Page 59 of You Found Me (The Meadow Springs #1)

Emmaline

Well, the Christmas fair hasn’t started off the best.

Mr. Williams, the elementary gym teacher, who was supposed to play Santa got the dates mixed up and is off on a holiday getaway out of town, leaving us without a Santa.

We’d already been assigned jobs, with Spencer manning the check-in table, and Callum, Piper, and Cori working tables in the back corners.

Meanwhile, I’ve been in charge of keeping visits to less than ten minutes so we can get everyone in.

Colette is stressing—rightfully so—and as luck would have it, Theo shows up and walks right over to where Mia and I are standing with Colette, trying to come up with potential Santa replacements. He looks between the three of us and the panic on our faces, before his gaze settles on Colette.

“What do you need, Starlight?”

There’s a collective sharp intake of breath from the two of us, while Colette stands eerily still. He used to call her that when we were younger but stopped after they broke up. She refused to answer him for months every time he called her that, which I think is why he quit.

Colette shakes her head—obviously warring with her jumbled emotions—before she looks up and meets his eyes. She’s definitely suppressing a major grin and there’s a wicked gleam in her eyes as she says, “You’re Santa. The outfit is in the office. Go change.”

And with that, she walks toward the front of the room, grabbing the microphone. “Everyone, can I have your attention for a few minutes?” she waits until it’s as quiet as it can be with the amount of kids in attendance.

“Santa’s Elf on the Shelf, Sparkles”––she points to me, and I wave excitedly at everyone––“just informed me that Santa will be here in ten minutes! ”

The squeals and cheers are almost deafening, so she waits for them to quiet down. “We will call each kiddo up based on the order in which they were put down on the list. Please enjoy our hot cocoa bar in the back left corner run by my dear snowman friend, Frostbite.”

Cori’s bored, I hate it here face transforms into one resembling her twin’s. Their wide smiles always force out their matching dimples, and she says hello to everyone.

Colette continues, “We also have Gingersnap and Clover, Santa’s newest artists and toy makers at the back right corner table, just waiting for you guys to visit them to make something magical.

” The kids start laughing, as Piper and Callum sing a very off-key Jingle Bells, causing even the adults to laugh at their antics.

“Two more things. A pizza lunch will be provided at noon. Paulie at Anatoli’s was kind enough to donate a large number of pizzas.

And parents, there are several fun stations for the kids to play and win prizes at.

If you need to step out for any reason, we have a handful of center employees who can help out—but you have to remain on the premises.

“Alrighty. Everyone remember: use nice hands and kind words. Have fun!”

***

Theo comes out a few minutes later, decked out in the Santa suit that’s clearly stuffed with multiple pillows, and the kids lose it .

Their shrieks of excitement are possibly the cutest sounds I’ve ever heard.

To almost everyone except Cori—who looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here at this moment.

She’s never shied away from the fact that she doesn’t want children, nor does she really like them.

However, she’ll do anything for the people she cares for—specifically her twin.

They’re very much the same in that aspect, but when it comes to kids, Colette wants half a dozen. She’s always said she wants a loud, chaotic house which is partly why I think she became a foster mom earlier this year. She’s just waiting for the moment she gets a call.

Other than when she’s with her family and our group of friends, she’s happiest around children. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. Colette is definitely our group “mom.” Which explains how she got all of us to agree to be a part of this event. But truly we would do anything for her.

Personally, I’ve always wanted at least two kids—being an only child was fine, but I was envious of the sibling relationships around me. When I first brought up kids to Chance, he told me he wanted what I did. However, as we were creeping towards marriage, his views on the subject changed.

A loud cry brings me out of my thoughts, and I look around, trying to find the source while also looking to see who could help.

I spot a little girl, who can’t be older than four with no adult in sight.

I can’t leave my spot as I’m about to take the photo of Santa and one of the kids once Theo gives me the signal.

Just as I catch Piper’s attention, the crying stops, forcing my gaze back to the little girl.

Spencer is sitting on the floor next to her, trying to calm her down. They’re too far away to hear what’s being said but she takes her face out of her hands to look at him.

“Sparkles!” Theo shouts, clearly having been calling out for me.

“Oh, sorry, Santa. I got distracted. Are we ready for our picture?”

“We sure are. This little boy is itching to win his baby sister a stuffed animal at the Jingle Bell Toss. ”

I smile at the sweet gesture. “Alright. Say Jingle Bells .” I snap the picture, telling his mom where to find the link to all of them once the day is over.

“Hey Em,” Theo calls out.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to run to the bathroom then grab some water and a small snack. I’ll be back in five.”

“No problem. I’ll wait until you’re back to call the next kiddo.” He nods and walks off, having to adjust his pillow belly as it’s started twisting to one side.

Giggling reaches my ears, loud and melodic, very obviously from a child—as well as a laugh I’ve come to love. I make my way over to Spencer, who’s still sitting on the floor with the small girl. “Well who do we have here?”

Spence looks up, smiling. “My new best friend, Sophie. Theo has been demoted.”

Sophie nods enthusiastically. “Our names start with S. Make him my bestest friend.”

Her speech impediment makes that whole thing that much cuter. “Hi, Sophie. I’m Sparkles.”

Her eyes grow wide, before she looks at Spencer. He smiles and whispers, “I told you.”

“What did you tell her?” I ask, confused.

“Oh, noth—”

“He said Sparkles was his girlfriend. And that she was the prettiest elf he’s ever known. He was right.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, Sophie. But I think maybe you and your bestie need glasses.”

“You’re so silly, Sparkles. Oh !” she exclaims, “Mr. Spencer, if you marry Sparkles, she could be my best friend too.”

He throws his head back laughing. “Soph, I think she’d be your friend without having to marry me.”

“Really?” she asks, looking at me.

“Of course. I’d love to be your best friend.”

She squeals. “Yay! If you get married, you could have a baby and then that baby would have to be my best friend. It has to be a girl ‘cause little boys are gross. One boy in my class always picks his nose and poots— on purpose . I don’t like it. ”

Through her speech, Spencer is looking directly at me, gauging my reaction to her words.

I’ve made sure to school my face because while I’m not freaking out, I am thinking about him being the father to my kids.

Seeing him with Sophie, how he hangs onto everything she’s saying and not once looking annoyed or like he wants to be anywhere else, has butterflies taking flight in my stomach. I want to tell him how I’m feeling.

“ Mommy! ” Sophie shouts, running off toward a woman who looks just like her. “I thought I lost you.”

“Soph, I told you I was going to the bathroom and to wait outside the door. You can’t run off.”

Her head drops. “Oh. I forgot. I’m sorry, Mommy. But my best friends stayed with me.”

The woman looks at us. “Thank you for sitting with her and I’m sorry if she caused any issues.”

“No problems or issues. She was quite the chatty Cathy once I got her to calm down.”

“And I came over to make sure everything was okay while Santa’s taking his cookie break.”

“Well thank you both again,” she looks down at Sophie. “You ready to go make some pretty crafts?”

“Yes, please. Bye-bye best friends,” Sophie waves, blowing us kisses.

We stand there watching Sophie excitedly talk to her mom as they walk toward the arts and crafts table. “So, you’re good with kids, huh?”

He chuckles as he stands up. “I am. Always have been. Maybe because they know I’m a huge kid myself.”

“You know, I can see it,” I tease.

“Hardy har,” he rolls his eyes, even as he fights a smile. “Kids are sweet, and I’ve always wanted a couple.”

I school my expression, attempting to keep my words even, “Oh yeah? You see kids in your future?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“Same. Definitely two because while being an only child was great, I’ve always wanted a built-in best friend.”

“Definitely a built-in best friend, but also potentially your biggest pain in the butt,” he laughs. “B and I fought constantly but once pre-teen years hit, we stopped and haven’t fought much since.”

“I can only imagine. I witnessed plenty of fights between Colette and Cori when we were growing up. Yet, I still wanted what they have. So, a minimum of two kids for me. Whether I’m able to have them myself or need to adopt.”

Spencer's eyes soften and he smiles. “Good to know we’re on the same page. Ya know, just in case you want a future with me.”

Before I can respond, Theo is calling me back over. “Let’s talk about that later, okay? And next time we get a break, meet me at the photo booth. We have to take some pictures in our outfits.”

He leans in, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “You got it, Buttercup.”