𝙸𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛.
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He leans into her, his breath warm against her ear as he whispers, "I'm not the jealous type...
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28.
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Christmas day...
Nia Wells woke up at dawn, three hours before her father was expected to arrive. With the extra time, she quickly got ready for the day. She carefully chose a vibrant red crochet dress that had been given to her as a birthday gift.
Wanting to spread holiday cheer again, Nia sent heartfelt Merry Christmas messages to her students and colleagues via email.
After she made her way to the kitchen, where the aroma of freshly baked cookies wafted through the air, she couldn't resist indulging in a few treats accompanied by a refreshing glass of water. Contemplating whether to switch on the television for some entertainment, she ultimately decided against it, preferring to savor the tranquility of the early morning hours, but eventually her father did arrive with gifts in hand.
The father and daughter sat down to exchange gifts before heading out to visit the nursing home which was where they usually spent Christmas.
Nia's father had gifted her a few wooden carved birds, along with some paint brushes, paints, canvas, cash to buy clothes and two beautiful seashell necklaces paired with a bracelet.
"Thank you so much, Dad," Nia responded, her excitement evident, as she clipped the bracelet on her wrist.
Eventually, it was her father's turn to open his gifts.
She had gotten him a few shirts, sweaters, a new vinyl player, a watch, and lastly a album. He couldn't wait to open the album, and as he flipped through the pages, he pointed at a picture of baby Nia. "Look at you when you were a baby," he remarked with a smile. "And your mother, such a light in our life,"
Tears welled up in her eyes as her father continued to flip through the album, his own tears held back. Nia knew how much December had always been a difficult month for her father.
After they finished looking through the album, Nia's father had their driver pack the gifts and baked goodies into the vehicle.
Then they drove to the nursing home, where a nurse came out to help unload the car, carrying a tray of Nia's uniquely decorated cookies. And once everything was unloaded, Nia took a deep breath before stepping through the doors of the nursing home.
The familiar smell of cookies filled the air, bringing back memories of her mother.
"Here baby," her mother says passing her a spoon of the cake mix. "Mhm it tastes, just like chocolate," she murmurs, savoring the taste.
Elenore chuckles. "that's because it is darling,"
The 7-year-old, just smiled. "Mommy, I already know," she giggled. "The cookies will be ready soon, why don't you go enjoy some cartoons. I'll let you know when the timer rings," Nia pouted and inquired, "Can I put ice cream on the cookies?" Nia's mom hesitates. "Please,"
