Life without You...

Part 8 - Christmas Eve

Letty's POV

On Christmas Eve night Mia and I went to bed quite early. Under the tree was ridiculously bare at the moment but I planned the sneak down later and leave the presents like her Father used to do when we were small and believed in Santa.

At one that morning I got up and carefully balanced all of my wrapped presents for Mia and placed them beneath the tree. Hopefully that would make her smile. As much as she hadn't told me I knew she had been dreading her first Christmas without her Father and Dom but I wanted to show her we could manage, with money to spare. I hid the makeup box at the back and placed the bigger stuff towards the front along with the smaller things.

We rose the next morning round ten, as per our agreement we'd rest for Christmas. Mia emerged bleary eyed and tired looking at ten. She was dressed but she looked like she hadn't slept a wink in weeks. I knew I didn't look too good either because I'd also been dreading spending this day without her Father, a man who had adored Christmas as the best time to spend with family and friends. It was a time he'd always embraced me in as well. I wasn't a Christmas person as my mother had always struggled to make it magical as it reminded her of the loss of my Father so we didn't celebrate much but Mr Toretto had a knack for making it special even as we outgrew Santa and toys. He made sure there was always something beneath the tree for all of us.

I made tea in the kitchen and carried the mugs into the living room where we'd agreed to open our few presents together. I'd gotten things from clients who I'd clicked with and Mia got a few bits from the girls at school. We tore into our presents. The two clients who had bought me stuff had bought me biscuits and Mitchell had given me a hundred dollars in a card. I was glad to see the money. Mia had gotten perfume and a top from her school friends. I'd gotten her a decoy present just a box of chocolates to see if she'd be disappointed or not.

"Thanks Letty, I appreciate it!"

"No problem Mia!"

I sat back and drank my tea. "I saw stuff under the tree Mi, go get it. I forgot to put some of it in here last night."

"Letty, there was no more."

I shrugged and she frowned as she got up to check. I could tell I'd managed to confuse her.

I could hear squeals of excitement from the hall as she saw the few presents I'd gotten her. It took her two trips of careful carrying to bring them into the living room to open. She looked so happy. Her eyes glittered as she looked at all the presents. From my seat I could see that the makeup one was going to be her first choice.

"Open the big ones first," I told her. I wanted the makeup to be last because my picking had either been really good or bad.

Mia opened the dress, the shoes, the hair stuff, the bath products and finally the makeup. She spread the makeup out before her and she looked amazed. She grinned and looked at each thing and I realised I had forgotten a lipstick but she didn't seem to notice.

"Letty, this amazing! You've spent far too much money on me! Thank you so much!" Her ecstatic grin and now excitement flushed cheeks gave away her joy at this and I felt a smile spread across my own face. I was buzzing for her.

"You deserved a nice Christmas, you work hard!"

"You work harder. Are you sure we can afford this?"

"I wouldn't have done it if it was going to put me under stress," I told her, trying to dismiss her fears, "Besides I used some of the money from the Cobra."

"Is there enough left?"

"I've still six large upstairs. Plenty. Don't worry Mi."

I used about five hundred out of it every month and it now seemed stupid that four hundred was spread across the floor but seeing her face made spending that money seem right. It had been the good thing to do. Stupid Letty, what are you going to do when that money runs out? I shook away the nagging voices inside my head. I'd just work harder. Maybe I could race for a bit. But betting money was risky and throwing down slips even riskier.