He had a built-in babysitter.
“Thank you.” He embraced me. “For loving me and accepting our world.” He kissed Selene’s brow. “And for making a family with me.”
SIXTEEN
RIVEN
Christmas Eve morning was sunny but oh so cold in the valley, and instead of going running, I leaned over my mate and checked our daughter before snuggling into Indigo who lay with one hand on Selene in her crib.
At three months old, our daughter had already changed so much from the tiny newborn who'd entered the world days ahead of her due date.
It was hard to believe that everything had changed from a year ago. Last Christmas Eve, Indigo discovered what I was. He’d run from me, and after exchanging heated words, he’d left. Those days following were the worst of my life, and I refused to drag up the melancholy emotions.
Today we were a family, celebrating our first Christmas together. Christmas Eve was more important to shifters than the 25th, and my mate and I wanted to banish the memories from the 24thof last year. Today we were giving our daughter her presents, meeting with thepack at the lodge, and enjoying a meal in the dining room afterward.
Selene stirred, and she scrunched her tiny fists before opening her eyes. She greeted me with a gummy smile and melted my heart as usual.
“Merry Christmas, little moon.” I called her that because her name meant moon. I kissed her cheek and picked her up to change her diaper. She gurgled and kicked her legs as I was putting on the diaper cream.
“Riven?”
“In here.” I picked up Selene and traipsed into the bedroom. My mate outstretched his hands and took our daughter, smothering her with kisses.
“Merry Christmas, my darlings.” He yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“Merry Christmas to you too.” I pecked his cheek. “Our first as a family.”
“Such a change from last year.”
I put a finger to his lips. “That’s the past and this is now.”
“Mmmm, but we wouldn’t be where we are if we didn’t experience what we did in the past.”
True, but I refused to dwell on last Christmas, and I’d already told Indigo I didn’t want a gift because he and Selene were my presents and nothing would ever best them. But that didn’t stop me from giving him a present from our daughter and me.
“Speaking of gifts…” Indigo’s mischievous smile told me something was up. Maybe he could read my mind because I’d been thinking of presents.
“We weren’t.”
“Oh well, now we are.” My mate danced into the living room where the Christmas tree we’d chosen together in the woods was strung with decorations and lights, and there was a pile of gifts wrapped in silver and gold paper under the tree.
“Coffee first.” He headed to the kitchen. “Then presents.”
I bounced Selene on my knee while Indigo prepared coffee. These quiet domestic moments still caught me sometimes. The ordinariness of them contrasted with how extraordinary it was to have them at all.
Before we unwrapped the gifts, I had something for him. I led him outside. Garlands of mistletoe dangled from the porch.
“To make up for last year.”
He fell into my arms and stuck his tongue down my throat.
“Not now. Selene is awake.”
He skipped back inside. “You’ll keep till tonight.” He studied the presents under the tree. “Where should we start?”
“How about this one?” I passed him a present tied with gold ribbon. “For you, from Selene and me.”
He burst out laughing as he held up a Christmas sweater. It was a howling wolf wearing a Santa hat, surrounded by moons and stars. “This is so ugly. I love it.”
