NATALIE
Calder’s family arrives in waves—first with laughter, then with snow, then with all the joyful, chaotic energy of people who have somehow survived a winter road and are determined to celebrate the fact.
His mom is the last through the door.
She steps into the warm cabin, shakes snow from her coat, and gasps aloud when she sees the tree.
“Oh, Calder,” she whispers. “It’s beautiful.”
He clears his throat, hands in his pockets, pretending he didn’t preen just a little.
“It was teamwork,” he says, glancing at me.
His mom follows his gaze.
And then her hands fly to her mouth.
“You must be Natalie.”
I smile, holding out a hand, but she ignores it and pulls me into a hug so warm and earnest it almost undoes me.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “Thank you for helping him. Thank you for making this feel like a Christmas again.”
My throat tightens. “You’re very welcome.”
She steps back, eyes shining. “He hasn’t decorated in years.”
I don’t say anything.
Calder doesn’t either.
But something softens between us—an unspoken acknowledgement that this moment matters.
The kids race to the cocoa bar. Mia unwraps matching pajamas from her duffel. Theo tries to help but gets distracted by the garland. Troy offers to chop vegetables and very nearly slices his thumb instead.
And right in the middle of all the chaos, Calder stands beside me, shoulder brushing mine anytime someone walks past.
It feels…right.
Like I fit here.
Like I’ve stepped into the exact place I didn’t know I’d been missing.
We move through the afternoon preparing dinner. His mom tells me stories about him as a kid—quiet, curious, prone to fixing things that weren’t broken. The kids hang dissolving candy canes in their juice. Mia coos over the tree. Theo tries to help with stockings and immediately tangles two of them together.
It’s warm.
It’s messy.
It’s joyful.
And something in my chest fills in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
I’m stirring a pot on the stove when I hear it.
“…just don’t want her thinking this is more than it is.”
Calder’s voice—low, hushed, strained.
