The Highest Bidder

❊ Christmas Special ❊

I never thought I'd be the one waking up before Enzo, but there I was, sitting and drinking a cup of coffee as I watched the lights on our Christmas tree twinkle in the darkness of the living room. It was still dark outside, and the entire house was quiet. Ella wasn't even awake yet, and Christmas was her favorite holiday.

She said it wasn't because of the presents, but I knew how a little eight year old mind worked. That, and the fact that her eyes twinkled like the lights on the tree whenever presents were mentioned.

I looked down at the presents, sitting peacefully wrapped in red and gold wrapping paper, and I pulled my soft white blanket tighter around me. For the eighth Christmas in a row, I thought back to the night I went into labor with Ella - nine weeks too early. Enzo and I rushed to the hospital in the snow, my mind falling to the worst possible outcome even as he whispered words of encouragement. We may not have made it to forty weeks, but as long as we got to the hospital in time and the doctors knew what they were doing, she had a higher chance of survival than if I would have gone into labor earlier.

I only relaxed when she was in my arms, her little body curled up against my chest without tubes. And that had been weeks after I gave birth to her.

But she was mine and Enzo's little Christmas baby.

Footsteps behind me made me turn my head to look back at Enzo, his eyes squinted against even the smallest bit of light. He sat down next to me and took the coffee from my hands.

"Sure," I rested my head against his shoulder to show I wasn't actually angry, "just take the coffee from me. It's not like I need it."

He took one sip and handed it back to me, a disgusted look on his face. "You have got to stop putting Red Bull in your coffee, Eva. I don't know how your heart hasn't exploded."

"You have to have a heart for it to have the ability to explode," I teased, taking it back and chugging the rest before he decided he wanted it.

He rolled his eyes and brought me closer to him, wrapping an arm around my waist before putting my head back on his shoulder and resting his head on top of mine.

We didn't get much silence anymore, with either Ella or the people who came and went on a day to day basis. It was so rare that it was almost disorienting. I knew it wouldn't last, but I also knew I'd enjoy it while it was happening. Because, let's face it, Ella would wake up and silence would be a thing of the past.

I closed my eyes and linked my fingers through Enzo's, just allowing myself the opportunity to enjoy him. Through the years, I'd come to love him more and more. I still felt a warmth in my chest every single time I saw him, and he could still make me laugh with only a look.

Too soon, I heard Ella coming up behind us. When I opened my eyes, she was standing in front of us, a smile on her cute face.

She took more after Enzo than she did me, with her dark hair and brown eyes. She even had his splattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose. The only thing that was me in that face was the shape of her eyes.

I carried that sucker for months and that's how she repaid me?

She climbed up on the couch next to me and I sat up to allow her to cuddle close to my side.

"Is this the year I get to try Red Bull and coffee," she asked.

I acted like I was thinking about it for a whole two seconds. "Absolutely not."

There was no way I'd let her fall into that addiction. The caffeine withdrawals were terrible and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Well...maybe one.