by Amy Vastine
Logan was born two days before Halloween at a whopping eight pounds six ounces. His mother delivered the big guy in record time, as if she’d been having babies her whole life. He had no hair but a giant set of lungs.
Everyone in the family, even the ones who usually spent Thanksgiving elsewhere, flew to Denver for Turkey Day and Logan’s christening. Charlie had brought Emma to meet them all. His sisters were excited to meet the woman who had stolen their little brother’s heart, but it was Becca whose opinion mattered the most. So far, it seemed as if the two of them were on their way to becoming fast friends.
“You fought a pregnant lady? That’s not cool.”
“No, I didn’t fight a pregnant lady, hence why she won.”
“That’s how you want to play this?” Becca challenged.
“Oh, now you want me to fight a lady holding a baby. Yeah, real fair.”
“I’ll hold the baby for you if you want to take this outside,” Emma offered Becca.
“Nice, you’ve officially turned my girlfriend against me. I should have come by myself.”
“Next time, just send her,” Candice said, joining in. “We like her better, anyway.”
Emma took pity on him and kissed his pouting lips. She understood what it was like to be the baby of the family. They were always the one getting picked on.
His sisters let out a collective “Awww.”
Charlie knew he should have gone with the guys and kids skiing. He had been worried about leaving Emma alone with his sisters, but apparently she fit right in.
Becca handed Lo’ Charlie over to Emma even though there was no longer a need to fight. Emma patted his little back and pressed kisses to the side of his fuzzy head. The kid had a head like a peach. It was so fun to rub.
If it was possible to fall more in love with Emma, seeing her with a baby in her arms did it. There was nothing Charlie wanted more than to be her husband and the father of her children. He was keeping that to himself for the time being. They were just getting used to the boyfriend/girlfriend titles.
“She’s a natural, Charlie,” Mandy said, watching him watch Emma.
“I can’t wait until my sister has her baby,” Emma said.
Kendall and Max had wasted no time once they were married. Kendall was due in May, the same month Max was opening Gianna’s Cucina. Pete had retired from the fire department and let Max talk him into being partners. It allowed Max to turn over Sato’s to the owner’s son and gave Max a bigger piece of the financial pie. More money meant he could buy the house from Bad Daddy the way he wanted.
“Is it her first?” Candice asked.
“She has a son and a stepson. She was so far away when she had my nephew that I didn’t get a lot of time with him when he was little.” She gazed down at the baby. “But the next one is going to get spoiled rotten by Aunt Emma. Yes, she is. Yes, she is.” She spoke in that voice all people resorted to when they talked to an infant.
Logan smiled and made a noise that was a cross between a giggle and a burp.
“Did he just laugh?” Mandy flew to Emma’s side.
“He smiled at you. That was his first smile,” Becca said.
Kristin also hovered over Emma, trying desperately to get Logan to smile again. It became another one of their fierce competitions. Neither would stop until that baby smiled at one of them.
“Here, let me hold him,” Kristin said, trying to take him out of Emma’s arms.
“No, let me take him. You want to come to Aunt Mandy?” she asked the baby who was never going to answer her.
“Oh, I think he smiled at me,” Kristin claimed.
Mandy rolled her eyes. “No, he didn’t.”
Poor Emma didn’t know what to do. Logan did. He showed off those lungs and began to wail.
“You made him cry,” Kristin accused Mandy.
“I made him cry? You’re the one who’s getting in his face and breathing that dragon breath all over him. What did you eat for lunch? An entire clove of garlic?”
Becca got up and pushed her sisters aside to rescue her child. Emma handed Logan back to his mom with an apology she didn’t owe.
“Would you two stop scaring my son? You’re both so overwhelming. I can barely stand it and I’m a grown woman.”
That started the next argument. Who was more overwhelming and overbearing? Candice refused to take a side.
Emma sneaked back over by Charlie, who wrapped his arm around her. He liked it when they were touching. Being able to feel her hand in his reassured him this was all real. Emma had really chosen him.
“Everyone was on their best behavior. I should have known it wouldn’t last,” he whispered, leaving a little kiss on the shell of her ear.
“Are they always like this?”
“Always.”
Kristin was not happy about Candice’s refusal to choose who was right. She stormed out of the room in search of their mother, who she was sure would side with her on the matter.
“As long as they don’t gang up on me, I think I can handle it.”
“You’re safe.” He squeezed her a little tighter. “At least, I hope so.”
The fear on her face made him laugh. Too bad he wasn’t kidding.
* * *
THE MEN AND CHILDREN all returned with red cheeks and cold toes. Charlie’s mom cooked them up a hot chili dinner and then sent them back to the hotel. Becca and John’s house was not big enough to allow for more than two guests, and Charlie and Emma were the lucky ones.
Everyone hit the hay pretty early. Emma slept in the spare bedroom and Charlie got the couch. Becca hung out with him while she nursed Logan one more time before bed.
“I’m surprised it took until Friday for the first big fight,” Charlie said. “I thought my sisters had been kidnapped by aliens yesterday when they were all getting along.”
“I drugged the turkey.”
He sat straight up. “You didn’t.”
“I didn’t.” Becca smirked. “But I thought about it.”
Charlie lay back down and pulled the sleeping bag up under his chin. “Emma thinks everyone is great.”
“Good, so our plan to trick her is working.”
“Ha-ha.”
Becca moved Logan to burp him. “I’m kidding. I think everyone thinks she’s pretty great, too.”
“Everyone including you?” This was the first time they’d been alone to talk about her impressions.
“She watches you when she’s on one side of the room and you’re on the other. And she gets this look on her face.” Becca got all dreamy-eyed and smiled like a love-struck teenager.
He would have thrown his pillow at her if she wasn’t holding a baby. “She does not.”
“Okay, maybe not that lovesick, but she’s pretty smitten. I like that about her. She also talks about you like you are the best thing that’s ever happened to her. I like that, too. You deserve to be the object of someone’s infatuation.”
“What else do you like about her?”
“She’s funny and actually smart, not pretend smart. She doesn’t just rattle off things she’s heard on the news. She has real opinions and isn’t afraid to state them.”
Charlie hadn’t realized Becca was paying such close attention. “You learned all that in two days with five hundred people in your house?”
“She’s been a quiet help. She swoops in and offers to change Logan’s diaper. She picks up after the kids destroy a room. She and I have chatted during those times.”
Charlie hadn’t noticed, but that was so Emma. “So, do I have your approval?”
“To date her or marry her?” Becca asked. She was very perceptive.
“Well, you’re too late to have a say in the dating part. But I know I want to marry her, so your blessing would be nic
e to have.”
“Oh! My baby brother is going to get married.”
“Shh! I’m not asking her until I know she’s ready. So, don’t go making any comments or dropping any hints. This is not happening anytime soon.”
“She’s ready,” Becca said. “Did you see her with this little guy today? She can act like she’s excited about a niece or nephew, but she is really excited to be a mom. Not to mention she loooooooves you.”
They were suddenly eight and thirteen again and Charlie had made the big mistake of telling Becca he had a crush on Megan Waters from his third-grade class. Only, unlike Megan Waters, who only wanted the Oreo cookies from Charlie’s lunch box, Emma really did love him.
“I’m crazy in love with her.”
His sister smiled knowingly. “I can tell.”
“Why didn’t you tell me love was this good? Being in love is pretty much the best thing ever.”
“I didn’t want to rub it in when you were a swinging single. I had to wait for you to find out for yourself. I’m happy for you, Charlie.”
“And I’m happy for you. That baby looks good on you.”
Becca gazed lovingly down on her sleeping son. So many years of disappointment and sadness seemed like nothing but a distant memory when he was in her arms. “Wait till you experience this kind of love. There is no adjective big enough for this kind of love.”
Charlie couldn’t wait. “You better put him down and get some sleep. Kristin and Mandy will be here bright and early ready to see who can make little Lo’ Charlie smile like he smiled at my girl.”
Becca carefully stood up. “Like nephew, like uncle. Good night, Charlie.”
Falling asleep was easy now that he had his sister’s approval. He was dreaming about babies and weddings and babies having baby weddings when someone shook him awake.
“Charlie, wake up.” His Nightingale was kneeling on the floor next to him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked groggily.
“There’s a moose outside my window. It keeps making this weird noise, like it knows I’m in there. I’m freaking out. Can you chase it away or something?”
Becca lived in the mountains. Anything was possible, including a peeping moose.
“Um...” Charlie sat up and tried to think clearly. “I have no idea how to chase a moose away. Do you?”
Emma giggled and sat down. “I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life except for when I lived in Milwaukee. Neither is known for its moose population. Maybe go out there and throw a snowball at it.”
“Do they even have moose at that Lincoln Park Zoo? What do you call more than one moose? Mooses? Or is it like goose and geese. Moose and meese?”
Emma smacked him on the thigh. “I don’t know, but there is a real moose, one moose, outside my bedroom window.”
Charlie couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, okay. Where’s my phone?” It was too dark for him to see anything on the coffee table. Emma handed him hers, which she had been using as a makeshift flashlight.
He smiled at her lock screen, which was a picture of the two of them from a couple months ago. Her hair was so much shorter then. Tonight, she had her chin-length locks tucked behind her ears.
“Stop staring at us and find out how to chase a moose away!” Emma whisper-yelled.
Charlie began his search for getting rid of a moose. The Alaska Moose Federation came up first in his search. Their name led him to believe they knew a lot about moose and hopefully how to get rid of them. “Rule number one, ‘Never throw snowballs or rocks at a moose.’ Good thing I didn’t listen to you.”
“I told you I was clueless. I could have gotten you killed. I’m sorry.” She kissed his cheek.
“Rule number two, ‘Don’t feed him.’ Good to know. I thought about throwing some carrots to lure him away. Guess that also would have got me killed.”
“We would be really bad at living in the mountains,” Emma said so seriously that it made him laugh again. “Seriously, we need to stay put in the city.”
The Alaskans didn’t have any advice on what to do, just what not to do. He went back to the search and found a question/answer site where someone was wondering, “How do you scare a moose away?” Sounded like what he needed.
Someone answered that they threw rocks and sticks but it didn’t work. Those people obviously hadn’t read the rules before trekking out into the mountains. There were absolutely no good answers. Although, Charlie did chuckle at the guy who suggested, “Flap your arms and say get off my lawn!”
Apparently, moose were not easy to get rid of. Most of the advice was to sit still and wait for the animal to move on.
“I think you’re gonna have to wait him out. He’ll move on eventually. If I go out there, I’m dead.”
Emma tilted her head and was probably giving him that look she gave him when he said ridiculous things. He couldn’t say for sure because it was dark.
“Come on, talk to me and then I’ll make sure the moose is gone and tuck you in. Didn’t you think my sisters were way scarier than any moose could ever be?”
“I like your sisters. Although, I have a newfound appreciation for your patience and understanding. I do not know how you came out of your parents’ house alive. I thought two sisters was a lot to deal with. Four would have put me in an early grave. That’s a lot of estrogen in one house.”
“There were times I didn’t think I was going to make it.”
Emma rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. “They’ve all been really nice to me. It’s weird not being with my family for the holidays, but your family has made me feel welcome.”
“Good, I’m glad you feel that way.” He kissed the top of her head.
“I was afraid they wouldn’t like me. Especially Candice. After everything that happened back in June—”
He quickly covered her mouth with his hand. “No talking about June.”
Life began in July. That was the way Charlie saw it.
“You know what I mean. I was worried they had heard some bad things about me. But of course, you protected my honor like the amazing boyfriend you are.”
“I can’t chase a moose away, but I can keep secrets from my sisters. You can definitely count on me for that.”
They sat quietly for a bit. Charlie almost dozed off.
“Do you think the moose is gone yet?” Emma whispered.
“Let’s go check.”
They crept back to the bedroom. It was so dark and the curtains were drawn. “Which window?” he whispered.
Emma pointed to the one closest to the bed. Emma held his hand as he pulled back the curtain for a peek. He thought maybe he’d see a moose standing in the snow. What he wasn’t expecting was a giant moose snout pressed up against the glass.
He did what any guy would do in that situation. He jumped back and screamed like a little girl. Emma screamed because he screamed. They scrambled to get as far from the window as possible. Charlie headed for the door but was suddenly blinded as the bedroom light was switched on.
Becca screamed when she saw Charlie and Emma running at her. That brought John running down the hall.
“What’s going on in there?”
Charlie and Emma both held a hand to their chests. Two scares in a matter of seconds was enough to give a person a heart attack.
“What are you doing in Emma’s room?” Becca asked, eyebrow arched.
“There’s a moose outside and it woke her up. We waited until we thought it was gone, only to find it practically smashed up against the window,” Charlie explained.
John came in the room and checked the windows. “Nothing. If there was a moose out there, you scared it off.”
Emma and Charlie gave each other a high five. “Who says you can’t scare a moose?” Charlie said, feeling pret
ty proud of himself.
“Can we all go to bed now? Logan will be waking me up in about an hour. Thanks a lot.”
Emma cringed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake everybody up.”
“Oh, I blame Charlie and his total girlie scream. You heard that, didn’t you, John?”
John nodded. “Oh, I heard it. I thought Kristin was here.”
They thought they were real funny. “Good night. I’m going to tuck my girlfriend in and then I’m going back to the couch.”
“Good. I don’t want to get in trouble with Mom and Dad for letting there be any premarital bed sharing!” Becca shouted from the hall.
Charlie helped Emma back into bed and made sure she was snug as a bug. “We are so awesome at this mountain-living stuff.”
“Promise me you will never make me live in the wilderness. I need my Starbucks and cold hard concrete. I won’t be able to handle you changing my plans to raise a family in the city.”
“You think you want to raise a family with me?” This was the first time she’d mentioned wanting a family.
“You’ll do, I suppose. I mean, who else would save me from a rabid moose with his supergirlie scream?”
“I need to get you away from my sister as soon as possible. She’s a terrible influence.”
“So, it’s a plan? We’ll raise our family in the city. You have to say it because you have this way of getting me to change all my plans. I’m defenseless against your charm and good looks.”
He loved hearing her talk about long-term plans that included him. “City it is. Your plan is my plan.”
“It’s our plan.”
There was no better plan than that. He kissed her forehead. “Good night, Nightingale.”
“Good night, Charlie.”
* * * * *
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