“I don’t remember everything she used to make. But I remember those and Mickey Mouse pancakes.” She shut her eyes momentarily, then said, “I don’t want to forget. Sometimes, I’m afraid I will when I get older.”

In that instant, I knew exactly what we needed to do.

“We won’t forget. Do we have the stuff to make gingerbread men?”

Her eyes brightened. “I think so? I know we have cookie cutters in the drawer.”

“I think we need to make them. And if we don’t have the ingredients, I’ll go out right now and get them, okay? I think we should make them every year in honor of your mom.”

She beamed. “Thank you. Mommy would like that.”

I ended up having to run out to the market down the street for a couple of the ingredients. Thankfully, it was open.

After I returned, we made the gingerbread men and frosted them.

Just as we were finishing, Sebastian walked into the kitchen.

“Just checking on things in here.” His eyes landed on the gingerbread cookies lining the tray. “You’re making gingerbread men. Now it makes sense why you ran out to the store.”

“Yes. Birdie informed me that her mom always made these on Christmas Eve.”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “She sure did.”

“I told her we need to make them every year.”

He stared at the cookies for a few seconds before looking up at me and mouthing, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” I mouthed back.

My father walked in. “Are those roasted chestnuts I smell?”

The four of us gathered around the island, noshing on all the delights along with the punch.

After carrying some of the items over to the coffee table in the living room, we gathered around the tree as my father told Sebastian stories from my childhood.

“So what did you ask Santa to bring you this year, Birdie?” my dad asked.

“Nothing,” she answered. “I have everything I need. Plus, I don’t know if Santa’s real anymore.”

We all looked at each other, unsure how to respond to that.

Sebastian tackled it first. “How do you explain all the presents every year, then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s you. Maybe some of it’s real, but not certain parts? Like the chimney? I wrote to someone I thought was Santa. I told you that, Daddy. I used to think it was Santa answering me, but I don’t know if it was anymore.” She shrugged. “But good things have happened ever since.”

We fell into silence.

“I believe in good people,” she finally said. “But I’m still hoping for olives and a glam nail stamper this year.” She winked at Sebastian.

I sighed. Our little girl was growing up.

Our little girl.

Either way, she was. My girl. No matter what the truth was.

Sebastian got up from the couch. “Well, Birdie, you have to wait until Christmas morning to open your presents, because Santa wasn’t prepared tonight. But maybe now is a good time to give Sadie the gift we bought her?”

She jumped up and down. “Yes! I’m so excited!”

Is this it?

My heart raced. Was Sebastian about to propose to me with Birdie by his side? Were they going to ask me officially to be part of their family? I started to get a little choked up as they walked together to the bedroom.

My father smiled over at me. I couldn’t tell 100 percent, but he seemed like he might know something.

Is he in on it?

Sebastian might have asked his permission.

Birdie was skipping down the hall next to Sebastian as they returned to the living room. Sebastian carried a box wrapped in shiny red paper with an elaborate gold bow.

He took a seat next to me before handing it over. “We thought long and hard about what to get someone who means so very much to us. Ever since you walked in that door, our lives have been richer and full of joy. This gift represents our gratitude to you for being a part of our world. We love you.”

My hands shook as I worked to open the box.

Then my heart fell a little when I realized it wasn’t a ring. I closed my eyes, needing a moment to calm my nerves, because I had been so certain. I opened them. Then, when I caught sight of what it was and it registered, my emotions went from disappointment to complete awe.

Inside the box was an exact replica of the butterfly barrette that had led me to Sebastian’s doorstep that day, except it was encrusted in diamonds and hanging from a white-gold chain.

My mouth fell open. “I have no words.”

“I mentioned to Birdie that you told me how much you admired her barrette.” He winked at me, knowing full well that only he and I knew the full story about that barrette and how it had led me to the dog-training gig.

He continued. “We took to it a jeweler and asked him if he could replicate it in diamonds. I think it came out perfect. I hope you love it.”

Getting choked up, I said, “Are you kidding? This is the most thoughtful, heartfelt, stunning present anyone has ever given me in my entire life.”

After I hugged each of them tightly, Sebastian took the necklace out of the box.

“Let’s put it on you.”

The feel of Sebastian’s hands on my skin sent a shiver down my spine as he placed the necklace around my neck.

My dad smiled from ear to ear. “Looks beautiful, pumpkin.”

Birdie’s eyes were wide as she took in the bauble. “Now you can think of me every time you wear it.”

I hugged her again and said, “Honey, I don’t need a necklace to think about you. You’re always on my mind. But I will cherish this so much. It means more to me than you could ever know.”

There ended up being no ring in sight that Christmas. And that was just fine by me. I’d rather Sebastian not rush into such an important decision. Was I a little disappointed? Sure. But I still felt like the luckiest woman on the planet.

CHAPTER 31

SEBASTIAN

“Marmaduke, look at me.”

The dog raced around the room, his paws scratching against the hardwood floor.

“Stop, you horse!”

He continued to scurry. I then remembered the German command for “stay.”

“Bleib!”

That worked. He stopped in front of me.

“Show me what you did with it.”

Ruff!

I held out the mangled, empty box and pointed inside. “What did you do with the ring?”

Ruff!

If the past few days were a movie, they would have been dubbed: The Year the Dog Ruined Christmas.

The morning of Christmas Eve, I’d been standing in front of the mirror in my room, practicing all the poignant words I would recite when I got down on one knee and asked Sadie to be my wife. I hadn’t been sure when exactly I was going to pop the question—either it was going to be Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I only knew it was going to be at some point during those two days, when the moment felt right.

Birdie knew everything and had planned her own little speech to recite to Sadie when we proposed. With Sadie’s father in town to witness it all, it was supposed to be epic. That is, until I decided to leave the ring on my end table while I took a shower. When I emerged from the bathroom, the box was gone.

There was no one else to blame but the Duke. He was the only one home at the time and he’d been in and out of my room moments before my shower.