Merry Christmas from The Scotts

Chapter 1 (Tessa)

I'm rushing around the house, searching through the mess of Christmas decorations scattered everywhere, eagerly trying to find what I'm looking for.

"Mom! Where is my elf hat?" Emery yells from her bedroom.

"Did you check the mess also known as your floor?" I yell back.

"Found it!"

"Mama! Look! I'm a snowflake!" Auden shouts as he twirls around the living room.

"Hmm... Where is that...?" I whisper to myself as I continue to search under the random piles of Christmas decorations scattered around the house.

"Mama! Look!"

I finally find the case of sparkly face paint I'm looking for under a few strands of Christmas garland lying in a pile on the table. "Ah! Found it!"

"Mama, are you looking?" Auden asks cheerfully as he continues to twirl around the living room.

"I see you, baby. I see you. Now come here so I can paint your face."

"Wheeeeee!" He giggles as he twirls toward me.

"Are you excited for your Christmas pageant tonight?"

He nods excitedly. "Where is Dada?"

"He's not coming," Emery says flatly as she enters the room.

"No Dada?" Auden asks sadly and a frown begins to take over his face.

"Emery, why do you have to upset your brother?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?"

"No Dada?" Auden repeats.

As I try to paint Auden's chubby little cheeks, I try my best to explain things to him. "No, baby. Dada isn't coming tonight."

Auden pouts. "Why?"

"Auden, please stop moving. I'm trying to draw a snowflake."

"Where's Dada?"

Emery rolls her eyes. "He's in New York. And we're stuck in Washington. He's all the way on the other side of the country. That's almost 3,000 miles away."

"Why is Dada in New York?"

"Because he doesn't love us anymore," Emery says with a shrug.

"Dada doesn't love me?"

I immediately turn and angrily glare at Emery. "That's enough! Stop causing trouble for no reason."

Emery shrugs. "I think if he loved us, he'd be here celebrating Christmas with us, instead of in New York."

Auden begins to cry.

"Thank you very much, Emery. Go finish getting ready for tonight. And stop upsetting Auden."

"But, Mom..."

"Go!"

"I miss Dada," Auden cries.

I kneel in front of him and gently wipe away his tears. "I miss Dada, too."

"Why doesn't he love us anymore?"

"He does love us."

"He's not here."

"It's complicated, baby." I sigh. "Dada loves you and your sister more than anything in the world."

"Does he love you, Mama?"

I pause before answering, trying my hardest to hold back my own tears. "Of course Dada loves me."

"I miss him."