December Twenty-Fifth
Part One
Wolfgang
“Dad.”
The whispered voice hovered right over Wolfgang’s face. “Dad!”
Wolfie groaned, rolling deeper under the covers. “Yes, son?”
he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“It’s Christmas!”
Patrick hissed urgently. “Mom said we could get up when the sun was rising—and I can see a little bit of it. Come on, Dad, there’s presents!”
“Presents?”
Wolfgang popped his head up, feigning wide-eyed surprise. “Where did those come from?”
“Dad!”
Patrick whined, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Come on! You said we’d open them first thing!”
He tugged at his father’s arm with all the strength a six-year-old could muster.
Beside him, June stayed perfectly still, clearly pretending to be in a deep, blissful sleep. Bridgette hadn’t started crying yet either, which meant June was fully planning to let Wolfgang take the lead with their overexcited son.
“Dad!”
Patrick climbed up onto the bed and flung himself onto the comforter, scrambling over his father’s legs.
Wolfie waited a beat—then shot up from under the blanket with a loud, exaggerated roar, sweeping Patrick into his arms and rolling him into a ticklish, giggling heap.
Patrick shrieked in delight, his high-pitched laughter filling the room.
“Alright, alright,”
Wolfgang relented at last, setting his son gently on the floor. “Let’s go check on your sister and make some coffee. Maybe the smell will wake Mom up.”
Patrick’s face fell into a familiar, pleading pout. “And then presents?”
Wolfie ruffled his hair with a smirk. “We’ll see.”
Juniper
“The ham’s almost finished,”
June called over her shoulder, glancing toward the living room where Wolfgang was sprawled on the floor, fully immersed in playing with Patrick’s new toys. “Please come take Zeppelin out and get him settled in the laundry room before guests start arriving!”
Zeppelin, their enthusiastic kelpie, was currently pacing near the back door with his usual excited, but slow, energy. His tail slowly wagging at the thought of new people and new chaos.
June had spent the better half of the afternoon cleaning, cooking, and putting the finishing touches on the dining room table. Hosting Christmas dinner had become her favorite tradition—her new favorite pastime, if she were being honest. She’d started to relax on Placement Days and still joined Whitney at Community Day a few times year, mostly for the free food and the joy of people-watching.
Amy had retired a few years back, and Golden had taken over in her place. June couldn’t imagine anyone better, Golden was exceptional at his job, even better than Amy had been. Meanwhile, Juniper herself had stepped up as manager at the Sixth Street Clothing Company, a role that kept her busy and especially around the annual ball, more than a little stressed.
She pulled the ham out of the oven to check its temperature when Wolfgang suddenly appeared behind her. Before she could react, he dragged his finger along the whipped topping of one of the carefully prepared pies lined up on the counter.
“Stop that!”
she swatted at him, but the damage was already done.
He grinned unapologetically and slipped his arms around her waist, sliding his hands beneath her apron as he nuzzled into her neck. “Save me a slice of the cherry for later,”
he murmured against her skin, his voice low and warm.
She giggled, half-exasperated and half-smitten—still, after all these years. “If there’s any left.”
The front door banged open before he could respond.
“They’re here!”
June spun out of his arms, wiping her hands on her apron as she rushed toward the entryway. “Please take care of Zep!”
she called over her shoulder.
“On it,”
Wolfgang replied, but his voice was distant, she was already halfway to the door.
She flung it open with a wide, excited smile. “Whitney!”