Suddenly, a chipmunk-style version of a Christmas song blares over the speakers, and five inflatable cartoon characters burst into the room, dancing, wobbling, and tossing candy all over the bed.
“Ho ho ho, meeeeerry Christmas!” Dex’s unmistakable voice hollers from behind one of the inflatables.
Mia squeals and starts bouncing, clapping her hands so fast she’s a blur. Ethan laughs, scooping her close and tickling under her arms while I watch, utterly helpless against their joy.
The song finally ends, and the inflatable dancers bob out of the room like they’re floating off to their next performance.
“They wanted to wake you both with a dance-off of their own,” Ethan whispers, breath warm against my ear.
I turn toward him, smiling so wide it almost hurts.“You can stop now, you know?”
His brows lift, playful and suspicious.“Stop what?”
“Being so perfect. You can stop. I already gave you my heart and soul a while ago.”
Ethan smiles that slow, devilish grin that never fails to steal the oxygen from my lungs.“I ain’t perfect. But I’ll never stop wanting to make you happy.”
“Mommy! Mommy! Let’s see what Santa brought!” Mia interrupts, flinging herself onto me like a reindeer-powered missile.
Ethan bursts out laughing, lifting her into his arms for another tickle attack. Mia shrieks like a tiny banshee, wriggling with unfiltered delight. I laugh so hard I nearly roll right off the bed.
Finally, still breathless, we head downstairs.
The living room is almost unrecognizable under the avalanche of gifts. The tree glows in a cascade of lights, ornaments glittering like they’re alive. So many presents crowd the floor that half the tree looks buried. I crouch and place the gifts we brought around the pile, making sure every tag is visible and nothing gets lost in the chaos.
“Merry Christmas!” Ethan, Mia, and I shout together, our voices overlapping as we fall into a group hug, warm, messy, perfect.
“All right,” Ethan says, clapping his hands once,“Hawthorne tradition says we open our gifts first and then have the best breakfast ever!” Jace announces, picking up Mia like she weighs nothing.
“So…” Cas starts, looking around the room with exaggerated seriousness.“Who will open her gifts first?”
Mia wiggles out of Jace’s arms and launches herself straight into Cas’s lap.“Me! Me! Me!”
We all burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the warm, glittering room.
“All right, Princess Mia it is!” Lily declares.
We sit in a circle on the rug around the mountain of presents. Mia’s eyes are huge, darting everywhere, trying to absorb every sparkle, ribbon, and shiny bow at once.
“Which ones are mine?” she asks, practically vibrating.
Grace hops up and hands her the first gift.“Here, princess, start with this one!”
Mia tears into the wrapping paper like it personally offended her, the crinkle of paper filling the room. She gasps, holding up a sparkly dress.
“It’s beautiful!” she breathes, hugging it to her chest. Her eyes shine brighter than the lights on the tree. Grace snaps a picture, laughing at the dramatic pose.
Another gift from Grace, a glittery craft kit, results in pompoms and stickers raining across the rug. Ethan sighs as he plucks a stray pom-pom from behind his boot, but I can’t stop laughing.
Everyone joins in.
But then Jude clears his throat.
The room instantly stills.
He steps behind the couch and drags forward a massive object draped in a blanket.
My breath snags in my chest.
