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“You’re impossible,” she muttered. He laughed — that low, rumbling sound that had been so rare before Sage and was becoming more common now. It made her heart squeeze.
Oh sweetheart… you’re finally feeling it, aren’t you?
From deeper in the house came the bright thunder of laughter. Annie’s kids, Isabelle’s voice yelling, “Ethan, don’t you dare shoot me with that Nerf—” followed immediately by Sage’s delighted shriek. “Get her!!”
The sound of it made Mary Sue feel almost young again, like she’d stepped back into her parents’ house during the holidays when the whole family was still whole.
Cal turned toward the noise, his face softening with a kind of quiet wonder. Her heart broke a little, knowing her boy had never quite had a Christmas like this.
“Cal, honey…”
“Yeah, Mama?” he answered, still listening.
Sage’s voice rang out again, giggling wildly. “No! Stop! Izzy!! I swear if you shoot me with—IZZY!” More laughter, then Isabelle’s mock outrage: “Michael!? You… you traitor!!”
The living room double doors burst open. Nerf darts flew in every direction as Isabelle came sprinting through, chased by a grinning Michael and a laughing Sage. Ethan followed right behind them, wielding two smaller guns and yelling, “Get her!!!”
Trailing the chaos were Tommy and Annie — Annie looking younger and lighter than Mary Sue had seen in years — as Annie shouted, “Izzy! I’m coming, hold on!”
Little six-year-old Lily brought up the rear, struggling to drag a Nerf gun almost as big as she was. She stopped right in front of Cal, craned her head all the way back, and said softly, “Mr. Bear? Can you help me? I can’t lift it.”
Cal looked down at her, all seven-foot-four and three-hundred-fifty pounds of him, his expression solemnly thoughtful.
“Hmm… I think, honey, that gun isn’t quite right for you.”
Lily looked down at the large Nerf gun and frowned.
Mary Sue covered her mouth as she watched Cal.
“Nope. It’s too…small” he said as he lifted her up. Lily giggled as she held him and said, “Well then Mr Bear, which one should we use?”
The sound of the nerf battle in the dining room increased in intensity as Cal winked at Lily and walked to the hallway closet. “Oh my!” she whispered in awe when he pulled out a large battery-powered automatic Nerf gun.
“Now, sweetie… who are we getting?”
Lily buried her face against his shoulder, still giggling. “Ummm… Auntie Sage!”
From the dining room came a sudden pause, then Sage’s voice. “Wait — what do you mean Auntie Sage? Lily, I thought—”
She stopped mid-sentence as Cal stepped into the room, holding the massive Nerf gun in one hand and Lily tucked securely in the other.
“Sorry, princess… Lily says you’re going down.”
The laughter and yelling reached a fever pitch.
“No! No fair!! You’ve been in the Army! You’re like specially trained! Nooo!! Stop!! Izzy, hellllppp!!”
The battle turned decisively one-sided. Lily and her giant teammate sent everyone scattering back into the other room in a storm of foam darts and delighted screams.
Mary Sue wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled as she headed for the kitchen.
It was a good morning. A really good morning
By the time the Nerf war finally wound down, the whole house smelled like heaven.
Mary Sue had slipped away to the kitchen earlier, humming softly to herself as she worked. She’d wanted this Christmas breakfast to feel like pure love on a plate — Southern, generous, and just a little over-the-top, the kind of spread that said you are home, you are wanted, you are mine without a single word.
Now the long rustic table groaned under the weight of it all. Crisp, thick-cut bacon sat in golden, glistening heaps. Fluffy scrambled eggs, folded with butter and fresh chives, steamed gently beside them. Bright bowls overflowed with fresh fruit — strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, and peaches so fragrant and ripe they begged you to bury your face in them. Golden hash browns, lacy and crackling on the outside, pillowy within, shared space with warm, flaky croissants and sweet cinnamon rolls dripping with vanilla glaze. And at the center, a towering plate of her famous soft, thick chocolate chip cookies — still slightly gooey in the middle, edges perfectly crisp, the rich brown-sugar-and-vanilla scent wrapping around the room like the warmest hug.
