Remember This✔

Chapter Forty-Four

Christmas day finally arrives. Molly wakes up to Daisy yelling at her through her bedroom door. They had gotten back from Bakersfield yesterday afternoon and they spent the night watching movies and doing each other's hair. It was a surreal few days and Molly tried to have fun the best she could but there was something missing. She swapped numbers with Natalie and they messaged each other most of the journey back and most of last night. Without Natalie there she would have gone insane.

Molly stretches her arms and glances at her phone. She squints at the message, trying to adjust to the brightness.

Merry Christmas, beautiful. See you soon x

She smiles for a long time and then replies to Charlie. Her mind is craving coffee before anything else and after using the bathroom she walks downstairs with her bathrobe around her and ignores the excited squealing from the lounge.

Pam is in the kitchen, already making them coffees. She passes one to Molly with a smile. "You might have had snow in New York but does it have that noise?" She points to the doorway. "I think not. Best sound in the world isn't it?"

"I'll let you know after my coffee," Molly laughs.

"I think Santa might have been once, twice and ten times," she hears Daniel say as she walks back through. He's kneeling at the tree and the kids are being forced to wait patiently on the floor with their backs to the couch. Lily is just sitting quietly; she's not entirely woken up yet.

"Can we open them yet?" Daisy demands. "Please, please!"

"We're going to do this calmly," Pam says. "Let your dad give them out first."

Daniel divides the pile of presents into piles. Because of how huge Pam's family is the presents are never ending. A few are thrown towards Molly's feet and she bends down to place them beside her on the chair. Once everyone has acquired their gifts Pam says they can start opening them, slowly, one at a time.

Daisy almost hyperventilates and Henley is overwhelmed as his mouth opens at the pile in amazement. Molly opens the closest one to her, a small box signed from Gwen and she stares at the diamond earrings in shock. Pam leans over to get a better view and Molly swears she can hear her sigh. Most of the other presents are a mixture of bath sets, shower creams, perfumes, clothes—expensive clothes—and boxes of chocolate. Molly glances over to Lily and finds that her presents are almost identical. Lily picks up Molly's present, opens it, and her eyes widen as she holds the box of headphones in her hands.

"Thank you, Molly," Lily says. "I love them!"

"No problem," Molly says. "The guy at the store said they were dope."

"Dope as hell," Lily says excitedly.

More gifts are exchanged between the six of them. Pam thanks Molly for her perfume and Daniel is lost for words when he sets his eyes on his brand-new tool kit.

"You really do listen to everything," Daniel laughs to her.

Molly smiles and then she turns her attention to Daisy who is holding Molly's present in her arms and cradling it. It's not the only present Molly has gotten her but it's the one she clings to. She walks across the room slowly, stopping in front of Molly.

"It's your book, Molly," Daisy says quietly.

Molly winks at her. "I don't need it anymore. It's yours."

Daisy hugs her. "Thank you."

"Henley, you okay over there?" Pam says.

"It's a car building!" Henley yells. "It's big, Daisy, look. Wow."