“Come on, girl.” I lead Sassy out the back. She runs around, then does her business. When I return, I find garland spread out on the floor, different ornaments on her coffee table, and random fake branches scattered on the couch. It’s amazing how much she pulled out in just a few minutes. Add in the ribbons, lights, and boxes full of God knows what and it’s proof Tyler wasn’t lying about this.
“Where’re ya putting the tree?” I ask.
“In front of the window so everyone in the neighborhood can see it!” she exclaims, and I love how giddy she is. “One day, I’m gonna have one of those houses that you pull up to, turn to a specific radio station, and watch the lights flash to the music. I absolutely love those.”
“Or at the boutique, so you can get more exposure for your business. Have signs out front with a hashtag for when they take pictures and share on social media.”
“That’s genius, Archer! What an amazing marketing opportunity that could be. Next year!” Her voice grows louder. “You’re so helping me with it!”
I grin, but I also have no idea what I’ll be doing a year from now or where I’ll be living. Though I like the thought of still being here with Everleigh.
I move next to her on the floor with my wine in tow. She hands me a ball of tangled lights as she works on another. “I probably shouldn’t have thrown these in the box like this, but New Year’s Day was rough.”
“Do I even wanna know?”
“Trust me, you don’t,” she admits. “I always try to clean up. The whole ‘new year, new me’ vibes, but I think I was still drunk from the night before. Not sure if you noticed or not, but drunk Everleigh doesn’t give a shit about anything. She’s irresponsible.”
A roaring laugh escapes me. “I believe that.”
“It’s the truth.” She raises her glass and drinks. “Oh, I love this song!”
She wiggles her body, singing along to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” When the song ends, a knock lightly taps on the door, causing her eyes to brighten with excitement.
She adjusts her sweater and opens the door. Chatter fills the room as Gemma enters with Scarlett in her arms.
Everleigh lets out a tiny squeal and takes her niece, placing kisses on her cheek. “My favorite little angel, and look, you all wore the sweaters I sent.”
“Oh, was it optional?” Tyler teases, setting down the baby’s diaper bag.
“Absolutely not!”
“He knew it was arequirement,” Gemma says as Tyler unpacks a floor play mat and toys.
“Wine?” she asks, but they decline. “Guess it’s just Archer and me tonight.”
“The day I stop breastfeeding, I’m gonna drink like a sailor,” Gemma admits as she takes Scarlett back and sets her on the mat.
“Oh, I’ll make sure that happens,” Everleigh says. “We should start the cookies! The guys can put up the tree.”
She takes Gemma’s arm and drags her to the kitchen as Tyler and I get to work. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this. At least a decade,” I admit.
“I honestly think this tree is as old as she is. Most modern ones come in sections, but she refuses to upgrade. Something about sentimental value.” He rolls his eyes with a laugh.
“I heard that!” Everleigh shouts.
“There are colors on each of the metal ends, like this,” Tyler explains as he shows me. “Each color gets a row, so match the colors and put them together.”
“Okay, sounds easy enough,” I say, then grab a couple of pieces and get started.
Tyler puts the base down and then builds the middle vertical structure that holds the limbs. It takes some time, but we eventually assemble it. We take a step back and look at our masterpiece.
“Fluff the branches some,” Gemma instructs, and Everleigh agrees. The first batch of cookies comes out of the oven, making the house smell of sugar and cinnamon.
“How’s this?” I ask once we’ve fluffed them.
“Perfect!” Everleigh beams.
Tyler checks on the baby, and I move back to untangle more lights. The girls don’t realize how loud they’re being and that I can hear their conversation.