New York: Book Four of the Kimberly Hummel Series

Chapter Six

"Well, if you're not gonna come to Lima, then my dads and I insist you come with us to Rosie O'Donnel Gay Holiday Cruise," Rachel said to me and Kurt as she finished packing for her trip whilst me and Kurt were finishing decorating the tree in the living room. "It's gonna be so much fun!" She joined us. "There's even gonna be a Jesse Tyler Ferguson look-alike contest."

Kurt gasped, "Well, in that case, I'm definitely gonna have to pass."

"And I'm not getting on a ship. Sorry, I'm not going into anaphylaxis on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Also, after watching Titanic, I'm never getting on an ocean liner."

"Honey," Rachel said.

"Besides, there's no reason to go to Lima anyway," Kurt said. "Our dad and Finn and Carole are visiting Carole's sister in Zanesville and she has too much eggnog and blacks out. Happy holidays!"

"Yeah, last Christmas was fun," I laughed.

"Well, what about Blaine and Ethan?" Rachel asked.

"We talked to them. But you know, they know that we're saving money and what not. And there's no way I'm taking the Hyundai back to Ohio. It won't make it there. I really need to sell that thing."

"And it'll be good to have some time for ourselves," Kurt said, "you know, and think about things and–"

Someone violently knocked on our door.

"Can you get that?" Rachel asked as my brother went to the door. I slowly followed him, having no idea who it could be.

Kurt opened the door, and there was a larger Christmas tree bound up. It moved aside and–

"Daddy!" I exclaimed, smiling. I hadn't seen him since I left Lima in May.

"Dad!" Kurt said.

Our dad started laughing and pulled us into a hug as Rachel came over, "Burt?"

He looked in, turning to her, "Season's greetings!"

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed with a grin.

"Well, I got a tree. You need one?" Dad asked.

"Come in!" I exclaimed.

"Okay, alright, I got it, I got it," he came in.

We moved aside our little one that we had decorated so Dad could set this one up. It was a live tree too. We always got live ones and I was really missing having one this year. He got it all hooked into the holder as me, Kurt, and Rachel held it in place.

"Okay, you can let go," Dad said.

"Alright, let's look at it," Rachel pulled me and my twin back so we could take it in. "Oh, it's perfect!"

"Yeah, well, I couldn't imagine you guys celebrating Christmas without a real tree. You know, their mom used to always buy the tree," Dad said, making me and Kurt look over at him. "I'd always tell her to wait till I got home, but she never could. And then, the first Christmas after their mom died, I totally forgot about it. That is, until I saw little Kurt hanging his own special version of a Christmas ornament on his window shade Christmas Eve."

Me and Kurt looked at the box of ornaments our dad had brought to see the one he was talking about.

"Mom's perfume bottle," I whispered as my brother grabbed it.

"Oh, I always loved how she smelled," he took the ornament to the three to hang it up.

"So, I pulled them out of bed, I threw a coat on them, and I drove straight through a snowstorm, right down to the Christmas tree sale." I went over to Kurt and looked at the bottle. I placed my hand on it before bringing it just a little before my nose. Eleven years later, there was still a slight hint of her vanilla smell. "It was the first time I saw them smile since their mom died," Dad said.