around my waist. “Don’t worry so much. You could probably buy him a pair of socks with bananas on them, and he’d be happy.”
“Why bananas?”
“I don’t know. Because they’re yellow and resemble male genitalia? That’s not the point.”
“Okay, okay. He’ll like the books, or he’ll exchange them. Got it.”
Finding gifts for Leo and Hayle ended up being much more challenging than Tristin’s books, and by the time I pulled into the garage of the townhouse hours later, I was more than done with Christmas shopping. That’s what I got for waiting until the last minute. Not only was I feeling the pressure, all of the stores had been absolutely packed. It was sheer madness out there, and we hadn’t even left Moss Harbor.
Deciding to leave the bags in my trunk until I could figure out how to sneak them into my room and wrap them, I headed for the door leading into the kitchen. Pretty sure I’d overdone it on the walking, because my leg was more than a little sore.
When I opened the door, Leo was standing on the other side, that adorable grin on his face. “Wait right here.”
“Okay…”
“Are you guys ready?” he called into the living room.
“Ready,” Hayle hollered back.
“What’s going on?”
Leo slung an arm around my shoulder and began herding me toward the living room. “It’s a surprise.” Then, he said louder, “Now.”
The overhead lights suddenly turned off, and when we rounded the corner, the room was lit only from the multi-colored strands of lights on a tree so tall it almost touched the ceiling. At least a dozen boxes of ornaments in all different shapes and colors were spread across the floor, along with a random assortment of other decorations.
“Surprise,” Leo said as he kissed temple.
I looked up at him and then to Hayle and Tristin, who stood on either side of the tree. “You guys did all of this?”
“The trees and other decorations were pretty picked over, but we did our best,” Hayle answered. “Do you like it?”
I shook my head, and noticing distress crossing his face, I quickly said, “I love it. I’m just in shock over here.”
Aunt Emmy had always said Christmas trees were a waste of time and money, and Mom and I had moved around so much, we’d rarely put up more than a few handmade decorations.
“This…” I drew in a deep breath and slowly released it, hoping the few extra seconds would help me control the tears I could feel forming at the corners of my eyes. “This is my first Christmas tree.”
Leo moved to my back and pulled me against him, looping his arms around my stomach and resting his chin on the top of my head. That proved to be too much for my fragile emotions, and I reached up to wipe at the tears that were now falling.
Hayle looked to Tristin, worry still etched into his face. “So, we did good?” he asked in a whisper loud enough for me to hear.
I laughed as Tristin walked over to his brother and patted his shoulder. “Pretty sure those are happy tears.”
“Definitely happy tears,” I replied as I extracted myself from Leo’s embrace to get a closer look.
The guys had moved the furniture around to make room for the surprisingly wide tree in the corner of the room. As soon as I was within a few feet of it, the scent hit me, and I inhaled deeply. “It smells like a candle.”
Tristin chuckled. “Pretty sure it’s the other way around.”
I shrugged. “Not to me.” We barely had any trees where I’d lived in Kansas, much less any that smelled like what I’d always imagined Christmas should smell like.
Reaching out, I touched one of the branches, finding the needles slightly softer than I’d expected. “You even put the lights on it.” From what I’d seen on TV, that was the hardest part.
“Yeah, and we barely survived it with this guy directing us,” Tristin said, nodding his head toward Hayle.
He held up his hands. “What? I wanted to make sure they were even.”
Leo groaned. “It’s for our living room, not Rockefeller Center.”
“Well, it looks amazing,” I interrupted. “Thank you all, so much.”
I turned to hug Hayle, and he held me tight. “I’m glad those were happy tears. You had me worried.”
“I know,” I said into his chest. “But it’s the greatest surprise ever, promise.”
“Good.”
Then, I moved to Leo, who gave me a soft kiss. “Your smile is thanks enough.”