by Amber Kelly
Pop bursts into laughter, and all eyes turn to him.
“Son, there is no such thing. Gram and I were married for over sixty years, and I know a thing or two.”
“If I don’t get my shit together, I don’t think Sophie will put up with me for sixty years.”
“Notice I didn’t say, I was happily married for sixty years, son. Anyone who claims that is a damn liar. Ain’t nobody happy every day for sixty years. I loved Gram with everything I had, but there were some days we could barely stand the sight of each other. That woman could make me madder than a hornet, and she never had a problem letting me know that I could do the same. She locked me out of the house and made me sleep out in the barn on more than one occasion over the years. That woman had a temper. But we loved each other, and we loved our family. The fights were temporary, and the making up was divine.”
“Is that right, old man?” I ask.
“Yep. There is no such thing as a perfect union. Marriage is just two flawed individuals who make a choice each day not to give up on each other. That’s the beauty of grown-up love. You’ll find out that you’re more flawed than she is, and she’ll be the one not giving up the most because that’s the way of a woman in love with an old cowboy. So, buy her lots of flowers and learn to grovel.”
“I messed up.”
“Then, you be man enough to tell her you’re sorry and mean it. Women are built differently than men. We can get angry, yell, and curse awhile, and then we get over it, and everything is fine. But females, it festers with them and settles in like little cracks in their souls. They need the words. So, we have to be man enough to humble ourselves and give them the words. You remember that, and you’ll be a fine husband for the next sixty years.”
“Damn, I need to be taking notes, don’t I?” Walker chimes. “Can you repeat that part about flawed people?” he asks as he pulls his phone from his back pocket and taps the screen.
Pop slaps him on the back. “I don’t think there’s much hope for you, son. You’d just better pray Elle has the patience of a saint, and it couldn’t hurt to go ahead and hide yourself a pillow out in the barn.”
“That is solid advice, Pop,” Walker agrees.
Doreen just shakes her head and then turns back to me. “Are you sorted?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I give in before kissing her cheek.
“Wonderful. Now, let’s get in there and get that tree wrapped in lights,” she urges Aunt Ria.
They head excitedly into the house, and Pop follows. I shut the tailgate, and Walker and I load up into the truck to head to his mom’s house.
I make it home and find Elle on the couch, watching television.
“Hey, big brother,” she says as she stretches.
I look around and see that the house is all in order. I can smell dinner cooking in the kitchen, and all the ornaments and decor are laid out in front of the tree, just waiting to deck the halls.
“It looks good in here,” I say as I take it all in.
“Yeah, we worked our tails off, trying to get everything done before Vivian and Stanhope arrive. Sophie wanted it all to be just right. Wore herself out.”
“Is she in the kitchen?” I ask.
“Nope. The baby woke up hungry about twenty minutes ago, and she went to feed her. I’m keeping an eye on the roast in the oven. Go on and find them and start groveling.”
I roll my eyes at her.
“Seriously, Braxton. You hurt her today.”
I sigh. “I know. I’ll fix it.”
“You’d better. Or all the females in your life are going to be angry with you.”
I muss her hair, and she growls at me as I head down the hall in search of my girls.
I find them in the nursery. Sophie is in the gliding rocker with Lily Claire in her arms. The baby is latched on to her momma’s breast, and Sophie’s head is lulled to the side. They are both fast asleep.
She is so beautiful; it takes my breath away. How the hell did I get so lucky?
I tiptoe over to them and bend down to kiss Sophie’s head and then the baby’s. Lily Claire stirs and starts suckling again, which causes one of Sophie’s eyes to peek open.
“Hey,” she whispers.
“Hey.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s about three p.m. I just got home.”
“Oh, I need to get up. Mom and Stanhope will be here soon,” she says as she starts to stand.
“No, you relax. I’ll help Elle finish up anything else that needs to be done.”
She lets out a sigh and drops back into the rocker. I know she’s exhausted.
I take a knee in front of her. “I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier,” I begin.
She eyes me suspiciously. “You are?”
I nod. “I know I was a jerk, and you didn’t deserve that. Not any of it. It’s important for you to have your mom here, isn’t it?” I ask.
Her eyes well with tears, and she sniffles as she answers, “Yeah, I know she can be a lot, but something about her presence just calms me. Like I need to be smothered and fussed over right now. The way she has always smothered and fussed over me. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but I kind of need her.”
I reach up and wipe her tears. “Hey, no need for these. I understand. I’m sorry I got angry. Your parents are welcome here. I promise to be my most charming self.”
That gets her to laugh.
“Oh boy, I can’t wait to see that.”
“You just wait, Princess. I bet you I’ll have Vivian eating out of the palm of my hand before next weekend,” I inform her.
She gives me a broad smile, and it tugs at my heart.
“No more Mr. Grinch?”
“No more Mr. Grinch. You have my word. We’re going to have the best Christmas ever.”
“What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch, but I do have a request. A compromise. On Christmas Eve, you and I will read The Night Before Christmas to Lily Claire before we put her down for the night, and in the morning, we’ll all get up and come down to see what Santa left before we head to Rustic Peak for Christmas breakfast. Walker and I’ll get work done with Jefferson and Emmett before we come back and open gifts from the family and spend the day with everyone. Your mom and Stanhope included. But after our time with the entire family, we—just the three of us—are coming back here and having a quiet night with the fire going and the tree lit up with us and Hawk on the couch, watching cheesy holiday movies.”
She giggles. “You do realize your daughter is two months old, right?”
“I don’t care. That’s going to be our tradition, and it’s starting this year.”
Her tears start falling again.
“Is that a no?”
“No! I mean, yes, that sounds like a great plan. I’ll make arrangements for Mom and Stan to stay in town Christmas night.”
“Then, why are you crying?” I ask as I swipe her hair from her face.
“I’m just so happy at the thought of Lily Claire being surrounded by a large, loud, loving family every Christmas. She’s a blessed little one to have so many people who love her.”
“Yes, she is. Very loved indeed.”
“Sophie?” we hear Elle call down the hallway.
“Yeah, Elle?”
“Do you want me to add the potatoes and carrots to the roast now?”
“Oh, I’m coming. One sec,” she answers as she gently pulls the baby from her chest.
Lily Claire grunts in protest.
“You’ve had plenty. Momma has to go get everyone else’s supper ready too, greedy girl,” she coos before raising her for me to take.
“I got her,” I assure her as she stands and starts for the door.
I reach out and catch her around the waist with one arm as I cradle our daughter in my other arm.
She turns, and I pull her in and kiss her deeply.
“I love you, Sophia Doreen Young,” I murmur against her lips.
“I love you more,” s
he says before I release her, and she hurries to the kitchen.
I look down at Lily Claire, and her big blue eyes are watching me.
“Hey, gorgeous. Daddy loves you too,” I tell her, and she blinks before tooting loudly.
“What was that? Did that big stinky come out of you, little lady? You are acting like your uncle Walker now,” I say as I take over and lay her on the changing table to check her diaper. “Wow, you blew that one up. How did you do that?”
She just gurgles and coos at me as she kicks her chunky legs.
I get her all cleaned up and freshly diapered, and then I remove my shirt before I pick her back up and lay her against my chest, skin to skin. Then, I start walking her around the room, singing softly to her.
“Every time I look into your lovely eyes, I see a love that money just can’t buy. One look from you, I drift away. I pray that you are here to stay. Anything you want, you got it. Anything you need, you got it. Anything at all, you got it, baby …”
I don’t know the rest of the lyrics, so I just hum and sway until her eyes grow heavy, and she finally gives in.
I’m not ready to lay her down. I want to hold her a bit longer, so I just close my eyes and continue to hum. When I open them again, I see Sophie leaning against the doorframe, watching us.
“Roy Orbison, huh?” she asks softly.
I shrug. “Not a lullaby kind of guy, but ole Roy got it right. She has me wrapped around her finger, and anything she wants, anything at all, I’ll work my ass off to make sure she gets it,” I admit.
“I think she has it all right here. Nothing beats being held by your daddy and feeling safe and protected. That’s all she needs. At least, until she’s a teenager.”
“Shit, I don’t want to think about that.”
She walks over to us and wraps her arms around the two of us. “We’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”
I pull her in close, and she lays her head on my chest, next to Lily Claire.
“You know, I was worried about how you would do when we found out she was a girl instead of a boy.”
“Why? Don’t you know, loving girls is my specialty?”
She giggles as I start to dance us around the room.
“I’m truly sorry I was such an ass this morning, Princess. I’m still figuring this husband and father thing out.”
“I think you’re doing a wonderful job,” she whispers.
I kiss her head and start humming again as I twirl my two girls around in the dark.
Dallas
“Momma!” Beau yells for me from upstairs.
“I’m coming!” I call up.
I look to Myer, who is carrying boxes in from the shed.
“When did I go from Mommy to Momma?” I ask.
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“Ugh, I don’t like it. Soon, it’ll be Mom, and then one day, it’ll be, Yo, Dal, can you pack my snacks for football practice?”
He chuckles as he sets the box on the living room floor.
“It’s not funny,” I insist.
“Momma, are you coming? I need help. I can’t find my boots.”
“See, there. You don’t have to worry about him growing up too soon. He still needs you,” Myer assures me.
“Yeah, like you don’t still need me to find your boots,” I tease.
He comes over and lifts me off my feet. “That’s right. We all need you,” he says before he brings his lips to mine.
“Ugh, you guys, stop all the loving. I have to get ready. Nana is going to be here in a minute to get me.”
Myer releases me, and we both look to the top of the stairs, where an annoyed, half-dressed Beau stands.
“Sorry, buddy, you know the rules,” Myer says as he gestures up to the mistletoe hanging above us.
Beau huffs and comes running down the steps, heading right for us. When he skids to a stop, he reaches up, and Myer plucks him from the floor. Beau wraps his arms around my neck and I take him into my arms as he smacks a kiss right on my lips.
“Now, can we find my boots? I don’t want to miss the elves!” he cries.
“Yes, baby, I’ll find your boots. Let Daddy comb your hair. I want you to look handsome in the pictures.”
I drop him to his bare feet and head up to find his favorite boots. I fish one out of the back of his closet and the other from under his bed.
When I make it back downstairs, Mom is already standing at the door, waiting for him. They will be having cookies and milk with some of Santa’s elves down at the church tonight. I hate sending Beau without us, but it’s the perfect opportunity for us to get some gifts wrapped and hidden away. Plus, we still have the Poplar Falls tree lighting ceremony this weekend, and Santa will be there, so I’ll get pictures of Beau and his baby sister with him then.
“Here you go. You know, if you put them on your shoe rack, where they belong, when you take them off, we wouldn’t have to hunt them down every time,” I say as I hand them off to Myer, and he helps Beau get them on.
“I know, Mommy. I’m sorry,” he says.
Myer’s eyes come to mine, and he grins.
I got a Mommy. It still slips out from time to time, and I have to savor each one of them when they do.
“It’s okay, baby. Next time, you’ll remember,” I say before I grab his coat and hat.
I pull it on and button him up before I bring him in for a squeeze.
“You have fun and mind Nana and Pop-Pop. I’ll see you in the morning before school.”
“Okay, I love you,” he says before taking my mom’s hand.
“We’ll get up early and swing by the bakery for breakfast before I drop him off,” she says as she leads him out to the truck, where Daddy is waiting.
I stand in the open door and wave until they are out of sight.
Arms come around me from behind, and Myer’s chin rests on my head.
“I don’t want him to grow up. It’s happening too fast. He was a baby yesterday, and now, he’s eight years old. I blinked, and he turned into a little man.”
“You can’t stop time,” he whispers into my hair.
“I don’t want to stop it. I just want it to slow down,” I gripe.
Headlights turn down the drive.
“That’s Payne. He is going to help me put the bed together.”
We are redoing the bigger guest bedroom upstairs for Beau. We ordered him a new black metal loft frame with steps for him to climb to get into bed and his very own Batman Batcave below, which holds a desk and TV with a Loki beanbag chair. Captain America’s shield is painted on the ceiling with a star-shaped light fixture in the center. The opposite wall of the built-in bed is painted to look like bricks with a huge Incredible Hulk fist busting through it. I had metal letters made that spell out his name and the words Hero Up. Plus, Santa is bringing him all-new Avengers bedding. He is going to freak out. The trick is to keep him from seeing it before Christmas. He never goes in there, but I’m terrified he’ll wander in for some reason between now and then.
“Is the little man gone?” Payne asks as he climbs the steps to the porch.
“Yes, Momma and Daddy just picked him up.”
“Let’s get to it, then,” he says as he follows me inside.
“I brought the boxes in already. It looks like this thing is in a million pieces, so it should be a lot of fun to put it together,” Myer tells him.
“Bring it on. I love a challenge.”
“I’ll get supper done while y’all work,” I tell them before heading to the kitchen.
Three hours later, they emerge from upstairs.
“I’d ask how it went, but I heard a plethora of curses coming from up there,” I say as the two of them settle into barstools.
“Jeez, they couldn’t have made that thing harder to assemble. But we finally beat it into submission. It looks good. Beau’s going to love it,” Payne informs.
“I’ll go check it out and lock the door before I go to bed. I don’t want Beau to see it and ruin the s
urprise. By the way, do you want us to wait for you to get here on Christmas morning before we show it to him? You should get to see his face since you worked so hard on it even though Santa gets all the credit.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that,” he says.
I dish out lasagna and pile their plates high and add a piece of garlic bread before sliding it in front of them.
“All right, shoot,” I prompt him.
“I’m going to New York for Christmas,” he says.
“What?”
“I want to surprise Charlotte. She keeps hinting that she wants something big for Christmas, and I can’t think of anything to get her, so I figure I’ll give her me.”
“You, in New York City, at Christmas?” I burst into laughter.
“Nice,” he grumbles.
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to picture it,” I say as I continue to laugh.
He sits back and waits for me to get my wits about me.
“You done?” he asks impatiently.
I take a deep breath. “Yep, I think so.”
“I know Mom is going to give me a hard time, but Christmas weekend is the only time I can be away from the farm for a few days. I’ll be back the day after Christmas, and we can all get together then,” he suggests.
“Works for me, but I can’t wait for you to show Beau his room. I’ll record him for you though, or you can call, and you and Charlotte can watch on FaceTime.”
We hear a whine through the monitor, and I start for our room, but Myer stands.
“I’ll get her,” he says.
I turn back to my brother. “So, New York … that’s kind of a big deal, don’t you think?”
“No bigger deal than her coming here.”
“Oh, yes, it is. She comes here to see Sophie, me, and Elle, and you are in the mix somewhere. But you going to New York, where you do not know another soul? It’s all kinds of different.”
“I just miss her crazy ass. I haven’t seen her since the weekend Faith was born. She’s been so busy with all the holiday sales and shit, and with Sophie not being able to fly there, she hasn’t been able to get away. I figure she’s the one always taking on the trouble and expense to come to me. It’s only fair I make an effort and go to her.”
