Todd Graham
July 16, 2020 9:25 PM
A Beautiful Bouncing Baby by Todd Graham
The holidays were one of Todd's favorite times of year, especially since the newest chapter of his life had begun. This was his third Christmas with Charity, and little Michaela Evelyn's third Christmas as well. The two-year-old was picking up more and more of a personality everyday and part of that included adoring her big brothers. Three kids under ten years old was a lot to handle but he and Charity made a good team when they were playing together and Christmas was a better time than most to bring them all together.Three little stockings were hung with care on the mantle for the children, and a small fourth one for the Todd and Charity to share. Cookies and milk were laid out for Santa. Charity was already asleep, dozing peacefully on the couch beside Todd, who was still up for a bit. He was a night owl most often and TV at this time of night was almost hilariously bad, enough so to be a pretty decent guilty pleasure. When his show ended, he nudged Charity gently and encouraged her to head to bed, promising to be there himself in just a few minutes. She mumbled something that sounded like 'don't forget I love you, Santa' and obliged. With bleary eyes, she stumbled to the bedroom. Todd watched her go with a warm smile, feeling more in love than he'd been before. For all the woman's flaws and baggage - such as a sad face she tried not to let show - she was a good partner. She would, he hoped, make a good wife.
Missing the child she'd had from a previous marriage had been hard on the two of them but they'd worked through it, with only a few sad days here and there, which Todd accepted and even expected. A mother without her oldest, especially when he was so little, was going to be sad sometimes. He only wished there was anything he could do to help. As it was, the only thing he could offer her was himself, and a small wrapped box in their joint stocking, he hoped, be a big part of that.
Pushing himself to his feet, Todd couldn't help digging into the stocking to check that little box one more time. Everything else was set and ready for the morning - "Santa" had come by already - and he wanted to make sure that this was perfect too. Satisfied that the glittering diamond ring was the best he could do, and that his best was pretty good in this case, he snapped the box shut and replaced it before quietly making his way to the kids' rooms. Casey and Brian shared a room and were sleeping soundly when Todd peeked inside. He smiled to himself and closed the door before opening Michaela's. To his surprise, the little girl was wide awake, playing quietly with her dolls. To his greater surprise, when she turned at the sound of his entrance and smiled at him, so did the doll.
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