.
My mate and Abi galloped downstairs. The space was twice as large after we’d knocked down the wall between the two buildings.
There were new ovens, more display cases, and a proper sitting area with tables and chairs.
We'd hired two part-time employees to help with the rush hours which gave us some breathing room.
But the heart of the bakery was still the same with the smell of bread cloaking the space six days a week. And for me, the aroma signaled I was home.
Abi sat on her stool as my mate turned on the ovens. She understood the rules we’d set up when she was in the bakery though we always monitored her and she was never allowed in the space alone.
"I need some help because I’m not sure I can do this alone." Hawthorn booped our daughter’s nose as he prepped the ingredients.
“Me, me. I know."
My wolf loved being with Abi. He was so proud of her and couldn’t wait until she met her own wolf.
"I remember walking into the bakery that morning and trying to figure out why you were making so many teddy bear cookies." Hawthorn was helping Abi measure the flour and he explained what he was doing and why, similar to what he’d done while I was giving birth.
"I didn’t understand either but I knew I had to do it and each one had to be perfect." I’d discarded so many of the teddies.
When the dough was ready, Abi and Hawthorn rolled it before cutting out the first teddy bear shape. “And I suggested you might be pregnant."
My wolf reacted to what Hawthorn said, reminding me he was the one who’d confirmed I was carrying a baby in my belly. I assured him we didn’t forget and we’d told Abi about his special skill.
Abi wanted to taste some of the dough, "To make sure Daddy didn’t make a mistake." She giggled and tasted it and declared it the best dough ever.
Hawthorn put the cookies in the oven and the bakery was filled with the familiar smell of baking. I made the icing while my mate helped our daughter ride her tricycle in front of the bakery. I had white for the muzzles, and black for the eyes and noses plus red and yellow.
The three of us decorated and Abi tasted more icing than she placed on her bears and I reminisced about being alone on a bus and running from a future I didn't want. And now I had everything.
"What are you thinking about?" Hawthorn asked.
"How I never expected my life to turn out like this.”
Hawthorn set down his piping bag, grabbed Abi and we group hugged. "You gave me all of it. You know that, right? I was just existing before you showed up. You made me live again."
"And then you had me." Abi knew our story well.
"Ta da." Hawthorn pulled out a plastic teddy bear cookie and I groaned remembering how we’d exchanged a crying baby for the non-stop squeak, squeak, squeak on our first Christmas.
Our daughter grabbed it. “Daddy got this for me when I was tiny and I made a lot of noise."
That was an understatement.
We took photos of Abi with her cookie toy, the cookies and the three of us together. These were the moments I wanted to remember forever.
We’d cooked late on Christmas Eve so we only had to lay the table and heat up the food.
Our guests started arriving at five. Mrs. Trent came with a pie, and Benjamin brought wine and stories about his own kids' first Christmases.
Marg had knitted Abi a new sweater that our daughter insisted she wear.
Adrian arrived last with bottles of wine and sparkling cider and congratulations on the bakery expansion.
We ate in our large dining room that fit everyone comfortably. The table was full of food, conversation and laughter. Abi asked to be excused after she’s eaten and she sat in front of the fire and watched her favorite animated movie on my tablet.
"To Hawthorn, Zale and Abi.” Adrian raised his glass. "May we all share many more Christmases together."
"Hear, hear!" everyone chorused.
After dinner, we brought out the teddy bear cookies. Everyone exclaimed how cute they were even though we’d made them every Christmas since Abi was born. Mrs. Trent got a little teary.
"I remember when you made these while you were nesting," she said. "I knew you were pregnant. And now look at your beautiful girl."
After we put Abi to bed and the guests departed, we sat in the glow of the Christmas tree lights. Outside, snow was falling over the quiet town. The same snow that had been falling the night I arrived, lost and alone.
I had a mate who loved me and a daughter who was the center of our world. The community had claimed us as family and the bakery was thriving. It was a life I'd never dreamed possible.
"What are you thinking?" Hawthorn asked.
"That I'm happy."
"Good." He pulled me off the sofa. "Let's go to sleep." We crawled into bed and wrapped ourselves around each other.
"I love you," Hawthorn murmured against my hair.
"I love you too."
"Remember when you showed up at the bakery, shivering and sick, and I brought you upstairs after finding out you had no heat in your room? I knew then I was in trouble."
"Good trouble, I hope."
"So very good."
Back then, I'd been running. But I was home now and I was never leaving again.