By the time their second Christmas together had arrived a lot had changed for the Thompson-Blair family. After Berry signed away her parental rights upon realizing she couldn't be a good mother, that the kids were better off with her sister, Emilie and Nathan quickly got the ball rolling on adopting Lani and JT. The adoption was set to be finalized by the new year, which the four of them were thankful for. Nathan stepped inside the house after his shift wrapped up a few days before Christmas and grinned when he spotted his wife and children in the living room. "There you are."
Emilie's head snapped up and he opened his arms in anticipation for the hugs Lani and JT rushed to give him. He kissed the top of their heads and then made his way over to Emilie. "Good day?" Nathan questioned as he sat down next to her.
"The best!" Lani informed him.
"I had fun with Emilie and Lani today," chimed in JT.
Nathan ruffled his hair, ignoring his son's complaints at the action. "That's good to hear."
Emilie laced their hands together. "My sister called - she's coming the day after Christmas - wanted to celebrate with us but also allowing us to spend the holiday together, just the four of us." They let her see the kids whenever she wanted, within reason. The fact that she was staying clean meant a lot.
"That's good news." Nathan liked Berry, and she was grateful the kids had found a town that loved and took care of them.
This past year had been the best of Emilie's life. She still couldn't believe she had a husband and two kids who adored her. She and Nathan made mistakes like any other parent but they were determined to be the parents Lani and JT needed.
Nathan stood up to check on the tree and with JT's help, turned on the lights. "Still beautiful." Lani was still in awe of the decorations.
"You look beautiful in this light," Nathan teased when Emilie stood up to join them.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Sweet talker."
"You know it," he flirted back.
"Can we eat dinner now?" JT whined.
"We ordering in tonight? You heard the kids, they're hungry, Emilie."
"I'm depriving them of food, how dare I," she mocked. She laughed when Nathan grabbed her hand and dipped her before bringing her back up for a kiss. Emilie had to fight off a brief wave of nausea but it quickly went away, thank God.
The kids stared at them, impatiently and unimpressed. "Hard to believe we've been together for a year. Still can't believe you actually agreed to marry me only weeks after we met." Neither of them regretted their whirlwind romance, marrying in a short and small ceremony officiated by the judge on New Year's Day. Neither of them had wanted to wait. JT had been Nathan's best man while Lani stepped in as Emilie's maid of honor.
"Hey, you're the one who proposed," she shot back with a laugh. They kissed for a few seconds before heading into the kitchen to look at some menus and order takeout.
Two days later, Nathan and Emilie were woken up at the crack of dawn by their children. They watched and took plenty of pictures as the kids opened their numerous presents. They had a hearty dinner later and then sat back to relax, playing with the kids as they enjoyed their new toys. The following day, Berry joined them with a few presents of her own and they celebrated all over again.
A lot had changed in the span of a year, and Emilie and Nathan were thankful to have found each other. Lani and JT finally had a stable environment, which is what mattered to them the most. And although neither of them knew it (although Berry had her suspicions, which she didn't share with her sister and brother-in-law) yet, they had an unknown passenger that'd join them for their third Christmas together.