Christmas Day!!!!
Bella woke to laughter. Not the sharp, startling kind but the soft, bubbling sound of a child too excited to stay quiet. It drifted down the hallway, wrapped in hurried footsteps and whispered conspiracies that weren't very well whispered at all.
She smiled before she even opened her eyes. It was Christmas morning. For a moment, she stayed still, letting the feeling settle.
The warmth. The peace. The unfamiliar absence of dread that used to accompany holidays. There was no tight knot in her chest this year, no silent calculation of what might go wrong. All she had was just anticipation.
"Mommy!" Timothy's voice came closer, barely containing itself. "Mommy, wake up! It's Christmas!"
Bella laughed softly as he burst into the room, already dressed in his pajamas with tiny reindeer on them, hair sticking up in every direction, joy practically vibrating out of him.
"I'm awake," she said, sitting up. "I'm awake."
