All familiar characters belong to Janet.

Julie, my parents, and Ella, tied for first in who was the most excited about our Christmas Eve surprise. As expected, Mrs. Plum was the lowest ranking one on the leader board after she saw our rings the following morning when she came to drop off Olivia's Christmas present.

"What do you mean you got married?" Helen asked.

"You know ... when two people love each other, " Steph said, starting to recite the beginning of 'the talk' most kids are subjected to.

My lips twitched against Olive's hand, but Mrs. Plum isn't nearly as amused.

"This is nothing to joke about, Stephanie."

"Nor is it something to be upset about," I added, when my daughter became bored with trying to pull various features off my face.

"I'm not upset."

"You sound it," she told her mother.

"Fine ... of course I'm upset. I'm the one who wanted the two of you to get married when you found out you were pregnant, and you didn't even tell me you decided to go through with it."

"The ceremony was perfect," my wife said, coming to stand beside me and our daughter, "but that's what it was, Mom, a ceremony. I had an actual baby with Ranger ... and Olivia, and the promise we made to always be there for each other, before we even knew about her, is more of a commitment to me than these."

She nodded towards the rings on her finger that Olive's small hand is now attempting to remove. I thought of the silver frame on the nightstand by our bed. In the picture Celia took, Olivia's face was in-between mine and Steph's as we sealed our vows not only by kissing each other, but by each simultaneously kissing our daughter's cheeks. The words etched into the silver beneath our photo said it all ... 'Happily Ever After'.