Even now that they were older, Lillian noticed that her children were always trying to defend and protect each other. This time Addison was trying to change the subject. As they arrived at Martin's car she spoke, seeming to idly talk about nothing, but Lillian knew what she was up to.
“You drove tonight. It’s good to see that you haven’t forgotten how. I assume we’d be chauffeured home in a long, black, stretch limo.”
Martin flashed that beautiful smile Lillian loved so much as he flicked a button on his key ring, unlocking the white sedan. “I tired of that quickly. I don’t appreciate having a stranger around all the time. Besides, if you remember, I do love to drive.”
“I remember. You about scared the daylights out of me, learning how to handle one of these beasts. I hope you’re better at it than you were at age fifteen, when you first started learning.”
Martin laughed and walked around to the driver’s side. “No worries, sis. I won’t be doing any one-eighties on the way home tonight. I don’t think mom would appreciate that.”
“No, she wouldn’t,” Lillian broke in, and for a bit she let them think they’d snowed her, but once they were on their way home, and while sitting at one of the many red lights, she spoke. “Now tell me young man, why don’t you want Celia’s friend in your home?”
“Mother, must you?” Came from the back seat, but Lillian interrupted.
“I want to know what’s going on.”
“I don’t mind her asking, and we might as well have this discussion now. There are two reasons I don’t want Celia’s friend in my home. One, she’s a busybody. It seems every time she comes around, the next thing I know something about me ends up in the tabloids.” Martin paused while he made a right turn.
“That’s a good reason,” Lillian began. "Is that all?”
“No, it’s not all. I think you could see some of the truth at dinner tonight. It’s over.”
“I could sense that,” Addison said.
“What happened?” Lillian asked.
“I don’t know. It’s not one thing. It’s just not working. She doesn’t like my career choice. We argue every time I have a meeting with my agent. Things are just falling apart.”
“It’s still no reason to be rude, if her friend needs a place to stay.”
“I’m not being rude, mother. You don’t know Celia. She sees this coming and she will use any excuse to stay longer. If she brings Sue in . . . well, to be honest, I don’t want Celia there any longer. I sure don’t want Sue moving in too.”
Lillian nodded. “I understand, but I must say this is a bad time for this to happen, with our families coming together.”
“I know. But I didn’t plan this. I didn’t see it coming. I was so caught up in the planning, and wanting the relationship to go further, that I didn’t notice I wasn’t falling in love.”
“Have you told Celia? Does she know?” Lillian heard some kind of a noise from the back seat, just enough to let her know that Addison knew more about this subject than she did. Martin wasn’t quick to answer. He changed lanes and made a couple of turns before he spoke.
“I think she knows that something is wrong, but we’ve not talked it out.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time that you tell her? I hope that you are not still having relations with her.”
“Mom . . . please don’t go there,” Martin pleaded.
“Sheesh, mom, why don’t you just embarrass all of us while you’re at it?”
“Addison, I can’t stop being a parent just because the topic is sensitive. Martin, you need to speak to her about this. It’s not fair to her.”
“I know, Mom, but it’s not fair to me either. I don’t want to be in this situation, but what do I say? 'Excuse me but this isn’t working out. Let’s send all of your family home and mine, too.' She’s expecting a marriage proposal. I guess I hate to hurt her.”
“You think tonight wasn’t hurtful and embarrassing to her? It’s only going to get worse, Martin. The truth is the truth, and sometimes you just have to face it. It’s not always pretty.”
“I know, but I just have not found the right moment. I’ve been dropping hints, but she just won’t listen.”
Lillian was disappointed in her son. She wasn’t happy that they were in this situation. She also wasn’t happy that he’d moved in with a woman and was, as they said in America, "shacking up."
She had done her best to instill good, wholesome values in her children, and it was hurtful that Martin had drifted so far from her teaching.
Parenting wasn’t an easy thing. You spent the better part of eighteen years teaching, grooming, and raising a child to be a certain way. You wanted them to have good morals. You wanted them to treat other people with respect and compassion.
When they stepped out of those boundaries it was hard not to want to go back to parenting them. It was hard to step back and see that you’d done the best you could, and that it was time to let them make their own decisions, even when they were not coming to the resolutions you had hoped.
Lillian didn’t want to offend her son or show a lack of faith in his ability to handle this situation. She said a few prayers and waited until Martin pulled up the driveway and parked the car before she spoke. He took the key out of the ignition and was about to climb out. Before he could, she reached out and laid her hand on his.
“I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I’m sure that it hasn’t been easy for you, and that you’re dreading having to hurt Celia. It’s not my place to tell you what to do. You’re a grown man, but if you want my advice I’ll be more than happy to try and help you if I can.”
Lillian didn’t give Martin any time to respond. She climbed from the car and after closing the door, walked toward the front entrance. Though she’d meant what she said, inwardly she hoped that her son didn’t wait much longer to tell Celia the truth.
She had a feeling that he wasn’t telling her the complete truth. Martin never was one to not see something coming. Matter of fact, it was just the opposite. So what had changed? What had happened to cause Martin to decide all of the sudden that Celia wasn’t the one?
Lillian looked at the Christmas decorations, but she wasn’t really seeing them. She moved to the front entrance and as she reached out for the doorknob, it came to her as if someone had turned on a light. Another woman. It has to be another woman.
Someone had come along and showed her son what he was missing. This young woman must have showed Martin that she was everything that Celia was not. A single brow rose. That wouldn’t really be a hard task. Lillian knew that wasn’t a kind thought, even if it was true.
She walked inside the house, closed the door, and went to her room. Only the good Lord knew exactly what was going on, so she decided to retire for the night and do some praying.
Things could only go downhill from here, and if she knew her son like she thought she did, things were going to deteriorate faster than he ever thought possible.
Chapter 40
Mother Knows Best
After talking to Addison for a bit on the veranda, Martin changed into jeans and a white shirt. He had no plans for going in to see Sue so it didn’t matter how he was dressed. He also had no plans for running into Randi tonight, so he stayed in his room, waiting for Celia to call.
He lay stretched across the bed, looking at the ceiling. He was going over and over in his head what he was going to say to Celia. If he could keep his nerve up he was going to talk to her on the way home tonight. His mother was right about one thing. Dragging it out wasn’t going to help anyone.
It was hard not to wander into the kitchen to get a cola or a snack, but he knew that if he talked to Randi it would only lead to more kisses and digging himself in deeper. Instead, he went to his small refrigerator and took out a cola. He popped it open, took a long drink, and began to pace.
It irritated him that Celia had put him on the spot tonight. It was tempting to call and tell her that she should stay with Sue. He knew good and
well that she was talking about him to Sue and keeping him up late when it wasn’t necessary.
As he paced and drank his cola, he looked around the room. A stack of presents sat in the corner; gifts for the children. He hated to ruin things for the kids. What would Celia do if he broke it off now, only a few days before Christmas?
Would she turn tail and run, or would she save face and wait until the holidays were over before she told anyone the truth? Martin ran his fingers through his hair, drank some more cola, and then turned back to the gifts. He set the can on a table and knelt down, looking at the decorated wrapping paper.
He had held these presents back so the younger kids would think that Santa had brought them. Kerry, Brad, and Sue were all under the age of nine. Billy and Riley were ten and twelve. They more than likely didn’t believe in Santa anymore, but would be forced to stay silent and not ruin things for the younger kids.
Martin looked at the gifts. Some of them he’d chosen himself. He rose, knowing that he couldn’t ruin Christmas for the kids. What he wanted would come second to the children. He only hoped Celia wouldn’t push things until after the kids opened their presents.
He picked up his drink and went over to the TV. He was about to turn it on to help stay awake when his phone vibrated. He took it out, expecting to see Celia say, "Come and get me." He glanced at his phone, his brow furrowing.
"I’m staying here tonight."
He had to wonder what she was up to. Why hadn’t she called? Was she going to beat him to the punch and break up with him? He doubted that. He quickly sent her back a message. "How is Sue? Is she worse?" A few seconds later a text came back. "She’s fine, but I’m going to stay the night."
There was no Goodnight, and they’d never been to the point where they said I love you, and now, for that, he was thankful. He didn’t bother to text anything else. He laid the phone by the bed and sat down, getting ready to take off his shoes.
Martin sat there looking down at the floor for a moment. He raised his gaze toward the door, and then looked at the clock. It was two a.m. Dinner hadn’t stayed with him and he really wasn’t sleepy. Some carbs might help to get him drowsy.
He rose, making up his mind, and walked out the door to the kitchen. No one was up and about, so he flicked on the kitchen light and started rummaging in the fridge. He made a sandwich and stood at the sink eating. He kept looking toward the hall that led back to where Randi was sleeping.
How in the world was he going to tell Randi the truth? Would her feelings for him, if there were any, override the anger that she would be feeling? Giving up on that line of thinking, Martin turned toward the sink. He finished his sandwich, dusted the crumbs from his hands, and washed it all down with a drink of cold water.
It would take awhile for the sandwich and the carbs to kick in, so he went out to the garage to kill some time. He turned the radio on to play softly in the background.
The satellite radio was tuned to classic rock, and after a few minutes he was lost in the music as he shined up the Harley. He was reaching to put away his wax and rags when another sappy love song came on the radio. “What is it with you guys tonight?” He stepped over to the radio and was about to switch the station.
“Hey, I love that song, and don’t you ever sleep?”
After he got over the shock that once again Randi had slipped up on him, he turned to face her. His brow shot up as he spotted not one dog, but two.
“I like the song, too, but it’s more of a couples' song than a dude song.”
“The Best of My Love is a couples' song, for sure. Still, I like it.”
Martin smiled and picked up a rag, wiping his hands. “What, pray tell, are you doing with dogs in my ho-- my garage?”
“Your garage? And for now, I’m walking them. I’m going to adopt these two babies, and don’t worry, they’ll both be going to stay with Emma, as if it was anything to you . . . and don’t you dare tell anyone you saw them in the house.”
Martin was thankful for the fact that she glossed right over his almost-slip about it being his house, and after washing his hands he followed her out the door.
He walked around to the side of the house, to where he knew she would walk the dogs. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around Randi.
“You should have dressed warmer,” he said, looking over her shoulders at the dogs in the distance.
“I know, but this is pretty nice.” Randi relaxed in his arms, resting her hands on his. “I’ve missed you today.”
“I’ve been busy. I missed you too.” Martin stole one quick kiss on the neck, then just held her in his arms. This feels so right. How could he lose this connection?
Why did life have to be so complicated? With the lifestyle that he led, he would never have had a chance to even meet someone like Randi.
Now, because of fate, or chance, or God, here she was in his arms. They were flirting, and talking, and learning about each other, and all of that was going to come to an end. He wondered sometimes why he even bothered looking for love.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Randi said in a soft voice as she caressed the back of his hand. “Have you even been to bed tonight?”
“No. I wasn’t sleepy. I have a problem and I’m trying to work out in my mind how to solve it.”
Martin felt Randi stiffen just a bit, but then it faded. The question she asked next let him know why she’d reacted as she had.
“Does this problem have to do with Celia? I know we’ve avoided talking about her, kind of ignoring the elephant in the room.”
Martin smiled. “I’ve heard her called a lot of things, but never that.”
Randi actually chuckled, nestling into his arms a little more. “I know you had something with her, and I’m not saying I want details, because I don’t. I just want you to assure me, and for you to be sure, that it’s over. Everyone has a past. I just want to know she’s in the past, and that whatever the two of you had, it’s over.”
Martin closed his eyes and hugged Randi. “I’m going to be very honest. It is over. I have not touched or kissed Celia since I told you that I wouldn’t.”
“Why do I hear a but in there?”
“It’s not really a but, like you think. But . . . I need you to know that I have not been able to sit down and talk to her. She knows, of course, that things are not right, but with all of this party business, I haven’t had time to tell her it’s over.”
He felt what he thought was her stiffening in his arms again, but he was wrong. She turned to face him and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. They were standing at the corner of the garage, and there was a full moon, so he could see her fairly well, but he couldn’t read her expression.
They didn’t speak, but he started to feel her hand moving from his shoulder to his neck. Her hand glided across his skin, her thumb trailing across his cheek, to his lips.
“I understand, but if we are going to be anything more than friends, you have to tell her. I will not play second fiddle to anyone.”
Martin felt her raw emotions settling in around him, loved the feel of her hand on his skin, and couldn’t wait to kiss her, if she would allow it.
“By Christmas eve she will know," he found himself saying.
“Good. Until then there will be no more of this.” Martin knew he was going to get his wish. He felt her lightly tug him closer as she brought her lips to his. It was an exciting rush to know she was initiating the kiss. Electric, to say the least.
The kiss was light and feathery and he could taste mint on her breath. He could tell she was holding back and that intrigued him. He was parting his lips for what he knew would be his last taste of her kisses for a few days, when she pulled back.
There was a bit of finality in her tone, and he didn’t like hearing it, but he understood.
“I know what you said, but I’m not stupid, either. Make up your mind and let me know. I can’t offer you what she can, but what I offer will be real and honest. If that’s what you want, th
en here I am.”
Martin nodded as he felt her pulling out of his arms. He didn’t need to say anything else. She’d said it all. He stood watching as Randi stepped back and called the pups to her. She glanced at him, smiled, and led the dogs back around the garage and into the house.
He’d known for a few days that he wanted Randi, and that it was over with Celia. Now all he had to do was act on that decision.
Once he had, then he’d work on telling Randi the truth. That would be the hard part, and that would define once and for all whether he had a good Christmas or not.
Chapter 41
Three’s A Crowd
Gripping the wheel of the van she’d rented, Celia waited for the gates to open. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and things were not going as she’d planned. By now she had hoped to have a hint that she was going to be Mrs. Martin Taylor. For some reason it seemed her plans had been changed, and she wasn’t happy.
Her brow furrowed as she noticed that Martin’s car was gone. He was doing his best to avoid her. She’d sent him a text at half-past eight telling him that she’d be home around lunchtime to make the final preparations for the party. He’d not bothered to mention when he answered that he’d be gone by the time she arrived.
The rest of the guests would be arriving in the morning so Celia wanted the house spotless and needed to make sure Emma had all of the dinner preparations completed. Later that day she’d be dining with Martin and his family. She wasn’t sure if she could stand spending another meal trying to play nice, plus Martin all but acting as if they weren’t a couple.
It was worse than that. He was acting as if even she didn't exist. She’d done her best to not scream or curse. It was one reason why she’d only been sending him text messages. Tonight, before dinner, she was going to try to get the truth out of him. Something was going on, and if he had another woman on the side, she wanted to know.
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