26
Damon
It’s officially Christmasmorning, and the clock shows six. I want to wait for Emily to get up, but I can’t lie in bed any longer. Coffee is calling my name, and I figure Tessa will be up soon, too.
I trek quietly to the kitchen to start the pot of coffee, and Tessa is already sitting at the table.
“Good morning, handsome. Merry Christmas.”
She startles me. “How long have you been up?”
“About an hour. Normally Emily is up by now; guess not this year.”
I make my cup of coffee and sit down next to her. It has been so long since I had experienced the real joy of Christmas. I can’t wait to see Emily’s face when she walks out of the bedroom, knowing that I’m lucky enough to be a part of that joy.
The first sip goes down my throat, and I get up and walk into the living room. Christmas is going to be different this year. Last year, Liam and Aiden came for dinner, but there were no presents or happy times. There is something about having kids around during the holidays that makes it that much better.
“So, I feel like I’m not getting the full experience. In the movies, the kids are always up at the crack of dawn, shaking their parents awake, telling them to get up and come look under the tree.”
“Believe me, you are lucky. Last year, she was up at like three in the morning, wanting to open what little we had under the tree. So for me, this is nice to enjoy a cup of coffee before the craziness begins.”
Okay, maybe three in the morning is a little early, but I can’t wait to see her reaction to everything. It fills my heart to know I could buy her some nice presents, and not have to worry about the cost. Tessa seemed to freak out about the prices, but she’s with me now. Emily will never want for anything. And if one day, after we get married, we have another child, it’ll be the same thing. Sure, I have money put away for early retirement, but it can be used on my kids too.
We both hear the bedroom open and a gasp. She’s finally up.
“Mommy... Damon... Santa came!” she screams from the living room. “Come look...”
We both run and try to play as shocked as we can.
“Wow, look at all this stuff. Someone has been a real good girl this year,” Tessa says, glancing over at me with a smile.
“I can’t believe it. All this is for me?” she says, her hands to her chest. “Where should I start?”
Her eyes glance around the floor, trying to pick a present to open first. She runs straight to the karaoke machine unwrapped.
“Can we sing Christmas Carols on this? Can we, Mama?”
“Of course, but let’s open the rest of the presents first...”
“Can you open my gift first?” she asks, handing both Tessa and me a card.
The emotions start taking over, knowing that she took the time to make me a gift. She’s the sweetest little girl. Tessa looks at me, waiting for me to open it.
I open the card, and inside is writing from her.
Damon,
Thank you so much for being my hero. For keeping me safe. And for making my mommy happy. You are the best ever. I love you.
Love,
Emily
I will cherish it as long as I can. She deserves to have someone like me in her life. A man that is there for her, no matter what.
“Thank you, sweetie. This means so much,” I tell her, wrapping my arms around her.
Tessa opens hers and immediately starts crying. So I peek over to read it too.