Christmas morning rolled around, bright and picture-perfect, with the sun beaming down on the snow and making everything look like a postcard. Emma woke up super early, like kids do on Christmas, and her little whispers of excitement started to wake everyone up in the living room.
Grey had been spending Christmas mornings by himself for the past few years—two of them overseas and one in the hospital—so he wasn't too sure about all the family traditions. But Emma's excitement was pretty catchy, and he got curious to see what the day had in store for them.
Under the tree, the gifts were all sweet and simple. Mara had made a tiny red sweater for Emma, all knitted by hand, and Emma had crafted a macaroni picture frame that she painted gold for her mom. For Grey, they'd got him a book about woodworking with some cool tools, all wrapped in plain brown paper with some kitchen string.
"I figured you could use these for some bigger projects," Mara said as he unwrapped the tools. "If you're up for it."
Grey had made a wooden horse for Emma, sanding it smooth and shiny with oil every night. He was kind of nervous she'd think it was lame, but when she saw it, she just lit up and started playing with it like it was the coolest thing ever. She was making galloping sounds and telling stories about the horse's wild escapades all around the room.
For Mara, Grey had whipped up a jewelry box out of some cherry wood he found in the barn. It wasn't anything fancy, but it had pretty patterns in the wood and was as smooth as a baby's bottom after all that sanding.
"This is amazing," Mara said, her eyes all shiny. "I can't believe you made this."
"Your old man's tools," Grey said, blushing a bit. "They've been sitting in the barn, so I figured I'd put 'em to good use."
The morning went by really chill, with everyone just feeling right at home. Emma kept playing with her horse, making up all these wild tales, and Mara started playing around with the woodworking book, trying some simple stuff. Grey showed her the ropes on how to hold the knife just right, so she didn't mess up the wood.
Then, around lunchtime, Dr. Ortiz swung by with some homemade cookies. She said she was in the neighborhood for work, but Grey had a hunch she came just to see them. She had on a red scarf that made her look younger than her actual age, which was thirty-four.
"I was in the area visiting another client," she explained, though Grey suspected she'd made a special trip.