Thanks to you all!

Chapter 19: A Christmas Miracle

December 18, Saturday

Forks, Washington

Jasper

"Legos?"

Alice looks up from her pile. "Yup!"

"Baby Yoda?"

Emmett snorts, holding it up. "Right here."

We all take a moment to grin, recalling the very different sides of the story we heard from Edward and Bella. The odds of them meeting like that seem impossible, but as Alice always says, anything is possible at Christmas.

I look down at my list and nod. "That's everything." The Toys for Tots drive was a huge success. We managed to get everything on our list and a few extra things we're planning to send with them.

Tyler had really come through on the drive. He'd gotten most of the school involved, and toys had started pouring in faster than we could count them. He'd even organized the football team to help us sort the toys on a Saturday morning. I couldn't have been more proud of him and how he'd stepped up.

"Mr. Cullen, we just finished boxing up the dolls," Tyler says, coming over and motioning to a stack of boxes. "What else can we box?"

I motion to the pile in front of me that Alice and Emmett are currently standing in. "This is the last one. Just ran a double check against our list, and everything is here. We went above and beyond this year," I say, giving him a look. He smiles.

"Good, those kids deserve a smile."

I couldn't agree more.

Tyler heads off to gather some of the guys to pack up the remainder of toys.

"Man, you're like, Super Teacher," Emmett says, coming to stand by me. I look up at him. "I've never seen a teenager so motivated to help someone other than themselves."

I shrug. "That wasn't me, man. That was all Tyler."

Emmett takes a minute to look around the gym. "It's amazing, isn't it?" When I look up at him, he continues. "Just the feeling. How giving toys in December can fill you with so much hope, you know?"

I nod. "Yeah, I do know." My eyes land on Alice, and my full heart beats a little faster.

I can't wait to marry her.

Emmett pulls his phone out, and I glance at it, wondering if he's texting Rose. I hope so, though I haven't seen him on the phone with her much. I step away, just in case he is trying to reach out to her.

I'm heading to Alice's side when my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I pull it out, enjoying the "Santa Claus is Coming to Town '' ringtone I'd decided on for the season. I frown when I see it's from my mom's office line.

"Hey, Ma. What are you doing at work on a Saturday morning?"

"Oh, I had to come in to check my email and water my plants. You know."

I don't know. She was there yesterday, and it's not like she gets so much work in Forks she has to work weekends.

"Okay," I say, drawing out the word. "What's up?"

"Well, I got a very exciting email this morning." She's drawing it out, and I almost roll my eyes.

"Is it about Cousin Liam again? Ma, you know I get those emails too." Mom's side of the family is pretty concerned about making sure everyone in the family is kept up to date with their lives. They have a weekly email they send out with family updates. Emmett and I have long ago stopped reading them, though Alice still sits down with a cup of tea to catch up. God, I love her.

"No, of course not. They send those on Sunday."

I roll my eyes this time.

"I got an email about the house on Sycamore."

My heart skips a beat, and I glance nervously across the gym to where Alice is still labeling boxes. "Oh?" Great, now my voice is cracking.

"They've accepted your offer. They agreed to the accelerated escrow and said they want to be able to hand over the keys by Christmas."

My jaw drops. "That's like, a week away. Is that possible?"

Mom hums. "It'll be a lot of work, but it should be possible, provided a few small miracles. Let me make some calls. Can you come into my office later today?"

I glance over at Alice again and swallow hard. "Yeah, I'll stop by."

"Great, I'll see you later."

She hangs up before I can say anything else. I turn my attention fully to Alice, taking a deep breath. Holy shit, I can't believe this is happening.

I want to run over and tell her; I want to drive straight over to the beautiful corner house on Sycamore Lane and show her where our family will grow, where we'll grow old together. My heart is so full of panic and excitement that I feel like I can't breathe.

I take a shaky breath, then another before forcing my feet to move. I make it over to Alice's side, and I can feel it … I'm going to tell her. I can't keep it in me anymore.

She looks up at me and grins. "Hasn't this just been the most wonderful day?" She asks, motioning around the room. "It's like Christmas has come early."

I let out a long breath, getting ahold of myself. If we can really close by Christmas, then I know exactly what move I need to make.

I swallow down my excitement and pull Alice into my arms.

"I know, it's incredible. Can you believe how much the students stepped up?"

Alice looks up at me and grins. "Yes, I can." We look around us at the outpouring from the community, and Alice shakes her head. "There is no magic like Christmas magic."

Tomorrow, think of an epiphany you've had at some time in your life. It doesn't have to be holiday related. Self-reflection is often when I discover a lot about life's little details.