We weaved through the mountains and charged up the last incline before turning onto the snow covered pebbled road that led to the house. A few snowflakes began to fall.
“It’s snowing!” She beamed.
“Gotta love that about Vermont.” My smartass response earned a backhand to my bicep.
“True, good point.” She chuckled and focused forward. “Oh, this is gorgeous.” Snow covered evergreens flanked the long driveway giving way to the slopeside cabin. But I guessed she was referring to the panoramic views of Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch, not the chalet. “It’s the quintessential ski house, like the HGTV dream home.” Or not.
Stopping the car in front of the garage, I laughed at her remark before opening my door. Of course she watched HGTV. A rush of cold crisp Vermont air filled in around us. She wiggled her light blue hat down a little further over her ears and smiled. Her straight blonde hair trailed out the bottom and her cheeks pinked. She was wrong—she was the gorgeous here. Her hand weaved its way into the back of my hair, sending a surprising tingle down my spine, not surprisingly landing in my groin. I leaned across the console and captured her lips.
“Happy,” I mumbled. She knew what I meant.
“Me too.” She grinned.
“Come, let’s go inside, it’s cold. Since you didn’t follow my advice and skipped the ice cream and burgers, and the HTs didn’t work, you might be in need of some warming up.” I leisurely dragged my hands along her sides.
She eye rolled me. “Lame.”
I rounded to her side and swatted her ass. She squealed and I chased her back to my side and hugged her. “Lame, huh. We’ll see later when you change your tune.” I captured her warm lips and tongue. That was a promise I had every intention of following through on. “You ready?” I lifted my chin toward the front door.
“Can’t wait,” she answered sincerely.
It had to be weird to revisit a part of your life you thought you left behind. Hell, it was a little weird for me too. I gave no advance warning. My family had no clue either.
We stepped through the front door. The fire was burning. The music was playing; otherwise, it was quiet. Too quiet. We continued into the open living room and kitchen facing the floor to cathedral ceiling stone fireplace. Encased by mirrored wood railings, the second floor housed the nieces and their giant loft consisting of multiple bunk beds, a giant flat screen, and foosball. A kid’s dream, in my opinion. Three separate wings separated the main living area on the first floor, each with two bedrooms and private baths. There was no shortage of space.
“Bet they’re out back on the deck—hot tub, and a perfect hill for the kids to sled.”
“Asher?” Maggie’s voice echoed through the mudroom.
“Hey, Ma.” She turned the corner unhooking her scarf and removing her coat. She stopped in her tracks. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Talia?” Maggie recovered without hesitation. “Oh my goodness, it’s so great to see you, dear. Wow, it’s been a long time. Did you two just run into each other? Asher, you didn’t mention you and Talia were back in touch.”
“Mrs. Craig, so nice to see you. Actually Asher and I bumped into each other a couple months back and have been spending some time catching up.”
My mother shot me lethal eye daggers for the first time ever. I laughed out loud and was pretty sure Tal elbowed me.
“That’s wonderful. And please call me Maggie—I tried when you were kids, now I insist. Take off your coat, and make yourself comfortable. I’m thrilled you’re joining us, are you staying for the week?” Maggie was dying inside, had to be. First time her son ever brought a woman home, let alone an extended stay, she wanted to bombard her with fifty questions. Or me. Selfishly, it was the exact reason they hadn’t been privy.
“Oh, I wish I could but I have to get back to work.”
“Talia has a dermatology practice out in San Diego,” I interrupted.
Maggie’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly. Guarantee all she heard was San Diego, undoubtedly worrying about the distance. Well, so was I. Then my mother said, “What an accomplishment, sweetie, I can’t wait to hear all about it, but please say you don’t have those god awful hours like our Chase.”
Tal smiled back. “I’m definitely busy, but luckily derm is a far cry from neurosurgery. Fortunately for me, not a lot of emergencies.” She slipped off her new white North Face. Mom in the room or not, I couldn’t help but stare. Her calf high brown riding boots accentuated her long legs, while her dark skinny jeans tugged at her perfect ass. And I might have just learned what a cowlneck was this morning, but it suddenly became my new favorite style. All I wanted to do was suck and nip at the exposed strip of skin along her collarbone. She continued with removing her hat and lifting her hands to throw her hair into a quick, messy ponytail. My focus moved to the smooth tease of skin above her waistband and where it led. I had zero fucking clue what she and Maggie were gabbing about while I was off in TP-La-La land until she poked me.
“Restroom?”
Snapping back from undressing her with my eyes, I pointed her in the direction.
“Where’s everyone, Ma?” I spoke first, not giving her a chance to go there.
“The boys took the babies ice skating down the road, they should be back shortly. Girls are in the hot tub and your father is lying down.”
“How’s he doing this week?” She shrugged her shoulders, defeated, and I felt like shit for being preoccupied lately. “Ma, say the word and I’ll get you whatever help you need. Sorry I missed dinner last month. I need to be around more.”
“Asher, stop it. You do more than enough, too much. We’re fine. Our good days still outnumber our bad ones. Besides, we know you’re a hop, skip and a jump if we need you. But this,” her eyes lifted in the direction Talia left the room, “is more important.” She circled the large island and ran her hands down my cheeks. A small amount of moisture had collected behind her eyes. “I’m going to let your sisters know you’re here before they prune and then go check on Dad.”
She fled the kitchen struggling to hide her emotion. My mother looked tired, really tired. She had enough on her plate and definitely didn’t need to worry about me and my relationships. Fuck, a pang of guilt shot through me. I leaned my elbows against the counter and dragged my hands through my hair. I sighed, knowing moving any further from my family than I was now wasn’t an option. Not now, who knew if ever.
“Everything okay?” Her warm touch brought me back to reality.
I nodded slightly and tucked her against my side and kissed her temple wondering if she’d ever consider moving. My gut twisted. Stupid fucking thought. I might have planted the seed and half joked about it at the airport last week, but I couldn’t ask her to uproot her life or her career. For what? For me, for this? I couldn’t even tell what this was. It was all fucking new to me and just because she was all I thought about twenty-four-seven since she walked back into my life, I couldn’t guarantee her anything. There were no guarantees, period. Being willing to write a new page didn’t mean it was destined to be part of my final book. Or did it? Fuck, maybe this meet the family was a bad idea. Tal pulled back, her eyes concerned.
“Ash? Talk to me.”
Luckily the chatter of my sisters interrupted us and I got a reprieve on talking. I figured the I’m crazy about you and need you within an arm’s reach or my head might explode chat should wait until we weren’t holed up with my entire family for the next two days. Just saying.
“Hey, Mol, Tar—hey, Avery.” I released Tal and hugged my robeclad sisters.
“Oh my god, a little warning, little brother,” Avery whined. “Might have been nice to, I don’t know, have some clothes on when you bring guests home.”
Talia laughed. “No worries, a hot tub sounds wonderful.”
“She’s not a guest.” Molly stole the words right from my mouth. “She’s Talia. It’s been forever, you look amazing and-”
Tara chimed in, “And all grown up. Wow, t
hat made me sound old.” The four women chuckled.
My sisters were off in college by the time we were in high school, but I expected they’d remember her. They didn’t disappoint. “Glad we can skip the introductions.” Tal smiled at me, a sweet smile and my gut relaxed.
“Of course we remember, you and the Colton twins were inseparable,” Tara said. “You guys had that awesome band and Talia had that amazing voice. Do you still sing?”
Tara wasn’t asking me, but since I had recently heard it firsthand, I answered. “Her voice, like her, got even more amazing with age.” Tal’s jaw dropped first, then my sisters’. All of them. “But she thought a medical degree was a more responsible career choice. Go figure.” I smirked at Talia, whose cheeks were now a shade I’d yet to see on her. She huffed and jabbed my arm. Molly, my second mother, was grinning like a fool.
“What kind of doctor are you?” Tara asked.
“Dermatologist.”
“Oh that’s so cool … then you would know…” Within seconds Talia held a glass of wine and the vultures consumed her. I hadn’t popped the top on my beer and the four of them had retreated to the living room, cozied up to the fire chit chatting while Molly gave me a thumbs-up and mouthed ‘she’s gorgeous.’ The entire vibe made me smile, but what put me over the fucking moon was overhearing Talia tell the girls how ‘delicious’ I was for sending her office staff dinner Tuesday night. It was takeout, far from delicious, but if something so small made her happy it was going to be a weekly event. Hell, her staff changed their schedule at the drop of the hat for Tal and made it so her ass was napping on my couch when I got home Friday. I owed them a whole lot more than Chinese.
“Hey, son, want to grab me one?” My dad pinched my shoulder, pointed to my beer and sat down on the kitchen stool next to mine.
“Hey, Pops.” I caught my mother out of the corner of my eye shaking her head no. Guess it wasn’t a good day. I grabbed two seltzer cans from the fridge, leaving my Heineken behind.
“You too, huh. What does a guy need to do to get a beer?” he grumbled, clearly not happy about it. Symptoms worsened with alcohol. It had only been about six weeks since I saw him last and he looked different. His face was drawn and his normal jovial eyes were dulled and glazed. My throat tightened, feeling like a little piece of my father was missing.
“Up for some skiing tomorrow?” If anything was going to brighten his eyes, a ride down the mountain would. Man lived for it. My sisters and I were on skis the year we walked. “Would love to hit the front four with you for a couple runs. First tracks?”
He nodded, attempted a half smile and then his eyes bounced toward the living room. Talia was the only blonde; he couldn’t miss her. I ushered us over, planting my father on the nearest chair since he seemed unsteady. Maybe skiing was off the table. “Dad, this is-”
“You don’t have to tell me. I’d know that sweet face anywhere.” Dad’s bellow grabbed the room’s attention.
“Hey, Mr. Craig, it’s so wonderful to see you.” Talia crossed the living room, leaned over and hugged him so he wouldn’t have to stand. Cowlneck. Lucky Pop. When she parked herself beside him, he was still holding her hand. Smart Pop.
“I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Mom cleared her throat a little louder than necessary. “None of us did, darling.” My sisters cackled in my direction like they were five. Point made, whatever. “It was a surprise, a lovely one at that,” Mom continued. There was no mistaking her genuineness. No one could miss it, least of all Talia, whose liquid eyes shined brighter, stirring that unfamiliar warmth behind my chest again.
Pop squeezed Talia’s hand. “Are your parents up here, too?” The room quieted. No one knew about Talia’s mother, but I was fairly certain everyone would have remembered her father’s passing. It was years ago, innocent mistake, considering.
Talia’s smile never faltered, answering with a simple, “No.”
My family was well versed with Alzheimer communication strategies, including steering clear of ‘do you remember’ questions. Luckily my father was still in the early stages of his disease and mostly struggled with finding the right words, organization, or forgetting recent events, but we still tried to avoid anything to trigger more confusion. I quickly changed the subject.
“Pop, I think we’re in for a good laugh, Talia’s going to try and conquer the bunny slope.”
Tal smiled brighter in my direction and I winked to thank her for handling the awkwardness like a pro. She turned back to Pop and said, “Your son is quite the comedian.”
“He takes after his old man.” The room eye-rolled. Ha, hadn’t heard that one before. Dad took a second to pat himself on the back then asked, “So when is she getting here?”
“Who?” Mom questioned.
“Talia. I’m surprised she’s not with you. You two could be the twins. For that matter, where’s your brother, already on the mountain?” The quiet from moments ago was nothing compared to the deafening silence that engulfed us. The knot in my throat stung like a bitch. Avery and Molly’s eyes ping-ponged back and forth. Tara’s face drained of all color while she death gripped my forearm. We all watched Mom’s eyes well in slow motion. Because we knew. We knew all too well. This wasn’t a little confusion. Dad thought Tal was Kimi, which meant he had no idea what year it was. This was a serious change in his cognitive function. And a sickening punch. We knew our two years of luck had run out and next year at this time, we’d be lucky to see a glimmer of the man we loved. Goddamn it, we’d be lucky to see him at all. You’d think firsthand experience and two years of preparing ourselves would lessen the blow ... it didn’t.
Dad kept talking, blending past and present, struggling to find words, flustering himself in the process. He was getting more agitated by the second. Tal suggested we find a more comfortable spot, so we moved to the couch in front of the fire. It gave me a chance to tug Molly into the kitchen and calm her down after she lost her shit. It took a lot longer than it should have, but then again we just watched our father deteriorate before our eyes. With this fucking disease there were no two steps forward and one step back; it was full steam ahead from this point on.
I joined them back in the living room, my jaw tight, and my fists itching to meet a wall for release, expecting a bad scene. But that’s not what I found. Mom was sitting next to Dad, dry-eyed and calm, her smile aimed at Talia. Even at the tail end of the conversation there was no mistaking what was going on. Tal was cool as a cucumber, going with the flow and answering Dad’s jumbled questions, pretending she was Kimi. Her eyes were soft, her posture relaxed, and her hands had never left Pops. The tension was half of what it had been. Because of her.
Mom and I silently exchanged glances then she fake yawned and convinced Dad to join her for a rest. He needed it. They both did. The breath everyone had been holding released when our parents left the room. First thing Monday I was hiring a full-time nurse to help my mother.
My sisters went to change out of their bathrobes and I took the vacant seat next to Tal, running my hand down her thigh. “You okay?” Guilt stabbed at me. She didn’t sign up for this, any of it.
“Me? Oh my goodness, I’m fine. I’m more concerned about you and your family. I can only imagine how hard this is.”
“Not exactly the carefree good time I promised. Sorry, I’ll make it up to you.”
“There’s nothing to make up. You’re something else, you know that? You never worry about yourself. Are you ever not taking care of everyone around you? Please let me return the favor.” Her voice was sincere. Too sincere. “Life is what it is, can’t change it, just have to live it … I’m glad I’m here, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, actually.”
Son of a bitch. She blew every instinct I had to pieces. I should have told her to not only run in the other direction, but sprint. I should have reminded her that the shit-storm my father was facing would inevitably be headed in my direction. Instead I kissed her. “Did you ever consider psych? You’re pretty sma
rt for a dermatologist.”
She laughed against my lips. “You’re an ass.” When she sat back her hands found their favorite spot in my hair. “And for the record, I don’t think you’ve broken a promise a day in your life, especially not to me, and definitely not today.”
I shook my head, feeling something I hadn’t in forever and borderline inappropriate given the circumstances … lucky. How fucked up was that?
The front door rattled and a range of little voices brought us back to the present.
“The magic of kids. They make you plaster on that smile, get up and move on,” Avery mumbled as my sisters walked back through the living room and toward the door to meet their husbands and kids.
“Unkie Ashy!” Emma ran past her mother and leaped into my arms. “Who’s dat? You brought Barbie?” And this was why they were magic. The thick melancholic air evaporated almost immediately and the entire house erupted into laughter. “Hers Barbie, yay!” She left my lap and crawled onto Talia’s. Ha, never crossed my mind, but I saw the resemblance immediately, long blonde hair, perfect tits, ass and legs. Yup, Barbie.
“Who’s a silly girl, thinking I look like Barbie? Well, I’m going to take that as a very big compliment. Barbie is super cool. Do you have one here?”
Emma leaped down and literally jumped up the stairs. My other four nieces said their quiet hellos and followed behind the Tasmanian devil.
Talia met Charlie and the Andrews briefly before my sisters took them away to explain what was going on with Dad. But it wasn’t long before everyone was congregated back in the living room, beverages in hand, and trying to make the best of the evening. Everyone rallied for my mother, kept the conversation light, and welcomed the giggling and silliness from my nieces.
“What do you think, Teeps, you and me on a fifty foot catamaran? I bet we could think of something fun to pass the time.”
Talia had clicked with Charlie immediately. It was fun to talk sailing and he was always good for a few crazy stories. Tal loved the idea of his school expansion and since I had already funded his account the ball was rolling.
Beautifully Done Page 13
