by C. B. Stagg
Weaving through the tree-lined streets of our perfect Beaver Cleaver neighborhood, we finally pulled up in front of the Clark’s smoky brick, ranch-style house that sat at the edge of a large lot on our cul-de-sac. Vaughn popped around to look at me, and mouthed, “Please don’t leave me alone.” I nodded as Casey parked right in front, turned off the ignition, and faced her, taking her frozen hands in his warm ones.
“Hey, I’m about to introduce the most important person in my life to my family. If anyone has the right to be nervous it’s me, but I’m not. You wanna know why?”
“Tell me.” She waited and I wondered if Case even remembered I was sitting just a foot away.
“Because I love you. And they love me. And you love me too. So it stands to reason they’ll have no choice but to love you.”
The simplicity of it all, plus his signature confident smile, melted my heart a little. I could tell it had the same effect on Vaughn. They were absolute perfection together, just as I’d predicted.
“Okay, my beautifully, bearded man.” She reached up to stroke his face. A face that, in her words, set off a thousand rockets throughout her body every time she looked at it. “You have a very twisted sense of logic, but since you seem so sure, let’s get this show on the road.”
She unbuckled and made a move for the door handle, but Casey appeared at her side and opened the passenger door to his truck with a flourish, before reaching in and effortlessly scooping her into his arms. I just smiled and followed.
“I can walk, you know.”
He shrugged, holding her tight against his body. They looked as if they’d spent a lifetime together. “But why walk when you have me?”
Now, that was some logic no one could argue with. So she took advantage of the fifteen-foot walk to snuggle her face into his neck, warming her cold nose on his skin. After climbing a few steps, Casey set her down gently on a pretty wrought iron bench, unlocked the door, and ushered both of us in and out of the freezing wind.
The entryway was dark, all brick, with travertine flooring and a large grandfather clock in the corner. Casey walked back out, leaving the door ajar as he went back to the truck to get our luggage. I stood back and watched as nervous energy surged through Vaughn, the tick- tick- tick of the clock reminding me of a bomb.
Leaning against the rough brick, she inhaled the cold, winter air blowing in, while I met her eyes in unspoken support. The anonymity of the life she’d been living was about to become a thing of the past, which was perfectly fine. Because it was time—and in the end—she got Casey.
After waiting a few more minutes, I peeked out the door to find Casey shaking hands with a few of the older men who walked their dogs around the neighborhood for social sport. From the looks of it, he hadn’t even made it to the truck to get our bags yet.
“Vaughn?” The soft voice took us both completely by surprise. We’d just assumed no one was home. Vaughn jumped, and I may have yelped a little.
“Oh my gosh.” She turned toward the voice, leaning back against the wall. One hand flew to her chest to cover her erratically beating heart, while the other moved higher, checking to make sure her beanie was still in place. “You scared me to dea—”
Her words faded into nothing, and I looked up to see Vaughn staring at Claire Clark, an older, female version of the man she’d fallen in love with. She was a stunning woman, with thick brown, wavy hair, streaked with grey as if spiders had woven strands of silk into it. I’d forgotten how much Casey favored his mother, and it was clear Case hadn’t prepared Vaughn for their similarities.
“Mrs. Clark?” she asked, little more than a whisper. Her voice, still weakened from the chemo, made her sound like a child and I knew she hated it.
“No. Never Mrs. Clark. I’m Claire… and you, my dear, are absolutely breathtaking.”
The heat creeping up her neck, to her cheeks, was so telling of Vaughn’s nervous state as Claire stepped into her space and pulled her into a soft embrace, clearly well-aware of Vaughn’s recent medical situation. She hugged the woman back, though, like it was the most natural thing in the world, and I heard Claire whisper into her ear, “Vaughn, we are so glad you are here.”
“Mom!” Casey’s big, booming voice and the slamming of the front door disrupted their bonding experience. “Be careful, she’s breakable.” He placed protective hands on Vaughn’s shoulders, dwarfing them in size. “Come squeeze on your favorite son instead.”
She let go of Vaughn and giggled like a girl.
“I heard that!” came from further inside the house. Whoever had yelled sounded just like Casey, only a little higher-pitched and not so gruff. Surely not Curt? He sounded almost like a man.
Just as Casey grabbed his mom and swung her around, a tall, skinny Curt, the youngest Clark boy, rounded the corner and stopped mere inches from me. My, had he grown.
“Damn, Casey.” He stood back a bit, appraising Vaughn’s frail form… up, down, and back up again in dramatic fashion, hands on hips and all. “You musta sold your soul to the devil for this one!” He concluded his statement with a long, slow whistle, as he looked her up and down again. That lasted about two seconds, then Casey had him in a headlock.
“Vaughn, this is my soon-to-be-dead brother, Curt. Obviously, I got the looks. Christian, who you’ll meet later, got the brains, and poor Curt here? Well, there was nothing left by the time he came along. Apologize to the nice lady, Curtis, or I’m gonna shove—”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was just jokin’ around! Let me go!” Curt whined, elbows flailing as he attempted unsuccessfully to get out of Casey’s grasp.
“BOYS!” Claire’s understood command broke through the chaos, and both boys stood up straight, hands to their sides, and mumbled apologies to both of us. “Good lord, together less than five minutes and already at each other’s throats.”
She turned to me. “Hi, Becky, I hardly saw you standing there.” I smiled as she enveloped me in a warm embrace. “Come on girls, let’s go to the sunroom. I was just about to make some tea, and they know better,” she glared at both of them, “than to bother us in there.”
Looking back, Vaughn mouthed ‘Sorry’ to Curt, blew a kiss to Casey, and grabbed my hand as we followed her future mother-in-law into the only room in her house that hadn’t been taken over by testosterone.
We entered a bright, happy room surrounded by windows. The soft winter sun filtered in through the bluish tint of the glass, creating a perfect calm cast of light. The floors were wood, but rugs of all shapes and sizes were generously spread throughout. Vaughn and I sank down into a worn, overstuffed, red love seat while Claire made us all tea from a Keurig on a cart next to her. It was clear this space was crafted just for her. It was both functional and welcoming, and knowing everything I had to do once I reached my house next door, I never wanted to leave.
“So, Casey tells me you’re an editor,” Vaughn stated. Claire nodded over her mug. “I absolutely love reading, it must be an amazing job.”
She was still nodding as she set her mug on a coaster beside her. “It has allowed me a lot of freedom while raising the boys… ” Her voice dissipated. “I’m sorry, Vaughn.” The words caught in her throat, telling me she knew Vaughn’s cancer had left her unable to have children of her own, and tears started to well up in her eyes. “Please don’t… ” Vaughn put her mug down on the coffee table separating us from Claire and leaned forward, shaking her head. If there was one thing she did not want, it was pity. “I’m okay. I’m alive. I’m sitting here, in this incredibly girly room, drinking this incredible peppermint tea with my best friend and the woman who created the man I love. I’d be nuts to feel anything but blessed right now, so please don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve had enough of that in my life.”
“Of course,” she said, grabbing the hands of her future daughter-in-law. “Well, what I was saying is editing is a great, flexible job, and something you can do from home, once you and Casey get married and… become parents.”
“I’d
actually like to talk to you more about what you do exactly. I think I’m going to need that kind of flexibility a bit sooner rather than later. But I should probably wait for Casey to talk to you about that.”
We could both tell her curiosity was piqued, but it would have to stay that way for a bit longer. We were hoping to get answers to lots of questions over the next few days, and then we’d sit all three families down and let them know exactly what we’d been up to.
After a little more ‘get-to-know-you’ time, Claire left us alone to run Curt to a basketball tournament. Casey had left a bit earlier to run some last-minute errands.
“I’m nervous to go home. I feel like a kid who got in trouble at school and took the long way home to avoid the parental confrontation sure to come.”
Vaughn laughed. “Why, though? You’re about to give your parents the best Christmas gift on the planet. They’re going to be sick with joy when they find out they get another piece of you to love.”
I looked at my friend and wondered what she was thinking. There would never be a piece of her to share. Cancer had robbed her of the chance to have biological children, prompting the adoption of Julian and Taj.
“You’re right, I’m being stupid. Maybe I’m just waiting for Jase.”
“Now that, I can understand.”
We both turned when we heard the slam of the car door. Too soon to be Casey or his mother, we sat; waiting to see which face would walk through the door.
“Oh, hey Bec,” the man almost whispered, closing the door behind him before pulling me into a gentle side hug. “And you must be Vaughn.” He set his duffel bag down and held his hand out to her. “I’m Christian, the middle child.” His smile was electric, and his wavy blond hair—paired with the infamous ocean blue Clark eyes—was enough to drive any other woman mad with desire. But not me. And not Vaughn. She had her own Clark boy.
“Yep, that’s me. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad we’re finally getting a chance to meet.”
He took Vaughn’s hand in his and pulled her into a big hug. “I want you to know I prayed for you every day you were gone. Casey wasn’t himself without you. I’m so grateful you two found your way back to each other.”
She pulled away and looked at his face, finding that the sincerity behind his soft-spoken words was genuine. “Thank you for that. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
I reached for our empty mugs and walked them into the kitchen, as Christian made his way to his childhood room. A few minutes later, I heard the shower start.
“Tell me more about Christian,” Vaughn asked out of curiosity.
“Casey and Christian had an odd relationship for two boys, so close in age they could have been raised as twins. Chris was really wild in high school. Like, always looking for ways to cause trouble. So even though he and Casey were so close in age, they didn’t hang out too much. Case was a loner for the most part, the exception being Jase and me. Christian was the life of the party. Man, his arrest record must be a mile long.”
“Arrest record? You’re kidding, right?”
“No, actually I’m not, but no charges were ever filed. I think it was mostly just the small-town cops trying to keep the local boy from ruining his life.”
“Well, it almost feels like the man I just met was an impostor, from what you just told me,” she said, shaking her head.
I laughed. “He came to Texas A&M after a few years at a community college. About halfway through college though, he did a complete one-eighty. He stopped drinking and going out, and he became really serious about school. Then he shocked everyone when he applied for grad school at a theological college nearby.”
“What could have happened to bring about such a drastic change?”
“I’m not sure we’ll ever know, but whatever it was… I can’t say I’m sorry, and I know the Clarks aren’t. He was an ass for a while there, and I know Casey is grateful to have his brother back.”
“Hmmm. He seems like a mystery,” she mused. “I can’t wait to get to know him.”
Chapter 45
Becky
IT WAS ALWAYS HARD for me—coming back to the old neighborhood when the Three Musketeers were together—having to hide my relationship with Jase. Around Christmas, for as long as I’d been around, all three families from the cul-de-sac (or at least the ones that made it back home for the holidays), got together to celebrate. But this visit would prove to be much different from the others.
Of course, Casey and Vaughn knew about our decade-long courtship, but no one else did, aside from my mother and Jase’s. And even then, all my mom knew was that we’d had a pretty painful breakup years ago. The news that we not only were together, but we were also getting married and had not one daughter, but two, would be a lot for any family to take.
“Mmmmm, something smells good!”
I let myself into the house with my key, then walked into the kitchen. I’d finally mustered enough courage to walk next door to my house, after making sure Vaughn was settled in and comfortable. Claire and Curt had just come home, and Casey had texted to say he was on his way, so I knew it was time to make an appearance.
Setting my bags down, I walked straight into my mother’s arms. “Rebecca,” she squealed. “I am so glad you’re finally here! As soon as this timer goes off, we need to get to the Clark’s. The party has to start a little earlier since Christian has something to do for his church tonight.”
Hmmm. I knew Christian had recently become an associate pastor for a nondenominational church one town over, and it made sense he would have responsibilities around this time of year. But it was the day before Christmas Eve, plus he hadn’t mentioned anything.
While my mom puttered around, willing the food to be ready sooner, I collected my dad from the garage. He was a tinkerer and had been working on an old car engine for years. Every time I smelled engine oil, memories of hanging out with him in the garage would flood my mind, bringing a smile to my face.
“Becky! Merry Christmas, my beautiful girl!” He hugged me tight and kissed my cold cheeks, his icy nose making mine even colder.
“Mom says to come in and take a shower. We’ve got to get going soon.”
I followed Dad back inside, then took my bags to my room, but intentionally didn’t unpack. What’s the point? I thought, as I changed into a soft, white tunic, black leggings, and knee-high leather boots. I grabbed a scarf and my peacoat as an afterthought and headed down to help my mom prepare to leave. Soon enough, the delicious food was covered, and our family of three was walking the 200 feet across the grass to the Clark’s front door.
My mother, always the proper one, tsked and scolded me, her very adult daughter, like a child when I opened the front door without knocking. “Rebecca Ann Hanson, you were not raised in a barn. Doorbells were invented for a reason.”
I shrugged. It was a habit almost fifteen years in the making and old habits die hard. Plus, I’d just left an hour ago, not that either of my parents needed to know that.
“Hey boys, I’m here now. Let’s get this party started!” I danced into the living room, where the Clark family was spread from corner to corner, yelling at a football game on TV. “Where’s Vaughn?” Casey nodded toward his childhood bedroom. A split-second later, Jase and his mom walked in the back way.
“Hello, all!” Marian waved, greeting everyone with well wishes and hugs, while Jase went around the corner, heading to the kitchen to set down trays of food. I casually made my way in there too, to catch a private moment alone with my fiancé. As I walked past him, I scratched my fingernails across his shoulder blades before popping up onto the counter next to where he stood.
“Are you still sure about this?” Jase asked with barely a whisper. I nodded, scared of backing out if I allowed myself to speak. He grabbed my hands and pulled, taking me into his arms and landing a long, paralyzing kiss on my mouth, reminding me how much I loved the man who held me in his arms. Then together, yet separate, we walked into the living room where ev
eryone sat around. The game on TV had been forgotten as they caught up on life and discussed the Aggie’s chances for the New Year’s Eve bowl game against Northwestern after a disappointing season. I wandered over to the hearth, where all the stockings hung and sat down, noticing Claire had made a matching stocking for Vaughn. Jase followed a second later and sat down right beside me.
“Hey, Jase. How are ya, man?”
Jase leaned forward to shake the hand of Casey’s dad. Kyle Clark and Jase always got along really well. Kyle had really stepped up into a fatherly role as Jase got older, especially when it came to things like fishing, sports, and changing tires.
“You datin’ anyone new these days?”
The room fell silent, and all eyes were on us. As if in slow motion, Jase wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “No, sir,” he answered. “I’m not dating anyone new.” We exchanged nervous glances, then he dove right in. “I’m dating Becky. In fact, I’m in love with Becky.” He glanced at me as the words hung in the air like a thick fog. “And not only that, but I’ve asked her to marry me, and she’s agreed.”
Christian bounced up from his place on the floor, and everyone else groaned. “Pay up, suckers!”
“Not so fast, son. Let me go check the dating pool. I’m pretty sure I had December 2011.” Kyle got up and grabbed an aged piece of notebook paper from the refrigerator door, while Jase and I sat astounded. “Ha! I knew it! It clearly states that I have December 2011. You had January 2012. Who’s the sucker now, sucker?”
Every single person started reaching into their pockets and purses, pressing ten-dollar bills into Kyle’s hands.
