Chapter Twenty-Four
EVELYN
I skidded to a halt in the doorway, a mixture of relief and surprise washing over me. The screams weren't from distress—they were for the exact opposite.
Anna and Aurora stood with wide, shining eyes and mouths agape, staring at enormous, gift-wrapped boxes at the foot of the Christmas tree.
“What’s this?” Anna asked me, pointing a trembling finger.
Logan arrived then, his steps much calmer than mine—he’d probably known what the fuss was about all along.
"Wow, what could that be?" he asked, with theatrical wonder.
I decided he’d made a brilliant life choice by not following his mother into acting. He was simply terrible at it.
Yet, it worked on the girls, who were too stunned to notice his completely false tone or the way he was visibly holding back a laugh. Aurora signed frantically, explaining that the boxes hadn't been there the night before and had appeared as if by magic. Anna agreed, her voice hushed with awe.
“They really weren't there. It's like they appeared in the middle of the night while we were sleeping.”
"I think that's exactly what happened," Logan confirmed, playing along. "I did hear some noises in the living room."
"Really?" Anna asked, impressed. "Why didn't you come to see what it was?"
"I was afraid it was a thief," Logan replied. That time, I was the one who had to stifle a laugh. "Let me see that..."
He approached, dragging the large boxes and pretending to examine them. A folded piece of paper sat on top of each one. He opened them.
"Look, this one has Rory's name on it. And this other one... it says 'Anna'. They're for you. Why don't you open them?"
He didn't need to suggest it twice. They descended on their respective boxes, tearing off the wrapping paper with fervor.
When the paper was gone, they both took a synchronized step back, their mouths falling open in identical expressions of pure shock.
Aurora signed the word over and over: "Bike! Bike! Bike!"
Anna pulled at one of the box flaps, as if needing to confirm that the contents matched the picture on the outside. “It's blue! Mine is blue! My favorite color! It's just like the one I drew in my letter!”
Aurora struggled to open her own box, and her sister, flustered with excitement, rushed to help. “Look, Rory! Yours is pink, just the way you like it!”
Rory's eyes welled with tears, and suddenly she burst into intense sobs. I grew worried, but Logan was faster, crouching down in front of her. Gently, he cupped her face, his thumbs wiping away the tears.
“Are you okay, Rory?” he asked, speaking slowly and clearly. “Are you sad? Wasn't this the bike you wanted?”
She shook her head, then made a series of rapid signs. Logan looked to me for a translation.
Smiling, I explained. “She said she is very happy.”
Logan's lips trembled, and I could see him fighting back his own tears.
Our attention snapped back to Anna as she announced, “Look! There are two more gifts here. Are they for you?”
She handed me a flat package and gave Logan a small box. I glanced at the tag on mine and saw it wasn't for me after all. Before I could say anything, Logan spoke up about his.
“This one isn't for me. It's for Evy.”
“Me?” I asked, surprised. I took the box, which was extremely light, and opened it. I laughed when I found a single piece of paper inside. “An IOU for a dog,” I read aloud.
Logan offered a conspiratorial smile. “I think live animals are harder to load onto Santa's sleigh. He must be planning to deliver it another time.”
“Evy is getting a puppy!” Anna was thrilled.
“Apparently I am,” I replied. Then I held up the unopened package in my hands. “And this one has Rory's name on it.”
Aurora hurried over, surprised, and took the gift. When she tore it open, she pulled out a pair of ballet shoes and a complete pink ballet outfit. She began to bounce on her toes, looking even happier than she had about the bike.
While the twins chattered excitedly to each other, Logan came to stand beside me.
“When did you buy all this?” I whispered.
“Yesterday, when I left. I stashed everything in my car and brought it up last night.”
“But you left before they wrote the letters.”
“Well,” he said with a sly grin. “If I’d waited, I might have had to find you a dog, too.”
“How did you know what the girls wanted?”
“A Santa Claus never reveals his secrets.”
“Well... kids that age usually like bikes. But the ballet outfit was a brilliant guess.”
“Rory's dream is to dance ballet. Anna told me.”
“Anna told you?”
“Yes. She said Rory drew herself in a ballerina outfit at daycare. And that their grandmother said it was nonsense because she ‘couldn’t dance’ since she’s deaf.”
“That’s complete nonsense. Deaf people can dance by feeling the rhythm through the vibrations of the music.”
He smiled, a soft, knowing look in his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I did some research. I found an inclusive ballet school here in New York. After the holidays, I’m taking Aurora. And Anna, too, if she wants to join. If not, we’ll find another activity she’ll love.”
It was my turn to smile, my heart feeling full to bursting.
“Who are you, and what have you done with the silly Logan Turner I knew?”
“I just want them to be happy,” he said, his voice softening. “And to know they can be anything they want to be. I won’t let anyone ever tell Rory she can’t do something ever again.”
The last sentence was edged with a quiet fury, and I shared his outrage. How could a grandmother be so cruel to her own granddaughters?
“The girls told me a few other things about their grandmother,” I ventured.
“And I remember Ellie mentioning her mother. The two never got along. From what the girls say, it sounds like they all lived together. I can’t imagine what would have made Ellie go back.”
“Perhaps necessity. Being pregnant with twins is a fair reason. From her letter, it sounded like her music career wasn’t providing much.”
“Believe me, only the end of the world would have made Ellie move back in with her mother. If the problem was money, she would have come to me long before she ever considered going there.”
“Has the detective found any new leads?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head, as if physically clearing the thought. “But let’s not talk about that today. It’s Christmas. Let’s go make those cookies.”
“Cookies?” Anna repeated, beginning to bounce. “Are we really going to make cookies?”
Seeing her sister’s excitement, Aurora turned toward us. Logan signed and spoke with equal enthusiasm: “We’re going to make cookies! Leave the bikes for later. Let’s all go to the kitchen!”
With a burst of glee, the two girls ran ahead.
Before we could follow, I teased him, “Who would have thought Dr. Logan Turner would be so excited about baking and decorating Christmas cookies…”
“See these hands?” He held them up, wiggling his long, skilled fingers. “I’m not the best neurosurgeon in the country for nothing. With the surgical precision of these beauties, you shouldn’t doubt my cookie-decorating skills.”
“I shall see...”
We started walking towards the kitchen when he lowered his face, speaking more quietly, close to my ear, “And that's not the only thing my hands are great at. I can show you a little tonight, when we don't have sex again.”
I stopped walking, feeling a wave of heat course through me. He looked at me with that mischievous half-smile on his lips and simply walked into the kitchen, leaving me alone with the most unholy thoughts possible.