I left them to it, smiling to myself and changed Bentley so we could get our Christmas started. He watched me, cooing as I changed his nappy and popped his elf themed baby grow back up.
“Are you ready to open your presents?” I said, kissing his button nose. He smiled in return, his two little teeth just visible from his bottom gum. He was such a happy baby and slept better than his sister, even now.
I picked him back up and perched him on my hip. “We’re going down now. I’ll call you in a minute.”
Everleigh squealed in response, but Cole said, “Okay.”
“Look, Bentley, presents!” I pointed to the piles and piles of gifts but of course he wasn’t at all interested. Instead, I put him in his Jumperoo and flicked the tree lights on. That was when he took notice. He kicked with his legs, making himself bounce.
Our decorations were all the colours of the rainbow because when you’re five sticking to one or two wasn’t happening.
“That’s all you’re going to be excited about this year, huh,” I said, bending down and kissing his check. Turning my head so I wouldn’t deafen him, I shouted, “Okay, we’re ready for you!”
Everleigh’s footsteps thudded down the stairs, and I heard Cole laughing as he came down after her.
“Wow!” she shouted, eyes popping as she looked around in awe. Bentley bounced harder, arms flailing. She always got him worked up. It was cute until it happened too close to bedtime.
“I think she’s excited,” Cole said dryly, leaning against the doorframe in just a pair of joggers. Merry Christmas to me! I made no attempt to hide my ogling of my husband’s toned, muscular chest.
He lifted an eyebrow and smirked. I shrugged. Cole walked over, gave me a kiss and bent down to see Bentley.
“I’ll make hot chocolates and Bentley’s milk, and then we can get unwrapping,” I said, leaving Cole and Everleigh to pull funny faces at Bentley. They all made my heart swell.
I dashed into the kitchen, filled the kettle up and switched it on. Our whole house was decorated in hundreds of fairy lights. It felt so cosy I wanted to leave them up all year round, but Cole was dead against the idea.
As the kettle boiled, I looked over in the mirror that stretched the entire length of the wall on the dining area side. Since I’d spoken up and told the truth about what had happened to me, I looked so much more alive. Even I noticed the colour in my cheeks and spark in my eyes.
Warmth hugged me, squeezing my heart. The feeling of complete bliss wasn’t constant, I still had bad days, but that feeling was more often than the days I cried or reflected on the awful things I’d been through. It was a battle that I now knew I was going to continue winning. My family were the best prize.
I made the hot chocolate and milk and carried them in on a Santa-themed tray. “Here we go,” I said, laughing at Cole ruffling the kids’ hair. Bentley didn’t have much after he’d rubbed it all off, but it was so soft and wispy and as blonde as mine and his sister’s.
Cole stood up, taking the tray and putting it down on the end table. “Everleigh, yours are the ones in the purple paper,” he said while he got Bentley out of the Jumperoo and gave him his bottle.
“Can I open them now?”
“Of course,” he replied, holding his hand out for me. I lowered myself to the carpet and snuggled to Cole’s side.
“Which one do you want to open first?” I asked her.
She flopped to the floor and looked around overwhelmed. “Um… I don’t know. Which is the best one?”
“Everleigh…”
“I know, I know, they’re all best. The big one!” She grabbed hold of it and grinned up at us.
“Go ahead,” Cole said.
I picked my hot chocolate up as she ripped her presents open and Bentley drained his bottle. Cole watched on with the biggest smile. As soon as she was finished she’d want her drink, too. Everleigh’s love of hot – warm – chocolate was as inevitable as her love of ice cream. Those were the two things I’d gown up on. Cole used to take me to a diner nearby when we were teenagers to eat as much ice cream as we could before we felt ill.
The diner was refurbished while I was living in Australia after I’d told the truth and Cole had bought our booth. It was so sweet and still brought tears to my eyes when I thought about it. Even though I’d left him he still wanted that booth.
I flicked the TV on to set it to a Christmas songs channel to make the morning extra festive. Once Bentley was done with his milk Cole sat him between his legs and handed him a green wrapped present.
“Think he’ll just chew on that?” he asked just as Bentley’s mouth opened and the edge disappeared.
Laughing, I took it out and replied, “Yep. Let me help you, buddy.”
Cole and I watched Everleigh open everything she had, stopping between each gift to play with it and take a sip of her drink.
“We could be here for a while,” Cole said, nodding as she started playing with the Elsa doll that took one week and fifty miles to track down.
“I think so. We should’ve saved that one for last.”