by J. S. Scott
Ridley took a seat on the couch. Jackson sat next to her as Chris and Jase made a beeline for the Christmas tree. At Mark’s suggestion, they’d started allowing the kids to open one present on Christmas Eve while the adults looked in their stockings. They usually hid candy and treats for the kids amongst the boughs of the Christmas tree as well.
It was a lovely tradition, one that Ridley looked forward to continuing for years to come.
“Hey, Mom, why don’t you go first?” Jackson called out. He squeezed her hand and winked at her. He seemed just as anxious for her mother-in-law to find their surprise as she was.
“I would love to.” Julia unhooked the stocking labeled “MOM” and rooted around in the bottom. The first thing she pulled out was a slim jewelry case. She turned to Mark, who was reclining in his favorite comfy leather chair near the fireplace.
“Mark, you didn’t?” She popped open the case and let out a small sigh. “Would you look at that?” Her eyes were bright as she lifted the delicate bracelet out of the box.
“You always wanted one of those charm bracelets when we first got married,” Mark grumbled. He looked abashed at all the attention.
“But we couldn’t afford it back then,” Julia whispered. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she walked over and draped herself across his lap. “It’s never too late. Thank you, honey.” She kissed him tenderly while her two grandsons made gagging noises.
“Ew, they’re kissing again,” Chris whispered. Laughter broke out as his loud whisper broke the silence.
“You’ll understand one day.” Nick pulled Chris into a hug. “I promise.”
“Okay, enough of that,” Jackson called out to his parents who were still snuggling. “What else have you got?”
“What more do I need?” Julia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then reached into the stocking again. She pulled out a small piece of blue fabric. Her brow furrowed as she stared at it. “It’s a baby’s hat. How did this get in my stocking?”
She glanced over at Nick and Raina who both looked just as puzzled as she did. Then she swung around to look at Jackson and Ridley.
“Oh! Oh! Does this mean what I think it means?” Julia jumped up and held out her arms to Ridley.
Ridley nodded shyly. Julia let out a whoop that startled both of the babies. Jada let out a disgruntled cry until Nick picked her up and rocked her.
“It’s okay, baby girl. Grandma is just excited. And you’re getting another cousin.” He turned to Jackson and offered a hand. “Congratulations, little brother. I can’t wait to meet the newest addition.”
As Jackson accepted handshakes and backslapping from Matt, Eli, and Bennett, Ridley sat back down on the couch. She already could feel the changes in her body and she was only about four months along. Along with crying at everything from cute pictures of kittens on the Internet to Jase’s drawings, she was also exhausted all the time.
“We’re getting a baby?”
Ridley looked up when Chris sat on the couch next to her. He bit his lip as he glanced at her stomach. “Yes, we’re getting a baby. Do you remember when Auntie Raina carried baby Jada in her tummy?”
He nodded. “Jada kicked my hand when I touched Auntie Raina’s belly.”
“Yeah, she did.” She pulled him close and kissed the top of his tight curls. He sat quietly for a moment and Ridley didn’t push him. Chris liked to talk and ask questions, but she figured he needed time to process. They’d debated telling the kids first, but they’d been worried the boys would announce it as soon as they arrived.
Jase walked over to them. “RiRi, you’ve got a baby on your belly!”
The whole room laughed.
“Well, there’s a baby in my belly. But that’s close enough, sweetie.”
Jase looked offended that everyone was still chuckling at his expense. Ridley pulled him onto her lap. He put his small hands on her cheeks.
“You’re going to be the mommy.” Since his own mother had died not long after he was born, Jase had long been fascinated by the concept of “mommies.” She was sure he’d have many questions over the next few months.
Chris looked up then. “If the baby is going to call you mommy, can we call you mommy, too? Our first mommy is in heaven now, so maybe she won’t mind.” He looked down at his sneakers and then back up at her. The hope in his eyes made her feel like a big fist was wrapped around her heart.
Ridley glanced up to see Jackson watching them with a soft, indulgent smile. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Of course you can. I would love that. I love you both so much.”
Chris grinned then. She realized that he’d been worried she’d say no. She held open her arms and hugged them both. After a few moments, Jase squirmed until she let him down.
“Okay. Bye, Mommy!” he chirped before running off. Chris jumped up to follow him. He turned at the last minute and whispered, “Bye, Mommy,” before rushing off after his little brother.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she raised her hand to wave after him. “Bye, my sweet baby.”
Jackson sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. “Oh, to be as resilient as a four-year-old. Nothing fazes that kid.” He squeezed her gently. “Go ahead and cry. I almost cried myself.”
Ridley did just that, then buried her face in his shirt and smiled like a fool.
As Jackson laid a gentle hand on her still-flat stomach, Ridley whispered, “I never knew I could be this happy.”
He tilted his head to one side, regarding Ridley silently for a moment. “You deserve to be happy. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you that way.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
Ridley shrugged. It wasn’t something she could really explain. Even though she hadn’t been that close to her own mother prior to her death, she’d felt the loss keenly every year since. There were so many holidays tied to family traditions. She and Raina had gotten used to doing things on their own. Then she’d met Jackson and everything had changed. Now they were a part of this amazing family and they would never be on their own again.
“For loving me. That’s all.”
* * * * *
As everyone crowded around Ridley, Eli edged closer to Kaylee. She sat on the floor near the door, obviously feeling a little left out.
She smiled slightly when Eli sat next to her. “Aren’t you supposed to be right in the thick of things? You know, peeking into your stocking?”
He wasn’t sure if she was kidding but just the mental image of him “peeking” into anything was a little too silly to be believed.
“Peeking is for little girls. If I wanted to know what was in there, I’d just dump the stuff out.” He shot her a sardonic look. “Unless my mother was looking.”
She laughed, just like he’d hoped she would. He didn’t like how lonely and lost she’d looked sitting off to the side by herself.
“Besides, I already know what’s in there. It’s always a piece of candy, a silly card that made my mom laugh in the store, and a new pair of gloves or a hat.” Even Eli could hear the affection in his voice. It was hard not to adore his mother when she so obviously adored each and every one of them.
“Sounds like you know your mom pretty well.”
“I do. She’s an amazing woman.” He fidgeted, the small box in his pocket getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Finally, he gave up on trying to think of a smooth way to give it to her and just dropped it in her lap. “This is for you.”
“You got me a gift?” Kay sat stunned, staring at the big bow on top of the box. Then she smiled, a genuine smile this time, her delight obvious in the way she attacked the wrapping paper.
He knew she hadn’t expected anything. It had become clear to him in the time he’d spent watching over her that she didn’t expect much from anyone. Far less than she deserved. It was foolish and a dangerous thing, but he just wanted her to know how much she deserved.
How valuable she was.
“It’s not much.” He was suddenly
embarrassed that he’d purchased her something so personal. He’d been in the store trying to decide if he should get her a scarf or a sweater. He’d called Nick to ask for advice. Of course his brother the playboy had assumed the gift was for a girlfriend and had suggested jewelry.
Now when Kay was looking at him with her big, innocent brown eyes, it seemed inappropriate and a little pervy that he’d gotten her a necklace. What if her boyfriend had gotten her something similar?
That’s what he got for taking advice from Nick. He should have gotten her the stupid scarf.
“It’s beautiful, Eli.” She lifted it out of the box and held it up to the light.
“It’s a mother’s pendant. That’s Hope’s birthstone, isn’t it? I hope I got it right.”
“It’s a garnet, right? You got it right.” She looked so happy with the gift that Eli relaxed a little.
“I hope I’m not stepping on any toes.” When her brow furrowed quizzically, he added, “I’m hoping your boyfriend didn’t already get you one.”
“Boyfriend? If you’re talking about Craig, we broke up at the end of the summer.” She fumbled with the clasp of the necklace. “I hope I can get it on without breaking the clasp. Can you hook it?”
Eli just stared stupidly for a moment. His brain was still stuck on processing her words. He hadn’t liked the slimy, girly-voiced singer she’d been dating over the summer, but he would never wish for her to be hurt.
“Sorry to hear that,” he lied. She was still waiting for him to hook the clasp, so he moved closer and tried to focus on threading the minuscule loop onto the hook. Instead, he was so entranced with the curve of her neck and the fact that when she posed like that, holding her hair out of the way, it pushed her bottom and her chest out. It took him five tries before he managed to get the necklace fastened correctly.
Kay snorted. “I’m not sorry about it. Craig was too in love with himself to have much room for me to like him.”
Her description was so perfect that Eli smiled. She stared at him. “You’re smiling.”
“I am,” he replied.
“You have a really nice smile. You should do it more often.”
Chris ran up and shoved his latest superhero toy in front of Eli’s face. “Look what I got, Uncle Eli!”
He turned to his nephew and tried to show the appropriate amount of interest in the toy, but his attention was on the enigmatic woman sitting next to him. She wasn’t intimidated by him and definitely got under his skin in a way that no one had in years.
If anyone was capable of understanding what it was like to make a mistake, it was Kay. Maybe it was time to allow someone to see him—the good, the bad, and the shameful.
For the first time in a long time, Eli wondered if it was time to come home in more ways than one.
Chapter Five
Kay woke Christmas morning to soft light coming through the blinds. Hope slept peacefully in the borrowed playpen, her bottom in the air as she clutched her blanket. Kaylee had been worried about how Hope would adjust to a new environment, but it looked like her daughter wasn’t the one she needed to worry about.
Julia had been kind enough to offer her a pair of boy shorts with the tags still on that she’d purchased for herself just the previous week, a pair of pajamas, and a sweater to wear the next day. Kay had taken a shower the night before, so she stripped down to her new underwear and then dressed in the borrowed sweater and her jeans. She was really thankful for everything Julia had offered, but it was a little weird to be wearing Eli’s mom’s clothes.
Yeah, because that’s totally sexy.
She cringed a little at the thought but shook it off. It wasn’t much, but at least Eli hadn’t looked at her the way he usually did, like he couldn’t wait to get away. They’d had a lot of fun last night watching the kids playing with their toys, and she wasn’t going to let anything ruin her holiday spirit. Especially not insecurity about her figure. She got enough of that from her mother—she didn’t need to add to it.
Next week she’d be sure to stop by the mall and buy Julia something really nice to say thank you. While she was there she’d pick up something for herself, too. It was time she started loving the body she was in. It might not be perfect but it was hers.
There was a soft knock at the door. She rushed to answer it before the sound woke up Hope.
Ridley stood in the hall and turned when Kay opened the door.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispered. “I heard you moving around and I wanted to ask what you like for breakfast. I’m trying to surprise Julia by cooking for her. She usually gets up before everyone else and makes breakfast, but I wanted to do it this year.”
Kay stepped out into the hall, pulling the door closed gently behind her. “Oh, I think you’ve surprised her already.”
Ridley flushed with pleasure. “I surprised myself.”
They walked down the hallway and into the wide, open, eat-in kitchen. Raina and Penny sat at the dining table drinking coffee.
“Good morning. And here I was thinking I was up early,” Kay joked.
Raina moved over slightly so she could sit down. “This is my usual hour now that Jada has decided she really likes play time at three a.m. She always goes back to sleep a few hours later, but then I can’t go back to sleep.”
Kaylee winced. “Sorry. Hope went through that phase, too. I think she actually had her nights and days mixed up at one point.”
Penny looked between them uncertainly. “Now you guys are scaring me. I think I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Me, too.” Ridley pulled out a mixing bowl from beneath the counter. “I feel like I cheated a little bit since I got to be a mom without going through those rough early years. That’ll all be changing soon.”
Kay got up and stood behind Ridley as her friend pulled out pancake mix, eggs, and bacon. “What can I do to help?”
Ridley handed her the carton of eggs. “I’m putting you on scrambled-eggs duty. I would ask Raina, but the last time she made breakfast I think we were in high school.”
Raina didn’t seem offended by her sister’s statement at all. “Hey, I’m good at stuff. Just not things that are useful most of the time.”
“We all have our talents,” Ridley replied, then turned to Kaylee. “So, I noticed you seemed pretty cozy with my buff brother-in-law last night.”
Kay was in the middle of cracking an egg and missed slightly, dumping little pieces of shell into her egg yolks. With a sigh, she accepted the fork Ridley handed her and fished the pieces out.
“We weren’t cozy. He was just keeping me company so I wouldn’t be alone. That’s all.”
Penny and Raina exchanged glances over their coffee cups.
“What? He was keeping me company. There was a lot of family stuff going on and I didn’t want to get in the way. I’m an only child, so I have no idea how this stuff works.”
“We didn’t say anything,” Raina drawled. “But if I had said something it would be girl, are you sure you can handle Eli?”
“No, there’s no Eli and me. There’s certainly not going to be any handling.” Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized how that sounded. “No handling of anything. Definitely not… that.”
The other girls snickered, and Ridley fanned herself with an oven mitt. “Are you sure? Because it looked like you two spent a lot more time talking than he would bother with if he was just being polite.”
Kay shook her head frantically, trying to get her thoughts together. “If there’s anything there, it’s mostly on my side. Basically our whole relationship is me drooling after him and hoping he doesn’t notice.”
Penny got up and poured herself another cup of coffee. Then she took another look at Kay and poured her one, too. “You look like you could use this.”
Kay took a big gulp. “He picked me up,” she blurted after a moment.
“What?” Raina stood too and leaned against the counter next to Penny.
Kay flushed. “It’s just, when he c
ame to get me. I was a little shaky and he picked me up. Like it was nothing.”
“Eli’s a take-charge kind of guy,” Penny pointed out. “He reminds me of Matt in that way. He doesn’t wait for you to ask for help, he just figures out what you need and does it.”
“Yeah, but it’s more than that. You guys are twigs, so a guy picking you up is no big deal. But I’m a big girl. Most guys don’t even attempt it. I’d be worried they’d either drop me or end up with a hernia. But he could actually lift me. Not that I should be surprised. He looks like he could lift me.”
Raina snorted. “He looks like he could lift a car.”
All four women sighed appreciatively. Kay remembered how the hard muscles under his shirt had felt when she’d been cuddled in his arms. Why had she told him to put her down? She should have enjoyed the experience while it lasted.
“You know, Kay, I really think you should be one of my birthing partners. Raina will be there of course but it makes sense to have another mother there.” Ridley whistled innocently as she whisked the pancake batter.
“That’s good,” Penny interjected. “It’ll give her an excuse to be at the hospital with Eli.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. I’m not family,” Kay mumbled.
Ridley put down the carton of milk she was holding. “We’re all connected in some way to that gorgeous, loud, wonderful family in there. So that makes us a family of sorts, too. And it’s the best one I’ve ever had.” Her voice wavered a little at the end.
Raina plunked her coffee cup down on the table suddenly and swiped under her eyes. “Ri, you have to stop with the waterworks. Ugh, I hate this having feelings crap. I can’t wait until I go back to my usual self. Then I can be a bitch unrepentantly.”
Ridley watched her sister with a knowing smile. “I’m afraid it’s permanent, sister dear.”
* * * * *
