But she soon found herself being ushered downstairs by the children to partake in the Prescott night before Christmas tradition of hot chocolate, Christmas stories, and the allowance of opening one present for each of the children. Devlin’s parents had already arrived. Marilyn was busy admiring the tree and Sean was helping his son build the perfect fire. At Casey’s entrance, Marilyn gave her a warm hug and explained, “Casey, the tree is absolutely beautiful. Devlin has always had those stuffy, professionally decorated, artificial trees in the past.” She made a face at the memory and then glanced at the tree again. “How did you manage it?” Embarrassed to admit that she hadn’t given Devlin a choice in the matter, Casey awkwardly mumbled, “Well, the kids did most of the work.” “Can we open our presents now?” interjected Isabel. The little girl was wearing a red velvet dress with white lace trim.
