It would be her last one alone.
Her last one as the odd-Shaughnessy-out.
Her last one without the man she loved.
Chapter 13
It was after midnight on Christmas Eve, and the entire house was quiet. Darcy sat on the sofa looking at the Christmas tree. All the lights in the house were out except for the multicolored ones adorning the tree. She was wearing her new Christmas pajamas and sipping a cup of hot chocolate.
“You know Santa can’t come unless everyone’s asleep.”
Smiling, she turned her head and saw her father standing a few feet away. “I wasn’t going to stay up all night,” she teased softly.
Ian Shaughnessy came over and sat beside her. “What are you still doing up?”
She shrugged. “You know how much I love looking at the tree.”
“That’s why you have one up in your room,” he reminded her. “Try again.”
Leave it to her dad to call her out on the fib. “I couldn’t sleep. And I could only toss and turn for so long. I thought maybe a warm drink and sitting down here for a little while would help.”
“And has it?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
They sat in companionable silence.
“I think tomorrow is going to be a bit of a zoo,” Ian said after a few minutes.
“Why’s that?”
“Look at all those presents! And that’s not including the ones I still have to put out for the kids from Santa.”
Laughing softly, Darcy turned her head and looked at her father. “Six grandkids,” she said with a sigh. “Seems like life’s come full circle, huh?”
Ian nodded. “And we’re not done yet.”
Her brows went up. “Do you know something that I don’t know?” she asked curiously.
“Nope. Just know that none of you are going to stop at one baby.”
“Technically, Owen’s got two.” The image of her twin nephews made her smile.
“So could you, sweet pea.”
And she immediately began to choke.
Ian patted her on the back until she could breathe again. “Dad! What the heck?”
“What? What did I say?”
“Why would you even say that?”
He looked at her as if she were crazy. “Say what?”
“You cannot possibly put me in a conversation about everyone having babies!” she said adamantly.
“And why not?”
Her eyes went wide. “Seriously? Um, how about because I’m not married yet? Or how about because I don’t even know if things are going to work out with Ben? And…and…”
Ian hugged his daughter close and waited for her to calm down.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
“Darce, I know you’re a little sad. And I know you’re missing Ben, but don’t sell yourself short. You’re going to see him in a few days, and everything’s going to be all right. And you know what I think?”
Looking up at him, she asked, “What?”
“I think that you, my sweet girl, are going to have the greatest love of them all.”
Tears instantly filled her eyes. “You do?”
He nodded. “And do you know why?”
She shook her head, too overwhelmed to speak.
Tucking a finger under her chin, he said, “Because you have the biggest heart of anyone in this family. You were the one who held us all together when we would have fallen apart. Without you, Darcy, none of this would be possible.” He motioned to the presents, the tree, the family photos. “You are the reason there is so much love and laughter here.”
“Dad—”
“It’s true. Now I’m not going to lie to you. It’s not going to be easy to watch you leave here in a few days. I’ve sent you off to visit your brothers, I’ve sent you off to college…but I knew those were temporary visits.”
Tears stung her eyes. “It’s not like I’m never coming back.”
“I know. I know.” He paused. “I convinced your mom to move away from her parents,” he said casually.
“Um, what?”
Ian nodded. “It’s true. Granted, it wasn’t very far—not like the other side of the country or anything—but still, she left her family to be with me.”
“Wow.”
“There isn’t any place in the world that you can live that I’m not going to love you, Darcy. My only wish for you is that you be happy.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached out and hugged him. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered.
“I like Ben,” he said, taking her cocoa from her and taking a sip. “I think you gave to him exactly what you gave to all of us.” He paused. “And that makes him a lucky man.”
She gave a quiet snort. “I don’t know about that. All I know is that I don’t ever want him to be alone again. It broke my heart thinking of him living the way he was.”
Ian studied his daughter for a moment. “See? Such a big heart. I think Santa is going to be very pleased with you. Maybe he’ll leave a little something extra for you under the tree.”
Darcy couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Dad, I’m a little old for that to work.”
He hugged her back, and when they broke apart, he stood up. “You’re a good daughter, and I am honored to be your dad. You are the greatest gift to this family. I have two things that I want to give you.”
Ian walked over to the tree and looked around for a moment. Then he reached into the pile and pulled out a small box. Sitting back down beside her, he handed it to her.
“Dad, we’re not supposed to open any more presents tonight,” she chided playfully.
“I was trying to think of a way to give this to you when we were alone. So I’m actually glad you were up.” He smiled lovingly at her. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Putting her mug down, Darcy carefully opened the package. It was small, like the size of a box you’d put a pair of earrings in. But that’s not what she found inside. She looked down and then at her father. “It’s a key,” she said, feeling slightly confused.
Ian nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“But to what?”
“That is the key to this house.”
Maybe it was late, but clearly, one—or both—of them was more confused than the other. “Um, Dad, I already have a key to the house. I live here.”
He smiled as he reached out and cupped her cheek. “That key is more symbolic,” he began, and she heard the slight tremor in his voice. “That key is to let you know that you will always have a home here. Always. Whether you want to come home for a weekend, a week, or…well, you get the idea. I can’t guarantee that your room will always look the same, but no matter what, there will always be a place for you.”
It was one of the greatest gifts he’d ever given her. Putting the key down, she leaned in and grabbed him in a fierce hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.
When they broke apart, Ian stood and walked back over to the tree. “And I know that Santa’s about twenty years late with this, but I hope you know that he never forgot.”
She looked at him oddly. “What? What are you talking about?”
He handed her another box. It looked to be the size of a hardcover book. With the paper off, she lifted the lid off the box and gasped.
And then smiled.
It was a bifold silver picture frame.
On one side was a picture of Darcy as an infant in her mother’s arms. And on the other? A picture of her and Martha from Thanksgiving.
She knew what it meant, and it made her heart soar.
Tears fell in earnest as she hugged her father close.
There was no need for words.
* * *
It wasn’t that Ben wasn’t having a good time.
He was.
But he also wanted this
particular good time to end so he could get back to his life and the things he needed to be doing. His brothers were leaving tomorrow, and as much as he didn’t want to be a jerk, he was so ready for them to go. Because once they were gone, Darcy would be arriving the next day. They’d coordinated it that way because she didn’t want to interfere with their visit.
Damn, but he loved his girl!
Christmas Eve had been amazing. They’d laughed a lot, they’d cried a lot, and more than anything, Ben remembered everything he had loved about the holiday. The giant tree looked good in his living room, and they had not only put all the family ornaments on the tree, but Ben had taken out all the ones he had made and had in storage and put them on it as well.
They looked good.
Really good.
“There’s snow in the forecast,” Jack said as he finished his cup of coffee. “Nothing major, but if we’re going to do this, we should probably go now.”
Ben agreed.
Thirty minutes later, they laid the wreath they’d made out of the tree trimmings in front of the headstone that read “Thomas and Julia Tanner—Beloved Parents.” Just seeing those words had Ben getting choked up. But rather than turn it into something sad, they continued the celebration, taking turns telling a favorite Christmas memory as they laughed and remembered. When the snow began to fall and they made their way back to the car, Ben turned one last time and looked at his parents’ plot.
“I promise to make you proud,” he said softly.
That night, snow dusted the trees and the roads without accumulating too much, and the three of them shared one last dinner together before his brothers had to leave.
“Your flight is so damn early,” Ben said. “You’re going to have to leave here around four in the morning.”
Henry nodded. “It wasn’t ideal, but it was part of the great pricing I found.”
“It’s almost not worth going to sleep,” Ben said. “We’ve yet to go to bed before two the entire time you’ve been here.”
“Then we won’t sleep,” Jack said, raising his glass. “We’ll spend this last night pulling a—relaxing—all-nighter, and then you’ll get your peace and quiet back.”
Ben chuckled. “It’s highly overrated, I’m told.”
“You got that right,” Henry said before taking a pull of his beer.
They ate grilled salmon and mashed potatoes and salad and enjoyed one another’s company as they did it.
“So what’s next for you, Ben?” Jack asked. “What projects are on the horizon?”
“I have my choice of what I want to do,” he began. “I have three clients who I’m always doing pieces for, and then I have the bar I’ve been working on.” He stopped and smiled. “And then I may do a custom tree house.”
His brothers just stared at him.
“I know. It’s completely different from anything I’ve ever done, but I’ve watched some DIY shows on the subject, and I’ve been researching it, and I may give it a try.”
“Who’s the client? Do they have blueprints for you? That involves a lot more construction than you usually do, doesn’t it?” Henry asked.
Ben nodded to all the questions. “The client is one of Darcy’s brothers, and it’s very different, but I think it could be challenging. I’ve been doing some drawings, and I’ve got an image in my mind of how I want it to look. I’ll have to run it by Hugh and his wife and see if we’re on the same page, but that’s what I’d like to do next.” He shrugged. “There’s never a lack of something to do. And with any luck, Darcy will get things going on finding me a gallery and starting that phase of my career.”
“It’s about time you had a place for your art. The sheer amount of stuff you have in storage in the workshop will fill a gallery,” Henry said.
“Well, it wouldn’t only be my stuff on display. I’d like to showcase local artists and maybe even some students from our old high school. You know, pay it forward like what was done for me.”
They all smiled and nodded in agreement, and Ben had to admit, he was going to miss this.
“So what about Easter in Boston? Is that something I’m going to enjoy?” he asked and almost burst out laughing at the surprised looks on his brothers’ faces.
“You’re really going to come and spend a holiday with us?” Jack asked.
“Yup. And remember, you asked for it.”
“Oh lord.”
“You’ll be missing the days when you used to miss me,” Ben added with a big grin. “And then I’m going to have to say I told you so.”
“Just don’t do the dance,” Henry said with a groan.
“I have never done a dance,” Ben said primly.
“Oh please! You were the worst at the ‘I told you so’ dance!” Jack said, laughing at the memory. Then he and Henry jumped out of their seats and acted out the ridiculous dance that included quite a few jumps and stomps. When they were done, they both looked at him blandly. “Bring back any memories?”
Doing his best to keep a straight face, he shook his head. “Mmm, nope. Sorry. Doesn’t ring a bell.” It wasn’t until they both sat down that Ben started to laugh. “And just for the record, I never shook my hips quite like that.”
The room erupted with laughter, and as they finished their meal and worked together to clean up, he knew for sure that he was going to miss them this time after they left. As anxious as he was to get back to work and back into his normal routine, he knew that this time they spent together was crucial on so many levels. More than anything, it helped him to feel a lot more grounded and back in touch with what was important in life.
He turned on the TV, and they argued over what to watch and found a hockey game that they could all agree on. When was the last time he’d done this? Watched a game—any game—with a group of guys?
Too long.
Far too long.
Hell, when was the last time he’d done anything social with anyone?
With the Shaughnessys.
With Darcy.
He missed her so damn much. She’d changed his life in so many ways, and he couldn’t wait to have her back here with him—where she belonged.
* * *
Ben was finishing his coffee and watching the clock in hopes of time moving faster so he could leave for the airport when his phone rang.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey, yourself,” she said in the sexy voice that he couldn’t wait to hear in person. “So, minor change of plans.”
Uh-oh. “What’s going on? Is your flight delayed? I was just on the website, and it said everything was on time.”
She laughed softly. “No, no, no, nothing like that. I just got off the phone with a guy who owns a gallery in downtown Seattle. This is an amazing opportunity, but we have to act fast.”
“Darcy, I thought we were going to wait a little while before we started doing that sort of thing.”
“I know, I know, but I was just sort of looking around online and saw this and wanted to jump on it. You never know. It could be a great opportunity.”
“Opportunity for what? What exactly are we talking about?”
“He has an opening for a show next month that I’d really like to get you into, and he’s looking to sell the gallery. So if you go and meet with him on the way to the airport…”
It would be a good way to kill time, he thought.
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” he said honestly. “I have no idea what I should be asking or—”
“The only thing I need you to do is look at the space and talk to this guy about the show. I think you’ll have an idea if it’s something you want to buy after you’ve been there and checked out the space. So what do you say? Will you go? Will you look? And then when you pick me up, we can talk about it.”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I had a much different idea for what we were g
oing to do after I picked you up.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that. We can do both. I promise. I’ll text you the address, and before you know it, I’ll be there with you.”
“And I definitely like the sound of that.”
By the time they hung up, Ben was already at the back door putting on his boots.
Anticipation spurred him on. The sooner he got done with this meeting, the sooner he’d be on his way to the airport.
During the drive, he thought about all the plans he had for them for tonight. At first, he had planned on staying in the city for the night—getting a room at the Four Seasons and going out for a romantic dinner. In his mind, it would be wildly romantic. They had talked every day since that day he called her and she was at the cemetery, but they both agreed that there were some things they needed to talk about when they were face-to-face.
So he nixed the wild and romantic plans and opted to bring her home where they could simply reconnect and talk and just get anything and everything out of the way that they needed to before they could move on.
And that’s what he wanted more than anything—to put all the misunderstandings and hurt feelings behind them so they could start their lives together the right way.
And he had to admit, the thought of having her back at his house and in his bed was better than any five-star hotel image.
Making his way around the city, he followed the GPS directions until he reached his destination. He parked his truck and noted that the gallery was in a very desirable part of the city—a very artsy part. He’d come to events this way before, and they were always well-attended. It would be a great location for a show.
Stepping inside, he saw a lot of boring art.
Disappointment swamped him. Ben wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but this bland assortment of watercolor wasn’t it. Slowly, he walked around and took in his surroundings. If he were to do a show here, he would have to request that the gallery undergo some sort of overhaul. Or at least strip down the walls and put away these paintings until his show was over.
“Mr. Tanner?”
Ben turned and smiled as an older gentleman approached him.
“I’m Stewart Ramsey,” he said as they shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you. I was thrilled when Darcy told me you were willing to come in and meet with me. So tell me, what do you think of the space?”
Holiday Spice Page 27
