Beckett’s POV
Elodie tugs her hand from mine sharply, turning on her heel and hurrying toward Callie as I trail behind her. We reach our daughter who's already bouncing with excitement at the sight of the popcorn and tinsel, and something in my chest settles slightly at the prospect of an entire morning spent simply working alongside them, however complicated the underlying tension between Elodie and me remains.
'Ready?' I ask, offering what I hope is an easy, unthreatening smile.
'Ready,' Elodie says, though something guarded lingers behind her own expression, quickly masked as Callie tugs insistently at both our hands.
'Can we do the star first?' Callie asks. 'I want to put the star on top.'
'We'll need to get the lights on first,' Elodie says gently. 'Then decorations, then the sta
