Once I pull into the driveway, I park, then walk inside. The house smells amazing, and I immediately follow the scent into the kitchen where Maddie and Sophie are baking. Christmas carols are playing from one of their phones, and they’re grinning ear to ear. Just because I’m a scrooge doesn’t mean I want to ruin their time, so I put on a happy face to appease them.
“Whatcha up to?” I ask, snatching a sugar cookie from the cooling rack. It’s still warm when I take a bite.
“It’s Hallmark movie night!” Maddie cheerfully says. “And don’t you dare steal another cookie.”
I reach for another one, and she swats me away while Sophie scolds me. “I told Mason he couldn’t have one, and neither can you. The only way to get any of these cookies is to watch a movie with us. It was a hard no from him.”
