Christmas With You

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “Why don’t you—” My words are cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Ruby is off my lap and running toward the stairs, yelling that she’ll get it before I can even move a muscle. I follow her down the stairs as quickly as possible. She swings the door open, and Rory is standing there dressed in a black tuxedo with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

  “Daddy!” she squeals, and jumps into his arms. I stand there with my heart beating out of my chest, my mouth parched, and my palms sweating. He bends down to give her a kiss but keeps eye contact with me. Butterflies flutter in my tummy, and my knees go weak. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that I’m in love with this man, but I have to be one hundred percent sure that he’s in love with me.

  Rory moves away from Ruby and stalks toward me. I hold on to the railing for support. Not because I’m going to fall, but out of fear I may throw myself at him.

  “You look …” He takes a step back, pulls his lower lip between his teeth, and shakes his head slightly. “I’m not sure you should be out in public like this.”

  It takes me a moment to find my voice. “What, why?” I ask, feeling for a hair that might be out of place, automatically assuming something is wrong.

  “Because every man at the party is going to be looking at you, and I’m not sure I have the energy to keep them away.” He steps closer, cupping my cheek with his free hand. “I’m having a hard time here, Gwen.”

  “Me too,” I whisper. Rory leans forward and brushes his lips against mine. Like the first time we kissed, my body explodes with its own personal set of sparklers, never dulling. He pulls away all too soon. It could be from the cheering our daughter is doing or the fact that someone is clearing their throat behind him.

  I look over his shoulder to find my sister standing in our entryway. Her beaming smile says it all, and yet my thundering heart is screaming something else. Something I don’t want to hear or even think. I don’t want to think Rory’s here because of the holidays. Deep in my heart, I know he’s changing, and for the better. It’s not some game or some ploy to get back into my good graces. I have to believe Rory and not the nagging, unhelpful voice that seems to linger.

  “Oh good, you’re here. Rory and I can go now,” I say, using Rory’s assistance to step down the last two stairs.

  Rory picks up my shawl and drapes it over my shoulders. “It’s good to see you, Eliza,” he says before ushering me out the door. There’s a strain between them. It’s expected. My hope is that they can overcome this obstacle and be friends again, regardless of how Rory and I end up.

  We reach the old McMullan mansion in only a few minutes. The drawback and bonus to living in a small town is that everything’s close but never far enough away that your car can get warm in the middle of winter. Not that I need it, because Rory’s hand is on my leg, and that’s enough to keep the fire simmering within me.

  At the mansion, the valet is there to open our doors. When the valet reaches for my hand, Rory is there instead, pushing him out of the way. “I’ve got her,” he tells the young kid who backs away quickly.

  “Was that necessary?”

  “Probably not, but the last thing I want is for someone else to touch you. It’s a bit possessive, but I’m afraid I’d be rather jealous if another man held your hand tonight.”

  His words take me by surprise. This is a side of Rory that I haven’t seen in well over a year. While I like it, it makes me question everything. I pull him over to the side, away from the entrance. I need answers. “Where is all of this coming from?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The romantic gestures, the flowers, which I forgot to thank you for by the way, the sweet tender touches and compliments?”

  Rory sighs and runs his hand through his hair, messing it up. He tries to smooth it down, but it’s no use. “When you asked me to move out, I was so angry. I couldn’t understand because I was giving you and Ruby everything. Night after night, I would lie in bed, wondering why. Then it hit me. Somewhere along the way, we lost us. I started working more, and you started needing less from me. It took you kicking me to the curb to realize that we can have the best life, together. That my job can end on time, and I can be the father and husband you need me to be.

  “I tried to imagine my life without you. I tried to picture the future, you with another man. And …” He pauses and shakes his head. “That’s when I knew I had to change. I had to fix what I broke because when I look at us as a family, you’ve been there, guiding and encouraging me, and I’m the one who shut everyone out.

  “Gwen, I love you more than I can put into words, and I will do anything to make our marriage work. All I’m asking for is one chance. I just need one because I promise I’ll never mess up this badly again.”

  Before I can answer, before I can give him my heartfelt reply, someone yells our names. Friends of ours are standing on the steps, waving us down frantically. I don’t know about Rory, but I haven’t seen them since before Thanksgiving and am unaware whether or not they know about Rory and I separating.

  “Do they know?” I ask. He shakes his head. “Well good.” I link my arm with his and all but drag him toward the stairs. It’s a coward move, but I need time to think and process his words. He’s telling me everything I want to hear, and while this should make me happy, I’m skeptical, and I don’t want to be. “Diane and Larry, it’s so great to see you. How’s Boston treating you?”

  “It’s beautiful, especially this time of the year,” Diane says as we embrace each other. “When are you going to come visit?”

  I look at Rory. He shrugs, leaving the answer up to me. “Probably once the snow has melted. Maybe for spring break, we’ll drive over.”

  “That would be wonderful.”

  The four of us make our way into the mansion and into the grand ballroom. Rory and I have spent many evenings here, from proms to our wedding reception. When I was younger, I fell in love with the arched entryways, the marble columns, and domed rooms. This is where Cinderella comes to meet her Prince, even if it’s only for one magical night.

  After dinner, Rory takes me out onto the dance floor. The jazz band plays a light selection of music, making it easy for us to sway together. He holds me close, gazing into my eyes. I wonder what he’s seeking. Is it a response to his statement earlier or something else?

  “At Last” by Etta James starts, and he pulls me closer. This was our wedding song, and I can’t help but get lost in the memory of the evening we became husband and wife. My hand moves to the back of his head, and my fingers tangle with his hair. I lean forward and kiss him, keeping it chaste. “Will you come home tonight?”

  “Just for tonight?” His voice is a bit raspy.

  “No, forever. Please come home, Rory.”

  Chapter Nine

  Rory

  I don’t care how well my wife plans, she always forgets something on Christmas Eve. This year, it’s the rolls, and finding rolls the night before a major holiday, in a small town grocery store, is nearly impossible, so I have no other options but to buy the ingredients to make them homemade. Is this what Gwen wants? Nope, but going home empty-handed is out of the question. I could drive out of town, going store to store, but I have a feeling the outcome is going to be the same. Besides, I plan to help her.

  It’s nice to see I’m not the only husband here. In fact, everyone in line in front of me is male, and most are grumbling to each other about being out right now. For me, this is happiness. When she asked me to come home, I could barely contain myself. We left the party instantly, forgetting to say good-bye to the people I work with, and went straight home, where I showed her how much I love her. The next morning, I packed up my tiny apartment and turned in my keys, hoping to never see the likes of that place again.

  Now that I’m home and we’re a family again, I feel like a new man. For a time, I thought I was going to lose everything, and I still may on the financial end of things, but I’ll have my girls, and they’re most important part of my life. They�
��re all I need.

  After wishing the cashier a Merry Christmas, I’m back in my truck to head home. According to the instructions I read on the web, the dough has to rise for about an hour and a half or so, which gives Gwen and I some time to work on other things. I spent most of yesterday occupying Ruby while Gwen wrapped presents, so I’m looking forward to some quality time with my wife.

  Before returning home, I decide to drive through town one last time to look at the decorations and the town’s Christmas tree. By the end of the week, everything will change as we celebrate the New Year and then Valentine’s Day.

  The years are starting to go by too fast. Just yesterday, it was April, and my clients were frantically filing their taxes before the deadline, and now it’s the end of the year and I’m left wondering if I accomplished everything I needed.

  I’ve never been a man who makes resolutions, but this year I am: to work on my marriage. It’s taken a hard lesson to make me realize that marriage is a job. Both of us have to constantly work to make it the best it can be. We’re both to blame for what happened earlier. However, I shoulder most of it. We’ve both vowed to never put ourselves in that situation again. Communication is key.

  On my drive through town, I spot Gabe, sitting on the park bench. He’s alone, of course, and from my car, it looks like he’s asleep. I pull up along the curb and get out, pulling my coat closer to fight the chill in the air.

  “Hello, Gabe?”

  He startles. “Mr. Sutton, it’s far too cold for you to be out. You should head home to your family.”

  “I was just on my way, but I saw you sitting here so I thought I’d join you for a few minutes.” I sit down next to him and shiver. I don’t want to say he was instrumental in my reconciliation with Gwen, but he definitely guided me with his words of wisdom. “I haven’t seen you the past couple of days.”

  “No, I guess my time here is almost done.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Gabe chuckles but doesn’t say anything. I don’t know whether I should press him for more or just let it go. “How’s Ruby?” he asks.

  “She’s doing well.”

  He nods. “A sweet little girl who loves her mommy and daddy. She also likes to read, ice-skate, and play tag.”

  “Yes, she gives us a run for our money. How would you like to see her tonight?”

  Gabe looks at me with surprise in his eyes. “It’s Christmas Eve. You should be with your family, Mr. Sutton.”

  He’s right. I stand and extend my hand to him. “Something tells me my family would be delighted if you joined us for dinner tonight.”

  He looks from me to my hand and back again. When he starts to shake his head, I put my hand up. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I’d be able to spend Christmas with my family. You helped me see the error of my ways.” Gabe smiles. “Spend the evening with my family, let us properly thank you.”

  “If you insist.”

  “It’d be our pleasure to have you sit at our table, Gabe.” He follows me to my truck and gets in without any assistance. I don’t bother to text Gwen to tell her I’m bringing him home. Something tells me she’s going to be okay with this.

  “Your home is beautiful,” he says as soon as pull into the driveway.

  “Thank you,” I reply, staring at the front of the house. I wish I could take credit for the outside, but I can’t. Gwen did this. She made sure our home still felt like Christmas even though I wasn’t around. The garland with its white lights is a welcoming feature as we climb the steps onto the porch, and the wreath that hangs on our door is decorated with red and white ribbons, but it’s the angel that dangles in the middle that catches me off guard. I’ve never seen it before.

  “Haven’t you ever seen an angel before?” Gabe asks, clearly recognizing my hesitation at the door.

  “It’s not that. We’ve always used a snowman or Santa. The angel is new.” I look back at Gabe and have to do a double take. It seems as if he’s cleaned himself up, even though it’s impossible. Without taking my eyes off him, I open the door and announce that I’m home.

  “Gabe!” Ruby screams as soon as we step in. “Daddy, this is my friend Gabe. He’s the one who gave me the book you’ve been reading to me at night.”

  In this moment, everything becomes clear to me. This man is more than who he says, but that’s his secret to tell. To me, he’s the man who gave me the words I needed to figure out my life.

  “Gabe, what a surprise.” As soon as I see Gwen, I go to her, giving her a kiss.

  “This is okay, right?” I whisper into her ear.

  “Of course it is.” She kisses me on the cheek and sidesteps me. “Gabe, would you like me to take your jacket?”

  “No, I’m afraid I should leave it on. But a washroom would be splendid.”

  “I’ll show him,” Ruby says. She grabs his hand and pulls the old man down the hallway.

  Gwen and I head into the kitchen, where I have to break the news about dinner rolls. Looking at the clock and the timer on the oven, it dawns on me that we don’t have enough time to make our own.

  “I’m sorry I took so long. Gabe was sitting on the bench, so I stopped to talk to him. And also the store was out of rolls, and I thought we could make them homemade.” I shrug and point to the clock.

  “It’s fine, Rory. We can make do without rolls tonight.”

  “Hey, babe. Do you believe in angels?”

  My question gives her pause. She turns to face me. “This year, I believe in miracles, and if an angel is the one making those happen for us, then yes, I do.”

  “Smells delicious,” Gabe interrupts us as he and Ruby enter the kitchen. Much to my surprise, he’s taken off his coat and seems to have on a nice new flannel.

  “Oh, Gabe, that shirt looks wonderful on you,” Gwen says happily. “It fits well, I see.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Sutton. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Call me Gwen. We’re happy to help. Ruby, why don’t you take our guest into the dining room? Your father and I will bring dinner out.”

  As soon as Ruby and Gabe are in the other room, I ask Gwen, “Did you buy him clothes?”

  “I did. I don’t know why. I was shopping for you, and the next thing I knew I had a pile for him.”

  I pull her into my arms. “You’re the best, Gwen Sutton. I love you, and I’m sorry for letting work cloud my priorities.”

  Gwen presses her lips to mine. “I love you, Rory.”

  Together we carry our Christmas Eve meal into the dining room, each taking turns dishing up plates for everyone. After I sit down, I reach for Gwen’s and Ruby’s hands.

  “Ruby, would like to lead us in giving thanks this evening?” I ask her.

  She nods and grabs Gabe’s hand, holding it proudly. “I give thanks for my family and my new best friend Gabe, and thank him for bringing my mommy and daddy back together.”

  Just as Ruby finishes, a bell from atop the Christmas tree rings. Gwen and I both look up. Ruby is smiling, almost giddy.

  “You know, I’ve heard that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings,” I say.

  And Gabe … well, he just tilts his head toward us and winks.