Maddie said she found a collection of tattered baseball cards in the back of the closet after she and Sam had gotten married. When she’d asked him why he no longer collected them, Sam told her the cards she’d found were a few common ones that he’d been able to get cheaply or for free as a kid, and he’d given up the hobby when he was a young boy. Sam loved baseball, and most of her gifts to him were related to the sport, including an incredible collection of cards and memorabilia that he was now eyeing like an enraptured kid.
Kara already knew about Simon’s coin collecting, but she noticed he very seldom bought himself any, though he could very well afford it. Honestly, she was pretty certain it was because he was too busy thinking about her and had put the hobby on the back burner. She’d bought him a ton of hard-to-find coins and a bunch of other totally useless gifts that he might never use, but had probably coveted as a child.
Currently, all three “boys” were trying to put together a massive train set that had been a gift with all three of their names on it.
“If we’re careful, we can give it to Noah someday,” Timmy offered generously as Simon helped him put together a few of the railroad cars.
Sam ran a hand over the top of Timmy’s head as he answered, “An excellent idea and very generous of you, Tim. But we get to play with it first.” He shot Tim a mischievous grin.
Kara and Maddie sat back and let the men and Timmy have the space to play with their train set.
“They look so happy,” Maddie said softly, as she stretched her legs out beside Kara’s.
“Aren’t you going to open your gifts?” Timmy asked, looking up from his train set to wave at the packages still under the tree.
The two women looked at each other and nodded slowly. Really, what choice did they have? Kara knew it would be weird if they didn’t.
Thankfully, there was only one for each of them, and she took the packages that Timmy brought over to them before returning to his task.
Kara tore off the paper on the gift and gasped as she revealed exactly what the contents were. Inside the paper was a gift she’d coveted when she was a young girl: a beautiful holiday Barbie in a pure white, lace and fur gown. She’d wanted it desperately as a girl, but knew it was too pricey to ask her parents to buy that Christmas. They’d been dirt poor, and Kara had been happy to get a normal Barbie from a discount store. But oh, how she’d wanted this one. And it was the very same doll from that very same year, brand new in the package. She clutched the box to her chest reflexively.
“Please don’t tell me that you just got a gift that you wanted the most during your childhood,” Maddie whispered to her desperately.
Kara turned her head and looked at Maddie. “I did,” she told her tremulously, holding out the now collectible Barbie for Maddie to see. “It’s even the same year.”
“Oh, God,” Maddie whispered. “I got the thing I wanted most as a child, too. I wanted this Easy Bake Oven so badly, but I was in foster care. We got practical stuff. This is even the same model – it isn’t even in production anymore. It hasn’t been for years.”
Kara watched as Maddie closed her eyes and clutched the box to her chest. “How can this be a coincidence?” she asked, stunned. Just how had these two presents with their names on them happened to get into this bunch?
“Santa?” Maddie asked hesitantly.
Kara looked around her, glancing at the three males, heads together, all of them grinning as they finally made the train go around the track. She looked down at the beautiful Barbie that she’d wanted so desperately so very long ago and held it to her chest, noticing that Maddie was still clutching her Easy Bake Oven. “I don’t care how it happened,” Kara finally admitted. “Maybe it was a wakeup call to make me start believing in Christmas miracles.”
Maddie nodded slowly. “We have so much to be thankful for,” she conceded.
“Like the fact that we both have daughters who we can pass these gifts down to?” Kara murmured, knowing she’d cherish the doll and give it to Ginny one day, and that she’d tell her the story of how it had come into her possession.
“Yes,” Maddie sighed. “And sons we can be proud of and husbands who we love so much it’s almost painful. Maybe our childhoods were all crap, but Santa’s certainly making up for it now.” She winked at Kara.
“So much has changed in the last few years,” Kara said, watching her husband and Timmy adoringly.
“Thank God,” Maddie added, her voice overflowing with happiness and gratitude. “Because our old lives really sucked.”
Kara laughed and put the doll carefully on the floor, holding her arms out for a big hug. Maddie stowed her precious gift on the floor and hugged her back.
“Merry Christmas,” they said in unison.
“Hey. Can we get into this action?” Simon asked gruffly.
Kara let go of Maddie and looked up at her husband, smiling broadly as she noticed he was holding a sprig of mistletoe over her head.
Next to her, Sam was standing in the same position, doing the same thing to Maddie.
Kara stood and curled her hand around Simon’s neck and pulled his mouth to hers, giving him a slow, deep kiss full of emotion, trying to express without words how she was feeling.
As he raised his head, he gazed at her tenderly, his heart in his eyes. “I love you, baby.”
“I can’t reach,” Timmy said unhappily, a piece of mistletoe in his hand.
Kara ruffled his hair and bent down to kiss his cheek. “You don’t even need the mistletoe, little man.”
Simon hoisted Timmy up and into his arms, bussing the boy on the forehead. “Time to sleep, buddy. We can play with more toys tomorrow,” he said with a grin.
Kara got Ginny ready to go while Simon gathered up all of their stuff and loaded it into the car with the help of their driver. Finally, the four of them were situated in the back seat of Simon’s limo, all of them very tired but happy.
She rested her head against Simon’s shoulder, her heart completely full of joy and contentment. Not so long ago, she’d been homeless, alone in the world without a single person who cared about her, except Maddie. “I’m so happy I could cry,” she whispered to Simon.
“Don’t cry. I don’t like it,” he grumbled. “Just be happy.”
“I already am.” She stretched and kissed his sexy, whiskered jaw. Her husband had never quite grasped the concept of happy tears.