By the time Christopher returned, Yvette had everything packed up and ready to go. While he loaded up his truck, she got Robin’s coat on while Lacey took care of his hat. They both took him outside.
“He’s all ready to go.”
“Okay, little man. Let’s get this show on the road. Say bye-bye to Mommy, and Lacey,” Christopher instructed.
“Bye-bye, Mommy,” he said with enthusiasm. “Bye, Layshee.”
Lacey kissed his cheek, and ran back inside. Yvette hugged him tightly. She tried not to get her feelings hurt at the exuberance with which Robin had bid her farewell. Christopher had gotten cries when he tried to leave. She’d received a wave and all smiles. She laughed at that.
“All ready to go see Grandma and Pop Pop, huh?” She kissed him and handed him to Christopher so he could secure him in the car seat.
“I’ll call you when we get there, okay?” Christopher assured her.
They hugged and kissed before he climbed up in his F-150 truck and shut the door. He rolled down the window and gave Yvette a final smile.
“Make sure you do something fun tonight. I’m going to check with Lacey just to make sure you’re enjoying your day off,” he warned.
She giggled. “I promise, no cooking, no cleaning, and nothing but fun lined up. In fact, I’m going to pick Lacey up early. We’ll go out to dinner, and who knows what other trouble we ladies will get into tonight.”
Christopher reached out to tug a lock of her hair. “Not too much fun,” he said, possessively.
She leaned in and kissed him thoroughly. “How could I? You’ll be gone.”
He laughed, and then backed out of the driveway. She waved goodbye until his truck was out of sight. She walked back to the house. Yvette couldn’t recall the last time she’d had an entire night without her son. I don’t know exactly what I’ll do, but I’m sure going to make the most of it. Starting with a long, hot bubble bath after work.
3 CHAPTER three
“Saints preserve us, what do we have here?” Margaret Darcy exclaimed as she walked down the steps leading into the courtyard behind her farmhouse. “Is that my little Robby?” she asked, in a sing-song voice.
Robby laughed and held out his arms. “Gamma, up.”
Margaret rushed over and engulfed Robin in her arms. She twirled around with him. “How’s my grandson? What a lovely surprise,” she told her son. “I had no idea you’d be bringing the baby with you.”
She went into the house, not waiting to see if Christopher was following.
“Let’s see what treats Grandma has for you. Tony,” she called out.
“What?” came a loud reply.
“Come and look at what I found outside.”
After a few moments, Anthony Darcy could be heard coming down the hallway.
“I hope it’s not another stray animal because we’ve got enough already,” he
groused.
She held their grandson out for him. “Guess who’s come for a visit?”
“Robby,” Anthony said with a booming voice. “There’s my grandson.”
He reached for him and gave him a big hug. “How’s Pop Pop’s slugger doing?”
A huge grin covered Robin’s face. He laughed as his grandfather raised him high into the air, and then let him go. Anthony caught him again, and repeated the motion.
“Isn’t this a nice surprise,” Margaret enthused.
“We’re staying the night—if you two don’t mind.”
“Chris, why ever would we mind? You’re welcome anytime, and you know you don’t need an invitation to visit your parents—or your grandparents,” she cooed at Robin.
“I wanted to give Yvette a break.”
“Of course. You should ease her load where you can, and we’re happy to help whenever you’d like us to. Aren’t we, Tony?”
When he didn’t answer, she turned around to face her husband, but he was gone.
“Now how do you like that? He’s kidnapped my boy. Tony?” Margaret bellowed. “You give that boy back. He hasn’t had a proper visit with his grandma, yet.”
Christopher couldn’t contain his laughter as she went barreling out of the room in search of his father and son. “Don’t worry about me, Mom. I’m fine.”
Lacey and her baby brother had all their grandparents under their spell. Christopher set Robin’s diaper bag on the kitchen counter, and then took the rest of his gear upstairs to the nursery. The minute they’d heard the news that Yvette was pregnant, renovations had begun on one of the upstairs bedrooms. His parents had already overhauled his room so that Yvette wouldn’t have to contend with his “bachelor pad” and another bedroom down the hall with a panoramic view of the Smoky Mountains, gardens and backyard was redecorated to fit Lacey’s tastes.
They came to visit often, and each time they did, his mother and Lacey would arrange a trip to downtown Waynesville to shop and watch the sights on Main Street. Two of her favorite places to visit were the Mast General Store, and then the City Bakery. They had also incorporated the Waynesville Christmas Parade and “A Night Before Christmas” into their family’s holiday traditions. December was a very busy and magical time for the Darcys.
Christopher’s cell phone rang, interrupting his daydreams. He answered the phone. It was one of the contractors indicating that he was a few minutes away. He hung up and then went to find his mother. He found all three in his father’s study. They were on the floor playing with his dad’s train set.
“Hey guys, I’m going to be outside for a while. One of the contractors will be here any minute to give me an estimate on some repairs.”
“Do you need some help?” his father asked.
“No, I’m good. I just wanted to let you know where I’d be.” He walked over and bent down to give his son a kiss on the cheek. “Behave for Grandma and Pop Pop, Robby, okay?”
“Yesh,” he said, dutifully. “Choo-choo.”
“Yes, the trains go choo-choo,” he said. He ruffled Robin’s dark, curly hair. “See you later, buddy.”
“Bye, honey,” his mother replied, and then turned her attention back to Robin.
He left the three of them to play and headed back downstairs. He was about to go outside when he noticed a glass dish full of cinnamon buns. He unwrapped the plastic on the top and used a nearby spatula to drop one on a napkin. Christopher sank his teeth into the moist treat and sighed with happiness.
“Have mercy, that woman can cook,” he said aloud. His mother was one of the best cooks he knew. With a smile, he headed outside to meet his first appointment.
***
“What’s going on, Mom?” Lacey asked the moment she got into her mother’s Toyota Venza.
“Hi, honey,” Yvette greeted her daughter. She started to kiss her, but Lacey protested.
“Mom, can you kiss me after we pull off?”
With a smile, Yvette tried not to get her feelings hurt by her daughter’s aversion to public displays of affection in front of the other campers.
“Sure, Lace,” she said, and then pulled back into the throng of traffic.
“Your dad took Robin with him to Grandma Darcy’s house. They’re going to spend the night and come home tomorrow.”
“Aw, man.” Darcy’s frown was genuine. “I love going to Grandma and Pop Pop’s.”
“I know, honey. We’ll go for a visit soon, okay? In the meantime, you and I have a girls’ night. We can do whatever you want, and eat whatever you’d like for dinner. No cooking. What do you say?”
Her daughter whooped with excitement. “I say that’s pretty cool, what do we do first?”
“Well, since Christmas is getting pretty close, how about we do some shopping?”
They decided to go to North Hills to shop. Afterwards, they caught a movie, and then went to dinner at Five Guys for burgers. It was a sinfully delicious meal, and Yvette didn’t even want to think about calories. She called it their “Decadence Night” and even had ice cream before they headed home. Yvette was stuffed almost t
o the point of being uncomfortable, but Lacey was having a great time and that was all that mattered.
“I’m glad we had Decadence Night, Mom.”
Yvette smiled. “Me, too. We’ll have to do this again soon. I love hanging out with you.”
“I do, too. I miss Daddy and Robby, though.”
“So do I, honey. Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
Yvette dialed Christopher’s cell phone, but after a few rings it went to voicemail. She and Lacey left a joint message, and then called his parents’ house. When Margaret answered, they chatted.
“We’ve had such fun today,” Margaret informed her. “We’ve played, sang songs, watched movies…your son has pooped his old grandma and granddad out.”
“He wasn’t too much trouble, was he?”
“Heavens no. He’s such a sweet boy—just like his daddy was at his age. I tell you, the resemblance between the two is uncanny. So how did you and Lacey fare this evening?”
“We had a great time, Grandma.”
Lacey filled her in on the rest of their evening, and then asked to speak to Christopher.
“He’s not here, honey. He had a late appointment, and hasn’t gotten home, yet.”
“Oh,” Yvette replied. “We tried to call him earlier, and he didn’t answer.”
“He could still be in it. You want me to have him call you when he gets in?”
Yvette glanced at the clock on her car’s dashboard. “Uh, no that’s okay. Lacey and I left a message. I’m sure he’ll call when he can.”
They talked for a few more minutes before ending the call.
Surprised at Christopher being unavailable, Yvette pushed the feeling aside. Christopher would call when he could. Satisfied, she turned her attention back to her daughter, and their fun evening.
***
Christopher was dead tired by the time he walked through the back door to his parents’ kitchen.
“Hey,” he called out, closing the door behind him.
“Hi, Chris, dinner’s on the stove,” his mother replied from the family room.
He saw Robby on the couch with his grandfather and went over to pick his son up.
“Hey, Robby. You got your pj’s on? Are you ready for bed?”
His son hugged him and smiled.
“Daddy.”
There was no greater feeling for Christopher than interacting with his children. They were funny, interesting to watch, and made his heart swell with love just being near them. Family was the most important thing for him.
“I’ll warm your plate up while you play with Robby,” his mother volunteered.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Did you talk to Yvette? She called earlier. She and Lacey were enjoying their evening. Have you spoken to her?”
“Not yet. My phone battery died, and I didn’t have my car charger. I’ll call her right after I eat.”
“How’d the meeting go?” his father inquired.
While he ate, Christopher brought his parents up to speed on the projects he was trying to get done around the farm. Since they had given him more control, there were a lot of renovations and improvements that he wanted to make to ensure that the daily operations ran smoothly. With the start of the Christmas season fast approaching, he didn’t have much time to get all the work he wanted accomplished done before they’d need to switch gears and focus on the Winter Wonderland. It was a huge part of their profits, and was a big draw for locals, and tourists.
“And the other project?” his mother asked.
“That’s coming along great. Much better than I expected.”
“I’m so glad. I can’t wait to see how it’s going.”
When he’d finished eating, Christopher cleaned up and then went upstairs to put Robin to bed. He used the cordless phone to call Yvette back so that she could say goodnight to Robin before he went to sleep.
Robin cried a bit at hearing her voice, but between his favorite stuffed animals, and the story Christopher read him, he was sleep in no time.
He called Yvette back after he had showered and got in bed.
“You’ve had a long day,” she said after a few minutes of conversation.
“You’re telling me, but it was nothing compared to how much I miss you.”
He couldn’t see it, but Yvette smiled at the compliment.
“Chris, are you sure you want to take on so much responsibility by yourself? You’re doing so much more than you were before. I’m worried that you’re overextending yourself.”
“Yvie, I’m fine.”
“I know we talked about it a while ago, but I could quit my job and—”
“Absolutely not. You worked hard to get where you are in your career, and I don’t want you to give that up. Stop worrying, Yvette. I can handle the farm.”
She bristled. “I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, Christopher. I was merely looking at this from a logistics standpoint. You’re gone a lot more now than you used to be, and it’s hard on the kids when you’re not here—and me. We miss you.”
With a loud sigh, he closed his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to sound brusque. I miss you all, too. A great deal. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”
“You keep saying that,” she pointed out.
“Can we just…talk about something else right now, please? Tell me about you and Lacey’s night. What did you do?”
Not wanting to spend their precious moments arguing, Yvette dropped the subject and went on to lighter topics. She told him about their afternoon and evening.
“I guess I should go. We both have an early start in the morning. I love you.”
“I love you. You and the kids are everything to me—never doubt that.” He hung up. With a long sigh, he doused the lights and stared up at the ceiling in the darkness. Hang in there, Yvie.
4 CHAPTER FOUR
The morning started off the same as usual, but the
afternoon took an unexpected turn. Yvette was off work, and was tidying up the house when she received a call from her aunt Adelaide.
“Hi, Aunt Addie. What are you up, to?”
“Well, honey that’s what I’m calling about. I’ve had a bit of a tumble, and I—”
“What?” Yvette stopped dusting and sat on the couch. “What happened?”
“It’s such a stupid thing. I was taking this country line dancing class and I missed a step and fell.”
“Oh my God, are you okay?”
“Yes, dear, I’m fine. The man I fell on has seen better days,” she joked. “Luckily, he broke my fall. It could’ve been much worse than a fractured foot.”
“A fractured foot?” Yvette repeated. “Are you at home?”
“Yes, I’m home. I’ve got crutches, and I’m making the best of it.”
“Well, you’re coming here to stay with us until you’re better able to take care of yourself,” Yvette said, emphatically.
“That’s not necessary, honey. I can maneuver around pretty good on these things and—”
“I’m not taking no for an answer, auntie. You don’t need to be on that foot any more than necessary. Christopher is up at his parents’ house with the baby. I’ll have him pick you up before he heads home.”
Adelaide hesitated. “Are you sure? I don’t want to inconvenience anyone. You’ve got the kids and you two have work.”
“Nonsense, you’re not staying home by yourself, and that’s final. I’ll call Christopher now and he’ll call you before he’s headed your way, okay?”
“You’re sure,” Adelaide said with concern.
“Of course. I’ll see you later this evening.”
After she hung up with her aunt, Yvette called Christopher and filled him in on the news.
“Of course, she should stay with us.” Christopher replied. “I’ll leave here early and pick her up. We’ll be home by dinner.”
“Thanks, Chris. I’m just worried about her trying to recoup by herself. I’d feel more comfortable if she were here with us. I
know it’ll be tight, but it’s just for a little while.”
“We’ll make it work, Yvie. We always do.”
“Thanks for understanding, Christopher.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart. We’ll see you later tonight.”
“I’ll have dinner ready. I’m making Lasagna, salad, and garlic bread,” she informed him, “with chocolate cake for dessert.”
“My favorites. Thanks, love. I’m just wondering…”
“What?” she asked.
“Do you have any leftover icing?”
“A little, why?”
“Because, I can think of several things I’d like to do with that icing and—”
“Chris,” she laughed, her face turning crimson. “Cut that out.”
“I love it when you blush,” he chuckled. “It’s sexy.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Darcy. See you when you get home.”
“Later, baby.”
She was still smiling at his words long after she hung up the phone. She missed him terribly, but in truth, she liked when he stayed at his parents’ house, too. She got to sleep in the middle of the bed and watch all her classic reruns on television without Christopher asking why she still watched shows that were over twenty years old.
“Ah heaven,” she sighed with happiness.
She went upstairs to change the sheets on the spare bed in Lacey’s room and prepare for her aunt’s arrival.
By the time a friend had dropped Lacey home, Yvette had cleaned the whole house. Lacey walked in, inhaled the aroma of bleach, Pine Sol and a Crisp Linen Glade Plug-Ins.
“I’m home, Mom,” she said, loudly. “Which grandparents are coming to visit?”
“Hi, Lacey,” Yvette called from upstairs. “Aunt Adelaide’s coming for a visit. She broke her foot and needs our help.”
Two Hearts for Christmast Page 2
