Holding Up the World

by Shirley Hailstock

  “Mom?” she said again.

  The word released the paralysis and Lisa moved. At the first step her hand went to her mouth. Emotion choked her. Tears blinded her.

  “Julianna,” she cried. Her voice was no louder than a whisper. “Julianna. Julianna.” She couldn’t stop repeating her name.

  Lisa reached her daughter and took her in her arms. She squeezed and cried, her tears becoming sobs. Julianna’s arms squeezed back. In the far reaches of her mind, she heard her daughter sobbing too.

  “Mom, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean–”

  “I know,” Lisa interrupted. “I know.” She smoothed Julianna’s hair back and cleared the tears from her face. But they were only replaced by others.

  “Can I come home?” Julianna asked.

  Lisa drew her into her arms again. “Of course,” she cried, a fresh batch of tears surging to her own eyes.

  Lisa didn’t know how long they stood there, crying, holding each other, making sure they this was real and not some cruel dream.

  Rhys cleared his throat and Lisa turned. She’d forgotten he was in there, that he’d brought her daughter home.

  “Rhys, thank you.” Lisa pulled Julianna along with her as she went to Rhys. She was reluctant to let her go. She’d been gone so long, that Lisa needed to connect, need to be assured the umbilical was still holding them together. She hugged Rhys. “Thank you,” she whispered again.

  “I’ll go now. I’m sure you two need to talk.”

  He kissed Lisa on the mouth and Julianna on the cheek.

  “Tell her everything,” he said to Julianna. And to Lisa, he repeated. “Tell her everything.”

  Lisa nodded and kissed him again.

  “Are you hungry?” Lisa asked when Rhys had closed the door.

  “Rhys cooked me a big breakfast.” She sat down in the kitchen. Lisa wondered how she was seeing the room. It had been over two years since she’d been there. The twins were away. Jade was taking a nap. “He found me.”

  “You don’t have to tell me about that now.”

  “Can I see Brittany?”

  “Oh, my God.” Lisa’s hand went to her mouth. “She’s taking a nap, upstairs. She’s in your room.”

  Julianna stood up.

  “Go on, wake her up.”

  She ran out of the room. Lisa heard her feet on the stairs. The sound brought back memories of a house full of girls. They ran up and down the steps twenty to thirty times a day, always looking for something. It was a sound Lisa hadn’t heard in a long while and she missed it.

  Suddenly her legs gave way. She sat down at the table and dropped her face in her hands. Tears burned through her eyelids and dropped through her fingers.

  “Thank you, God,” Lisa said through her sobs. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  ***

  Thanksgiving dawned a crisp, cold day. The snow of the previous week didn’t amount to much, but the famous Chicago wind bared its teeth and sunk in for a long stay. The twins arrived the day before. Lisa had missed them terribly. She didn’t tell them Julianna was back. The screams when they saw each other were ear-piercing. All of them cried at their reunion. And Jade was the beneficiary.

  Her aunts doted on her, never giving her the chance to cry, since she was passed from one to the other at the slightest shadow of a sound.

  “I can’t get over how much she’s grown,” Julianna said more than once. It was wonderful having them home. Lisa wasn’t sure how often she cried or how each memory they brought up caused her to tears to flow anew.

  “Mom, you better stop or your eyes are going to be swollen closed,” Drew said.

  “I know.” She plucked a tissue out of a box she kept near her and dabbed at her eyes.

  The house had been full of people since the twins got there. Word that Julianna was back spread and the phone and doorbell began to ring the way it did when the girls were all in high school. Lisa loved it. Activity, noise and laughter filled the place. And Jade was in the midst of it.

  Julianna had taken over the care of Jade, rarely leaving her. She even watched her while she slept. Lisa recognized the bonding. Lisa had done the same thing when her girls were infants. She wanted to touch them all the time, place her large finger in their little hands and feel the pull as they grasp it.

  Lisa handed Julianna the baby’s bottle when she walked in the kitchen, Jade in tow. She stuck it in the child’s mouth and smiled down at her. Lisa smiled too. Instead of Jade leaving the room and rejoining her sisters who were pouring over their high school yearbooks and recounting the movements of their friends, she took a seat.

  “Mom, I’m sorry about the last two years.”

  “Julianna, it’s in the past. We don’t have to go through it.”

  “I want to.” She paused and shifted Jade in her arms. “Rhys told me how you worried about me, how you thought something terrible would happen to me.”

  Lisa took a seat and listened. She was baking a cover dish to take with them to Rhys’s for dinner. And she had other things in the oven too. One of the good things about Thanksgiving was the leftovers. The house was filled with the familiar smells of the holiday.

  “There were guys,” Julianna went on. “A lot of them. I’m not proud of what I’ve done. I thought I knew what I was doing. I thought you were wrong and didn’t understand. You had so many rules.” She looked down at Jade. “But I know better now. And I’m sorry for all the things I did.”

  Lisa smiled, but her eyes were misty again. “Julianna, I love you. I only wanted the best for you.”

  “I know that now. I know so much more now than I did two years ago. I promise I’ll be better.”

  “Julianna, you don’t need to promise me anything except that you’ll always keep in touch. We’ve both changed in the last couple of years. It won’t be perfect being back here, but we’re family. If you find you need to be on your own, tell me and we’ll work at what you want.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I have been thinking about it and I think I’d like to go back to school. If you’ll help me with Brittany, I’ll finish and graduate.”

  Lisa reached over and squeezed her daughter’s hand. She couldn’t speak. Everything she wanted was coming true. And Rhys had been instrumental in making it happen. He wanted Lisa to forget what had happened at the last family meeting and start over. She would. She was looking forward to dinner. She had her family with her.

  “What are you guys talking about in here?” Drew and Darnell joined them in the kitchen.

  “Not much,” Julianna said.

  “Well, we may need to talk about a lot,” Lisa said.

  “Why?” Darnell asked.

  “Rhys has asked me to marry him. And I said yes.”

  Lisa was unsure how her daughters would react. Unlike Rhys’s offspring, Lisa’s knew Rhys was white. After a moment they jumped up and screamed, hugging her, bubbling over with questions about what date they had set, would it be a big wedding, what were they going to wear.

  Lisa was thrilled. Her face was hot with happiness. This is how she wanted things to be with Rhys’s family, but their reaction was totally different as she’d discovered in the ladies lounge. Today would be another test.

  Removing the apple pie from the oven, Lisa packed it in a protective container and the five Russell’s climbed into Lisa’s car for the short drive to the Baldwin’s.

  ***

  Rhys heard the car door close and opened the door. Lisa and her family had arrived. He’d been having a discussion with his children and things weren’t as good as he’d hoped it would be. But there was nothing he could do now. They were here. He could only hope his children would be civil. He knew Kathryn and Rita would be all right, but he was unsure of Colby and Eric.

  “Hi, Eric,” Julianna said as she entered the living room where his entire family had gathered.

  Hi,” he said.

  Lisa had never met his sons. Rhys introduced them and Lisa did the same with her daughters.

  �
��It smells wonderful in here,” Lisa said, hoping to break through the tension she felt in the room.

  “Why don’t I take this?” Rita said. “I need to check on the food anyway.”

  Lisa gave her the pie. “Can I help with anything?”

  “I have everything under control,” she said as she left the room.

  Julianna went toward Colby’s wife. She was also holding her and Colby’s son. The twins stiffly stood where they were until Rhys suggested they all take a seat.

  Lisa had filled her daughters in on the previous dinner, although she’d cleaned it up a little by not telling them the incendiary words they had used.

  “I can feel the tension in here,” Lisa said. “Is there something you want to ask me?” She didn’t direct her question to anyone in particular.

  Rhys stood in front of them all. “They have no questions,” he said. “But I have something to say.”

  Rita came back in the room. Rhys looked at Lisa. She was beautiful. She sat in a chair near him. Taking her hand, he pulled her up next to him, smiled and kissed her cheek. Then he turned to the room. Holding her hand, he spoke to them.

  “I’ve loved two women in my life. Your mother, whom I will never forget, and whom I was never stop loving. Without her I wouldn’t have any of you. And I love you as much as I love life. The other woman is this one.”

  He paused and looks at Lisa. He didn’t try to hide the love that shone in his eyes. She smiles at him with love in hers. For a moment he wished they were the only two people in the universe.

  “I’ve asked Lisa to marry me and she’s accepted. I’d like it if you liked her and accepted her, but I no longer consider that a condition. This is my life and I will not live it according to your wants and needs.”

  He looked each one of them in the face. They stared back at him with unreadable faces.

  “The food is on the table in the dining room. There is a staff in the kitchen to service you. Eat what you want. Leave when you want. Lisa and I have reservations.”

  He turned Lisa around and they walk toward the door. Before reaching the archway out of the room, Rhys hears his daughter’s voice. “Dad, wait.”

  Both of them turn around and look back.

  “I’m really sorry,” Rita said. She looked directly at Lisa.

  “I’m sorry too,” Kathryn joined her. “In the restaurant, we shouldn’t have said those things. We didn’t know you and it was horrible of us to assume you were a...” she trailed off

  “A bimbo?” Lisa supplied. “It’s the only time I’ve been referred to as such.” She smiled letting the young women know she forgave them.

  One of the sons walked over to them. Lisa has seen photographs of them, but today was the first time she’d seem them in person. It was Eric. Colby sat on the arm of the sofa next to his wife. Eric looked down at Lisa from a height of six plus feet.

  “Welcome to the family,” he said.

  “Thank you.” She offered her hand. He took it, then pulled her into his arms for a bear hug. “Congratulations, Dad.” He let her go and pumped his father’s hand before the two of them hugged each other.

  “Since we’re all here, why don’t we have dinner so we can get to know the bride?” Colby said. “Dad hasn’t been the same since he started seeing you.”

  “How should I take that?” she asked.

  “He’s been walking on air, whistling in the morning, humming tunes around the house. Sometimes in court. You have to be the reason he’s so happy.” He took her hand and kissed her cheek. “And I hear you’re the reason for a lot of changes in town.”

  They all laughed.

  “Let’s eat,” Rhys said.

  They turned toward the dining room. Rhys held her arm, allowing their families to precede them. He kissed Lisa on the mouth. “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you too.”

  “See all they had to do was meet you to love you.”

  “They still have three step-sisters to get to know, not to mention another baby. We’re bound to have growing pains.”

  “We can handle it,” Rhys said with confidence.

  “If we can combine our families, the rest of the world can’t be any harder,” Lisa agreed.

  Rhys kissed her again. He knew they could do it. With love, and family support, they could handle anything.

  ***

  About the Author

  Shirley Hailstock began her writing life as a lover of reading. She likes nothing better than to find a quiet corner where she can get lost in a book, explore new worlds and visit places she never expected to see. As an author, she can not only visit those places, but she can be the heroine of her own stories. The author of twenty-five novels and novellas, Shirley has received numerous awards, including the Waldenbooks Bestselling Romance Award and The Emma Merritt Award from Romance Writers of America. Romantic Times Magazine awarded her a Career Achievement Award and The New York Chapter of Romance Writers of America gave her their Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement. In addition, one of her books was included in the Top 100 Romances of the 20th Century list and she is a recipient of Fairleigh Dickinson University=s highest award, the Pinnacle. Hailstock is a past president of Romance Writers of America. Her books have appeared on Blackboard and Library Journal Best Seller Lists.

  Discover other titles by Shirley Hailstock at Smashwords.com:

  Holding Up the World

  Mirror Image

  A Miracle for Christmas

  White Diamonds

  The Magic Shoppe

  Kwanzaa Angel

  Joy Road

  Under the Sheets

  Connect with me Online

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/shailstock

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shailstock#!/home.php

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  http://www.shirleyhailstock.net

  Excerpt from Chapter 5

  A Love of Her Own by Bettye Griffin

  Ava watched as Hilton headed toward Nile Beach. “I hope you like Frank’s Fish Box,” he said.

  “I love it.”

  “Good. I’m glad you agreed to have dinner with me, Ava. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more notice, but I really did want to see you again before I leave.”

  She kept her voice even despite of a sudden stab of panic. “You are coming back, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, sure. This is just a quick visit. I’ve lived in Palmdale for four months and don’t know many people here, so it would be silly to spend Christmas here.”

  “You don’t sound too enthusiastic about going home for the holiday.”

  “I’m not. To tell you the truth, it’s my least favorite time of year. But it should be nice. I’m going to spend Christmas with my son. And the rest of my family as well.”

  She had wanted to ask why it was his least favorite type of year, but his additional remark caught her off guard, and she blinked in surprise. “Your son? How old is he?”

  “Six. I feel bad enough about not doing better by him, and Christmas just drives it home.”

  Ava knew all about the holidays driving home life’s disappointments. Now she felt a kinship with Hilton. “Of course, I don’t know anything about the situation, but I’m sure you’re devoted to him.”

  “I’m crazy about him. I just wanted him to have a home with two parents, but it didn’t work out. Now all I can do is hope his mother and I can manage to at least be civil to each other while I’m there.” He muttered something unintelligible.

  Ava took that to be a few choice words for the boy’s mother. “I gather you and your ex-wife don’t get along too well.”

  “No, we don’t. And she’s not my ex-wife. I tried to get her to marry me when she got pregnant, but she refused. I didn’t realize at the time that—well, that’s another story. In the six years since our son was born I’ve come to realize that she did me a tremendous favor by refusing to marry me, but I’ll always regret that my son is growing up with the two of us at odds.�
�

  “I’m sure he’ll be all right. The important thing is for him to know each of his parents loves him very much.”

  “You do have a point. Have you ever been married, Ava?”

  “Oh, years and years ago,” she said lightly.

  “You don’t have children, I suppose.”

  “No.”

  Her voice cracked a little on the monosyllable, but Hilton didn’t notice.

  “Do you like kids?” he was asking.

  “Oh, I love them.” She added softly, “My biggest regret in life is not getting to be a mother.”

  “Well, don’t give up, Ava. You never know what life’s going to bring you.”

  “No, I guess you don’t.” Her words had a carefree tone, but in a display of skepticism Hilton couldn’t see she raised her right eyebrow. I may not know what life is going to bring me, but I know what it isn’t going to bring me. It was time to change the subject. “I’m curious, Hilton. What made you come to Palmdale?”

  “I was ready for a change. I had put in twenty years with the police force in Augusta and was eligible for a pension. The situation with my son’s mother was becoming intolerable. I came down to Nile Beach for a vacation last year and explored the area. Palmdale looked like a good place to start the kind of business I wanted to run, especially with all the new construction and the restoration of those old houses in the historic district. Besides, it wasn’t too far from Augusta.”

  “Oh, you were a policeman.”

  “Yes. Believe it or not, I liked the idea of helping people.”

  “But you said you studied architecture.”

  “After high school my dad insisted I do something to stay out of trouble until I was twenty-one and old enough to join the force. I took up carpentry as a hobby later and found I was pretty good at it.”

  ********

  Frank’s Fish Box was a popular informal seafood restaurant on Ocean Avenue in Nile Beach. The two-story restaurant was large and square, actually shaped like a box. Like every other building in the area it was lit with Christmas lights. Because of its boxy shape, the overall effect was that of an oversize Christmas gift.