Ben wasn't sure a birch broom would be very practical — he thought the best brooms typically favored lighter woods with more flexibility and less drag — but he wasn't an expert and neither was Melody, so it didn't much matter. A wreath for the door sounded nice. Had they had one last year? He couldn't recall. He suspected that perhaps Melody hadn't been much in the mood for housemaking in the immediate lead-up to Christmas. December was when they'd had one of their biggest fights, the one where they'd first seriously started talking about divorce. What a world away that was from today, with Melody handing their daughter to him in the serenity of the garden, the sun setting in the distance.

"Not tonight," he said. His attention was focused on Nora as he settled her into his arms, trying to make sure she was warm enough despite how she'd squirmed a bit during the transition. "The season's basically over. There's a few things at the end of October, costume parties, but after that we'll be pretty quiet until New Year."

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