Grinning from ear to ear, he got out and bounded up the stairs to wrap my mother in a big hug. She kissed him on the cheeks, then looked him over before turning her attention to where I was unbuckling Bella from her harness.
“There ya go, girl. Go see grandma.”
Bella leaped from the backseat, then bound up the steps to my mother before bypassing her to go inside to find my father, who finally joined my mother on the porch.
With Allister’s carrier in hand, I closed the door and met them on the steps. I could see this very scene in my head one day, but with kids.
“Thank you, babe. I’ll grab the other things.”
He went back to the SUV while I bent down to hug my parents. “Thank you for doing all of this. He’s been talking about it all weekend.”
My dad chuckled as he ushered us into the house. “Did you think you could stop her?”
My mother swatted at him as she waited by the door for Colin. “I enjoyed doing it. It was like having you all over again. One call to Margo for the outdoor lighting and wa-la.”
She waved her hand as if it had been simple. It hadn’t. But once Colin stepped inside and got a look at the undecorated twelve-foot Christmas tree in front of the wall of floor-to-ceilingglass, I’d never been more thankful. I wish I could have caught it on my phone.
We watched as he set our bags down next to Allister and looked around.
“We waited for you boys to get here to decorate the tree. We thought it might be more fun to watch you two do it and less work on us.”
Colin turned and looked at her. “Decorators at your service.”
I squatted down to unzip Allister’s carrier. He was happy to get out and immediately went to wind himself through my mother’s legs, which prompted her to pick him up.
“Hello, sweet boy, I have missed you.”
While she cooed at him, and my dad rubbed Bella, we got him set up with his bowls and litter box. I guess this was a preview of what it was like to have children.
Just as she’d requested, after dinner, Colin and I went into the attic and brought down the ornaments while my dad brought in the ladder. Bella sat by the fire on her luxury dog bed with Allister stretched across the top of the sofa. It was everything and not enough.
“That might be the biggest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen. And the smell of the fire and the aroma of cinnamon. Just like what Christmas should smell like.”
My mother looked sheepish. “I might have cheated just a smidge with oil warmers.”
Colin laughed, but obviously didn’t care. “It’s still wonderful.”
My mother went to the stack of boxes and pulled out the embarrassing one, then handed it to him. “These are my favorite ones. So be very careful.”
Opening the box, Colin inspected the assortment of macaroni ornaments with my pictures in the middle. Ornaments made ofwhite painted popsicle sticks, styrofoam cups, paper plates, and one out of a clamshell. All covered in a boatload of glitter.
His mouth fell open as his eyes widened like he’d found treasure. I knew he was going to rib me. “Did you make these in elementary school?”
I raised a brow. “No. I made them in high school. Christmas ornaments 101.”
Colin burst out laughing at my quip, which lit his face up in pure happiness. I couldn’t hold back and leaned over to kiss him.
“I was considering a career in art before I found football.”
His eyes widened. “Good thing you’re athletic.”
We carefully spread them out while my mother dictated where they should be hung. I wanted to tell her she was welcome to help, but she and my dad were snuggled up on the sofa, obviously taking great delight in watching us go up and down the ladder.
The tree was covered with all kinds of ornaments. Ones for every pet we’d owned and places we’d been. It was an eclectic mix of my family’s history. And I loved it.
“Put these on next, boys.”
Colin sat down on the ottoman and opened the box. “Are these more baby ornaments?”
