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Knox turned to Sebastian and asked, “You have an extra tree stand? If not, I brought one.”
“I don’t.” Sebastian reached into the bed of Knox’s truck and grabbed the tree stand.
“We have a ton of them,” Knox said.
“Perks of owning a Christmas tree farm,” I said.
“There aren’t many trees left. This is about it.” Sebastian set the tree stand on the porch and helped Knox get the tree into it.
We helped them make sure it was straight.
When they were done, Ember said, “It’s perfect. Just like I imagined.”
It had me wondering what else she’d imagined. Did she want a family with a mother and a father? A brother and a sister? Maybe even a puppy?
Sebastian brushed his hands off and said, “I’ll grab the lights.”
“I meant to get them earlier, but you came home early.”
Sebastian grinned at me and squeezed my shoulder. “No problem. I’ll be right back.”
Ember followed him. “I’ll help, Daddy.”
Sebastian shut the door behind them, leaving me and Knox alone on the porch.
“You like living here?” Knox asked as he sat in the rocking chair, pushing off with his feet.
I leaned against the railing, still admiring the tree. Ember was right; it was the perfect spot for a little something extra. “I love it.”
Knox raised a brow. “Yeah?”
“It’s so quiet out here. I don’t hear traffic noise or people walking on the sidewalk. I don’t need to worry if my roommate is bringing her boyfriend over to spend the night.” I shrugged. “Not that she did that much at the end. I was mainly living alone. So, it’s nice to have company.”
Knox raised a brow. “You still going through with the auction?”
I laughed. “Is there an option not to? I thought when Marley and Ireland made up their mind about something, it was a done deal.”
“That’s the gist of it, but if Sebastian isn’t happy about it—”
The front door opened, and Ember bounded out ahead of Sebastian, who was carrying a box.
I wanted to ask why it mattered. Sebastian had seemed grumpy about it at first but then came around. He hadn’t brought it up since, and I guess I was careful not to.
Frankly, I was tired of worrying about it. I was going to let it play out. Maybe even leave it up to the universe. Perhaps I’d meet someone worth getting to know, or Sebastian would finally make a move.
Knox and Sebastian worked on stringing the lights while Ember gave tips on their progress.
I watched them interact, my heart feeling full. I didn’t have one tree in my apartment, much less two. It was nice to fully experience the holiday this year, and I had several more weeks to soak it all in.
Knox placed the last row of lights. “We’re hoping to do a family walk-through of the light display at some point.”
“That sounds nice,” Sebastian said.
Knox stepped back to admire the tree. “The season is busy. Sarah wanted to make sure we had time to do a few family activities.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said, impressed Knox was heeding her advice.
“We have kids now, and they make us slow down and enjoy things,” Knox said, ruffling Ember’s hair.
