Home for the Holidays

by Sara Richardson

  “Thank you.” Mags sprung up and hugged the doctor, feeling a sudden energy run through her. “I really appreciate this.”

  “It’s nothing,” he assured her. “Congratulations, Mama.” He turned to walk out the door. “I’ll let you know what my friend says as soon as I can.”

  Mags nodded, laughed, and cried, cradling her belly in her hands. She whirled to face her sweet aunt. “I’m having a baby.” Saying it out loud made her heart bust at the seams. “Eric and I are a having a baby.” It didn’t matter if Eric had started to drift away, or if he was ready to give up. She wouldn’t let him. She would fight for him. She would fight for this baby. She would fight for her family.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Dahlia

  That’s it. I’m not going on the date.”

  Dahlia threw the plaid shirt onto the mountain of clothes that had slowly piled up on her bed. She couldn’t wear a plaid shirt on a date! When she’d packed for this trip, a date had been the last thing on her mind. She’d brought comfy clothes that you’d wear out on a cold walk or that you’d dress in to sit by a cozy fire. She hadn’t even considered that she might have to impress a man.

  “Who are talking to?” Rose walked in with Marigold trotting along behind her.

  “Myself.” Dahlia never thought she’d see the day when her sister had a furry sidekick. Rose’s sudden bond with the dog only proved miracles happened. Maybe she should close her eyes and click her heels and her fairy godmother would appear.

  “Whoa.” Her sister stood back and evaluated Mount St. Clothing with a frown. “Is that the Goodwill pile or the trash pile?”

  “Very funny.” Dahlia slumped onto the edge of the bed, running her hand over Marigold’s soft fur. “That, my dear sister, is the full extent of my wardrobe here. Apparently, I left all my dating clothes at home.” Buried in the back of her closet where they’d probably been for the last fifteen years.

  Rose started to pick up garments one by one, giving them a detailed appraisal. “Ew. Yes. Wow. You can’t wear any of these tonight.” She tossed a sweatshirt back onto the pile like it was contaminated.

  “That’s okay. I don’t need to go on a date anyway.” She couldn’t date! She was out of practice. What would they talk about? Dancing with Ike in a crowd was one thing, but they’d be alone, sitting across the table from each other…

  “Oh, you’re going on that date.” Rose pulled her up and prodded her across the hall to her bedroom. “We’re pretty close to the same size, and you know I never travel without preparing for an impromptu special occasion.”

  That was a true statement. Her sister had been overpacking since the early nineties. “I don’t need to borrow your clothes. It’s fine. I don’t even know how to act on a date anyway.”

  Rose took Dahlia’s shoulders in her hands forcing her to look into Rose’s eyes. “Act like you, Dahlia. The caring, nurturing, incredibly smart woman you are.” She let her go. “And if Ike doesn’t like that woman, then he’s not worth a second date.” Her sister’s eyes gleamed. “But I highly doubt that’s going to happen. I see the way he looks at you. Truthfully, I highly doubt that he’ll care if you’re wearing a sweatshirt or some chic blouse.” Rose shook her head. “Scratch that. I care if you’re wearing a sweatshirt or a chic blouse. Give me one minute.” She hurried into the walk-in closet on the other side of the room.

  Ah, so that’s why her sister had insisted she had to stay in this guest room. It was likely the only closet in the house that would fit all of the clothes she must’ve brought.

  “Okay.” Her sister marched out of the closet with an armload of garments and proceeded to lay at least seven different outfits out on the bed.

  Marigold walked around sniffing them as though trying to help them decide which one would work best.

  “I’m feeling something blue for you tonight.” Rose stepped back and seemed to evaluate two different blue sweaters.

  Dahlia couldn’t hold back a smile. “What have I done without you for the last thirteen years?” she teased. “It’s a wonder I have ever been able to get dressed by myself.”

  “We’ll talk about a shopping trip after this crisis is averted,” her sister informed her. “Ah, yes.” She snatched a beautiful, soft, baby-blue sweater off the bed. “This would go perfectly with these jeans.” She lay the sweater across a pair of dark jeggings.

  “Are you sure you want me to wear that?” Dahlia reached out to run her fingers over the soft sweater. It had to be the highest quality cashmere. It had probably cost five hundred dollars or something crazy. And she hadn’t bought anything that wasn’t on sale since before Maya and Ollie were born. As always when she thought of them, that pang of longing squeezed around her heart. She hadn’t heard from them today, but they were also supposed to be traveling on to London. Hopefully she’d get an update tomorrow.

  “Yes, you can wear it.” Rose handed her the sweater and the jeggings. “Try them on. I think I have the perfect pashmina to go with them.” She disappeared back into the closet.

  “How many suitcases did you bring?” Dahlia slipped off her sweatshirt and jeans, neatly folding them on the bed. Next to all of Rose’s elegant clothes they stuck out as frumpy mom attire.

  “I only brought four suitcases,” her sister called from the closet.

  “Four?” Dahlia laughed. She’d managed to stuff everything she’d brought into one suitcase so she didn’t have to pay for another one. Of course, she didn’t have a whole closet full of designer clothes and fashionable boots, so there was that. Sucking in her waist an extra couple of inches, Dahlia pulled on the jeggings Rose had handed her, shimmying them up over her thighs and hips. “Wow.” She smoothed her hands down her legs. The material had quite the slimming effect.

  “Found it!” Rose rushed out of the closet as Dahlia pulled on the sweater.

  “Oh my.” She’d never felt cashmere so soft.

  “This will be perfect.” Rose wrapped the silk pashmina around Dahlia’s shoulders, and then turned her around to face the mirror above the dresser.

  “Well, well, well.” Mags sauntered into the room and gave off a catcall. “Looking hot, Dally. Getting all gussied up for your date tonight?”

  “Apparently.” There was something to be said for expensive clothes. They were elegant but not overdone and most importantly they made her feel…pretty.

  “You’ve still got it, sis.” Mags sat on the bed and petted the dog.

  “Definitely,” Rose agreed, readjusting the pashmina and then standing back as though admiring her work. “Ike won’t be able to resist you.”

  Well, she didn’t know about that, but hopefully the outfit would show him just how interested she was in spending more time with him.

  Mags stood and joined them in front of the mirror. “Speaking of Ike, he sure seems excited about tonight.”

  Dahlia eyed her. “What? How do you know?”

  Her sister went back to the bed and sat down. “I just came from the clinic.”

  “Really?” Panic rushed in, prickling Dahlia’s skin with sudden warmth. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going? Did you feel sick again?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Dahlia caught her sister’s eyes in the mirror. Wait. Had she been crying? “What is it?” She spun, the pashmina unraveling from her shoulders. “What’s wrong? Did Ike find something?”

  “Yes.” A slow smile reached her sister’s eyes. “He found something all right. I’m pregnant.”

  “Pregnant!” Rose lurched for the bed, but Dahlia beat her there.

  “Oh, Mags. Oh honey. That’s amazing.” She was so happy she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. “Are you okay? Have you told Eric?”

  “I tried to call him, but he didn’t answer. We just got back. Sassy went with me.” Her sister paused as though she was overwhelmed. “I’m not sure how to tell him. The last time we talked about the fertility treatments, he didn’t want a baby. We’ve already lost a couple. There’s a chance—”

>   “You won’t lose this one.” Dear God, surely they wouldn’t. Not when they’d already endured so much heartache. Dahlia took off the pashmina and tossed it onto the bed. “I should stay home tonight. We should be together.”

  “No, no, no. You have to go.” Mags wrapped the scarf back around Dahlia’s neck. “Besides, I’m going to bed soon. I need some space to sit with the news. To think through some things.” Mags had always been that way. More of an internal processor when it came to her emotions. It used to drive Dahlia crazy.

  “But I could at least be here. In case you did want to talk or something. I could—”

  “You’re not finding a way out of this date my dear.” Mags shut her down with an amused stare. “Frankly, Ike seems crazy about you and I’m crazy about him. So, I refuse to be the reason you stand him up.”

  “Agreed.” Rose invited Marigold up onto the bed to lay across all three of their laps. “Mags and I will eat junk food and snuggle with Marigold in front of a Hallmark movie, and then when you get home, you can give us all the juicy details about your date.”

  “If she comes home.” Mags elbowed Rose and they both laughed.

  “Oh, come on you two.” That wasn’t happening. Was it? Nerves buzzed in her stomach, but quickly flared into something that felt more like a simmering anticipation. “It can’t happen! It’s been eons, given how sparse that was during the last few years of my marriage.” She was out of practice when it came to sex. “And I can’t remember the last time I had a bikini wax!”

  “A man isn’t going to care about a bikini wax if he gets to have sex,” Mags insisted. “And don’t worry…it’s like riding a bike.”

  “Yeah,” Rose added, laughing so hard she almost couldn’t talk. “You gotta climb back on and ride the horse again someday.”

  Both of her sisters collapsed into giggles and threw themselves back onto the bed.

  Maybe it was the nerves or maybe the relief at seeing Mags laugh, but Dahlia threw herself back and laughed, too. The whole thing was absolutely ludicrous. Her having sex after practically being a nun for the last three years? She laughed even harder, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Marigold inched up from their laps and started to lick their faces, which set off a whole other round of laughter.

  When the giggles died down, Dahlia turned to Mags. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she told her. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “And I’m happy you get to go on a date with Ike.” Her sister tweaked her nose.

  “And I’m happy for both of you.” Rose jumped up. “But we have work to do. Dally needs to be ready in T-minus fifteen minutes.”

  “What?” She bolted upright. How had it gotten that late?

  “Not to worry.” Mags pushed off the bed, too. “We’ve got this.”

  “Totally.” Rose pulled her up and her sisters ushered her into the bathroom across the hall. Sitting her down on the toilet, they ambushed her with a blow-dryer and brush, makeup, and God only knew what else.

  Fourteen minutes later, Dahlia stood in front of the mirror again, and it was almost like she was staring at a former version of herself. They’d taken ten years off her easy. “You two should start a makeover business together.” They’d make millions.

  Rose leaned in and fluffed Dahlia’s hair. “It’s not like we performed a miracle. You’re already beautiful.”

  “Yeah.” Mags handed her the lip gloss they’d used. “We only helped bring out your natural beauty a little more.”

  Dahlia peeked into the mirror again. “Whatever. You totally performed a miracle.” She hadn’t seen herself look like this since that night she’d tried to dress up for Jeff two years ago. It had occurred to her after he left for work one morning that it had been three months since they’d made love, so she’d arranged for the kids to go home with friends from school, and then she’d made dinner, put on her sexiest dress, and ended up getting a text that he was working late. Too bad he’d already been sleeping with someone else by then.

  “Come on.” Rose whisked her out of the bathroom. “Dr. Ike will be here any minute.”

  “You two aren’t going to take pictures or anything. Are you?” Dahlia asked as they made their way down the steps.

  Rose and Mags shared a bright-eyed look.

  Fabulous. She shouldn’t be giving them any ideas.

  When they reached the bottom of the steps, the three of them stopped. She could hear Ike’s engaging voice from the kitchen.

  “I can’t breathe.” Dahlia clutched at the pashmina, loosening it, but that didn’t make it any easier to inhale. It struck her that she wouldn’t be this nervous if she didn’t have already have some feelings for the man.

  “You two are going to have the best time,” Rose assured her, nudging her toward the kitchen. But Ike and Sassy came walking down the hall, and Dahlia didn’t have time to argue.

  Ike stopped abruptly when he saw her standing there. “Hey.”

  A distinct shifting in her heart gave her vertigo. “Hi.” Even with her shyness trying to take over, she couldn’t look away from him. He’d dressed in a deep green crewneck sweater with a worn brown leather coat. And those jeans…

  “You two have a good time,” Sassy sang, sweeping an arm around Mags and Rose. “We have a lot of work to do in the kitchen, right girls?”

  “Right.” Rose turned back to stare over her shoulder, but Sassy continued moving them down the hall.

  “Goodnight!” Mags yelled.

  “We won’t wait up!” Rose added.

  Wow, real subtle. The heat on Dahlia’s face outmatched the warmth simmering low in her stomach, but Ike simply laughed.

  “Must be fun to have sisters,” he said, moving in a few steps closer. “I only have brothers myself. They hardly even keep in touch.”

  His easy way of conversation pulled her out of her earlier timidity. “It’s hard to keep in touch when you live far away. I’m really grateful to have this time with them.” Even if they were intent on embarrassing her in front of her date.

  “Yeah. My youngest brother Mason is in Thailand. He’s a wanderer.” Ike casually slipped his arm around Dahlia and led her to the front door as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “And Brock, my older brother, lives in Alaska.”

  “So, you’re really spread out.” Dahlia pulled her winter coat off the rack, and Ike immediately helped her slip it on.

  “We are. My mom’s in California, so we all try to meet up there a couple times a year.” He took a hat and gloves out of his coat pocket and pulled them on. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” After being unsure earlier, she was so ready to be alone with him, to get to know him. As they stepped outside, she put on her hat and the fuzzy mittens she’d picked up in town the other day. Snow fell softly, illuminating the night sky, making the evening sparkle.

  Just outside the door, Ike paused. “I thought we’d do a choose-your-own-adventure date this evening.”

  She wasn’t sure why she found it so easy to gaze into his eyes. She only knew she never wanted to look away. “What’d you mean?”

  “I mean, I’m giving you options.” His smile was all mystery. “We can either go out to dinner at a great restaurant about twenty minutes away, or I could make you dinner at my cabin.” He took her arm and escorted her down the porch steps. “I would’ve said I could make you dinner here, but I don’t want to kick out Sassy and your sisters for the evening.”

  “No. That wouldn’t be good.” But a quiet dinner just the two of them did sound amazing. And the fact that he’d given her a choice made it even better. “Let’s do dinner at your place.”

  “Homemade pizza it is then.” He led her toward his truck.

  Dahlia stopped and gaped at him. “Homemade?” She’d never had a man make her homemade anything.

  “It’s my dad’s secret dough recipe,” Ike explained. “It was the only thing he ever made in the kitchen. I already put it together and had it rising just in case.” He opened the passenger’s door
.

  Dahlia was about to climb in, but her gaze stuck on the view of the barn farther down the hill. It was all lit up with colorful lights, which glowed festively beneath the thin layer of fresh snow. Beyond that, the decorated trees lit a path all the way down to the pond. “Actually, can we walk down to your cabin?” She took a step back. The air was freezing, but Ike made her warm. And what better way to start their date than with a romantic walk to his cabin?

  “I’d like that.” He shut the truck’s door and they started off together, their boots crunching in the snow.

  After a few steps, Ike grabbed her mitten-clad hand, holding it in his. “Colt and Rose went all out with the lights.”

  “They sure did.” It seemed every tree sparkled with a different color. One had been draped with bright pink lights, another with blue. That one farther down had green, and then there was one with orange. “Oh, look at that one.” She pointed to the juniper pine that had been decked out with silvery sparkle lights. A contented sigh filled up her chest. “It looks so much like it did when we would visit all those years ago.” A magical Christmas wonderland.

  They passed the barn, walking slowly, and for once, Dahlia felt no desire to rush, to be on a schedule. Instead she wanted to simply be. To breathe it all in.

  “I bet you have some great memories of this place,” Ike said softly.

  “So many.” She closed her eyes and could still see them, playing like a film reel through her mind. Opening her eyes again, she wrapped her arm through Ike’s, moving closer to the man. “It’s funny…I’ve been away for a long time but coming here has been like coming home.”

  “I feel that way about Juniper Springs, too.” He paused, gazing up at the lighted statue of Santa’s sleigh perched on the barn’s roof. “It’s the place I fit.”

  “I know what you mean.” After floundering for the past year, it felt good for her to be in Sassy’s house, to be with her sisters. In so many ways it had reminded her who she was before her marriage, before her marriage had fallen apart.