“Wrap it up.” She heard Thomas say from beside her.
“I will be appreciative of whatever I get. GOD Bless all of our family and friends. Amen!”
“Amen!” Rebecca whispered. She then looked at Frankie. “I think that was a very good prayer; thank you for saying it.”
She smiled proudly. “Okay; dig in.” Thomas rubbed his hands together. They each grabbed a bowl and dished out the food. They then passed it around the table. Rebecca felt like it was an old-fashioned Christmas; everything was just perfect.
____________________
Thomas didn’t think the meal could have gone any better. As Rebecca and he were finishing up the dishes he felt like they were one big happy family. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Hm?”
He laughed. “This kiss, I’m sorry that that was sort of thrown upon us. I didn’t’ really give the mistletoe a thought.” It wasn’t planned, but it was the nicest gift he was going to probably receive.”
“It was nice; don’t give it another thought.”
His ears perked up; maybe the day and evening was going to go even better than he thought it would. “I’m also sorry about the prayer.”
She laughed and handed him the last dish. “Which part? The part where she started to have a conversation about what she wanted for Christmas; or the part where she said that I was a blessing?”
“Actually, I believe her exact words were… as daddy keeps saying, she’s a blessing.” He snickered. “That would be the part.”
Rebecca turned to him and shrugged. “Are you sorry because she stated something that wasn’t true; or because she stated something that you didn’t want her to tell me?”
Thomas dried off his hands and cocked his head. “Um…tough question. I…”
“Dad, are we going to open these gifts; or not?”
Rebecca laughed. “You’re off the hook.”
She turned away and headed into the living room. Kari was still staring at him, waiting for an answer. “Okay; I guess we’re done.”
She clapped her hands with glee as she ran into the living room. “How does this work? Do you each just open one present at a time; or do you make a mad dash to see who can finish earliest?”
“What usually works best is the oldest child gets to pass out the gifts and then one by one we open up the presents. So, Bethany; go ahead and do your duty."
Bethany went at passing out the gifts; he saw Rebecca’s expression each time a present went to her. Finally after she had received her 6th present she turned to Thomas. “This has to be a mistake.”
“Maybe Santa Claus knew that you were spending Christmas here.” He winked at her and shrugged. “If it has your name on it, it’s no mistake.”
She looked down at the gifts and shook her head. She looked confused, but pleased. “Okay; there’s the last one.”
“We start with the youngest to oldest; so Frankie, help Judy to open her gift.” Judy picked at the wrapping, but within a second Frankie had it unwrapped. Judy seemed pleased with her doll that Santa had brought her so they moved on. Joey was happy with his bat and ball; Frankie loved her Barbie accessories and Kari was already trying out her barrettes for her hair and Bethany was in love with her makeup. Thomas knew that was courtesy of Rebecca, but somehow he was okay with it. Rebecca looked at him and he pointed in her direction. “Ladies first;” she smiled as she looked at the label on the package.
“This is from Bethany.”
“I want you to know that each one of them told me what they wanted to buy you.”
She looked at the kids and then opened up the small box and looked inside. “Bethany, it’s gorgeous.”
She pulled out the necklace and turned it in her fingers. It was a heart shaped locket and her name was engraved on the front. “Thank you so much.” She leaned over and hugged her.
“Open it up; there’s something inside.”
Rebecca opened up the small clasp. Thomas had put a picture of Bethany on one side and a picture of Rebecca on the other. “I love it, but where did you get the picture? Wait a minute; this is from the night of the dance. How did you…”
He laughed. “I have my ways.” He had snapped a picture of her when she was in the gymnasium; it had worked out perfectly.
“I love it;” she turned to Thomas. “Will you put it on me?
He smiled as she lifted up her hair and he clasped it around her neck. She held onto it as he went to open his gift. “This one is from Rebecca. I can hardly wait to see it.”
“I didn’t know what to get you; so sorry if it’s…”
He waved away her worries and continued to open the gift. When he saw that it was the type of cologne he wore, he turned to her. “Okay; this is strange. How did you know what I wear?”
She laughed and looked away; he saw that redness appear in her cheeks again. “Believe me; it wasn’t easy. I spent half a day at the counter trying to figure out what he smelled like.”
The children started to laugh and then Rebecca and he joined in. “I bet that was horrific.”
She blushed. “You know what I meant, but it was not an easy task.”
He grinned. “I’m impressed; most women would have just gotten a gift card.”
“I’m not most women.”
He smiled. Don’t I know it. He grinned as they continued to open the rest of the gifts. When they were done they were mixed in with dolls, cars, shirts, perfumes, ties, jewelry, makeup, and odds and ends. It was a thrift shops glory. He looked around at the gifts and then to his kids. “So, did everyone get what they wanted?” He saw some nods and others voicing their agreement, but Frankie was just sitting in the mass of her toys and she looked gloomy. “Frankie; what’s wrong?”
“Nothing; I told GOD I would be thankful and I am.”
“You know, there is a possibility that Santa couldn’t get the bike down the chimney. Maybe we should check the porch.”
Her eyes got big and she stood up. “Do you think…?”
“He shrugged. “Anything’s possible. In fact, maybe we should all go look on the porch.”
Everyone jumped up and hurried to the front door. “Oh my goodness;” Kari replied excitedly as she flung the door open. “Look!” There were bikes for each of the kids and they had their labels stating their names and that they were from Santa Claus.
“You’re right daddy; he left them here.”
Thomas watched as they eagerly tested out their bikes. Rebecca wandered up to him and smiled. “Okay; I’m confused. Those weren’t there when I got here. I didn’t see you leave; so, how do you explain that?”
He laughed and winked at her. “It’s magical. That’s all there is to it.” He needed to make sure to thank Seth and Cassie; they were willing to take away time for their celebration to drop off the bikes. It made the kids happy and at Christmas time, that was the important thing.
____________________
Rebecca was enjoying her time with the Campbell family. She hated to see the day end, but it was getting late and it would be soon time to say goodnight to the little ones. “I probably should go.” She replied quietly as she didn’t want to wake Judy had fallen asleep on the couch.
“I’ll walk you out.” She followed him to the foyer where he grabbed her coat. He helped her with her coat and then she turned to face him. “I had a great time today; I’m glad that you decided to spend it with us.”
“Thank you for inviting me. Also, thank you for the gifts. I loved each and every one of them; from the cookie cookbook to the locket; they were all special to me.”
“I know they each enjoyed picking out a gift for you.” He stammered for a moment and then started to fidget in place. She wondered if he had to go to the restroom. “There is something else I have for you, but I don’t want to scare you away and I want you to really think about it.”
She stared at him. “I don’t want it.”
His jaw dropped. “You don’t even know…”
“You have already give
n me too much. Whatever it is…please, just take it back.”
“Rebecca, you don’t understand; I…”
“I do understand and each time I am with all of you I get more attached, but I am not a part of this family; not in blood. I don’t want you to feel you have to shower me with gifts for me to stay around. I am here for the long haul, but one day you’ll find another woman and she could very well be the woman of your dreams.” Her heart was breaking, because she had hoped she would be that woman. “If you keep spoiling me, I’m bound to not let you move on.”
“Rebecca, you have this all wrong. I want…”
“I’m sorry Thomas. Just take it back. I appreciate all of the gifts you have already given me, but there comes a point when it just becomes too much. I have to go, but…Merry Christmas.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek and she fought the urge to hold him close to her. “Tell the kids I said goodbye. I’ll call later.” She had to get out of there, before he saw what the goodbye was doing to her emotionally. She didn’t mean the words she said, but she had to keep him at a distance, from fear that he would find someone else. The last thing she wanted was another man in her life choosing someone else and if she let herself be venerable; that was what was bound to happen.
____________________
Thomas was about to give up on women all together. He pulled the box from his pocket and stared at it; it didn’t make sense why she was pushing him away when he thought she was in the same place as him. “You just let her leave?” He turned and saw Bethany. Her eyes got big as she looked at the box in his hands. “You were going to propose? Then why did you let her leave?”
“Bethany; it’s not that simple. You don’t understand, but sometimes grownups just need to work things out between them.”
“I understand that you obviously love her; you were about to propose.”
“You were going to propose?” He looked up at the staircase; Kari was walking down the stairs and he rolled his eyes.
“You both need to go to bed; we’ll talk about this later.”
“Dad, that’s not the right answer.” Bethany interjected. “If you love her, why did you let her leave? Neither one of us are too young to know what love is. Frankie, Judy, and Joey are all asleep so there’s no reason to deny it.”
He threw up his hands. “I’m not denying it; I love her, but Bethany you saw her…she didn’t appear to be interested in hearing anything I had to say.”
“She was probably worried about what you were going to say. I hate to tell you dad, but we both saw that kiss; she loves you too. It’s obvious.”
He laughed. “Oh it is; well, why can’t I see that?”
“I don’t know, but we noticed it.” Kari added with confidence.
He shook his head. “I’m not having this conversation with you two. We’ll talk tomorrow morning. Go to bed!”
Bethany looked like she was going to argue, but he stared at her and she backed down. “Okay, but don’t be stupid.” They both ran up the stairs and he grumbled. He didn’t feel stupid; he felt rational. He went in the living room and jarred the 3 youngest awake. He wasn’t getting any younger and he didn’t think he would be able to carry them upstairs.
“Hm…” Frankie moaned. “Where’s Rebecca?”
“She went home; you’ll see her later.”
“I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye and thank her for my present.”
“You can thank her tomorrow. I will let you call her. Let’s go to bed.”
“Okay;” she groaned, but headed up the stairs.
Judy and Joey groggily walked up the stairs and he followed them. They would need help, because they were not in any condition to dress themselves. It was nearly a half an hour before Thomas was heading to his room. It was a long day and he just wanted to relax and not think about anything. He pulled the box from his shirt pocket and stared at the diamond. He wanted the night to be special; he wondered if he should have just wrapped the ring and left her to find it. The way things had turned out wasn’t the way he expected it. He couldn’t have been wrong; when they kissed it felt like the moment had paused and they were the only two people in the room. He put the ring on his nightstand; there was a possibility that she wouldn’t ever wear it; he had to accept that. He slowly began to remove his shirt, but then stopped and turned to the ring again. He couldn’t worry about it the entire night; he wouldn’t get any sleep.
He grabbed the ring and hurried to Bethany’s room. He knocked on the door and was relieved when she answered. “I swear I was just about to…”
“That’s okay; I have to go somewhere. Everyone’s asleep and you have my cell number. Can I trust you while I am just a few minutes?”
She smiled. “That depends; are you going to see Rebecca?”
He nodded. “You’re sure that you’re okay with that?”
She hugged him. “I am more than okay. I won’t answer the door to any strangers, I have your number, and if I need anything I’ll call. You’re only going around the block; I can handle it.”
“I know you can. I’ll lock the door behind me.” He ran down the stairs and out the door. He had a woman to propose to and this time he wasn’t going to leave until the job was done.
Chapter 24
Rebecca jerked from her restless sleep when she heard the pounding on the door. She grabbed her robe and steadied herself as she hurried down the stairs. “Coming;” she yelled. She looked at her clock and saw that it was just past 10:00. It wasn’t exactly late, but on Christmas night it didn’t make sense. She saw his reflection in the window and she was sure she was still asleep. She opened the door; she was a little more preserved than she was when she flew down the stairs. “What are you doing here?”
He moved in closer; she could hear that he was out of breath and she wondered if he had ran there. However, seeing his van in the driveway confirmed that that wasn’t the case. “I forgot to do something.”
“Thomas, I told you; I…” before she could get the words out of her mouth she felt his lips on hers. “Hm…” she allowed a soft moan escape her mouth. They continued to kiss as he backed her into the wall. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him in closer. When they parted she was disappointed, but her mind was racing wondering what was happening. “Wow…” she was a little embarrassed that that was the only thing she could say, but she was at a loss for words.
“I just had to do that.” His breathing became even more ragged and she slowly nodded. “We have to talk.” His eyes slowly fell over her pajamas and she pulled her robe tighter around her body.
“Uh yeah; I would say we do.” He reached for her hand and they walked into the living room. She was afraid to blink; for fear that she would wake up and find it was just a dream.
“How are you doing?”
She laughed; it wasn’t exactly what she expected him to say. “After that kiss…I’m not so sure.”
“Let me explain.” She remained quiet as he looked more nervous than a guy that was about to have all his teeth pulled. “When I lost my wife I shut off to any chance of happiness. I feared that it would seem like I was forgetting her and it worried me that people would start to judge me and my family. So, I completely turned off any feelings that I could ever have for another woman. However, when we met it made me question every belief I had. I started to laugh again and see everything in a whole different light. Over the last 3 months I have led you on, pushed you away, and continuously did that. I wanted to feel something again, but I didn’t know how to handle that. I told you that I care for you, but that isn’t exactly all of it.” Rebecca held her breath; she had been waiting for him to discuss how he was truly feeling. “I am in love with you Rebecca. Despite all of the worries, that is the fact. I love you and I am an idiot for taking this long to realize it.” Rebecca let out a slow breath; she was worried that she would start to cry and that was the last thing that she needed to do. “Please…say something.”
Rebecca laughed. “I have been waiting for you to s
ay those words to me. I love you too Thomas and I have pushed you away for fear that I was going to get my heart broken. I didn’t think that you would feel that way for me and I didn’t want to get hurt. It was foolish, but the only response I can give. “I love you!” She smiled as she leaned in and met his lips with hers. When they parted she grinned. “You have no idea how much. You have given me more in the short time that we’ve known each other than any other person. You found out the truth about Robbie, you have brought me into a family again, and you have showed me unconditional love; just by the look you give your children. I am a lucky woman to have you in my life.”
“I’m the lucky one; you have had to put up with a lot and for that I am grateful. You provide love and care for my children and they love you Rebecca. There’s just one more Christmas present I want to give you.” She had told him to take it back, but her heart was beating out of her chest when she knew that he still wanted to give her something. “First, there are a couple of things I need to say before I give it to you.” She nodded; it didn’t matter what he wanted to say, she was ready to hear just about anything.
____________________
Thomas didn’t know where to begin; before he could propose, he had to make sure they were really heading down the same path. “I know that anyone that gets involved with me as a lot to take on. After all, I’m a single dad with 5 children; it won’t be easy.”
“That doesn’t matter to me; I…”
He held up a finger to her lips and she stopped talking. “Not only am I a single father, I don’t have a job. While I will continually pound the pavement until I find something, that’s the cold hard truth. I want to give you this present, but I can only give it to you if I know that you truly accept all of me; baggage and all.”
Love From the Ashes Page 19
