Elodie's POV
Beside me, Beckett and Callie busy themselves with decorating the tree, my daughter ordering the older man around like a mini sargeant major, which he takes in his stride. I work a little to the side, busying myself with the popcorn string, threading kernels carefully onto a length of twine, watching the two of them work together out of the corner of my eye. There's something devastatingly easy about it, watching him kneel in the sun beside our daughter, letting her direct him with complete authority, never once losing patience despite how particular she's being about placement.
'Mummy, look!' Callie calls, and I set the popcorn string aside to properly admire the tree's progress, lights twinkling steadily through the branches, baubles clustered in cheerful, slightly chaotic
