Christmas with her Godfather
Shay’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by twinkling lights, shiny wrapping paper, and an enormous Christmas tree that looked like it belonged in a castle. Her tiny hands clutched a stuffed reindeer almost as big as she was, but even that wasn’t enough to distract her from the mountain of presents stacked under the tree.
“ANDY NUGGET!” Shay squealed, spinning around as fast as her tiny feet could carry her. “LOOK AT ALL THE PRESENTS! ARE THEY ALL FOR ME?!”
Andy, who was balancing a cup of coffee in one hand and wiping tinsel out of his hair with the other, gave her a teasing grin. “All for you? What, you think Santa just skipped everyone else in the world and only came to your house?”
“YES!” Shay said without hesitation, bouncing on her toes and pointing at the biggest box in the corner. “Is that one mine too? It’s HUGE, Andy! It’s bigger than meeeee!”
“It might be,” Andy said, crouching down next to her and tapping his chin like he was deep in thought. “But I don’t know… you think you’re big enough to handle a present that big? It might be too much for you, Nugget.”
Shay gasped, looking scandalized. “I’M BIG! I’M SO BIG, ANDY!” she insisted, letting go of her reindeer and stretching her arms up as high as they could go. “See?! I’m thiiiiiis big!”
“Oh wow, I didn’t realize I had such a giant Nugget on my hands,” Andy teased, pretending to inspect her height. “Alright, alright, you convinced me. But you have to close your eyes first.”
“Why?!” Shay demanded, already suspicious.
“Because that’s the Christmas Present Rule. No peeking until I say so.”
Reluctantly, Shay scrunched her eyes shut, rocking back and forth on her heels as Andy slipped behind the tree. She could hear rustling, maybe even some jingling bells, and then—THUD.
“ANDY?!” she yelled, her eyes still squeezed shut. “Was that the present? Did it fall? Did it break?!”
“Relax, Nugget. It’s not broken,” Andy said with a laugh. “Okay, open your eyes.”
Shay popped her eyes open—and immediately SCREAMED.
“A PUPPYYYYYYY!”
In front of her, sitting in a red-and-green striped dog bed with a big bow tied around its collar, was the fluffiest golden retriever puppy she’d ever seen. The puppy wagged its tail so hard its whole body wiggled, and Shay clapped her hands over her mouth as if she might explode.
“IS THIS MINE?!”
“Merry Christmas, Nugget,” Andy said with a grin, barely getting the words out before Shay launched herself at him, tackling him into a hug.
“BEST! PRESENT! EVER!” she shouted, her voice muffled against his chest. “I LOVE HIM AND I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE CHRISTMAS!”
“You didn’t even name him yet,” Andy teased, scooping her up and carrying her closer to the puppy. “What are you gonna call him?”
Shay tilted her head, staring at the puppy like she was already best friends with it. “Hmmmm…” She tapped her chin like she’d seen Andy do earlier. “Rockstar!”
“Rockstar, huh? That’s a pretty good name.” Andy laughed, setting her down next to the puppy and ruffling her hair. “You better take good care of him, Queen Nugget. Puppies are a big responsibility.”
Shay nodded so fast her curls bounced. “I’ll take care of him forever and ever and ever and ever—”
“And ever?” Andy teased.
“YES!” Shay said firmly, before flopping onto the floor and letting the puppy climb all over her, licking her face until she burst into more giggles.
Later That Night
The living room was still a mess—wrapping paper everywhere, Shay’s stuffed reindeer forgotten under the tree, and Rockstar curled up on Andy’s lap, snoring softly. Shay, however, was half-asleep in Andy’s arms, clutching the puppy’s paw like it was a teddy bear.
“Andy Nugget?” she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, Nugget?”
“This is the best Christmas ever.”
Andy smiled, brushing her curls away from her face and tucking the blanket tighter around her. “Yeah, it is.”
Shay’s eyes started to close, her tiny hand still holding onto the puppy’s paw. “Love you, Andy.”
“Love you too, Nugget. Merry Christmas.”
And just like that, she drifted off to sleep—her puppy, her godfather, and the best Christmas present ever all right there with her.