The shimmering splendor of lights displayed against the icy window and pristine mantelpiece were nothing compared to the tree propped beautifully in the corner of the room. The bright lights illuminated throughout the dark house, giving the ornaments neatly decorated and hanging off of the small branches of the tree a naturally soothing glow that sent a warm sheen of comfort across Meghan's body. She leaned back against her rocking chair, never having felt so tired and ready for the Christmas holiday to be over – even if it hadn't started yet.

The shuffling of her two children could be heard down the small hallway as they, too, struggled to conquer the alertness that had awoken them. Unfortunately, the house was awake with tension. Not one person slept, and the reason they were deprived of this was because the arrival of Meghan's ex-husband would be upon them shortly. After being deployed for a year in the military, the days had been counted down right up to the circled date on their calendar indicating his homecoming.

Meghan closed her eyes briefly to see if she could hear any trace of life outside the house. A car door, talking, anything to tell her that Gordon had made it home safe and sound.

The sound emanating from the childrens room did not quiet down so Meghan released a soft breath of air and moved to get up. She hoisted herself up from the chair to make her short trek down to the restlessness occurring from the room just steps away from the kitchen. The floorboards creaked gently beneath her feet, reminding her of just how old the house was and how they were saving to get a new one.

"I can hear you two," she warned softly, pressing her lips to the cracks in the door. "Quiet down."

"We can't!" her ten-year-old daughter, Carly, called to the door, a small giggle following her words. "Dad will be here soon! We don't want to miss it."

Meghan smiled and shook her head, adoration for her children warming her heart as she pushed the door open. Carly lied in her bed on the right side of the room, her purple blanket tucked around her body to help fight off the cold. Her brown eyes squinted once the light met them, her face turning away slightly to endure the sting the light flooded into her pupils.

On the left side of the room, her fourteen-year-old son, Ryder, lied sprawled in his bed, the blanket strewn on the floor as his head tilted over the edge of the mattress lazily. He squinted in Meghan's direction but his eyes adjusted quickly, and soon, he was sitting up and settling down against his pillow, his eyes and attention fully trained on her.

Meghan moved into the room, allowing the door to glide halfway shut as she sat on the edge of Carly's bed. Her daughter sat up and scooted toward her to snuggle and dangle her legs over the side.

"I know it is exciting that your father is actually going to be here for Christmas and will arrive any minute now, but you two should go to bed. You'll see him tomorrow and it is already one in the morning," Meghan told her children gently, hugging Carly tightly.

"I promise we won't be tired!" Carly begged, bouncing slightly. "We really want to see Dad!"

"Speak for yourself," Ryder mumbled, rolling to face the wall. Meghan glanced at his messy black hair, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Well, if you don't want to see him, then why are you still awake?" Meghan asked.

"Because Carly won't settle down," he answered angrily.

Carly bit her lip and bowed her head toward her knees. Ever since Meghan and Gordon divorced two years ago before he was deployed, Ryder had had an awful grudge against the man. For the whole time-being of his father's presence, he had shunned Gordon away.

The divorce ended on good terms, and Meghan and Gordon were still good friends with not much awkwardness between them to be solved. At least, that was what Meghan hoped.
Gordon would be spending Christmas with them before leaving to find a home in the state over -- Idaho. Even with two years of separation, the man had not completely disappeared yet. He still acted like a father to the children, and more of a friend toward Meghan.

"Tell you what," Meghan said, squeezing Carly's hand. "You can stay up until he gets here. But, this means you go to bed an hour earlier tomorrow. Erh, I mean today."

Ryder shook his head and yanked his blanket over his face as the snow outside fell softly, brushing against the window. Carly, oblivious to her older brother's reaction, began squealing. She jumped out of her bed and raced out the door to wait without needing any further explanation or deals. Meghan smiled to herself and stood up, rubbing her stiff fingers to keep them warm.

Ryder shifted slightly and closed his eyes. It was obvious that he did not want to greet his father. Meghan leaned down and kissed his head, despite the small complaints, before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

Carly was already seated patiently on the couch, her sharp face pointed earnestly at the window. She had always been the daddy's girl, with no second glances at her mother when Dad was around. Luckily for Meghan, Carly had also grown a special love for her and liked to spend considerate amounts of time convincing Meghan not to leave the house without her. It warmed her heart to know that her daughter hated being separated from her, but it had also proven difficult in the past when Meghan had no choice but to go on some trips alone.

She moved to sit back in her chair, immediately being hit with exhaustion as her body relaxed against the cushioned seat. Carly hardly noticed her small sigh of relief as she waited for any sign of her father's return. With one child out there and the other fighting for sleep, the house was silent. Only the faint crackle of the dying embers in the old fireplace could be heard as the last remains of any flame dimmed down to a dull glow.

"Do you think I will look older to him?" Carly asked curiously, her light voice shattering the silence.

"Of course," Meghan said, eyebrows furrowing. "You grow every day."

"But do you think Dad will notice?"

"Absolutely, sweetie."

She leaned back, satisfied with the answer. Her red curls quivered as she fidgeted nervously. And when a yawn began to stretch on her face, she couldn't hide it in time. Meghan noticed and gave her a knowing look that was returned with a short giggle as the child grinned cheekily at her fatigue being exposed.

"If he doesn't get here soon, you ought to get to bed anyway," Meghan laughed. The chair squeaked as she leaned forward slightly. "I don't want you falling asleep for your last day of school."

She shrugged in response. "I wouldn't mind sleeping through it."

"Carly."

"Just kidding!"

Meghan shook her head but couldn't help a smile from slipping onto her face. She remembered when she had to attend school. Sometimes she would hope to get sick just so she would be allowed to remain at home.

As she began to close her eyes, a faint noise spurred her to sit up. She sat up straight with a nervous glance at her daughter who had jumped off of the couch to peek through the window and identify if the car would be pulling into their parking lot. Meghan stood up and joined her daughter at the window, her palm pressing into the cold glass as she strained to see clearly through the snowfall.

Two headlights of a car came into view, and as the car turned onto their driveway, Carly released an excited gasp. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened tremendously as she races toward the door to wrench it open -- not even caring about the cold and the fact that her coat was still hanging on the wall.

Meghan's heart thumped anxiously as she also made her way to the doorway, the cold wind whipping her hair around as some snow drifted into their humble home. Carly had sprinted down the driveway to the car where a man was slipping out, uniform on and a large bag in his hand.

"Dad!" Carly screamed, throwing herself into his arms. Gordon laughed loudly and immediately embraced her back, holding her tightly against him as the snow began to lightly coat their hair.

About to call out to them, the words faltered in Meghan's throat when her eyes found somebody lurking about across the road. They stopped behind a neighbor's bushes, turned in their direction. She shook off the uneasy feeling. It was just a neighbor watching the reunion.

"Come inside!" Meghan told them, her words mostly directed at Carly, who was already shivering due to her lack of layers. Meghan ignored the small somersaults her stomach was doing. "Don't just stand out here in the cold."

Carly remained clung to her father as they entered the house. Meghan glanced back across the road at the unmoving figure before closing and locking the door behind them. She then gestured for Gordon to have a seat by the fire as she knelt down to try and coax the embers to come alive for just a little longer. Gordon approached the fire and sat on the floor, reaching out to give Meghan a warm hug. She returned it happily before busying herself with the fire again.

Her ex-husband's weary face turned to the small fire coming alive as Carly positioned herself on his lap, tears streaming down her cheeks but a smile plastered onto her excited face. Gordon was smiling too, a slight stubble prominent on his jaw.

"There isn't a lot of talking going on," Meghan joked, settling down beside him and her daughter.

He grinned. "Well, it is very early in the morning. You're all tired, I expect. Where is Ryder?"

"He didn't want-" Carly began.

Meghan hastily interrupted her. "He wanted to go to bed. He will see you in the morning. In fact, we should all go to bed now."

"What? But he just got here!" Carly complained. She turned to look up at Gordon. "Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

He laughed and ruffled her messy curls. "Sure, ladybug."

"But that means you actually go to sleep," Meghan warned, chuckling. When Carly was too excited about something, she had a habit of losing sleep over it. And not just losing sleep, but talking about it all through the night. Usually Ryder was on the end of the receiving line to her limitless excitement.

Carly sighed loudly and stood up. "Fine."

"You don't have to go just yet; I just revived the fire."

Her daughter smiled and sat back down, tucking herself against Gordon. He wrapped an arm around her, still smiling, and turned his eyes to Meghan. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before she stood up to close the window curtains. Her stomach was still doing somersaults; whether of happiness or dread, she didn't know.

As she began pulling the curtains shut, she paused. The person who had been across the street was now on the sidewalk by their driveway. They stood motionless, turned toward the window. Meghan swallowed, her stomach twisting in slight panic. She managed to close the curtains and then went to make sure the door was securely locked.

Whoever it is will be gone in the morning, she reassured herself. Meanwhile, let's just try to survive Christmas.

❄️⛄️❄️

So, how was chapter one? Any feedback? Don't be a silent reader! :)

Since this is the second draft, there have been some slight tweaks to this first chapter. Originally, there was no figure out in the streets, but readers had suggested adding something intriguing to the first chapter, so...did it work? ;)