Chapter 27 #2
“Don’t even think about it,” Johanna says, pointing a wooden spoon at Seth, who’s inching toward the breadbasket.
“I’m wasting away,” he groans, flopping into a chair like he’s just crawled in from a desert.
“You had three sugar cookies in the car,” Thomas says, elbowing him as he walks past.
“Three and a half,” Beth corrects, smirking.
Hannah, wearing a red velvet dress and glittery rubber bands on her curls, tugs on Cal’s hand. “Daddy, can I put the angel on the tree now?”
“After dinner, Hannah Banana,” he says, scooping her up and kissing her on the cheek.
Mitchell lifts the lid on the ham with a dramatic flourish. “All right, Jo, should I carve? Or do we just stare at it reverently for another twenty minutes?”
“Depends,” she says, hands on her hips. “Did Santa bring me what I wanted for Christmas?”
"You bet!" Mitchell replies, and starts slicing.
Across the room, Nate leans against the fireplace with his arms crossed. He’s watching everyone, mostly silent—until he spots Tina.
“Nice of you to show up and not ask me if I belong here,” he mutters under his breath.
Tina doesn’t miss a beat. “Are you still hung up on that? It’s time to let it go.”
“I thought you were going to frisk me for a minute,” he says, a smirk playing on his lips.
“That’d be wishful thinking on your part,” she snaps. “I have no intention of ever laying a finger on you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he quips.
Cal and I glance at each other, both wondering how long they can keep this up.
“I’m so glad I brought some Christmas joy with me,” Tina says, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You clearly forgot yours.”
Beth snorts, and I try not to laugh. They’ve been at each other’s throats since we got here.
Cal leans down to whisper in my ear. “Five bucks says one of them storms out by dessert.”
“I’ll take that bet,” I whisper back. “They’re too stubborn to leave.”
Johanna claps her hands. “Okay, everyone to the table. Let’s eat before Seth keels over.”
“Finally,” he groans dramatically.
Dinner is loud and full of overlapping conversations. Hannah insists on saying grace, which turns into a slightly off-topic thank-you speech for Christmas lights, sparkles, and “the jelly beans Daddy let me eat even though he said no at first.”
He shrugs as Johanna gives him a look. “I panicked. I was trying to put her hair in pig-tails.”
The food is incredible—honey-glazed ham, creamy mashed potatoes, green beans with slivered almonds, and warm, fluffy rolls. Mitchell insists his cranberry sauce is homemade; Beth calls him out for using the can opener.
“This is my home," Mitchell replies. "And I stirred it in the pan until it bubbled. Doesn't that count?”
Laughter bursts from every corner of the table, light and genuine. Even Nate cracks a smile, and Johanna just shakes her head fondly as if she’s heard this exact defense a dozen times before.
After we eat, the living room fills with wrapping paper and laughter. Hannah shrieks with excitement over a vet Barbie set. Beth opens a sketch kit and immediately starts planning what she’s going to draw first.
“Definitely not you,” she tells Seth when he suggests she draw his portrait. “Your head’s too hard to shade.”
“Wow,” he says, fake-offended. “This is how you treat me in my own home.”
“You live in an apartment,” Thomas points out.
“Semantics.”
Tina opens a box from Johanna—red leather gloves and a scarf that’s somehow both practical and glamorous. “Oh wow,” she says, her voice softening. “These are beautiful.”
“You’re part of the family now,” Johanna says warmly. “We can’t have you freezing your stylish little fingers off.”
Nate glances at Tina. He doesn’t say anything, but something shifts in his expression.
She catches it. “Don’t start,” she says, pulling the gloves on. “Yes, I like nice things. And I know exactly when I'll wear them.”
“I didn’t say a word,” Nate replies, voice low.
“You never say a word,” she mutters back. "But if looks could kill."
I glance at Cal, who just smiles and shakes his head. “You think if we lock them in the pantry they’ll kiss or kill each other?”
“Flip a coin,” I say.
Later, Beth sits at the piano and plays “Silent Night.” Her fingers move with more confidence than I expect, and the room falls quiet as the soft notes carry through the house. Cal pulls me closer, and I lean my head against his shoulder, feeling his arm wrap around my waist.
Hannah hums along, curled up in Johanna’s lap. Mitchell sings in a low, off-key voice that somehow makes it sweeter. Thomas and Seth try harmonizing, and Tina threatens to throw a snow globe at them if they don’t stop.
I glance across the room. Nate’s watching Tina again. She’s looking everywhere but at him.
I nudge Cal. “Told you they wouldn’t storm off.”
“They’re saving it for New Year’s,” he murmurs.
I smile. The lights, the music, the fire, the people I love most in the world all around me. It’s more than I ever thought I’d have. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm home.