Page 87 of Verdict

Trouble: Honestly that would be great. I have zero food at my place, thinking we’d be at my parents’ for a few days.

Relief hit hard; I was bracing for a no. For the inevitable polite excuse, for the obvious distance.

This was happening. I was going to spend Christmas with my daughter.

And her.

Me: Great. Come over whenever tomorrow morning. I already have gifts for her under the tree.

There was a beat.

Then—

Trouble: You have a tree??? CoJo, I'm impressed.

I huffed out a quiet laugh. Seeing the nickname appear for the first time in what felt like years was like stepping into the sun’s warmth after a long, cold winter.

Me: Callie would have killed me if I didn’t.

Trouble: That tracks.

I stared at her name on the screen longer than necessary. Christmas. Just the three of us. Snowed in. Or iced in… whatever, either way it felt… dangerous.

But maybe that was exactly what we needed.

Today was a good day.

Seeing Christmas through your child’s eyes? Ten out of ten. Highly recommend. Ellie had been mesmerized by the twinkling lights on the tree, the shiny ornaments, and the soft crackle of the fire. Everything was magic to her. The morning had started slightly awkward—polite smiles, careful movements—but like always, we found our rhythm. The one we always seemed to slip into without effort. The one that felt like muscle memory.

Ellie was down for the night now, and Ava and I were sitting by the fireplace finishing the dinner I’d made. Steaks, baked potatoes, and asparagus—originally meant for Callie and me.

Ava set her fork down and leaned back against the couch. “Damn, CoJo. I didn’t realize you could cook. That was so good.”

I smirked. "I've told you before. I'm a man of many talents." I threw her a wink as I picked up our plates and headed into the kitchen. "Nah, I'm totally kidding. I can make like five things, and this happens to be one of them."

She laughed into her wineglass.

After loading the dishes into the sink, I settled back beside her. “I’m sorry you missed Christmas with your family.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay. Today was fun. I’m glad Ellie got both of her parents for her first Christmas.” She paused, staring into her glass. “I actually got you something… from Ellie, of course.” She rushed the last part and reached for a small box from her bag.

She handed it to me.

I looked down at the perfectly wrapped package—red and green paper, gold bow tied neatly on top. I couldn’t remember the last time someone bought me a Christmas gift that wasn’t my sister.

I ran my thumb across the bow.

“Well? Are you going to open it?” she asked impatiently, navy eyes bright.

I untied it carefully, then tore through the paper to reveal a simple brown box. Inside was a braided leather bracelet with a small wooden bead engraved with Ellie’s initials.

My chest tightened.

I slipped it onto my wrist immediately. “Wow, Ava. Thank you. I love it.”

She clapped her hands together excitedly. “The leather is from a baseball glove. The wood’s from a bat. Walker’s, actually. He had old gear lying around, and I found a local artisan who turned it into a bracelet.”

I blinked.