A/N: Christmas is almost here, I watched The Santa Clause 1 and 2 this weekend, and I just love the holidays, so here is a Christmas oneshot. Earlier this year, I wrote a Christmas story where Jay and Hailey had a baby girl December 26, so I thought it'd be fun to connect this story to that one – definitely not necessary to read it, but just gives the story behind their daughter's arrival, so check out "Let Your Heart Be Light" if you're interested :)

November 25

"And Mommy, Mommy, Daddy buyed me - guess what? You gotta guess."

Hailey laughed and brushed back her daughter's hair, "What'd Daddy buy you?"

"You gotta guess," Noelle sighed.

She was four-years-old (or "almost a whole hand" as Jay taught her since her birthday was a month away) and had her parents wrapped around her finger. They hadn't wanted to completely spoil her, but her blue eyes were pretty convincing most days. Other than those eyes and her nose, her auburn hair and few freckles on her fair skin screamed Jay, and Hailey loved it. She thought the little girl was the perfect mixture of them both - even her occasional sass just seemed like revenge for their own sarcastic humor.

"Oh, hmm," Hailey hummed and sat on the edge of the small mattress, "Did Daddy buy you…food?"

Noelle giggled and covered her mouth as she nodded.

Hailey smiled, "Did Daddy buy you ice-cream?"

Noelle shook her head, but frowned, "I wished for ice-cream. Daddy said no, no, no because," she sighed, "Cause we got pie. Pie with apples, you 'member, Mommy."

"I remember," Hailey nodded, "So what'd Daddy buy you?"

Noelle's face lit up again and she said, "Chicken nuggets!"

Hailey laughed as her daughter burst into a fit of giggles. It wasn't often Jay would take her for fast food, so she knew this had to have been a special treat.

"It was so good and yummy," Noelle laid back against her big, stuffed bunny.

"I bet," Hailey kissed her forehead, "I'm glad you had fun with Daddy."

"Because I love Daddy," Noelle closed her eyes, "He's my favorite daddy in the whole wide Chicago."

Hailey held back another laugh and tucked her daughter in, "He's the best."

Noelle hummed and rolled onto her side, "And…you're the best mommy." She yawned and brought her fist up to her mouth before mumbling, "I love you."

"I love you too, butterfly," Hailey whispered. Brushing her fingers along Noelle's soft hair for a moment, she watched her sleepily smile and cuddle into her blankets and array of stuffed animals. She didn't get up until she heard a soft creek in the floor.

Jay leaned against the open door and asked, "She asleep?"

Hailey nodded and walked over to him, "Just so you know, she said you're the best daddy in all of Chicago because you bought her chicken nuggets."

Jay let out a belly laugh only for Hailey to quickly push him into the hallway as to not wake Noelle.

"Sorry," he chuckled, "I'm just glad my daughter loves me because I can afford a kids' meal at McDonalds."

"I think she just loves spending time with you," Hailey slipped her hand in his, "Come see what I got her, though. Vanessa said it'll be a lot of fun."

Jay followed her into their room now filled with various shopping bags from Hailey's Black Friday adventure with Kim and Vanessa. He raised an eyebrow, "This is more than last year."

"Because Elle will understand more this year," Hailey explained. She climbed on the bed and looked through some of the bags until she pulled out a box, "Look."

Jay sat next to her and grabbed it. Smiling, he said, "Elf on the shelf."

Hailey nodded quickly, "I think she'll love it."

"She does love her dolls," Jay flipped the box over, "Isn't this that thing we hide every day?"

"Yeah, but it'll be easy," Hailey tucked her hair behind her ear, "I bought a few gifts we can give her throughout the month too - just little things like pajamas, chocolate, some books, legos, those surprise toys…"

"Oh, just a few," Jay smirked.

"Well," Hailey shrugged, "They're little."

"Of course," Jay chuckled and got off the bed. He began putting the bags in the space in their closet he'd cleaned out earlier while Noelle was asleep on their bed because she'd woken up incredibly early and got whiny after lunch.

"So," Hailey settled back against their headboard, "What do you say? Use this elf to encourage good behavior?"

Jay glanced back at her, "That's a thing?"

Hailey sighed and, in that moment, Jay thought she looked so much like their daughter. "Yes, Jay," she said, "The elf will tell Santa if Noelle is being naughty or nice."

"Can it bring her a brother?" Jay asked.

Hailey's eyes widened, "What?"

Jay laughed softly and walked over to lightly take her hand, "Elle asked me if she could have a brother while we ate lunch. There was a girl maybe her age at McDonalds and her mom was holding a toddler. He was pretty cute."

"A brother," Hailey raised an eyebrow, "How are we just supposed to whip up a brother?"

Jay's expression then mirrored hers as he asked, "What are you talking about? You want to give her a brother?"

"Well…I…" Hailey shrugged, "I've been thinking about another baby."

Jay smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah," Hailey squeezed his hand, "I think one more wouldn't hurt. And she deserves to have a built-in friend like you did, or even I did with my brothers. Plus, she's adorable; I know a second would be just as good."

Jay laughed, "I couldn't agree more." He kissed her lightly, "Are we really going to try again?"

"I think it'd be fun," Hailey breathed.

"Making the baby or having it?" Jay asked.

A smile spread across her face, and Hailey wrapped her arms around Jay as she kissed him again. "Both," she breathed.

"Then I say we try," Jay said while pressing her back into the mattress.

December 1

Noelle scooted down the stairs on her bottom behind Jay.

He turned to wait for her, "Come on, butterfly, don't want to be late to school."

"I know, I know, Daddy," Noelle mumbled. She finally reached the floor and stood up, "Okay. I'm ready for my yummies."

"Yummies?" Jay laughed and took her hand. Walking her to the kitchen, he said, "Mommy and I thought we could go get a Christmas tree tomorrow. Does that sound fun?"

"It sounds very fun!" Noelle smiled, "I love Santa."

All the mall pictures from the past few years proved differently with Noelle crying in each one, but Jay still smiled back and said, "I know," because while she cried every single time, last year she did walk away with tears drying on her face saying it was a very special day.

They stopped at the edge of the kitchen just as Hailey was throwing an apron in the pantry. Noelle's eyes shot open and she let out a soft screech at the hot chocolate and waffles on the table. She didn't even seem to notice that in the middle was the little red elf sitting next to the "Elf on the Shelf" book until she got closer to the table and had stopped clapping over all the sprinkles on her plate.

"What's this?" she asked as she peered up at the elf.

"We got a visitor last night," Hailey said. She put her hand on Noelle's back, "Isn't she cute?"

Noelle quickly looked at Jay, "Did you lock us in safe?"

He laughed and pulled out her chair with the booster seat on it, "Yes, I did. Santa comes down the chimney, remember? That's how his elf friend got here. She didn't need the door either."

Noelle narrowed her eyes then turned back to the elf, "Well…hello."

"She's ours until Christmas," Hailey explained, "You just need to give her a name and Daddy will read us her story while we eat."

Noelle tapped her chin in thought then gave in to eat her sprinkle waffles. After a minute of chewing and a slow sip of hot chocolate, she said, "Sprinkle Tinkle."

Jay choked on his coffee, "What?"

Noelle pointed to the container of sprinkles sitting next to the elf, "She likes sprinkles."

"Okay," Hailey slowly nodded, "So Sprinkle Halstead."

"No," Noelle shook her head, "Sprinkle Tinkle."

"Why Tinkle?" Jay asked.

"It's good, Daddy," Noelle shrugged, "And, and! Tinklebell is my favorite. She has yellow hair like Mommy."

"It's Tinkerbell," Hailey corrected, "Not Tinklebell."

Noelle thought then shook her head, "This is Sprinkle Tinkle. That's her name."

"Wonderful," Jay breathed and grabbed the book, "Well, let's read about Sprinkle Tinkle's life."

December 5

Jay entered the bathroom where Hailey was sitting next to the tub. She had drawn Noelle a bubble bath since Sprinkle Tinkle had taken a bath herself in the sink and left a few people-sized bath bombs as gifts.

She loved running outside and jumping in puddles, she had an obsession with collecting rocks, and she refused to wear dress shoes, and yet here Noelle was laying in the tub surrounded by bubbles with her hair in a small bun resting on Hailey's bath pillow and a sheet mask on her little cheeks.

"Cute," Jay chuckled.

Hailey looked up and smiled at him, "She had a long day."

"She's four," Jay said.

Noelle scrambled to sit up in the tub causing the sheet mask to slip down, "Almost five! I'm almost a hand!"

Jay laughed and knelt next to the tub, "Hi, butterfly, having fun?"

Noelle nodded, "Sprinkle Tinkle gave me fun stuff!"

"Looks like it," Jay put a hand out, "Are you done relaxing so I can take that thing off your face?"

Noelle huffed and looked at Hailey. Together, they said, "Boys."

Jays eyes widened, "What'd I do?"

"That thing? Really, Daddy?" Hailey teased.

"It's a fate-cial," Noelle rolled her eyes the best she could.

Hailey smiled at her, "I do think you should get out soon, though, your fingers are going to get wrinkly."

"And my toes," Noelle held her foot out of the water, "Daddy, look at my toes!"

Jay chuckled and lifted her from the tub, "They're some cute toes."

As he dried her off with her princess towel, Noelle looked at Hailey and asked, "Can you paint my toes?"

"Not tonight," Hailey kissed her forehead then started draining the tub, "But maybe tomorrow. What color do you want?"

"Red like Sprinkle Tinkle," Noelle stepped out of Jay's grasp to step on her small stool and get a better view of the elf in the sink surrounded by marshmallows. "G'night, Sprinkle Tinkle," she whispered, "I love you."

Jay smiled and picked her up, "You're the nicest little girl."

She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her to her room, "I know."

He chuckled and rubbed her back over the towel, "Ready for bed?"

Noelle nodded and waited on her bed while Jay grabbed out her pajamas. Hailey joined them a few minutes later to listen to Jay's bedtime story and turn on the nightlight. Soon enough, their daughter was sleepily tucked into her bed and waving at them as they walked from the room.

Closing the door with a soft sigh, Hailey said, "Move the elf then we can go watch a Christmas movie downstairs?"

"What should she do tonight?" Jay asked.

"Um," Hailey let out a breath as she led the way back to the bathroom so she could clean up the marshmallows, "I saw one where the elf was rock climbing on the wall. You can tape her hands up."

"Easy enough," Jay kissed her cheek before grabbing the elf and walking downstairs.

By the time Hailey was in her pajamas and walking down the stairs, Jay was just finishing setting up his elf display. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "That's…way fancier than I expected."

Jay stepped back from the wall where he'd taken some balled up post-it notes and taped them like rocks then positioned Sprinkle Tinkle right in the middle as if she was climbing up. He shrugged, "She'll think it's fun."

"Yeah," Hailey smiled, "And it is, right?"

Jay looked back at her and nodded, "It is."

Hailey's eyes lit up like their Christmas tree. She then breathed in before heading over to their couch, "All right, I picked the movie last night, your turn today."

December 9

"Knock, knock!" Will yelled out as he walked into the house, "I heard we were decorating cookies today!"

"Uncle Will!" Noelle stood from the living room floor and ran over to jump in his arms.

"My favorite princess," he kissed her head, "Hi, Cinderella."

She giggled then wiggled back to the floor, "I colored."

"You did?" Will asked, "Can I see?"

Noelle nodded and pulled his hand to show him her drawing of a snowman, "I learned in school."

"Oh, wow, this is beautiful," Will said as he squatted next to her, "You're a little artiste."

"Thanks," Noelle hugged his arm.

Jay walked over, "Hey, man, thanks for coming."

Will stood with Noelle in his arms, "I'm always down for decorating cookies."

"We's got sprinkles," Noelle whispered.

"Sounds delicious," Will smiled. He carried her into the kitchen where his smile turned into a smirk at the elf making a snow angel out of flour on a baking sheet, "What's that?"

"Sprinkle Tinkle," Jay explained. He grabbed Noelle and helped her into an apron.

"My elf," Noelle added, "She watches out for naughties, so be nice!"

Will nodded quickly, "Got it."

Hailey came in and squeezed his arm as she walked to the table, "Hey."

"Hey," Will said, "You good?"

"Mommy's tired cause she had fun with Aunt Nessa," Noelle shrugged, "She took a nap today."

"Ah," Will chuckled and passed out the paper plates on the table, "What fun did you have?"

"Lemon drops," Hailey shook her head, "They were not fun going down or coming up."

Jay smirked, "I don't know why you did it. You don't even like lemon."

"It was her idea and she had a rough day, I had to go along with it," Hailey explained. She grabbed Noelle's hand before her daughter could stick it in the bowl of pink frosting, "No," she said, "We need to use it for the cookies. Don't eat a lot or else you'll feel sick like Mommy."

Noelle stared at her then sighed and sat back, "But I like to eat pink."

"What?" Jay asked.

Noelle nodded, "I love pink."

"What pink food do you eat?" Jay expanded.

"The pink cloud," Noelle pushed her hair from her face, "'Member?"

Jay just stared at her, but then Will's eyes widened, "The cotton candy at the Halloween fair."

"Oh!" Jay nodded, "Yes, yes, I remember."

"All right," Hailey put a glob of white frosting on Noelle's cookie, "Use your spoon and – yes, good job! Look at you!"

Noelle smiled as she spread the frosting on her star, "Uncle Will said I'm an ar…art…a arty!"

Will smiled, "An artiste because she drew a very good snowman."

"Ah," Hailey laughed softly then kissed Noelle's head, "She is a very talented little girl."

"What does this talented girl want for Christmas?" Will asked, "Noelle, what did you ask Santa for?"

"A doll house, a crown, and a butter," Noelle smiled. She pulled on Jay's arm, "Sprinkles please, Daddy."

"Well, you definitely deserve a crown because you are the prettiest princess," Will brushed his hand over her hair, "But, what's a-"

"Brother," Jay said while unscrewing one of the sprinkle containers, "Elle wants a brother."

"I see," Will nodded, "That'll be fun."

Hailey smirked and winked at Jay, "It will be."

He sent a wink back and blew her a kiss over Noelle's head.

"There's a little kid," Will groaned, "Stop."

"You brought it up," Jay laughed.

"Whatever," Will grabbed a cookie, "Elle, what color should I do?"

"Um," Noelle rested her chin on her palm getting frosting on her face, "I like red. Just like Sprinkle Tinkle."

"Where they we go," Will smiled, "Red it is."

December 12

Hailey crawled onto the bed after checking on Noelle and kissed Jay. "I love you," she mumbled, "So much."

He smiled against her lips and grabbed her hips, "I love you too."

"Give me tonight," she breathed, "Elle's asleep – give me tonight."

He sat up to tug her shirt off and trail his kiss down her jaw. "We can have tonight," he whispered against her skin.

Quick hands and hasty kisses led to clothes being thrown off the bed around the room. When Hailey's panties were ripped off and tossed over Jay's shoulder, they hit a framed picture breaking both of their thoughts.

"Ignore it," Jay said and dug his fingers into her thighs.

Panting softly, Hailey nodded and glanced over at the noise. Before she could raise her hips, she noticed it was a picture of Noelle that was now on top of Jay's phone. Her mind suddenly snapped out of Jay and she scrambled off of him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jay tried to laugh.

"The elf," Hailey said quickly as she searched for a shirt.

"Are you kidding me?" Jay reached for her, "Come on, that can wait."

"I want to effectively be done for the night after this, I want you to make me forget everything, I'm moving the damn elf now," Hailey pulled on Jay's boxers briefs and his t-shirt before running from the room.

Jay groaned and fell back onto the mattress, "Hailey!"

December 14

Noelle ran around the downstairs, "Sprinkle Tinkle! Sprinkle Tinkle, where are you? I looking for you!"

"Let's go, butterfly," Hailey laughed, "Be quick! Mommy and Daddy need to go to work."

Noelle huffed, "But Mommy!"

"Find her yet?" Jay asked as he came down the stairs.

Noelle stomped her foot, "No!"

"Hey, hey, we'll find her," Jay picked her up, "It's okay. Where'd you look?"

"The whole Chicago," Noelle pouted.

Jay gasped, "The whole Chicago?"

She nodded, "The whole Chicago."

Hailey smiled and crossed her arms.

"Let's go search again," Jay said. He carried her to the kitchen, "Where'd you look in here?"

"There," Noelle pointed to the bottom cupboards.

"Did you check in here?" Jay asked with a hand on the fridge.

Noelle shook her head, "That's where the food is."

"It is, but maybe she's hungry," Jay opened the door, "Let's see. Sprinkle Tinkle, where are you?"

Noelle's eyes looked through the fridge and then she gasped, "There she is! There she is!"

Jay smiled and pointed to the elf in the grape bowl drinking a juice box, "See? She was just hungry."

Noelle sniffled, "Good. That's okay. I almost cried, Daddy. I was scared."

"Nothing to be scared of," Jay kissed her forehead, "Can we go to school now?"

"Yes," Noelle wiggled to the ground and ran to the front of the house, "Mommy! She was in my grapes. It's okay."

"Good," Hailey helped her into her coat. She met Jay's eyes, "Maybe Sprinkle Tinkle was feeling a little too sneaky last night, huh?"

"She can eat, that's okay," Noelle shoved her hat on her head.

"She was hungry," Jay nodded.

Hailey rolled her eyes, "Well, hopefully she'll stay outside the fridge tomorrow."

"We need to put grapes on the table tonight," Noelle said.

"We can do that," Jay smiled.

"Mhmm," Hailey raised an eyebrow and opened the door, "Let's go."

"Bye, Sprinkle Tinkle!" Noelle yelled before hurrying outside.

"The fridge?" Hailey hissed.

"Thought it was a good spot," Jay whispered back.

Hailey shook her head and locked the door behind them once they were all outside.

December 18

Jay lifted a sleeping Noelle in his arms, "Be right back."

"Wait," Hailey stood from the couch and kissed her head, "Goodnight, baby."

Vanessa put a hand up and rubbed her arm, "She's so cute."

"Yeah, she is," Jay smiled and shifted Noelle to his shoulder before carrying her upstairs.

"So what do you want to watch?" Vanessa asked.

Hailey settled back into the couch, "I want to watch you move that elf."

Vanessa looked over at the elf sitting in the Christmas tree, "What?"

"This damn thing was your idea," Hailey nodded, "We're running low on where to put her, so help us out."

"Oh, you grinch," Vanessa rolled her eyes as she got up, "Okay, well, has she drank hot chocolate yet?"

"And syrup," Hailey nodded.

"Ew," Vanessa scrunched her nose. She grabbed Sprinkle Tinkle and looked at her, "What do you want to do tonight?"

"Pinterest is your friend," Hailey pulled her legs up on the cushions.

"Yeah, yeah," Vanessa sighed. She plopped into the recliner and pulled out her phone. Occasionally, she called out ideas she found, but was shot down each time by Hailey. Finally, though, she was given approval and hurried over to the desk in search of a dry erase marker.

By the time Jay returned downstairs, Vanessa had drawn mustaches on every picture frame on the mantle and was making Sprinkle Tinkle hold the marker right next to them.

He laughed, "That's actually a good one."

Vanessa smiled, "Thank you. Sprinkle Tinkle likes to cause a little trouble every once in a while."

December 22

"Noelle Anne Halstead, now."

Noelle looked up from her toys at Jay and gave him an icy glare then let out an ear-piercing scream.

Hailey ran out of the bathroom, "What's happening?"

"She needs to clean up her toys and wash her hands for dinner," Jay explained.

Noelle whined, "No! No, I do not!"

"Yes," Jay nodded, "Now, up. Stand up and go wash your hands."

Noelle screamed again and laid on the rug kicking her feet.

Hailey groaned and hurried over, "Elle, come on. Daddy made us soup."

"I hate soup!" Noelle screamed.

"But it's really yummy," Hailey knelt next to her.

Noelle shook her head and rolled around.

Jay sucked in a breath then looked at Sprinkle Tinkle sitting by the car keys in her own truck. He bit his lip before saying, "Sprinkle Tinkle's watching you, Noelle, and she's going to tell Santa tonight."

Noelle stopped immediately and sat up.

Jay crossed his arms, "She's watching you throw a tantrum right now and she's going to tell Santa."

Noelle's bottom lip wavered, "But-But…Daddy!"

"I don't make the rules," he shook his head.

Noelle let out a soft sob then scrambled up to run to the elf, "Sprinkle Tinkle, I sorry, I really sorry! Please don't tell Santa!"

"Honey, go wash your hands," Hailey said softly.

Noelle nodded and hastily wiped her cheeks, but before she could run away, she hurried over to hug Jay's legs and say, "I sorry."

Jay put a hand on her head then squatted down to meet her eyes, "Thank you, butterfly. I was very sad when you weren't listening."

Noelle blinked back more tears, "I sad too cause-cause I love my toys."

"I know," Jay cupped her cheek, "But we need to be clean for dinner."

"F-Fine," Noelle sniffled. She looked back at the elf, "Sprinkle Tinkle, please don't tell Santa."

"Maybe you should write her a note to give to Santa," Hailey suggested, "Then Santa can know what you think too."

"I'll do it," Noelle nodded quickly.

So there she sat after dinner at the kitchen table scribbling away on a piece of paper. Jay sat next to her only to help her write her name while Hailey stood off to the side drinking a cup of hot chocolate and rubbing her stomach with her free hand.

December 24

Noelle laid on the couch with her head on Hailey's lap as the three of them watched The Santa Clause. Hailey brushed her fingers through Noelle's soft hair surprised her daughter was still awake at 9pm. It wasn't often she stayed up past 8 o'clock, but it was Christmas Eve and Noelle had talked about catching Santa.

When the movie ended, her eyes were fighting to stay open, yet she still managed to climb off of the couch and set her stuffed animals in front of the fireplace as tripping hazards.

Jay chuckled, "Butterfly, that's not really nice."

"They're soft," Noelle padded her way into the kitchen, "Can somebody help me with the snacks?"

Hailey smiled and followed her so she could grab out their cookie tin from the freezer, "Which ones do you think Santa will want?"

Noelle rubbed her eyes then picked out the cookies shaped like a bell and a mitten, "These."

"Good choice," Hailey passed her the cookie plate before filling the cup with milk and setting them all on the table.

Noelle yawned and gave in to the sleep by laying on the wood floor in a small ball.

"Oh, Elle," Jay laughed, "No, come on, we can go to bed."

She shook her head and tried opening her eyes, "I gotta wait here."

"It'll be okay," Jay whispered and picked her up.

She whined softly, but didn't fight him and just rested her head on his shoulder.

"Say goodnight to Sprinkle Tinkle," Hailey said, "Remember, she's going home tonight with Santa."

Noelle sleepily waved at the elf sitting next to the fireplace with her dolls set up like a goodbye party. "Bye," she whispered, "I love you. Drive safe."

Jay laughed again and kissed the side of her head before carrying her upstairs to bed.

December 25

Wrapping paper covered the living room floor and Noelle's bedhead was at its finest, but it was perhaps the best Christmas Jay and Hailey had ever had. Watching their daughter run around between opening presents so she could eat a bite of cinnamon roll out of Jay's hand or pass a piece of ribbon to Hailey was more fun than they could ever imagine. She turned five tomorrow, but her spark was incredibly bright today. She'd never been as into Christmas as she was then.

Finally, there was just one present left under the tree wrapped in pink, glittery paper. Jay watched Noelle pick it up and was pretty confused. He'd wrapped gifts with Hailey, and they had made sure that all of the gifts from Santa were in red paper with Santa faces while the ones from them were wrapped in snowman paper. He didn't remember using pink paper at all.

Noelle noticed that it didn't match the other presents either: "Mommy," she said, "What's this?"

"Let's see," Hailey put a hand out. She looked at the tag and said, "It says 'To: Noelle. From: Sprinkle Tinkle.'"

Noelle gasped, "She left me something?"

"Looks like it," Hailey smiled.

Jay stared at her trying to figure out what was happening.

Noelle tore into the paper to find a box that she ripped the lid off of only to find a piece of paper and an even smaller white box.

"How about Daddy reads that to you?" Hailey asked.

Noelle nodded and brought it to Jay. She sat in his lap to patiently wait for him.

He raised an eyebrow, but Hailey just shrugged. Taking a deep breath, he began to read aloud, "Hi Noelle. I wanted to give you something special. You've been asking for a brother, and-" His eyes widened and he met Hailey's gaze.

She weakly laughed and nodded.

"Daddy," Noelle patted his hand, "I can't read."

Jay cleared his throat and continued, "And I can't promise you that, but I can say you will get a brother or a sister in August. Your mommy is going to have a baby." He stopped and rubbed his face.

Noelle gasped, "A baby? Sprinkle Tinkle got me a baby!"

Hailey smiled, "A baby! Mommy's having a baby!"

"Oh my goodness!" Noelle ran over and hugged Hailey tightly, "I'm going to be a sister!"

Hailey held her close and looked over her head at Jay still processing the note now with tears in his eyes. She felt a few tears of her own fall down her cheeks as she put a hand out.

He crawled over and wrapped his arms around both of them. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she kissed him softly.

Noelle slipped from their grip and grabbed the last, small box that was with the note, "Can I open this?"

Hailey nodded as Jay sat behind her so she could rest her head back on his shoulder, "It's a very special gift."

"Oh boy," Noelle whispered and slowly opened the box. Inside was a small silver butterfly on a necklace. "This is very pretty," she said.

Hailey put her hand out so Noelle would pass it to her. "It's a necklace so you know that you will always be mine and Daddy's butterfly even though you'll have a brother or a sister," she explained while slipping it from the cushion.

"Put it on me," Noelle spun around.

"Please," Jay gently prodded through a chuckle.

"Oh, please," Noelle blushed and lifted her hair like she'd seen Hailey do plenty of times when Jay would put a necklace on her.

"Here you go," Hailey put the necklace on her, "Do you like it?"

Noelle nodded quickly and grabbed at the butterfly, "Thank you! This is the best gift ever."

"Even better than your Bitty Baby?" Jay teased.

"Hmm," Noelle thought then nodded, "Yes because this is a real baby."

"Yeah," Jay smiled at Hailey, "I think I agree."

She kissed him again and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Daddy."

"Merry Christmas, Mommy," he smiled and put a hand on her stomach.

Noelle jumped on them and hugged them tightly, "Merry Christmas, Sprinkle Tinkle! Thank you for my baby!"

Abandoned just a few feet away, the rest of the note read: I know you'll be the best big sister, Noelle. Your mommy and daddy love you very much. Merry Christmas, I'll see you next year! Love, Sprinkle Tinkle