A Home for Christmas

by Vaughn, Ann

  "Absolutely. He did great. He's not a baby, you know."

  She smiled. "I know. He's just never run like that before."

  "Well, I didn't exactly keep my normal pace," he said with a smirk. "But he was up when I was about to leave so we grabbed doughnuts and then hit the pavement. He did fine. I think it helped take his mind off of seeing Wade."

  She sobered. "Did he talk about that at all?"

  "A little. He doesn't want to go but he understands why Lainey wants him to. She talked to him a bit last night thru texts. Said he felt better after talking to her."

  "She has been wonderful with him; you were right."

  He winked at her. "I'm always right."

  "Sure, you are," she laughed.

  He touched the list she'd made out. "We seriously have to do all of that today?" he asked, shocked.

  "Yes. It's not too terribly much."

  He looked at her with wide eyes. "Not too much...looks to me like you have every hour of the day scheduled from ten o'clock on."

  "Yeah, but it all fits."

  He shook his head and kissed her brow. "Tell me tomorrow isn't this hectic."

  She laughed. "No, well, depending on what your family plans are."

  "My mother makes Christmas lunch that we usually eat around noon or one o'clock. How does that fit with your plans?"

  "Perfect, since Christmas day we usually just stay at home."

  He ran his hands over her hair and again cupped her face, kissing her.

  "Are you sore, baby?" he asked low.

  "Only a little," she replied.

  He kissed her again then stepped back when he heard Cam's door open, telling her he was going to grab a shower. Cam came up to her, dressed in jeans and the black button down shirt she'd gotten for him to wear for their Christmas Eve activities.

  "Can you fix my hair, Mom?" he asked, surprising her.

  "Sure, bud, what do you want?"

  "Can you spike the front up, you know, like Riley's?"

  Her heart literally melted and she did her best to hold it together. Riley Stanton was a God-send.

  "Yeah, sure. Go on in your bathroom and I'll meet you there. I think I have some stuff that will do the trick. If not, I'll steal Riley's stuff."

  "OK," he said, heading back to his bathroom.

  "Brush your teeth," she called over her shoulder to him. She went into her room and knocked on the bathroom door before walking in on Riley.

  "It's open," he called from the shower.

  She stepped in and felt a jolt at seeing him on full display in her shower, but shook herself and turned toward her cabinets.

  "You don't have to knock, you know," he told her.

  She shrugged, studying her hair gel. "Habit."

  He came up behind her, towel slung low over his hips. "What are you looking for?"

  She met his gaze in the mirror. "Cam wants me to fix his hair like yours."

  Riley smiled. "Yeah?"

  She nodded. "So, what should I use on him?"

  He crossed over to where his Dopp kit sat on the counter and tossed her his gel.

  "Use that."

  "OK...thank you."

  "It's not free," he said, gathering her to him.

  "What's your price, Sailor?" she asked, her voice throaty.

  He chuckled. "Just a kiss."

  She kissed him, then, smiling against his lips, curled her fingers in the towel and yanked it off as she spun away from him. Riley laughed and she looked back at him over her shoulder, seeing him fully aroused.

  "Hey, all your fault, lady," he said, no shame whatsoever.

  She was laughing when she left the room and headed back to Cam. It only took a couple of tries to get his hair the way he wanted. His dark hair was all Wade but the clean-cut military style was all Riley. She had to admit, she liked it better than the shaggy mop he'd been sporting.

  "Dad's probably not going to like my hair," Cam said, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

  Jenna thought he was probably right, but to him, she downplayed it.

  "Just tell him I made you cut it."

  "Do you think the drugs have been out of his system long enough for him to be more like he used to be?"

  "I don't know, honey. I hope so. Just keep in mind that whatever happens today, your dad is trying to get cleaned up and he wants to do that for you."

  "I guess. How long do we have to stay?"

  "Cam," she cautioned, giving him a stern look. "You need to give this serious attention, OK? It's Christmas, and this is your dad. Don't blow this off."

  "Why not? That's what he's done to me the last few years."

  "Yes, and it stunk, didn't it?"

  He sighed. "Yeah."

  "So, don't treat him that way, then."

  "Yeah, OK."

  "I gotta get this back to Riley," she said, picking up the hair gel. "We'll be leaving in about thirty minutes, OK?"

  He nodded and she left him to go back to Riley. He was just walking out of the bathroom when she walked into the bedroom. He wore a white button down shirt, jeans and boots and looked so big and masculine in her bedroom it made her heart accelerate.

  "All good?" he asked, catching the hair gel she tossed to him.

  "He's anxious about it," she said, watching him fix his hair. It took him all of two seconds and it looked perfect.

  "OK, next time, you're fixing Cam's hair."

  He gave her a funny look. "What?"

  "You just barely put any gel on your hand, ran your fingers over your head and it looks perfect. It took me fifteen minutes to get his hair to look like that," she said, bewildered.

  He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles, then pulled her closer to give her a quick but tender kiss.

  "Ready to get this over with?" he asked.

  She took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be, I suppose."

  He kissed her again. "Let's go get Cam."

  The ride to the rehab facility was quiet. Jenna played Christmas music and quietly sang along. Cam had his head down, playing a game on his iPod. Riley stayed quiet, focused on the road. His mind was drifting over later tonight, on how to word his proposal. He had no real doubts that she would say no, but he was worried that she might think things had moved too fast. Not a big worry, but a worry nonetheless.

  As they exited the highway to approach the facility, Jenna turned to face Cam.

  "Cameron, look at me."

  He looked up from his game. "Uh oh. Full name usage. Serious talk ensues," he said, making Riley chuckle and Jenna roll her eyes.

  "OK. You and your brothers have already rubbed off," she told Riley.

  "Could think of worse things he could have picked up from us," Riley said.

  "And still could," Cam said.

  Jenna turned back to her son, shaking her head. "OK, listen...go in and listen to your dad with an open mind, all right?"

  "Yeah, OK."

  "You have your presents for him?"

  "Yes, Mom," he said, shaking his head at her in exasperation.

  She smiled. "All right. Showtime," she said when Riley pulled into the parking lot.

  Lainey met them in the lobby and Jenna was again amazed that the petite blonde was related to Riley and his huge brothers. She embraced Riley and then Jenna before turning to Cam.

  "Are you ready for this?" she asked him.

  He shrugged. "If he's not high then it shouldn't be so bad."

  "I talked to him just a few minutes ago. He's excited to see you."

  "Can we just get this over with?" he asked.

  "Cameron," Jenna warned.

  He rolled his eyes and turned back to Lainey.

  "Can they come with me?"

  "Well, your mom, but it's probably not a good idea if Riley goes in."

  "Lainey," Riley began but Cam stopped him.

  "It's OK, she's probably right. Come on, Mom."

  Jenna kissed Riley's cheek and then she and Cam headed off toward Wade's room.

  "How was Wade with
you?" Riley asked.

  "Nervous."

  "Cam asked if the drugs were out of his system yet, if he'd be more like he used to be. He really did a number on that kid."

  Lainey sighed, sitting down and motioning him to join her.

  "He's still got some issues to work through."

  "And you think letting Cam see him is a good idea?"

  "I do. Because I'm hoping Cam does what we discussed and tells his dad exactly how his behavior has made him feel. Cam is a lot stronger than Wade thinks he is."

  Riley narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "What are you telling me?"

  She winked at him. "Trust me!"

  Cam and his mom stood outside his dad's room. She said they didn't have to go in until he was ready. He stood for a couple more minutes, then knocked on the door. When it opened, he saw his dad standing there, looking a lot different than the last time he saw him. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. His hair had been trimmed and he had shaved.

  "Hey, kid," he greeted Cam, hugging him. "Merry Christmas."

  Cam didn't speak, glancing back at his mom.

  "Merry Christmas, Wade," his mom said, and even to his ears it sounded stiff.

  "Jenna. Thanks for bringing him. Could you give us some time alone?"

  "No."

  And here we go, Cam thought when he saw his dad's eyes narrow and his nostrils flare.

  "Come on, Jenna, I want to talk to my son."

  She sat in a chair by the door, dropping her purse at her feet.

  "So, talk. But I'm not leaving him in here on his own."

  "Are you kidding me?" his dad snapped.

  "Don't yell at her," Cam shot right back. "I don't want her to leave. I wanted Riley in here, too, but Lainey said that probably wasn't a good idea."

  "Riley? He's here?" Wade snarled.

  "He goes where we go," Cam told him.

  "Fine. Look, Cam, I wanted to tell you, I'm really sorry about the way things have been the last few years. I haven't been in a good place and I want you to know I'm working on fixing that."

  Cam stared at his dad. It was an apology but all he heard was I this and I that.

  "OK."

  "OK? Cam, son, I'm trying to apologize here."

  Cam glanced over at his mom, then back at his dad.

  "So, you apologize and I'm just supposed to forget all the times you let me down the last couple of years? Do you realize that the only times I've seen you the last two years have been for two weeks over the summer, and during that time I'm usually with whatever nanny you hired for the two weeks rather than with you. You never spend time with me any more. I guess if I ever want to ride with you again, I should enter one of your contests. Jake Henstridge couldn't stop talking about the ride he had with you. How you spent two hours with him and told him how to take the whoops a little faster and make his jumps steadier. Said how you told him you'd never seen a more natural rider. Thanks for that, by the way. He made sure to tell everyone that my dad said he was the best rider he'd ever seen. Over and over and over."

  "Cam, I have to be nice to the contest winners. I didn't know you knew that kid."

  "Come on, Dad! How stupid do you think I am?"

  "Why are you being like this?"

  "Like what? Like myself? Like you, maybe? Let me take a page out of the Wade Blackwell handbook: Everything'll be all right, Dad. I've spent my token amount of time with you so that I can tell everyone I saw my dad on Christmas. So, here are your presents. Don't worry. I know you've been stuck here so you don't have any for me. So, Merry Christmas, Dad, and I will leave you in the capable hands of the nice people here at the facility."

  With that, Cam got up and walked out of the room, leaving Wade in stunned silence. Jenna sat with her hand over her mouth, shocked at what Cam had said, but at the same time, secretly proud of him. She braced herself for an explosion from Wade, but he surprised her by sitting quietly, head down.

  "Wade?" she asked, keeping her voice soft and gentle.

  He looked up at her, his eyes red.

  "I guess I deserved that, huh?" he said quietly.

  "You have to understand; he was really hurt by the way you've treated him. You damaged the trust he had in you and it's going to take time to get it back."

  "He hates me. My son hates me."

  She got up then and crossed over to where he sat on the edge of his bed and squatted down in front of him to take his hands into hers and look him in the eye.

  "He doesn't hate you. He loves you, and that's why this is so hard. He just wants his dad back. I know you don't want to hear this, but I didn't realize how starved for male attention he was until I met Riley. And you need to understand that Riley is a part of our lives now. A serious part. And Cam is already attached to him. Did you notice his hair?"

  Wade gave her a funny look. "Whose hair?"

  She sighed. "Your son's, Wade. Cam's. The last time you saw him, his hair was long and shaggy like yours. It's cut short and military-style now and spiked...like Riley's. I have no problem with that, other than the fact that while Riley loves Cam...you are his father and he needs you to step up and be his father, Wade, and you can't do that if you are high and wallowing in your own pity party. So, again, pull yourself together and then come fix your relationship with your son. The ball is in your court now. You are the only one who can fix this. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

  He clutched her hands and nodded. "Yeah...I do...and I'm working on it."

  Riley looked up when Cam came back into the lobby and he could tell things hadn't gone well. Cam came straight to him and to Riley's surprise, launched himself into his arms. Riley held him tight, sending Lainey an alarmed look. She crossed over and sat next to Riley, placing her hand on Cam's back.

  "Cam? What happened?" she asked him.

  He didn't let go of Riley, but he looked over at Lainey.

  "Just what you said would happen. It was all about him and I called him on it. And he listened and he didn't yell at me."

  "Oh, honey, that's great. Things will start to get better now, you'll see."

  Cam nodded. He really, really hoped so.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When Jenna walked out, she saw Cam in Riley's arms and she just melted. Lainey sat next to them, talking to Cam and she shamelessly listened in. Cam was upset but not overly so. Wade was devastated but she felt like he was finally seeing the light about how he'd been treating Cam.

  "Hey, bud," Jenna said, coming up to them. Cam pulled back from Riley and looked up at her.

  "Can we go now?"

  "In just a minute, but I'd like you to do one more thing before we go."

  "Yeah?"

  "Could you go back and tell your dad that you love him? I think he really needs to hear that from you right now."

  Cam groaned. "I told him Merry Christmas before I left."

  "Yeah, I know, but...it is Christmas, and it would really help your dad to feel better, especially since he's going to be stuck here for Christmas."

  "Jeez, pack your bags, going on a guilt trip," Cam mumbled.

  "Cameron," she gasped, but knew from the look on his face that he would do it.

  "Fine, I'm going, I'm going."

  Jenna glanced at Riley and then followed Cam down the hall.

  Riley looked over at Lainey, the big smile on his face showing his pride in his family. "I am...the luckiest guy alive right now," he told her.

  Cam knocked on his dad's door again but this time didn't wait for him to answer but walked right in. His dad stood up when he walked in. For a minute, they stood there just staring at each other. Then, Cam took two steps forward and wrapped his arms around his dad.

  "I love you, Dad," he told him, and closed his eyes when his dad returned his embrace.

  "I love you, too, kid," his dad said, kissing the top of his head.

  Jenna met Wade's gaze when he lifted his head and offered him a soft smile.

  "Merry Christmas, Wade."

  After leaving the facili
ty, they stopped for lunch and then went back home to bake Christmas cookies. Riley was in awe of Jenna and Cam's system and the sheer number of cookies they made. They made chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut butter cookies and Christmas cut-out sugar cookies. Then they divided them and put them into cookie tins.

  "Next up is to deliver them all," Jenna said when they'd finished packing the last tin.

  Riley counted at least two-dozen tins. "You deliver all of these today?"

  She smiled at his wide-eyed expression. "We do. Although many people aren't home so we just leave them at their door."

  Cam laughed at Riley's expression. "I'm betting it's going to take us slightly longer this year than normal, because a lot of Mom's work friends are going to want to talk more because of you."

  "So, we deliver all these cookies and then what?"

  Jenna glanced at the clock, calculating time in her head.

  "Well, normally, we spend two to three hours at my folks, go to City Park to see the Christmas lights and then come home. This year we have to work your folks' party into the plans as well, so things need to be tightened and adjusted accordingly."

  He nodded. "My folks' thing is just a stop by and say hi thing. Nothing formal really. It's a dessert thing. She sets up a buffet of all kinds of desserts under the sun. It's great," he told Cam.

  "Awesome!"

  "So, when do we exchange gifts?"

  "Usually when we get back from City Park, Mom lets me open one present and then we watch The Polar Express before bedtime."

  "We may have to cut City Park out of the routine to fit in Riley's parents. Is that all right, Cam?"

  "Yeah, sure, that's fine," he replied.

  Riley nodded. Even though the ring was burning a hole in his pocket, he figured the best time would be when they got back from his folks' place. It was tempting to ask her now but he wanted the setting to be right...at night with the lights glowing and the fire crackling.

  "Well, it's nearly five o'clock now. If we're going to make all these deliveries, go by your folks place and make it to mine by eight, we need to get a move on," he said, kissing her cheek.

  "Let's load up, Cam!"

  Delivering cookies with them turned out to be more enjoyable than Riley thought it would be. She was right; most of the people weren't home. Those who were chatted briefly with them, but Jenna and Cam were masters at keeping conversations short and light. Most of the people they delivered to were Jenna's employees, who were over-the-moon to meet their boss' new boyfriend. He found that the six ladies who worked for Jenna were pleasant and absolutely devoted to her. She ended up leaving their houses with goody boxes of her own. Cam's favorites were Rosa and Escalinda who both gave large batches of tamales. Riley had to admit they smelled wonderful. They also delivered to families of Cam's friends, most of whom lived in Jenna's neighborhood.