I stood up from my bed and walked over to my full-length mirror. I shook my head at my white pump shoes, my snow woman onesie and my curly brown hair that spilled down over my chest. After I got dried and did my hair earlier I applied some waterproof mascara, it was needed, and some lip-gloss. I didn't bother with anything else because my face was flushed and rosy from crying so much, and no amount of make-up would have hid it so I didn't even try.

I opened my bedroom door and the smell of my mother's Christmas dinner hit me. I was surprised when my stomach didn't churn, but grumbled instead. I licked my lips and tried to remember when I last had a decent meal. At Darcy's we only ate tinned stuff, a bowl of hot cereal would have been a step-up - from the smell of my mother's dinner, this was going to be a massive upgrade.

"Neala?" my mother's voice called out. "Dinner is ready in two minutes."

You can do this.

I inhaled and exhaled. "I'm coming."

I closed my bedroom door, and then descended the stairs. I could hear the jingle of Christmas songs coming from the kitchen. I was about to walk by the living room, when I caught the kids sitting on the floor and the adults gathered around them I figured I'd go in a watch the kids open their presents. I had nothing to give Charli and deserved any backlash I got from her for breaking my promise.

I promised I would get her the doll, and I didn't.

I was officially the worst Auntie ever.

"I thought it was dinner time," I said as I came up behind my mother.

She turned and beamed at me. "The kids want to open some more gifts first."

I lightly smiled and looked down to Charli and Dustin.

Both of the kids were already ripping open presents, and I couldn't help but genuinely smile at them. They were both the picture of innocence and happiness as they laughed with one another. I felt like someone was looking at me from across the room, and since I knew it was him, I refused to look up.

I just wanted this to be about the kids and not have the focus on Darcy and myself. We have both ruined countless moments over the years and I would not let our differences and problems take this away from the kids. They were mini versions of the pair of us, and if I could stop them from ending up like the old version of us, then I bloody well would.

I blinked when a little gasp got my attention.

I looked down as Dustin lifted up the pink, damaged box that I wrapped for Charli and looked up to Darcy. I flicked my eyes to Darcy and saw him wink and nod his head. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down to Dustin as he cleared his throat.

"Charli?" he said.

Charli was mid-way through opening a Barbie dollhouse my parents must have gotten her. I watched as she completely abandoned opening her present as she turned and gave Dustin her full attention. I found myself smiling as I watched the pair of them. They both adored one another.

"Yeah?" Charli replied to Dustin.

Dustin's cheeks flushed red as he extended his arm and held out the pink wrapped box in Charli's direction.

"I got this for you," Dustin said to Charli.

I widened my eyes.

What?

Dustin was giving Charli the doll?

What. The. Hell?

Charli gasped and giddily took the box with a chirpy 'thank you' and tore into the pink wrapping paper. When she fully unwrapped the box, her gasp and squeal of delight warmed my heart and everyone else's. We all beamed down at the pair.

"A Blaze Princess doll!" Charli screamed and hugged the Blaze doll box to her chest.

I didn't understand what the hell was happening, but my eyes welled up with tears because I got what I wanted by Charli getting what she wanted.

I looked up to Darcy who was already looking at me, he gave me a small smile and a little shrug of his shoulders as he mouthed, "He only told me what he was doing a few minutes ago."

Darcy was in the dark about Dustin's plans for the doll, and that made me feel a little better. I would be so mad if he knew all about it and never told me. Things could have been easily solved if we both knew. This got me to thinking if Sean or my mother knew and never told us.

I looked down to the kids and beamed when Charli crawled over and threw her arms around Dustin and knocked him onto his back as she hugged him. Everyone laughed while my mother took pictures and Sean recorded the pair on his phone.

When Charli got off Dustin and looked up at me, a smile stretched across my face. "Look!" She beamed and held the box up for me to see.

I chuckled, "I see. It's brilliant. Just the doll you wanted, right?"

Charli nodded her head and hugged the doll box to her chest. Dustin sat up and took the doll box from Charli and proceeded to open the box for her. It took him few minutes to get the doll untangled from the wires holding it to the box, but Charli sat patiently waiting on him to get the doll free.

When he got the doll free and handed it to Charli she took the doll in her arms, closed her eyes and smiled as she hugged the doll to her chest.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" She cheered making us all laugh and cheer with her.

Dustin smiled at Charli and saw how happy she was, he then looked up to Darcy and gave him a thumbs up which made us all chuckle.

"Charli, why don't you get the purple wrapped gift under the tree. Neala got you it," my mother said.

Charli squealed and crawled under the tree to get the purple wrapped gift. Dustin placed his hand on the back of Charli's leg and pulled her from under the tree when she shouted she had the box, but couldn't move. Everyone laughed, apart from me.

I looked to my mother and whispered, "I didn't get her anything."

"Yes, you did." My mother winked.

She actually winked at me.

I didn't buy Charli anything so whatever she bought in my name, I hoped it would live up to Blaze doll level - otherwise Charli probably wouldn't even notice, either way I was grateful to say I had something for her.

"Thank you," I mouthed to my mother who smiled.

We watched Charli open her present and laughed as she screamed so loud that Dustin had to plug his ears with his fingers.

"Blaze doll dresses! Omigod!" Charli squealed. "Thanks, Autnie Neala!"

She jumped up to her feet and barrlled into my legs, hugging me as tight as her little arms allowed. My heart lept with joy as I returned the hug and watched and she returned to the present began to tear open the box full of doll dresses and accessories.

Her reaction was amazing.

I looked to my mother who grinned. "Everyone bought all the dolls, but didn't bother with the outfits so I figured I get her one from you since you went to so much trouble with the doll. I went into Smyths after you last Wednesday and grabbed the doll outfits while you where somewhere else in the shop."

I was probably engaged in battle with Darcy for the doll.

She was so sneaky, but she was awesome.

I hugged my mother tightly then looked back down to Charli who was playing dress up with her doll, and I chuckled when she had Dustin pick out his favourite dress for the doll to wear. The poor lad didn't know which dress to pick and kept looking at Charli to get some hint at which one she wanted him to pick.

She loved pink so I coughed and muttered, "Pink."

Dustin heard me and picked out a hot pink dress and Charli beamed. "Great choice, Dusty!"

Dustin blew out a breath and looked to me and gave me a big thumbs up.

I winked at him.

A few gifts were exchanged between the adults then. I got perfume, clothes, and some jewellery. Everyone else got similar presents, and when everything was opened we retired to the kitchen to get our food on. As usual, I hated that there was arranged seating at dinner because every year Darcy and I were placed close to one another, and in the last few years one of the kids sat between us just to keep things clean and safe for everyone at the table.