“Jude… what is that?” Lily asks quietly.
He doesn’t answer.
He just nods at Mia.
“For you,” he mutters.
Mia’s eyes go wide. She runs over and yanks the blanket off…and the world seems to pause.
A dollhouse.
No, a castle.
Crafted from polished wood.
Turrets. Tiny windows with tiny curtains.
A real working drawbridge.
And inside: miniature hand-carved furniture.
A little canopy bed. A stone-look fireplace. Rugs the size of my palm. A kitchen table smaller than my thumb.
I stand, moving toward it in disbelief.
“You made this?” I whisper.
Jude shrugs, jaw clenched.“It’s nothing.”
“Jude,” I breathe.“This is… art.”
His ears go faintly pink.“She likes castles.”
Mia doesn’t just like it, she wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes with all the strength her little body has.
Jude freezes.
Then… slowly… awkwardly… he pats her head.
Everyone stares like they’ve just witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event.
My chest aches.
This family keeps undoing me.
Ethan catches my eye and gives me that soft, private smile only I ever get.
Then he nudges Mia.“You’ve got one more.”
She spins and gasps at the giant present behind him. When the paper shreds away, a bright pink princess bike gleams underthe Christmas lights. Glitter handlebars. A basket with a bow. Tassels streaming like fireworks.
“My princess deserves a princess bike,” Ethan tells her.
Mia shrieks and hugs him so hard he nearly falls back laughing.
My heart feels too big for my ribs.
My turn. I kneel beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead.“For my ballerina,” I murmur, handing her a soft pink tutu withPrincessstitched across the front. Her whole face lights up.
