through they went to from time to time. The way he said pickles gave her the chills.
Finally, the photographer caught Vivi looking straight ahead for a split second and snapped the winning photo. Meg had been sure to dress her in a cute red and green plaid dress that flared out and had a black velvet top. She wore white tights and shiny black shoes. Now that she was walking without help, trying to keep her still was like trying to hold a pig that someone had slicked up with oil.
Meg set her down and allowed her to explore the area of the Christmas tree farm where they were taking photos. She couldn’t imagine how hard getting a picture with Santa was going to be at the mall next week. She had plans to go Christmas shopping with her mother, her sister and her aunt Janine, and she was really looking forward to it. There was just something about the energy at the mall during Christmastime. The sound of people talking, the music playing in the stores, the smell of the coffee shop and the place that sold those huge cinnamon rolls.
“There’s my adorable little niece!” Colleen said as she walked around the corner. Tucker was behind her, as always. Colleen swept Vivi up in the air and spun her around.
“I wouldn’t shake her too much. She just had a bunch of cotton candy that her daddy fed her. She’s so pumped up on sugar that I worry she’ll never fall asleep tonight!”
Christian shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say? I wanted to make her happy!”
Tucker laughed. “That’s what we do, right? We like to make the women in our lives happy.”
Colleen bumped his shoulder with hers. “Then where’s my cotton candy?”
“Hey, Christian, do you mind showing me where you got that cotton candy?” he said, winking at Colleen. As the two men wandered off, the sisters went in the other direction, Colleen holding Vivi.
“Those two are something else,” Meg said.
“Yes, they are. It’s good to see you like this, sis.”
“Like what?” They stopped at a picnic table and sat down. Vivi toddled over to the small playground nearby as both of them watched.
“So happy. You have a real little family now. I’m so proud of you.”
Meg smiled. “Thanks. It was a tough time for a while there, but I finally got my feet under me. I’ve never been happier in my life.”
“So, do you think you and Christian will tie the knot?”
“I hope so. He hasn’t asked in a long time, though.”
“I’m sure he still wants to get married, Meg. You’re his world.”
“I don’t know. I think I might have spooked him a few months ago. I just wasn’t in the mental place to say yes back then.”
“But you are now?” Colleen asked as she stopped to pet a donkey that the local petting zoo had brought, along with an assortment of rabbits, goats and an adorable pig.
Meg nodded. “I’m more than ready. I can see us building our family, owning a little house…”
“With a white picket fence?” Colleen said, laughing.
“Yes! I want the white picket fence.”
“Then tell him, sis. He’s probably on pins and needles wondering if you’d say yes now.”
Meg reached down to pet a goat. She knew she should talk to Christian and let him know that she was ready to get married, but what if he’d changed his mind along the way? What if he was happy with how things were?
* * *
“Now, you can put the gum drops all along the edge right here. And don’t forget to put some icing right there so that the licorice will stick,” Julie said as she helped Dylan build his very first gingerbread house.
It reminded her of the days when her girls were young, and they would do all sorts of things around Christmas time. They made memories that would last a lifetime.
Now that she got to see Meg do those things with Vivi, it caused those memories to flood back into her mind. Little did she know a year ago that she would sit at her dining room table, staring into the eyes of her new son, helping him build his very first gingerbread house. All she could hope was that this memory would be something he would think back on one day when he had kids.
“Like this?” Dylan asked, carefully placing the last of the gum drops along the roofline.
Julie smiled and touched his arm. “You really can’t mess it up. And you’re doing an