Chapter 6 - A Real Christmas
One year later, the snow fell just as heavily over the mountains, but this time, the warmth inside the house was real.
We had sold the old house. There were too many ghosts there, too many memories of a man who never deserved us. With the money from the sale and the court-mandated restitution Ryan was forced to pay after his conviction for child endangerment and financial fraud, I bought a beautiful, cozy cottage nestled in the foothills of Colorado.
Ryan had lost his job, his reputation, and his mistress, who had dumped him the second his bank accounts were frozen. He was currently serving probation and ordered to pay hefty child support, though he was strictly forbidden from having unsupervised contact with Lily.
Inside our new home, the smell of pine and cinnamon filled the air.
Lily, now four, was running around the living room in a pair of warm, fuzzy pajamas, her cheeks flushed with pure excitement.
"Look, Mommy! Santa’s cookies are ready!" she squealed, pointing to the plate we had set near the fireplace.
"They look perfect, sweetie," I said, kneeling down to hug her. She was taller now, her laughter loud and free, the shadow of that freezing night on the porch completely erased from her bright eyes.
The doorbell rang. I opened it to find Marcus standing on the porch, wearing a ridiculous festive sweater and carrying a massive, beautifully wrapped gift.
"Am I late for the tree decorating?" he asked with a grin.
"Just in time," I smiled, stepping aside to let him in.
Lily ran to him, hugging his leg. "Marcus! Help me put the star on the tree!"
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"You got it, kiddo," Marcus laughed, lifting her easily onto his shoulders.
I watched them laugh as Lily placed the shiny gold star at the very top of our tree. No one was locking her out tonight. No one was leaving her in the cold. Standing in the warmth of my new life, surrounded by the people who truly loved us, I knew we had finally found our way home.
