you, Gabriela.”
“I missed you, too,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “And I was worried.”
He cupped the back of her head with one of his big hands and brushed his lips over her forehead. “It’ll take a lot more than holiday shoppers and some snow to keep me from you, my mate.”
My mate.
She shivered. God, she loved hearing that.
She sighed and brought up a hand, pressing her palm to his chest, over his heart. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“You better not be sucking tongues again,” Ana said.
“Not yet.” Broxen’s chest vibrated with those low, rumbly words.
Gabriela opened her eyes and laughed as she glanced at her daughter. Ana was staring at them with skepticism.
“I was just…making Broxen look a little more festive.” She reached into the bag of tinsel, drew out several strands, and hung them over the root of one of his horns. The silvery strands mixed with his hair and sparkled from the light hitting them.
Ana laughed.
Broxen lowered his hand from Gabby’s head and straightened, looking down at her with a smirk. “So, is this like a snowball fight now?”
Gabriela arched a brow. “Not unless you really want a mess. There shall be no throwing of the tinsel unless it’s onto the tree.”
He raised the dangling tinsel in his hand and glanced at it from the corner of his eye. “Hmm.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“But I like the sound of you draped in this…and nothing else.”
“Hello! Kid right here,” Ana said. “Let’s get this stuff on the tree before you two start kissing.”
Both Gabriela and Broxen laughed.
When they were finally done decorating, and Broxen had hung the stockings—with care—at the fireplace, they stood back and looked at what they’d accomplished.
Gabriela tilted her head. “You know…it really is a beautiful tree.”
“Told you!” Ana said, flashing a grin.
The tree was still leaning to the side, causing many of the ornaments and the tinsel to hang at an angle, the plastic bucket was still clearly visible under the bottom of the tree skirt, and none of the decorations matched, but it was bright, and sparkling, and Gabriela loved it.
Broxen wrapped his arm around Gabriela and pulled her into the shelter of his body. She leaned against him and hugged Ana.
It wasn’t a perfect tree, but it was their tree.
Eighteen
Christmas Eve had always been a day of frantic, last-minute preparations, a day of stressing about whether the gifts were what Ana really wanted or if Christmas morning would be special enough. But it had also always been a day of excitement. Perhaps, were it not for Ana, the Christmas magic would’ve worn off for Gabriela years ago. Ana’s joy, the light in her eyes, had ensured Christmas held its charm.
There were so many reasons for this Christmas Eve to be the worst Gabriela could remember, and those reasons had already been tumbling through her head when she’d woken up alone in Broxen’s bed this morning. Losing a home was a devastating experience any time of the year, but to go through it right before Christmas…that was especially crushing.
Gabby had borrowed the truck the other day and, after shifting the driver’s seat way forward, had gone into to town to buy stocking stuffers and a gift for Ana just so the girl would have something to open on Christmas. Still, it hurt Gabriela’s heart that she couldn’t provide more.
Yet her excitement was by far stronger than any negative emotions as she got out of bed.
Despite what they’d lost, there was so much to be grateful for. They’d escaped tragedy with their lives and their health. They’d found a new home, and they were forming a new family with Broxen. Maybe there’d be little in the way of presents tomorrow, but Gabby and Ana had received so much more than they could ever have hoped for.
It was the little things; the memories they were making, the love they were sharing. It was the way Broxen encouraged Ana to try new things, the way he kept her involved, the way he talked to her with respect and encouragement. It was the way he held Gabby, the way he looked at her, or how he seemed to always be making little adjustments around the house to make things more comfortable for her. It was the way he’d offer to help her in the kitchen even when he clearly had no idea what he was doing—or how he simply stood near and talked to her when she didn’t need help.
It was the thoughtfulness of leaving an