"You bet!" Mitchell replies, and starts slicing.
Across the room, Nate leans against the fireplace with his arms crossed. He’s watching everyone, mostly silent—until he spots Tina.
“Nice of you to show up and not ask me if I belong here,” he mutters under his breath.
Tina doesn’t miss a beat. “Are you still hung up on that? It’s time to let it go.”
“I thought you were going to frisk me for a minute,” he says, a smirk playing on his lips.
“That’d be wishful thinking on your part,” she snaps. “I have no intention of ever laying a finger on you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he quips.
Cal and I glance at each other, both wondering how long they can keep this up.
“I’m so glad I brought some Christmas joy with me,” Tina says, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You clearly forgot yours.”
Beth snorts, and I try not to laugh. They’ve been at each other’s throats since we got here.
Cal leans down to whisper in my ear. “Five bucks says one of them storms out by dessert.”
“I’ll take that bet,” I whisper back. “They’re too stubborn to leave.”
Johanna claps her hands. “Okay, everyone to the table. Let’s eat before Seth keels over.”
“Finally,” he groans dramatically.
Dinner is loud and full of overlapping conversations. Hannah insists on saying grace, which turns into a slightly off-topic thank-you speech for Christmas lights, sparkles, and “the jelly beans Daddy let me eat even though he said no at first.”
He shrugs as Johanna gives him a look. “I panicked. I was trying to put her hair in pig-tails.”
The food is incredible—honey-glazed ham, creamy mashed potatoes, green beans with slivered almonds, and warm, fluffy rolls. Mitchell insists his cranberry sauce is homemade; Beth calls him out for using the can opener.
“This is my home," Mitchell replies. "And I stirred it in the pan until it bubbled. Doesn't that count?”
Laughter bursts from every corner of the table, light and genuine. Even Nate cracks a smile, and Johanna just shakes her head fondly as if she’s heard this exact defense a dozen times before.
After we eat, the living room fills with wrapping paper and laughter. Hannah shrieks with excitement over a vet Barbie set. Beth opens a sketch kit and immediately starts planning what she’s going to draw first.
“Definitely not you,” she tells Seth when he suggests she draw his portrait. “Your head’s too hard to shade.”
“Wow,” he says, fake-offended. “This is how you treat me in my own home.”
“You live in an apartment,” Thomas points out.
“Semantics.”
Tina opens a box from Johanna—red leather gloves and a scarf that’s somehow both practical and glamorous. “Oh wow,” she says, her voice softening. “These are beautiful.”
“You’re part of the family now,” Johanna says warmly. “We can’t have you freezing your stylish little fingers off.”
Nate glances at Tina. He doesn’t say anything, but something shifts in his expression.
She catches it. “Don’t start,” she says, pulling the gloves on. “Yes, I like nice things. And I know exactly when I'll wear them.”
“I didn’t say a word,” Nate replies, voice low.
“You never say a word,” she mutters back. "But if looks could kill."
