The Merry Moose’s Mates (Male-Order Mates #16)

Chapter Eighteen

Austin

With Shay out in the shed making a gift for all of us, the Christmas spirit flooded me and made me remember the one person who had shown Alice and I such kindness when we were in dire straits. I was in the kitchen when Briar came in and found me. “Austin, you feeling okay?”

“What? Oh, yes. I was just thinking of Mrs. Connolly.” I had told both of them a bit about her and her kindness to us. “I was thinking I’d like to send her a little something for Christmas.” And it would have to be little since I had used most of my money to get us here. “Without her, I don’t know how I would have managed to work and earn enough to feed Alice.”

“I can’t stand the thought of that princess going without a single meal. Cooking for her is one of my favorite things, and I know Shay feels the same.”

“My ears were burning, so I came in to see what the two of you were talking about.” Our fluffy bear was standing just a few feet away. How had I not heard him arrive? It wasn’t like he tiptoed.

“Only that you like to cook for Alice,” I informed him. “And she loves your food.”

He preened. “She brings out the best in me except for those darned animal shapes. Did you need me to cook something?”

Briar shrugged. “We were also talking about the lady who used to babysit Alice and wondering if we could do something nice for her. Ideas welcome.”

“Well that’s easy enough. Does the lady in question like cookies?” Shay asked.

“In fact, she and Alice shared cookies and tea just about every time she was over.” I chuckled. “Although Alice’s ‘tea’ was mostly milk, a little sugar, and a quick dunk of a tea bag.”

“How about we make her some homemade cookies and, when I go into town, I pick up an assortment of nice teas to add to the package?” Shay suggested.

“And include a nice note telling her we will visit in the summer so she can see Alice?” Briar put in. “If you think she’d enjoy that.”

My eyes welled up at the idea. “She’d love every bit of it. Do you know how to make shortbread, Shay? That’s her favorite, I believe. Unless they are too much trouble.”

The bear shifter strode over to the refrigerator and pulled out a pound of butter. “Easiest cookie in the world, only take a few ingredients and we can dip some of them in melted chocolate partway.”

Alice was taking a nap, so we put off our project for an hour or so. Mrs. Connolly was her friend, and she’d been asking about her a lot, so she’d be heartbroken if she didn’t get to help bake her present. While we waited, we went in by the fire and snuggled a little because why miss an opportunity to feel one another’s arms around us? I grew increasingly more grateful every day I spent with Briar and Shay, that they wanted me in their lives. Alice…well, who wouldn’t want her? But I never considered myself to have even half her charm and certainly none of her beauty.

“Daddy, I’m awake,” she called from upstairs. “Can we play now?”

I stood and went up to get her dressed, since I’d put her down in warm jammies on such a cold day. As I pulled her red sweater, knitted by Mrs. Connolly over her head, I asked if she’d like to help us with Mrs. Connolly’s gift.

“Cookies?” Her eyes sparkled. “I want to help!” She bounced on her toes. “We have to send her a thousand million cookies.”

“Maybe not quite that many because we don’t have a big enough box, but I think we can do a few dozen.”

She tilted her head, considering. “Is that a lot?”

“It is.”

We went downstairs hand in hand and joined the others in the kitchen to create, under Shay’s tutelage, perfect shortbread. Alice took delight in measuring, stirring, patting it into the pan and helping to set the timer. She was very disappointed that there was not a single sprinkle in the house to decorate them with but agreed to the chocolate dipping as a lesser alternative.

The scent of warm butter and sugar filled the air, and we dunked the golden triangles into melted chocolate and set them on the cooling rack. Then we went back into the living room to sing Christmas carols and eat the extra dozen we’d baked for quality control.

I’d never experienced such joy from four people doing simple and fun tasks. In the past, Alice’s other father always tended to get stuck out of town for the holidays —one more red flag I didn’t recognize when I should have.

“Daddy, what’s that song with the kings in it?” Alice’s sweet voice drew me back to the conversation. “There are three, just like you.”

Yes, there were.

So we sang that song next.