Hating You Was My Full Time Job

CHAPTER 14: CHRISTMAS WITH THE BLACKWOODS

*December 2028 - Grace is 16 Months. James is 4 Years.*

Adrian Blackwood used to hate Christmas.

"Commercial," he called it.

"Stressful," he said.

"Pointless," he told his assistant every December.

Then he had kids.

Then he had me.

Then he had a family that believed in magic.

This year, he let me turn the penthouse into Santa's workshop.

This year, he let himself believe again.

This year, Christmas wasn't about the gifts under the tree.

It was about the people around it.

*DECEMBER 1ST - THE DECORATIONS GO UP*

I woke up at 6 AM with a plan and 4 boxes from storage.

By 9 AM:

9-foot tree in the living room.

Garland on the stairs.

Lights in every window.

Wreath on the door.

Stockings on the fireplace. J and G.

Adrian came home at 7 PM and stopped dead in the doorway.

The penthouse looked like a department store exploded.

"Wow," he said.

James ran to him. "DADA! LOOK! Santa's coming! The tree is HUGE!"

Grace pointed. "Wights! Wights!"

Adrian looked at me. "You did all this?"

"We did," I said. "James helped with the ornaments. Grace helped by eating them."

Adrian laughed. The real laugh.

"It's perfect, babe."

He picked up Grace. "Do you like it, princess?"

Grace nodded and grabbed a light. Adrian didn't stop her.

*DECEMBER 5TH - LETTERS TO SANTA*

Kitchen table. Crayons. Paper. Hot chocolate.

James was serious about this. Tongue out. Concentrating.

"Dear Santa," he read out loud.

"I want a dinosaur.

And a bike.

And for Grace to stop taking my toys.

Love, James"

Adrian, watching from the doorway: "You told on your sister, buddy."

"She deserves it," James said with full confidence.

Grace "wrote" her letter. Scribbles. Then she ate the crayon.

Adrian took the crayon away. "Not food, princess."

Grace: "Baba. Cookie?"

We put both letters on the fridge. Right next to Adrian's board meeting notes.

*DECEMBER 10TH - PICKING THE TREE*

We went to the lot. All four of us.

Adrian in a $5000 coat. Me in 3 layers. James in a dinosaur jacket. Grace in a snowsuit that made her look like a marshmallow.

"THAT ONE!" James yelled, pointing at the biggest tree.

Adrian: "Buddy, that's 12 feet."

James: "PERFECT!"

We compromised on 9 feet.

Decorating took 3 hours.

James did the bottom half. All dinosaurs and cars.

Adrian did the top half. All gold and silver.

I did the middle. All matching.

Grace's job was to hand us ornaments. She handed Adrian 4 and kept 12.

At the end, Adrian plugged it in. The whole room lit up.

James: "WHOA!"

Grace: _clapping_

Me: _crying a little_

Adrian: _arm around me_ "It's beautiful."

*DECEMBER 15TH - GRANDMA ARRIVES*

Adrian's mom came with 4 suitcases. All gifts.

"For my grandchildren," she said.

She stayed in the guest room. And cooked every single day.

First night: roast. Second night: pasta. Third night: she taught me her cookie recipe.

"Adrian never let anyone in before you," she told me while we rolled dough.

"I'm glad it was you."

*DECEMBER 20TH - THE SCHOOL PLAY*

James was a reindeer. He had antlers. And a red nose.

He forgot every single line.

Instead, he danced. The whole time.

Adrian filmed it. On his phone. On a professional camera his assistant brought.

Grace sat on my lap and clapped. "Mama! Brother! Dance!"

After, James ran to Adrian. "Did you see me, Dada? I was the BEST reindeer!"

Adrian picked him up. "You were the best everything, buddy."

*DECEMBER 23RD - BAKING DAY*

Kitchen disaster. Beautiful disaster.

Flour on the floor. Dough on the ceiling. Cookie cutters everywhere.

James made a dinosaur-shaped cookie.

Grace ate the raw dough.

Adrian tried to help and made it worse.

His mom just laughed and cleaned.

We made 8 dozen cookies. Ate 3 dozen. Gave 2 dozen to neighbors. Left 3 dozen for Santa.

*DECEMBER 24TH - CHRISTMAS EVE*

Traditions.

1. Matching pajamas. Red for everyone.

2. Hot chocolate with marshmallows.

3. Reading "The Night Before Christmas"

4. Leaving cookies and milk for Santa

5. Leaving carrots for the reindeer

Adrian read the book. James interrupted every 2 seconds.

"Is Santa here yet?" "Are the reindeer hungry?" "Can I open one present?"

Grace fell asleep halfway through. On Adrian's chest.

After the kids were in bed, Adrian and I wrapped presents until midnight.

"Did we go overboard?" I asked, looking at 40 gifts under the tree.

Adrian looked at me. "Probably." "Do you regret it?" "Never."

He kissed me. "Merry Christmas, wife."

*DECEMBER 25TH - 5:47 AM*

"SANTA CAME! SANTA CAME!"

James was jumping on our bed. Grace was crawling. Fast.

Adrian and I stumbled out.

The living room was insane. Presents everywhere. Bike. Dollhouse. Blocks. Books. Clothes. Toys.

James saw the bike and screamed. Grace saw the doll and clapped.

Adrian sat on the floor. "Open them, guys."

For 2 hours we opened gifts. Paper flying. Tape stuck to everything. Adrian taking pictures. Me crying.

*DECEMBER 25TH - 10:00 AM - BREAKFAST*

Pancakes. Adrian made them. In the shape of a Christmas tree. He burned one.

His mom made eggs. I made fruit.

We ate in our pajamas. Around the tree.

James: "Best Christmas ever!"

Grace: "Cookie!"

*DECEMBER 25TH - 1:00 PM - FAMILY LUNCH*

30 people in our penthouse.

Lily. My sister. Adrian's cousins. Board members.

Adrian cooked the turkey. It was dry. No one cared.

We played games. James won at Uno. Cheated. We let him.

Grace fell asleep on Adrian's shoulder in the middle of dessert.

Adrian didn't move for an hour.

*DECEMBER 25TH - 5:00 PM - ADULT GIFTS*

After everyone left.

Adrian gave me a box. Small. Blue.

Inside: A necklace. Gold. With a tiny diamond.

"For my wife," he said. "At Christmas. In front of everyone."

I cried.

I gave him a watch. "For my husband."

He pulled me into a hug. "Merry Christmas, [Your Name]. Thank you for this."

*DECEMBER 25TH - 9:00 PM*

House quiet. Kids asleep. Sugar crash for all of us.

Adrian and I sat by the tree. Lights only.

"Best Christmas ever," Adrian said.

"Best one," I agreed.

*DECEMBER 26TH - BOXING DAY*

We didn't leave the house.

Played with the bike. Played with the doll. Played with the dinosaurs.

Adrian took the week off. "No emails," he said. "No calls." "Just family."

*THE WEEK BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR*

We did nothing. And everything.

Board games. Movies. Naps. More food.

Adrian taught James to ride the bike. With training wheels. In the hallway.

I taught Grace to say "mama" again. She said it 47 times.

*DECEMBER 31ST - NEW YEAR'S EVE*

Kids in bed by 9. Adrian and I on the balcony.

Fireworks over the city. Champagne.

"To 2028," Adrian said. "The year I got a family."

"To 2029," I said. "The year we keep it."

At midnight we kissed.

And James yelled from his room: "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

*JANUARY 1ST - RESOLUTIONS*

Adrian: "More time with you three."

Me: "More memories like this week."

James: "More cake."

Grace: "More baba."

*THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS CHRISTMAS:*

It wasn't perfect.

The turkey was dry.

James fought with Grace over a toy.

Adrian worked for 2 hours on the 26th.

I cried when I was tired.

But it was real.

It was us.

*ADRIAN AT WORK IN JANUARY:*

"How was Christmas, sir?"

"The best," Adrian said. "Because of them."

*ME TODAY:*

The tree is still up. We can't take it down yet.

It feels like if we do, the magic ends.

*JAMES TODAY:*

"Can we do Christmas again tomorrow?"

"Not for 364 days, buddy."

"That's forever."

*GRACE TODAY:*

She points at the lights. "Wights!"

And then at Adrian. "Baba!"

*ADRIAN LAST NIGHT:*

He was taking the ornaments off the tree. Slowly. One by one.

"Don't wanna forget," he said.

*ME LAST NIGHT:*

I helped him pack them. Each one had a memory.

The dinosaur ornament: James.

The star: Grace's first Christmas.

The plain ball: Adrian and me, the year everything changed.

*TODAY:*

Life is normal again. But warmer.

Because we know what it feels like to have a home full of people who love you.

*ADRIAN TO ME THIS MORNING:*

He kissed me while James ate cereal and Grace banged her spoon.

"Thank you," he said. "For making Christmas feel like home."

"Thank you," I said. "For letting us."

*LAST THOUGHT:*

Adrian used to hate Christmas.

Now he loves it.

Because now Christmas has James' laugh.

Has Grace's light-up eyes.

Has me.

It has us.

The Blackwoods.

Merry Christmas.

And a Happy New Year.

*END OF CHAPTER 14*