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Unlike Esme and her need for a Christmas tree the minute the Thanksgiving leftovers are put away, Edward and I don't bring a tree into his cabin until a few days before Christmas. I had gotten a small, artificial one for my cabin, just something to put in the corner and light up the room, but the large, real tree stands tall in Edward's cabin. Nestled in the corner beside the fireplace, Edward and I stand in front of it, marveling at the piece of nature here in his living room.
"It's...big," he hesitates, looking over at me with uncertainty. We had gone back to the nursery where Edward had cut down Esme's tree and found one for ourselves. Maybe I had gone a little overboard in terms of size, but I love the way it looks here in his cabin.
"It's supposed to be!" I counter, even though Edward is right. The tree is huge, but it smells divine, like winter and snow, and pine all rolled into one enormous six-foot piece of nature.
"Yeah, maybe if we had an extra eight feet above us," Edward laughs but pulls me into his arms. "But I like it."
We turn so we're facing the tree, Edward's arms wrapped around my waist from behind as I rest my head against his chest. I close my eyes, the smell of the tree and the feel of his arms around me comforting. "I can't remember the last time I looked at a Christmas tree and felt like this," I sigh.
"Like what?"
"Like home," I reply, reveling in the feeling of having a place to call home again. "Christmas has never been the same since my parents died. Holidays with my husband's family were never something I looked forward to."
Edward nods behind me, tightening his hold on my waist and resting his chin against my shoulder. His breath tickles my neck as he talks. It makes me smile, and I lift my arm so my fingers can find purchase to the hair at the nape of his neck.
"I remember Mom's first Christmas away from my father," Edward says softly, his words bringing him back to a time long ago. We're silent for a moment as he thinks of that time, and I think of how Esme and I are weaving similar lives. I know exactly how she felt that first Christmas - I'm living it now. "She looked like a kid again. So much so that I still remember it now, even after all this time. That whole holiday just felt...different. More magical? It sounds weird, I know."
I shake my head. "No, it's not weird at all. That's what family and holidays are all about. At least that's what it was when we were growing up," I respond. "Rose tried her best to make sure our traditions never died along with my parents, but then things changed."
I met my husband, and I lost everything. I stare at the tree again, thinking of all the years I spent decorating ours by myself back in Rhode Island, wishing a single ornament would bring some type of Christmas magic into my life, knowing it would never come.
"What about now? Are you looking forward to Christmas?"
Edward's voice brings me back to the present, and I close my eyes again and lean back into his touch once more.
"How could I not?"
It turns out to be my favorite Christmas since my parents died. Esme joins us at the cabin for a few days, and we show her how we spend our time here in the middle of nowhere. Esme is no stranger to life at the cabin, having spent all those years here with Carlisle, so she blends in with the life we've created with ease. She and I prepare the holiday meal together, circling each other in the kitchen like we've been cooking together for years. Edward's cabin smells of warmth and tradition, and as the three of us hold hands at the small table in his kitchen, we toast to new traditions being made at this very moment.
After the presents are opened and the mess has been cleaned, Edward takes my hand and whispers one last gift.
"Speaking of traditions," Edward whispers once Esme is settled in my bed in my cabin. He brings us over to the lit fireplace next to the soft glow of the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree. "I want to start a new one of our own."
"And what's that?" I ask him, a smile already forming on my face. It seems to be a permanent fixture these days, and it's just another thing I love about being here with him.
"Grab that blanket?" He whispers, nodding over to the couch where our favorite throw sits. Nodding, I turn towards the couch, grabbing it quickly so I can be by his side again. When I turn, I see he has also grabbed several more, plus all the pillows from his bed.
"What's this?" I ask, eyeing the pillows and blankets with a curious look. He's on his knees, and when he looks up at me, he smiles softly and reaches a hand out to me. I place my hand in his and kneel in front of him, so we're facing each other with the burning fire to Edward's back.
"I need to see you at least once under these lights," he whispers, pulling me against him, his lips landing softly against my neck as his hands slide underneath my shirt.
He slides into me beneath the glow of the Christmas tree and the heat of the fire, making this easily my new favorite holiday tradition.
Here's to new traditions! See you tomorrow!