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“Come in, Dad,” she called, sounding like a little, grown woman.
When we walked into her hot pink room, still decorated with fairies since her fifth birthday, I could breathe again. At this moment, this Christmas, she was still my little girl.
“Hi, honey.” I sat on the edge of her pink duvet and looked at my beautiful girl. “Are you ready for bed?”
She smiled, flashing her pink braces at me. “You mean am I ready to fall asleep so Santa can come?”
The air grew tense in the room for just a split second, Ace knew how important it was for me for Summer to experience this last Christmas as a child. I felt his warm hand settle on my shoulder at that moment, bracing me for whatever she was going to say.
“Of course, I am!” she squealed, and I momentarily deflated, relief coursing through me. She hadn’t been corrupted just yet.
“What did you ask Santa for, sweet pea?” Ace stood behind me, both of his hands resting on my shoulders now, his fingers massaging the tense muscles.
“A puppy, of course!” She laughed, her blonde hair falling from the messy bun on her head. “You know how much I want a puppy. I just hope he knows, too.” She glanced at the small Santa Claus ornament on her windowsill.
“I’m sure he’ll get you the right thing, baby.” A puppy? Was she insane? There was no chance in hell Ace and I would be getting her a puppy for Christmas. I guess I had Kennedy to thank for this one.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow. You bought hot cocoa, right?” She settled into bed, snuggling into her pink blanket.
“As if I could forget our tradition?” She smiled, looking from her father to me.
“I know things are bad with work,” she paused, “but we’ll be okay, right?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Our little girl was wise beyond her years. We hadn’t said anything to the children yet, and she had already figured it out.
“Of course, we’ll be okay, sweet pea. What have mom and I always told you?” Ace sat next to me and rested his hand on her leg.
“As long as I have my family, everything will be okay,” she whispered, her big, blue eyes glassy. “But what about Auntie Ames and Uncle Ryan?” Her voice wobbled.
“What about them, honey? They’re coming tomorrow, just like usual. We’ll have hot cocoa and watch The Grinch while opening presents, and then, they’ll be here before you know it.”
“So, nothing is going to change?” She looked between Ace and me, fear clouding her innocent eyes.
“Nothing is going to change, sweet pea,” Ace whispered, his one hand on the top of my thigh squeezing tightly to keep me quiet.
As much as we wanted to keep everything the same, to give our children the lap of luxury, those days were over. Everything was about to change.
