A Celebration Christmas

After the excitement settled, and all the kids were astride their respective bikes, George asked, “Will we be able to take our bikes and Franklin’s new house with us when we move in with our new family?”

“Oh, George, buddy, I don’t think you should take the bikes anywhere else,” Cullen said.

It broke Lily’s heart to watch the kids’ faces fall.

Really? Couldn’t he have gotten them something a little less expensive or a little more portable than bikes if he didn’t want them to take them when they left?

Rather than reframing, she chewed on this one for a moment, deciding that she would argue the case for the kids to take the bikes. What was he going to do with six bikes?

Cullen must have noticed how fast the fun barometer had fallen, because he quickly added, “There’s a reason for that, and it’s the best Christmas present of all. Are you ready for it?”

The kids found their smiles again, but they looked a little hesitant, still probably stuck on the part about not taking the bikes anywhere else.

“Everybody gather around,” he said, motioning them toward him. “Come on. You can get back on the bikes later. This is important. So come on.”

The kids complied, giving wistful looks to the bicycles as they dismounted and joined Cullen’s huddle. Lily hung back watching the bittersweet scene.

“Is everyone here?” Cullen asked. He made a show of counting heads. “One, two, three, four, five. We’re missing someone. Who are we missing?”

“Lily!” the kids shouted.

“Lily,” Cullen repeated. “Lily, huddle up.”

The way he smiled at her made her heart break all over again. Even so, she complied.

Cullen made room for her in the circle next to him. He put his arm around her and pulled her in.

She refused to think about how perfectly their bodies fit together, even at something playful like this.

“Are you ready?” Cullen asked once everyone was present and accounted for. “I have fabulous news. I found a family for you, right here in Celebration.”

The kids’ eyes grew large.

“And we can all stay together?” Megan asked, concern clouding her blue eyes.

“Absolutely,” said Cullen. “Because you are all going to stay right here. I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

The kids jumped up and down and clapped their hands, cheering even louder than before.

Lily gasped and clapped and cheered right along with them.

When? What? When had he decided to do a complete one-eighty? The last time they’d talked about it… Well, he wouldn’t even talk about it. But it didn’t matter; she was so happy for him and the kids. She tried not to let herself dwell on what it meant for the two of them and their relationship. Still, she couldn’t help wondering.

After the excitement died down, and they managed to drag the kids away from the cold and from their new bikes, with the promise of an after-dinner bike ride, a completely different thought struck Lily.

Before they reconvened around the Christmas tree, Lily said, “I’m so happy for you and the kids. Have you given any thought about where they’ll go to school? If you send them to Brighton Academy, I’d be happy to help you take them to and from school. But I just need to make sure that you realize I’m going back to work after the first of the year. I can’t be your full-time nanny.”

Cullen reached out and ran a finger over her bottom lip. “I don’t want you to be the nanny. I want you to be my wife.”

Lily blinked once. Then twice. Unsure if she’d heard him right. “Cullen?”

“I realize this is sudden and I’m hoping you don’t think I got carried away. I probably should’ve talked to you about this before telling the kids—”

“No,” she said. “This is the most wonderful Christmas present you could’ve given them. You’ve given them a home, Cullen.”

Her eyes welled with tears from the beauty of it all.

“I love you, Lily. You and the kids are the only real family I’ve ever known. It took a while for me to realize it, but I can’t imagine living another day without you.”

He told her about the call he’d gotten from Cameron Brady. “After talking to him and facing the prospect of splitting the kids up and them not getting the chance to grow up together, I just couldn’t do it. It all became crystal clear. The kids had to stay with me. And there’s one more thing.”