presents,” he announced, holding up his thumb and index finger. “More than anyone else,” he boasted, evoking ripples of laughter from around the room.
One present was from Holden and the other from Birdie. It was tradition in the Romeo household to let the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve. Birdie’s gift was pajamas. Noelle had no idea what Holden had gotten Aiden.
“You’ll get to open your presents soon,” Birdie assured him with a smile. “First, we’re gonna have our Christmas program, okay? We’ll sing some fun songs.”
Nibbling on his lower lip, Aiden nodded.
Zoe rose to her feet. “Briggs is going to read from the book of Luke about the birth of Jesus,” she announced.
A smile tugged at Noelle’s lips when she saw Aiden crawl over and sit down next to Madison. Holden scooted closer to her. Their eyes caught as he smiled. The tenderness of his expression did more to ease her fears than any words could. Her throat thickened with emotion as she gulped. Maybe everything would be okay, after all. She returned his smile. The apprehension was still there, lurking on the edge of her consciousness. Maybe if she ignored it long enough, it would go away.
“I’m sorry,” Holden uttered.
“Me too.” She felt a part of her broken heart mend. He slid his arm around her, drawing her close. Birdie’s expression was one of relieved satisfaction as she looked at them.
Briggs looked down at his Bible, reading, “‘And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed …’”
“Thank you,” Zoe said when Briggs was finished. Her dark eyes twinkled as she brought her hands together. “Now, for the singing.”
“Do I have to sing?” Milo asked.
“Not if you don’t want to,” Zoe laughed as she looked at Cash and Ava. “I guess not everyone in this family sings.”
“Amen,” Ramsey chimed in.
“You’ve got a decent singing voice,” Hartley countered. “I’ve heard you, in the shower.”
Ramsey’s face turned red.
“Quit being nice,” Mason laughed. “We all know Ramsey can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” The comment earned Mason a few chortles from the Romeo brothers.
“Ava and Hartley are gonna sing Silver Bells,” Zoe continued, “then Cash will sing Joy to the World. We’ll go that far in our program, and then I’ll announce the rest.”
“An all-star cast. I didn’t realize we were getting a concert,” Holden whispered.
A snigger rose in Noelle’s throat as she put her hand to her mouth to stay it. “Stop making me laugh,” she insisted. Her heart felt a little lighter. She needed to have more faith that good things could come to her. A feeling of love rose in her chest as she looked at Aiden. He was the greatest blessing in her life. She’d move past this tough time with Kyle and Dottie. Kyle kept telling Aiden that he would see him on Christmas, whatever that meant. Noelle wouldn’t put it past Kyle or Dottie to show up tomorrow. If that happened, she’d deal with it.
Hartley and Ava’s voices harmonized with precision as Cash played the piano. It was a beautiful thing to watch. They were perfect at their craft. Next, Cash left the room and returned carrying his guitar. He scooted a chair over near the piano before throwing Noah a grin. “Come on up here, big brother, and sing this one with me. Noah was the one who taught me how to play this song on the guitar.”
Noah waved a hand. “Nah, your skills far outweigh mine.”
“Noah,” Zoe began chanting as she pumped her fist. Everyone, including Piper, joined in. Finally, Noah pushed himself to his feet. “Okay,” he said, holding out his hands to stop the chanting. Cash strummed the intro on his guitar. He came in a half second before Noah whose eyes widened. “Oops, I’m a little rusty,” Noah said with a laugh as he joined in.
“He’s been too busy snapping those fancy pictures that have made him famous,” Mason teased as he looked at Piper.
“I didn’t realize Noah was a photographer,” Holden whispered in Noelle’s ear.
“He goes under the name of Nolan Vant,” Noelle explained. “Noah likes to fly under the radar. Piper is a talented photographer also. The two of them travel the world, taking photographs.”
When the song was over, Zoe stood. “Thank you, boys,” she drawled. “Now, for the grand finale.” She rubbed her hands together, her eyes glittering with anticipation. “Daddy’s gonna sing Oh Holy Night.”
Cash removed the strap from his