“Come on.” Blake’s voice carried through the room as she ran toward the kitchen, reappearing, dragging Valerie by the hand. “Can we open the gifts now that Daddy is here?”
Valerie leaned down and talked at eye level with Blake. “We can, sweetie, but remember, let’s be calm, and don’t forget to say thank you.”
It was clear Valerie was ignoring everyone else in the room, and I was fine with that until Tulya came close and whispered, “Break the ice.”
I made a quick note that Marley had long disappeared before nodding toward Tulya, knowing she was right.
Of course she still went on, making her point. “For Blake.” Her words were meant just for me, but I saw Magnum take notice of us.
“Hi, Valerie,” I said, approaching the woman, palm extended. Blake rushed under my arm toward the tree but looked back and her mother had no choice other than to shake hands with me. “Thank you for having us,” I added.
“Blake has never seen her father on Christmas. I would never deny her that experience.”
“This is from Tuvy and Uncle Don! That’s what the card says,” Blake shouted.
She was an advanced reader apparently—no surprise. Blake tore through the paper and found a Lego set I’d picked out.
“Oh, wow! I love it!” She jumped up and down before grabbing another present.
“This is from Daddy and Cinder.” She said the second name quietly, looking up at her mom.
“I hope you love it, Bumble. Both Cin and I do.” Magnum walked over toward his daughter, guiding Cinder, who was holding his hand.
Blake looked up from her unwrapping, taking in the woman clinging to her father.
Magnum spoke quietly. “This is Cinder. She’s very special to me.”
I had no idea where he came up with the shitty expression—very special to me. He was marrying her, for fuck’s sake, but for once, Cinder kept quiet. So I followed suit. My heart and head were scissoring in half, torn between what my mother required of me and what might be best for my niece.
This entire situation was happening backward—the meet-and-greets, introductions, and important messaging after tearing open the gifts. The sitting around together like one big gathering before any decisions were made; it was bound not to last. If this was a business deal, it was going wrong, but even I knew this whole shebang was personal and way out of my league. Not to mention, none of us could wield our powers but Tulya. This wasn’t the place for Rubian ways.
Fuck, when it comes to any kid, let alone my human niece, I have no clue what to do or how to act.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Blake,” Cinder said, dropping to her knees. “Let’s see what’s in there.” She pointed to the gift.
“Oh, an American Girl doll! I wanted one!” Blake danced around holding the present Tulya had picked out for my brother and Cin to take credit.
I flashed her a quick look and she winked. If I could steal a million of these moments with her, I would. But I’d sealed my fate yesterday with all my honest talk.
“What is this?” Cinder asked, pulling something else out of the package, trying to get involved when she was nothing more than an interloper.
It was in this moment that I felt sad for Cinder. It was becoming clear where my brother’s heart remained, and it was not with her.
“A matching outfit for me,” Blake declared, jumping up and down. “Look, Mommy, an American Girl! And we are twins.”
For a quick second, the tension in the room disappeared and the different parties with varied interests all cast their smiles on the innocent child dancing with joy. We were an alliance formed only by concern for Blake.
That is, until Valerie said, “So nice of your dad.”
“And Cinder,” Magnum added, trying to get back to the moment of unity.
“I don’t know her, and she is no one to my daughter,” Valerie tossed back, heightening the room into an emotional crescendo.
Unsure of what to do, Blake retreated to the tree, while Cinder wiped a tear from her eye. I caught Tulya running a hand under her hair and over her neck. Clearly, Cinder was sending distress signals Tulya couldn’t ignore, her body answering the call.
Blake broke the tension. “Oh, another one from Uncle Don.”
Tearing through the paper, she found the box holding the coat. “Silly, we don’t get snow in Florida.” Blake ran up to me, wearing the furry puffball of a jacket, still hugging my leg despite the confusion over the present.
