Christmas Time Is Here: Academy Exclusives

Luke's Christmas Wish

"Uncle." Luke tugged at his uncle's pants leg.

"What, my boy?" Ben Taylor bent and picked up the toddler. He hugged him tight and kissed his forehead before setting him on the counter while he worked on chopping some veggies for the stew he was prepping. It would cook in the crock pot all day at Erica Lee's house for their dinner tomorrow night.

He was grateful that she was willing to watch his three-year-old nephew along with her son.

He just didn't want to have Luke be a burden on her because she was pregnant with her second child.

"Santa said I hafta ask you for my present." Luke stared, wide eyed at him.

Ben chuckled. "Is that so?" He gave Luke one of the carrots he was working with. "Why's that?"

Luke crunched on his carrot for a moment before looking up at him. "Cuz I asked for a mama." He said, turning his attention back on the carrot and eating it instead of watching Uncle cook.

Ben frowned slightly. He looked at the cutting board and switched from carrots to celery. "A mama?" he asked, curious about what prompted this request.

Luke nodded vigorously, his blonde curls bouncing wildly. "Yeah, a mama of my own like Erica is Kota's mama."

Ben narrowly missed slicing off the tip of a finger as the knife swerved away from the celery he was working on. "And that's what you asked Santa for? Not a fire truck or books or stuffed animals or anything?"

Luke nodded again. "Yeah, Uncle." He grinned at him. "A mama of my own. Why Santa tell me to ask you?" His little eyes grew serious and Ben debated about what his answer would need to be.

"I suppose because I'm your uncle and act as your dad." He finally said. "Usually it would be your dad who would get you a mama." He said, putting down the knife and focusing on Luke.

"But." Luke's face screwed up in concentration. "You said my dad is your brother and he left."

"That's right."

"Before mama had me."

"Also, right." Ben leaned in and kissed Luke's forehead before smoothing the curls back.

"So, I had a mama and she didn't want me."

Ben hated the fact that tears were welling up in his boy's eyes and it broke his heart. He knew Luke was too young to really grasp the ideas of what had sent Natasha running after he was born. "Mama couldn't stay, my boy." He said softly. "But she knew I'd love you more than anything in the world and she left you with me."

Luke's lower lip trembled. "So, I can't have a new mama because I still have an old mama."

Ben winced. "I guess. If I had a wife, she'd be your Auntie."

Luke sniffed as the tears started to fall down his chubby little cheeks. "But I want a mama. Not an Auntie." He pouted.

"I know." Ben said as he scooped Luke up into his arms and cuddled him close. He felt the tears from his boy hitting his shirt and he hated the fact even more that the poor thing had been left to only be raised by him.

A confirmed bachelor who was constantly in search of a restaurant idea that would catch on and work out so that he could provide Luke with the life he deserved.

So far, things had been going well. Luke didn't want for toys or clothes or companionship as Erica Lee did a fine job of watching him with her son and a few other boys from the neighborhood. Or as she'd told him once, it was their group from classes before the boys were born. But Natasha had disappeared before Luke was even 6 months old.

He never knew why she took off and his careful questioning of Erica revealed that she'd never confided in her either.

He honestly wished that he had more money to toss at the PI that he'd hired a year ago. Maybe then the guy would search a little harder for her. He also wished he could find out more information on his brother.

Not that he was sure about what to do with that information because well, he just didn't like his brother and he worried about what Luke's life would be if he was being raised by his dad instead of his uncle.

He wasn't aware that he was also crying until he felt little pudgy hands patting his cheeks.

"Don't cry, Uncle." Luke said as he looked down at the little boy. "Luke here. He make it all better."

Ben smiled. "Yes, you do Luke." He nodded before bending his head slightly and kissing the boy's forehead. "And I may not be your mama or dad but I am your uncle and I love you very much."

"I love you too." Luke nodded before his arms went around Ben's neck and he hugged him tight. "I still want a mama of my own." He admitted.

"I know you do, my boy."

"But maybe Kota will let me borrow his mama if I let him play with my truck."

Ben smiled. "Perhaps."

"And maybe if we make cookies."

Ben chuckled. "You just want to eat cookies, don't you?" He tickled the boy in his pudgy tummy, making him squirm and giggle.

"Yes."

"I knew that." Ben smiled before letting up on the tickling and hugging him close. "We'll make chocolate chip cookies and a few others for them. His mama may not feel like making Christmas cookies all the time so we'll help her out."

"How we do that?" Luke stared up at him.

"We'll make extras and take them to her house."

"Oh." He nodded, solemnly.

"And you'll get to put sprinkles on the ones that need them."

His eyes widened. "Luke like sprinkles on cookies." He nodded again.

"And extra chocolate chips on the chocolate chip cookies."

"Luke really like those."

Ben tickled him again. "I know that too."

Luke tilted his head and studied him. "Luke like them best in pancakes." He advised.

"Is that so."

"That's so." Luke nodded. "Can you make choc'lit chip pancakes for dinner?" he asked. "With lots an lots of choc'lit?"

Ben laughed. "I suppose we can do that. But we'll see how much chocolate chips are in them. I don't think Erica will appreciate you showing up with a chocolate hangover tomorrow."

"What a hang-under?"

"Hangover." Ben corrected him gently. "It's when you have too much of something and you feel out of it the next day."

"Oh. Like when Luke drink too much apple juice."

Ben chuckled. "Something like that."

"Okay." Luke said, snuggling into him even more. "Pancakes with choc'lit chips for dinner and we make cookies for Erica."

"Yes. That's what we'll do tonight." Ben agreed, wrapping his arms tighter around his nephew and sitting back more. He knew that Luke would fall asleep for a bit of a nap before dinner and he was planning on that time to clue Erica in that Luke may be a little clingy for the next few days as he tried to get over the fact that Erica wasn't going to be his mama.

And that he probably wouldn't get a mama for Christmas.

Ben kissed the top of Luke's head and rubbed his back gently as he felt the little boy relax into his arms.

It would be difficult to ever tell Luke that he wouldn't ever get a mama for Christmas.

Maybe he could convince him that he wanted building blocks or books instead.

With his luck, it would be chocolate instead.

(Fade...)