A snowball rammed into me, splattering flakes onto a giggling Olivia.
I wheeled about to spy Maddie waggling guilty fingers in her typical proud southern way.
“I should have known.” I packed my hands with what I hoped was a decent-size retort, not having much experience with snowball warfare. “You brought this upon yourself, Maddie.”
She ducked behind Ethan.
Sarah stepped out in her Norwegian ski sweater and snow pants. Winking at me, she made quick work of forming a snowball in her hands and pelting Maddie in the back.
Laughing, Maddie declared, “This means war.”
“Don’t forget us.” Gabe grinned.
Allen had a plotting expression.
I was frozen.
Until Maddie creamed me again.
Then Casey got me.
“No quarter, you two,” I said in my most intimidating voice.
Sarah laughed. “For the non-historians, that means she’s not taking any prisoners.”
“Tough talk for a rookie.” Maddie dove behind a snow mound.
Not wanting to get distracted, I positioned Olivia and Demi next to the deck railing to protect them. Sitting on her bum, Ollie applauded, clapping with her hands over her head every time anything white flew by. Demi continued to grin.
Ten feet away, Freddie giggled.
Again, I wondered how I’d ended up here. How did I ensure it would never end?
A blast of snow from above covered the two of us. Brushing it away from my eyes, the stunning vision of my laughing wife became clear. I stood on my tippy-toes and kissed her.
“Ew,” Casey squealed.
Ethan got us both right in the kisser.
“Nicely done,” Maddie crowed before hitting him in the face.
Gabe tossed Maddie over his shoulder, taking her to the largest pile of snow in the corner of the yard, looking as if he had every intention of tossing her right into the middle of it.
Maddie shouted, “Don’t you dare.”
“Or what?” he demanded.
“I’ll kill you.” She tried freeing herself.
“I’d rather you marry me.”
Maddie, still draped over his shoulder, stopped squirming. “What?”
Everyone outside, including the children, went quiet.
“Marry me?” Gabe repeated in a firmer voice.
“Put me down,” Maddie said in a strangely calm voice.
He shook his head. “Not until you answer.”
“Gabe. Put me down right this minute.”
He did.
Sarah slipped her hand into mine.
“Ask me again.” Maddie still exhibited the definition of calm.
Gabe smiled, getting on one knee. Biting the end of his glove, he yanked it off and reached into his jean pocket. Holding the ring out to her, he simply said, “I adore you. Marry me?”
It was the simplest of questions that would alter both of their lives.
Sarah squeezed my hand vice-like, cutting off the blood supply.
Ethan and Allen arched their brows at each other.
Maddie still hadn’t spoken. Was she thinking of Peter? Questioning how well she knew Gabe? Or wondering if she really wanted to settle down with someone after everything that’d happened over the past twenty-four hours? The Petries had a way of breaking people.
Gabe never stopped grinning, returning to his usual cocky persona.
Finally, Maddie said, “I’d been considering asking you.”
“You still can. I’m an equal opportunity type of guy.” He raised two hands in the air, giving her the opportunity.
“I don’t have a ring for you.”
“I don’t need one. All I need is you, Maddie. Forever.”
“But you think I do?” In typical female fashion, she ignored the heartfelt part of his declaration.
This had to be one of the weirdest proposals I would ever witness firsthand.
“I do,” he said with the confidence of a man in love.
Maddie sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “Well, are you going to put it on my finger, then?”
Sarah’s grip was deathlike now, and she kissed my cheek, tears starting to stream down her face.
Ethan clamped a hand on Allen’s shoulder.
Rose stuck her head out the door. “What’s going on?”
Sarah turned and said, “Maddie said yes.”
Rose edged outside. “It’s about time. Gabe has been tying himself into knots for the past two days.”
Troy stepped out beside her and raised her hand to his lips, and there was a ring on Rose’s hand. How had I not noticed before? Or anyone? The Petrie effect?
I peeked at Sarah to get a temperature on if she’d spied the rock.
Sarah rested her head on my shoulder and whispered, “You weren’t the only one who woke a woman early to give a Christmas gift.”
“Ah, that’s sweet and slightly creepy to think of them making love when we were.”
Sarah jabbed me in the side. “They don’t do that. Ever.”
“How come they didn’t announce it?”
Sarah gave me a look that implied would you after everything?
“Right. We’ll have to celebrate with them when… we can. No other Petries.”
Ethan approached Maddie and Gabe. “Congratulations.”
Allen bum-rushed his brother, knocking him to the ground. “Congrats, Bro!”
They rolled around on the snow, until Allen let Gabe up, Maddie giving him a hand. Ethan helped Allen up.
The rest of us swarmed Maddie and Gabe, hugging and saying our own congratulations.
Finally, Sarah motioned for all of us to go inside. She had to give Allen the Mom stare to stop him from pelting his brother with the snowball in his hand, reigniting the war. Allen tried to maintain his composure, but Sarah kicked up the look another notch, causing Allen to drop the snowball at his feet.
Ethan laughed, wrapping his arm around Allen and giving him a noogie.
Sarah and I rounded up the kids.
Once inside, Sarah said, “I’m starving.”
I glanced at Ethan, and he nodded.
I kissed Sarah’s cheek. “I think it’s time for me to take Ethan to the airport.”
Casey peered up. “Can I come along?”
“Sure. Let’s pack some food for the ride, but we need to hurry and hit the road.”
Sarah wrapped her arms around my neck. “Drive safely please.” She whispered in my ear, “I’ll never forgive you if you let me deal with Tie and Peter all on my own.”
I laughed. “Next Christmas, no Petries other than us and the children. Promise?”
She put out her pinky. “I swear.”
Chapter Fourteen
Casey and I trooped into the kitchen a little after one.
“How were the roads?” Sarah asked, arranging cold cuts and cheese on a platter for the guests.
“Not bad once we got onto the highway.”
Casey snatched some cheddar cheese. “Now, Allen needs my help with the puzzle. We won’t be beaten.” She headed for the family room.
“It’s sweet how close those two are.” Sarah smiled. “And I’m glad she feels so at home here, considering the turmoil that must be occurring in her home.”
“They’re probably at the same mental age. Allen is—”
Sarah flashed her palm. “Stop right there. He reminds me so much of someone I know and love. Who also didn’t have the best childhood, in a different way.”
“True. I was the forgotten one, and he was the hidden one.” I shook my head. “I sincerely hope he finds his Sarah to help him become the person he can be.” I wrapped my arms around her waist.
Sarah blinked. “Wow. That… speechless.”
I leaned in for a kiss, but was rebuffed with a finger on my lips.
“Aren’t you curious about your Christmas gift? The big one?” she asked.
“What?” With all the drama, I hadn’t taken notice of the missing gift. S
he’d always gone out of her way for one. “Does it have to be given in private? Because I have ten minutes right now.”
“Just ten?”
“I love it when you get hot and bothered. Will eleven suffice?”
She smacked her lips. “You drive me insane.”
“Hopefully in a good way, at least part of the time.”
“Why else would I keep you around?”
“I’m good at diaper duty, as I proved yesterday, and I clean Hank’s litter box twice a day. Sometimes three.”
“Two excellent qualities. You done?” She arched one eyebrow, which connected directly to my hot zone.
“Haven’t even started but I think you’re talking about something else. So please continue.” I waved with my hand for her to go on.
“This spring break, you and I are going to Berlin.”
“Shoot.” I snapped my fingers. “Last night, I invited Allen to a conference in Boston during his spring break.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.”
“Won’t that cause a problem with the trip, though?”
She smiled. “I know about your conference, honey. It’s been on the calendar for some time. Your school has a different spring break than CU.” She spoke in her patient mom voice so I’d understand what should have been clear in the beginning—she was talking about two different weeks.
“Right. My conference is two weekends after my spring break.” I furrowed my brow, seeing another potential flaw in her plan. “Just the two of us?”
“Mom’s watching the twins. Airfare is booked. Hotel confirmed. Reservation to visit the Reichstag made.”
“The Reichstag—you do know the way to my heart. I can show you all the bullet holes from World War Two. It’s a beautiful building, and leaving the scars—it’s fitting.”
“Yes, exactly what I was hoping for. Bullet holes.” She couldn’t keep the glee from her eyes, knowing I loved the gift.
This time when I leaned in for a kiss, I was met with hungry lips. “Thank you.”
“Merry Christmas, Lizzie.”
“I still have eleven free minutes on my schedule,” I whispered in her ear.
“I was just going to head upstairs to change into… something else.”
“You go first. I’ll follow.”
In our walk-in closet, I sighed into Sarah’s neck, after getting her to come with my fingers.
Her fingers still dug into the flesh on my naked back. “I can’t believe we just did that.”
“Coming out of the closet is so overrated.”
She laughed. “I can’t remember the last time we did this.”
“Uh, this morning.” I still held onto her tightly, as her body continued to tremble.
She bit my neck. “Not sex. Me with my pants around my ankles, you with only a shirt off. The bathroom door locked and the closet door firmly shut.”
“I don’t think we’ve ever had sex in here. It’s making me think about all the other nooks and crannies we haven’t broken in. We do live in a mini-mansion. So many possibilities to be naughty together.”
“And you do love a challenge. Do you envision us always having the guests from hell during these adventures?” Sarah pulled away and yanked up her jeans.
“These people are never allowed in my house again.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes. “We’ll see about that.” She opened the closet door. “I’m going to clean up as much as possible without showering and head downstairs. Hang back here for a few.”
“Right. To throw off the masses.” I saluted. “And, to take care of things.” I waggled my eyebrows seductively.
Her eyes wandered down to my crotch. “No, don’t. I want you to explode later.”
“You’re killing me!”
“I know.” She planted a sensuous but much too short kiss on my mouth. “It’ll be worth it.”
Moments later, I rejoined her in the kitchen, where she’d picked up prepping the lunch trays. “Another meal already?” I consulted my watch. I’d only been gone a little over three hours, and the closet adventure had been brief. “Brunch wasn’t that long ago, and it included breakfast and lunch, if I’m understanding the word correctly.”
Sarah shrugged. “Not sure what else to do. The conference is still going on in the library. Or maybe they’ve climbed out the window, which is the option I’m hoping for.”
“It would be convenient. Hell, I’d pay for a bulldozer to make an exit for them. What can I do to help?” I pushed up the sleeves on my sweater.
“Start bringing the food out. Let me think.” She tapped a nail against her front tooth. “In the dining room, I think.” She contemplated the logistics. “Yes, dining room. I’m going to check on…” She left the kitchen before clarifying, but I was certain she meant she wanted to find out where the troublemakers were, and she wasn’t referring to Ollie, my favorite pot stirrer, who the last time I saw was with Rose, Demi, and Freddie at the craft table.
Maddie, who hadn’t said a word about the Peter powwow since leaving the library, set about dumping a bottle of champagne into a punch bowl and mixed in orange juice and Grand Marnier. I questioned her booze to orange juice ratio, as in not enough booze.
“Must have drinks for round two of brunch. If the Petries are going to have an epic meltdown, I don’t want to be sober for it,” she said.
“I’m going to rally all the troops.” I stressed all.
Maddie added a few more drops of Grand Marnier. “Okay.”
I sidled next to her. “Don’t be shy.”
“Have I ever been?” She appeared slightly insulted.
“And this is not the day for you to change.” I motioned for her to keep going with the liquor.
She looked up. “Wait. You want me to really spice it up?”
I scouted over my shoulder. “Any chance we can knock out a few guests? You failed in your mission last night.”
She squinted one eye. “Could be dangerous.”
“It’s already dangerous, but hey, that’s the Petries. And, we need to chill some nice bottles of champagne to celebrate.” I squeezed her shoulder.
“Sarah’s on it.”
Of course, she was.
In the living room, I clapped my hands together. “Okay, folks, lunch is ready.”
George rose with a smile, and I wondered how much he perceived what was going on around him. Or maybe living alone after his wife’s death made him crave any type of family contact and the poor man was stuck with mine.
Tie, all smiles, looped her arm through George’s.
Peter stormed into the dining room, teeth clenched, grabbed a plate, angrily tossed ham and turkey slices onto his plate, and then speared olives with a toothpick until there was a small mound.
Everyone gave him a wide berth.
Even Tie seemed a tad cautious.
Gabe walked into the dining room, dressed in a jacket fit for someone roughing it at the North Pole. Had he been shoveling again? From the angry expression on his face, whatever he’d been up to had put him in a piss-poor mood. He jerked his head, and Maddie trailed him out of the room.
Sarah laser-locked eyes on me.
I sucked in a deep breath.
Peter stalked out of the dining room, and I tailed him to the living room. He took a seat at the fireplace, angling his body to avoid eye contact with anyone, spearing a block of cheddar with a toothpick but not eating it. Just twisting it in the air like a toy.
Dad and Helen, with their plates, huddled near the tree, whispering in each other’s ears, occasionally looking in Peter’s direction like parents who’d been called to the school to pick up their child after being expelled.
Tie and George sat on one of the couches, George’s face aglow as Tie hand-fed him a sweet pickle, Tie whispering, “That’s a good boy.”
The image and words did my head in, my stomach swirling.
Allen and Casey, stationed at the puzzle table, watched over the kids in the family room, hopefully out of harms way.
&nbs
p; Maddie sashayed in, making her way over to Peter, and sat on a chair near him.
Peter scrunched one eye and appraised her face, before returning his dazed look back at his plate.
Neither of them spoke, and I wondered if Peter knew she was now engaged to Gabe. Not that I had any intention of filling in the gap of time since he’d fled to the library.
My wife gave me a trip to Berlin.
His…
Rose and Troy, sitting on the two-seater couch, were the only ones in the room oblivious to the tension. Or too happy about their unannounced engagement to let Petrie drama dampen their spirits. I had to admire them. And maybe that was the way to survive my family. Not let them in.
Gabe approached Dad and Helen, whispering something. Dad arched his brow, and Helen had a look of clarity wash over her face. The trio left for the kitchen.
Sarah, with only a glass of mimosa, had just entered the living room and queried me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged one shoulder.
If this were a horror film, we were nearing the epic head-to-head. Would the monster prevail? The good guy? Neither? Who was who?
Rose’s phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen, perplexed. A second later, she made her way to the kitchen.
Sarah, sitting on the chair opposite Peter, met my eye once again.
I sighed. Taking a seat on the arm of Sarah’s chair, I attempted to eat a slice of cheese, but the mixture in my mouth caused my stomach to roil. “Excuse me,” I said.
In the powder room next to the library, I spat the food out into the toilet and then splashed cold water onto my face. Gripping the counter with both palms, I eyed my reflection in the mirror. “This is the worst Christmas ever.”
A commotion outside the door forced me to act.
Sarah and Rose each had a twin, and Troy cuddled a sleepy Demi. Allen and Casey followed to the front door, Casey with an unopened puzzle box under her arm.
“Mom’s going to take the kids to her house to give them a change of scenery,” Sarah explained in her tone that screamed, Don’t ask questions.
“How can I help?” I said, relieved the children, including my youngest brother who was technically an adult but was still a baby on so many levels, would be safe from whatever was brewing.
A Woman Loved Page 16
