But he didn’t need to answer since Hailey was already offering her one from another rack.
This moment was everything he’d ever wanted as a kid.Once, he’d asked his nanny to bake gingerbread cookies with him. He’d asked Jaime’s mom for a list of everything he needed—the ingredients, the cookie cutters, everything. His nanny had done it, of course. But baking cookies with someone who was paid to hang out with him took away a lot of the fun, so he’d never done it again.
Where Paisley savored every bite, Evvie gobbled hers, getting crumbs on her hands, mouth, and chin. They were both so damn adorable.
“Good?” he asked.
Paisley nodded.
“Yummy.” Evvie ran at him so hard, she crashed into his knee. The pain wasn’t too bad, though—good sign—and it all but disappeared when she offered him a “Sanna cookie.”
“Thanks, sweet pea.” He wolfed it down and then swiveled to face Paisley. “You made these?”
She nodded with pride. She had flecks of batter on her long-sleeved T-shirt and chocolate smears around her mouth.
“Good job.” He high-fived her, then brought the mixer bowl, beaters, and scraper to the sink. “You get a lot of work done?” he asked Hailey.
“So much. Thank you for that. What did you guys do?”
“We—”
“Got books, Lalee. Lots of books.” Evvie picked one up and thrust it at Hailey. “Wead.”
“I can’t wait to read this one,” Hailey said. “We’ll do it tonight, okay?”
“Evvie said you took her shopping for presents,” Paisley said. “I want to get presents for Mommy and Daddy.”
His heart stopped beating, his blood stopped pumping, and everything in him ground to a halt. Except her words that banged around inside him like marbles in a tin can.
Thankfully, Hailey covered for him. “We can do that.” She said it easily, and he was damn grateful for that. “Absolutely. What did you have in mind?”
“Mommy always gets her perfume, and Daddy needs new slippers.”
“That’s very sweet of you,” Hailey said. “I’ll bet they would’ve loved that.”
Okay, so, he guessed they were doing this. Unsure of how to word it, since Paisley was talking present tense, and Hailey was in the past, he kept it simple. “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, so you don’t have school. We can go right when the stores open.”
But instead of being happy about it, Paisley looked worried.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Hailey brushed the hair off the little girl’s shoulder.
“How will we get the presents to them?” She looked at Cole. “If they’re in heaven, how will they get them?”
She was so much sharper than he expected of a six-year-old, but he was relieved they were dealing with reality. “We can’t. We can’t get presents to heaven. So, instead of perfume and slippers, why don’t we get them stockings and fill them with memories.”
“Memories?” Paisley seemed confused.
“Yeah. Tonight, we can make a fire and some popcorn and hot cocoa, and you and Evvie can tell us everything you remember about your parents. Stories from how they put you to bed or funny things they did or places they liked to take you. We’ll write them all down and put them in a stocking.”
“Oh, I love that.” Hailey’s eyes shone with admiration and affection. “That’s such a great idea.” She touched the top of Paisley’s head. “We’ll hang that stocking every year, and you guys can hold onto those memories forever.”
“But I want to get them presents. Mommy always gets her perfume.”
Stumped, Cole turned to Hailey, who didn’t hesitate. “Okay, how about we buy them and then drop them off at the homeless shelter? I think your daddy would be happy to know that someone who needs slippers is wearing them. Do you like that idea?”
But before Paisley could answer, they heard bells jingling and a deep-throated, “Ho ho ho” from out front.
Both girls looked up at him, wide-eyed, practically vibrating in anticipation. Paisley whispered an awed, "Santa?"