A Family For Christmas (Hearts In Georgia; Harmony Cove)

by Marian Wilson

  Grace gave him a look of mingled sympathy and understanding. She really was very pretty; Lysander had noticed it the first time he’d met her. Even as angry as she had been, he had been starkly surprised by just how stunning she was. Her hair caught the light of the late afternoon sun like strands of copper and amber. Her eyes were wide and round, pale blue like the depths of an iceberg.

  He was startled, almost, by how attractive he found her this close.

  “It’s really made me reevaluate what I’m giving my attention to when I’m home,” he continued after clearing his throat, running his fingers through his hair. “Work can always wait. Not to mention that George and I had a long talk about how to play safely. We lived right in Seattle, so we are used to a lot more traffic. We love this neighborhood because of how quiet it is, but that doesn’t give us the right to be lax just because there is less traffic. I made him see how important it is for all of us to stay aware and alert.”

  “Well, that’s good for anyone to do,” Grace said.

  “I just hope you know how much I love my kids, and that I had a bad moment that afternoon. I’m not negligent, and I don’t ignore them. They are everything to me, and I just couldn’t stand the thought of someone thinking I didn’t care about my kids, you know?”

  Grace held up her hands in surrender and smiled at him. “Really, Lysander, you don’t have to prove anything to me. My parents really love you and your kids, and they told me that I had the wrong impression of you. And the fact that you humbled yourself enough to apologize and admit you were wrong really speaks volumes.” Her smile turned a little sad. “Not enough people are like that, and I think it’s really admirable.”

  “Well, thank you,” Lysander said with a smile of his own.

  “And honestly, I probably wouldn’t have thought all that highly about anyone that day, the way everything was going,” Grace added.

  “Bad day, huh?” Lysander asked.

  She nodded, sighing. “Yeah. My car had a flat tire the day before, and it cost me way more than it should have to get it fixed, and then the camera I use to take all my pictures for my blogs broke—”

  “You’re a blogger?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I do food blogging, mostly. Recipes and such. And then, to top it all off, my boyfriend decided that he wanted to…” Grace trailed off.

  That hit Lysander harder than he expected. Boyfriend, huh? Well, he supposed his hopes that she was single had been too good to be true, after all. She was lovely, charming, and just on experience alone, he knew she was a fantastic cook and very creative in the kitchen.

  “Never mind,” Grace finished with a big, forced smile. “That’s not important.”

  “Well,” Lysander said. “I hope that things work out for you, because it really seems like you are an amazing person. A woman like you who is as caring and compassionate as you are deserves to have someone to treat her the very same way. Someone who would really take care of you.”

  Grace stared at him, her eyes opening wide.

  Suddenly, Lysander felt embarrassed. Those words had just… tumbled out of his mouth. Part of him meant them, sure, but the other part would have rather died than say anything like that out loud to a woman he had only just met.

  “Well, I better be getting back to my wrapping!” he cried a little too forcefully, stepping away from the fence. “Tell your parents that they can just stick the invitation in my mailbox.”

  “Yeah, that… that sounds good,” Grace nodded.

  “It was nice to meet you, though.” Lysander gave her a small wave. “I look forward to talking with you more at your parents’ party this weekend.”

  “Yeah, same here.”

  He turned and called Sawyer to his side, ushering him into the house. He closed the door behind himself and stared back out into the yard. Grace had disappeared from the fence, but he had felt her eyes on his back the whole way inside.

  His heart was beating fast, and he felt like he might swallow his tongue. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time a woman had had this sort of effect on him… but he wasn’t sure that he wanted it to stop, either.

  6

  “Sweetie, can you grab the last of those cookies out of the oven for me, please?” Grace’s mother asked. Grace, who was standing in the kitchen arranging paper plates and cups on the island, nodded.

  “Sure, Mom. No problem.” She turned and picked up a pair of pot holders that were stitched with Merry Christmas to all, and stooped to open the oven. The heat washed over her when she pulled the door open, and the heavenly scent of chocolate filled her with happiness as she pulled the cookie tray out and set it on the top of the stove to cool.

  “Hey, Mrs. O’Neill, did you want these on the dining table or the coffee table?”

  Grace looked up and saw Nora standing just inside the kitchen with a stack of sticker name tags and a bundle of permanent markers.

  “Coffee table is fine, dear,” Grace’s mother said. “And if you could, grab that little chalkboard off the buffet next to the table and write down a note asking everyone to take a nametag and wear it.”

  “Got it,” Nora said with a beaming grin before ducking back out of the room.

  “I’m glad she was able to make it into town for the party again this year.” Grace’s mother turned to her and smiled. “When is her family celebrating their Christmas?”

  “I think the week between Christmas and New Year’s,” Grace said, coaxing the pillow-soft cookies off the sheet and onto a cooling rack. They could join the several dozen others in the fridge once they’d cooled. “She’s got all that family up in Pennsylvania coming down to visit.”

  “That’ll be nice,” her mother said as she swirled her wooden spoon in the pitcher of sweet tea she’d made.

  “Look who just got here!” came the booming voice of her father. He strolled into the kitchen from the entryway, grinning from ear to ear as he gestured behind him.

  Lysander, Lily, and George came walking in after him.

  Grace’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Lysander. She could see the muscles through his shirt as he carried his daughter in one arm. She didn’t know for sure, but Lily had to be six or seven, and she was tall for her age. It must run in the family.

  Lysander’s eyes fell on her, like orbs of sunlight pouring through the leaves in a tree. He smiled, and Grace was surprised at how easy it was for her to smile back at him. Ever since those few minutes they’d shared together out behind her parents’ house, she had been impressed by him. He’d humbled himself so easily, and she’d found that incredibly attractive. When was the last time Aaron had ever demonstrated an ounce of humility?

  Her mother had said Lysander was a lawyer, and it was clear that he loved his kids. Grace guessed it helped that he was also easy on the eyes, what with all those sophisticated good looks and his charming smile. She wondered what he looked like in a suit and tie. Like a natural, probably.

  She shoved those thoughts aside. She wasn’t single. It wasn’t right for her to be thinking about another guy in any kind of romantic way. Even if she was still somewhat unsure of how she felt about Aaron.

  “Oh, hello!” her mother cried, opening her arms and hurrying around the counter to scoop Lily up into her arms.

  “Hey, George,” Grace said, bending down and smiling at the young boy. She could see a great deal of his father in his face. “We haven’t been introduced properly yet. I’m Grace, Jan and Charlie’s daughter.”

  George smiled up at her. “You’re that lady who got mad at Daddy, aren’t you?”

  Grace laughed, her cheeks turning pink. “Oh, well, yes, I guess I am.”

  George shrugged his shoulders. “Dad says you’re really nice, so that’s okay. He said that you were right to be mad at him.”

  “Did he now?” Grace asked, glancing over George’s head. Her heart squeezed as she realized that Lysander had been watching her.

  He smiled down at her. “Yes. Because you were. I should always be more careful.
”

  “Daddy also said that she must really love kids, too, because she stopped you, George,” Lily said from the arms of Grace’s mother. “He said that she was smart and kind, and that we should be like her.”

  Grace and her mother both looked over at Lysander, who grinned sheepishly. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

  “Are the guests arriving—?” Nora rounded the corner, her question cutting short at the scene she encountered. “Oh, well, hello there.” She came over to stand beside Grace. “Who’s this?” she asked, giving Grace a curious smile.

  “This is Lysander and his kids, George and Lily,” Grace introduced them. “He lives next door.”

  “Wow, someone finally bought that house?” Nora asked. “I’m Nora, Grace’s best friend.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Lysander said, holding out his hand to shake Nora’s.

  “Well, let’s get the kids out of their jackets,” said Grace’s mother, ushering them all back through to the living room. “And we’ve got some fun games planned today. Do you kids know how to write your names?”

  Grace heard affirmations from both kids, and she smiled. Nora gave her a wicked grin and folded her arms across her chest.

  “What?” Grace demanded, turning to scoop the now cooler cookies onto a plate.

  Nora slid over to stand beside her. She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “My gosh, Grace, you didn’t tell me there was some hottie living next door to your parents now.”

  Grace shrugged, moving to turn the oven to a lower temperature so she could put the pies in. “You interested? I could set you up.”

  Nora rolled her eyes. “You know perfectly well that I’m talking about you,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “I mean, he’s gorgeous. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

  Grace’s cheeks flushed. “Yeah, he’s cute, I guess.”

  Nora huffed. “Oh, come on, Grace. And he’s totally into you!”

  Grace looked a little too eagerly up at her friend. “Do you think so?” And then she shook her head. “No, I’m with Aaron. I can’t even entertain these thoughts.”

  “Why not?” Nora asked, somewhat crossly. “Why would it be so wrong for you to consider what life might be like without Aaron in it? Maybe you could actually be happy in a relationship for once.”

  Grace’s heart was fluttering, but she was saved from having to answer by her cell phone ringing in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked the screen. Speak of the devil…

  “I need to take this,” she told Nora, relieved that she didn’t have to dodge any more of her questions. Nora sighed but stepped out of the kitchen to give her some privacy. Grace turned back to her phone and answered it. “Hello?”

  “Hey, hon, it’s me.”

  “Oh, good, are you on your way over here?” she asked.

  “That’s what I’m calling about,” Aaron said, and Grace’s stomach dropped at his tone. “I won’t be able to make it today. I think I’m coming down with the flu.”

  “You sound fine,” Grace argued, her heart beginning to beat uncomfortably. “What’s the matter? How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, I have the worst headache,” he said. Then he chuckled. “I mean, that could have been from going out for Sam’s birthday party—”

  “You’re staying home because you were out too late last night?” Grace asked.

  “No, hon, it’s not just that,” he replied. “I was feeling pretty awful yesterday, too. Fever, body aches, upset stomach, the whole nine yards.”

  “So why did you go out last night then?”

  “I had to, hon!” Aaron exclaimed. “Sam turned thirty. It’s a big deal, you know?”

  “And the Christmas party with my family isn’t?” Grace snapped back, her fingers drumming on the kitchen island. The anger was growing in her like a swelling tide.

  “Aw, come on, hon,” Aaron mumbled. “I came to that party last year. It’s fun and everything, but I’m sure your family will understand.”

  Grace sighed. She had no reason to really believe that he was lying, but something told her that he was just making excuses. Why, though? If he really loved her, wouldn’t he want to come to her parents’ party, which he knew was extremely important to her? And what did it say about her that she was more annoyed that he’d broken another promise than the fact that he was sick, or at least claimed to be?

  “Fine,” she relented. “Whatever, Aaron. I’m getting tired of you doing this to me, but—”

  “I’m gonna make it up to you, okay?” Aaron interjected. “I love you, hon. And thank you for understanding.”

  Somehow, those three words seemed to lure her back in like a fish on a hook.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” Grace said. And then she said goodbye, hanging up. It wasn’t until after the call had ended that she realized she hadn’t told him that she loved him back.

  She set her phone down on the counter and wandered back to the entryway. More guests had arrived in her absence, and she needed some space for a few minutes, away from the prying eyes of her parents. She leaned against the railing leading upstairs, sighing.

  “Everything all right?”

  She nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to see Lysander stepping through to the hallway where she stood. “Oh, hi, Lysander. Enjoying the party?”

  “Yeah, it’s great,” he said, but there was still concern on his face. “I saw you on the phone. You looked upset. I just came to make sure everything was okay.” That was awfully sweet of him.

  “Yeah,” Grace said with a tight smile. “It’s just my boyfriend. He called to tell me he’s sick, so he can’t come today.”

  “That’s too bad,” Lysander said, but she could’ve sworn that she saw the slightest flicker of hope in his green eyes. “Well, we can still have a great time today without him, right? He’d want you to have fun, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Grace agreed. She smiled mirthlessly. “It’s not like he doesn’t care about having fun at my expense…”

  Lysander gave her another concerned look, and it seemed like he was about to speak when there was giggling on the staircase behind them. Grace looked up and saw George and Lily standing above them, draped over the railing. There was something green and glittering in Lily’s hands.

  “Mistletoe!” Lily exclaimed. “It means you have to kiss!”

  Lysander looked over at Grace, whose heart was suddenly in her throat. A rush of blood pumped through her ears, making her lightheaded as she stared up into Lysander’s green eyes. His face had paled slightly, and she could see his mind moving quickly. Just as she was sure that she’d have to say something, Lysander grinned.

  “Well, you know what this means, don’t you?” he asked, looking up at the kids.

  “What?” George asked.

  “You both owe Grace a kiss,” he answered. “It’s only fair, you know.”

  George and Lily turned and grinned at each other, and then they trampled down the rest of the stairs as quick as their little legs could carry them.

  Grace, feeling like she might fall over from relief, knelt down as they came to a stop in front of her. She opened her arms to them, and they both came and gave her a kiss on each cheek. She and Lysander laughed as the children turned and ran back toward the living room, squealing with delight.

  “Thanks,” Grace said, turning to look at him.

  “You’re welcome,” Lysander said with a small smile. “Don’t think that boyfriend of yours would’ve been too pleased if I’d kissed you, you know?”

  As they followed after the kids, she realized that he never said anything about how he hadn’t wanted to kiss her—just that Aaron wouldn’t have liked it.

  7

  Lysander was so used to the congested shopping malls in Seattle that traveling to one just outside Savannah seemed like a dream. The parking lot was full, sure, but the mall itself wasn’t very big. There were all the usual stores: clothing, home décor, stuff for kids, and of course, the less than mediocre food cou
rt offerings.

  There were people swarming the large floorspace between the stores, their hands laden with bags full of gifts for loved ones. The speakers overhead were blaring all the Christmas classics, and Lysander was having fun listening to Lily sing along with them as she wrapped her tiny hand around his pinkie finger. George had his face turned up and was drinking in all the lights and garland and tinsel draped over every doorway. Almost every store had a differently decorated tree in their front windows, and all the mannequins were wearing full winter gear, with hats, sweaters, and gloves.

  “Oh, Daddy, I like that,” Lily said, pointing up to a tiny mannequin wearing a blue puffed vest and sparkling pink boots.

  Lysander smiled at her. “I know you do, sweetie, but today we are out shopping for the rest of our family.”

  “I know,” she said, sticking her bottom lip out.

  “Tell you what,” Lysander said. “You be a big girl today and help Daddy pick out some things for Grandma and Grandpa and your cousins, and maybe we can talk about doing something special on our way out.”

  Her little face lit up like a Christmas tree as she looked up at him. “Really?”

  “Dad, really?” George echoed, squeezing Lysander’s arm.

  Lysander laughed. “Of course. Now, come on, we have a long list of people to buy for, and I want to make sure we don’t forget anybody.”

  He was constantly amazed at the hospitality of people in Georgia. Life was so much more relaxed here, and therefore, he felt like it was happier and better overall. All of the workers in the stores seemed eager to help him and the kids to find what they were looking for: a new French press for his mom, and a new drill for his dad. The kids helped pick out some matching pajamas for their baby twin cousins who were going to be turning two in January. They even managed to find a stuffed Saint Bernard that Lily insisted on getting for her aunt, who’d adopted a new puppy that summer.

  Lysander was starting to regret not ordering some of these gifts online, as the amount of bags grew in numbers and his ability to keep a hold on his kids at the same time decreased. Lily and George were good, though, and no one had a meltdown as they walked past the toy store on their way toward the opposite side of the hall. Lysander needed something for his new partners, and he was having trouble trying to figure out what to get them.