Keep Me Safe

Chapter 21: Christmas Eve

It was now December 24, and the group of six was huddled around the fireplace.

"I'll go next," Spencer volunteered. They were sharing Christmas stories, the children had already gone.

"When I was ten, I was so angry with Melissa for whatever reason. So instead of giving her any gifts, I put three lumps of coal inner stocking. I have no idea where I got it, but my parents were so angry," she laughed.

Luckily, things were better between her and her family now. Apparently, "therapist" was on the list of acceptable jobs, so she was finally in the clear. And Melissa was back with Wren, so she had no quibbles about him and Spencer. Not to mention that her dad had finally accepted Toby as a member of the family.

Aria's story interrupted her thoughts.

"Last year, Ezra and I took the kids to see The Nutcracker. Needless to say," she sighed, glancing at her children," these two fell asleep halfway through."

"At least there was no trouble keeping them in bed that night," Ezra finished.

"Do you want to tell them about last year?" Spencer asked Toby.

"Sure," he replied with a laugh.

"Spencer and I stayed home, and she persuaded me to try baking. So I had the cookies in the oven, and I didn't realize I had put on the wrong kind of paper on the pan."

"He put on the wrong kind of parchment for the temperature," Spencer teased.

"Anyway," he continued, "I go to see Spencer in the living room, and I see this smoke coming from the oven. There are flames inside and Spencer just about had a conniption right there. But I, being the man in the relationship, put out the fire."

Spencer slapped him playfully. "But it was your fault!"

"So I fixed it! And we didn't even go to sleep that night. We stayed up watching movies and caught up on sleep the next night."

"Can we do that?" Joshua begged.

"If you stay up all night," his mother started, "Santa won't come!"

"Oh yeah! Santa! I almost forgot about him," Joshua squealed.

"My fondest Christmas memory is calling my mom every Christmas morning," Ezra scoffed. "I leave her the nastiest voicemails, reminding her why I left and why I can't ever be with them." He turned to Aria. "But if much rather be with you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Well, Santa will probably be here soon! Let's set out the milk and cookies!" Aria yawned, mustering as much enthusiasm as possible.

"And carrots for reindeer!" Ada Lynn reminded her mother.

"Right. Spence, would you mind grabbing everything?" Aria asked.

Spencer went to the kitchen to retrieve milk and carrots from the fridge. The children poured Santa a glass of milk and set out five chocolate chip cookies on a plate.

"How many reindeer are there, Auntie Spencer?" Ada Lynn asked.

"There are nine reindeer," Spencer answered sweetly.

Ada Lynn set out nine carrots on a plate, triple checking to make sure she the right amount. They carried the plates and glass of milk into the living room and set them on the fireplace.

"Let's get you to bed now, kiddos," Ezra yawned.

After he tucked the kids into bed, they set the multitude of presents under the tree.

"I believed in Santa until I was fourteen. Mike was the one to tell me it wasn't real. I was crushed," Aria sighed.

Spencer laughed. "Santa didn't exist in my house. Do you really think Hastings would let their children believe in something like that?"

"But Cavanaugh's did and will," Toby said, wrapping his arms around Spencer.

"Goodnight guys!" Aria squeaked before trotting to her own bedroom.

When Toby curled around Spencer in bed, she turned around to face him.

"Do you want to have kids someday?"

"As long as you want to. It would be nice."

"I want to," she whispered before drifting off into a sleep consisting of dreams of sugarplums and her future children.