I pull up at Mason and Angel’s house; their gate has been left open. I pull into the large driveway. I consider turning around when I see all the cars parked in the driveway. Some of the cars I know, and some I don’t.
I get out of the car, straighten my tie, button my jacket, and stand tall. I am greeted at the door by Vincent’s wife, Brea. I walk into the house and automatically see Emma and James off to the side of the room. I also see Donovan and Sara standing near Vincent. Great, a couples’ party, I think to myself. I walk further into the house, thinking this is a huge mistake. I’ll make an excuse and leave early. Angel walks up and hugs me.
“Hi, Alec, so glad you could make it. Please make yourself at home.”
“Here, Angel,” I say handing her the bottle of wine. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thank you, I’m glad you could make it. I really never had a chance to thank you for everything you did for me when I was in the hospital.”
“No thanks needed. I’m just glad it all worked out.” I smile. Mason must have told her I was her doctor while she was in critical care.
“Well, thank you and thank you for the wine. Mason is setting up the bar if you want to head out there. Do you already know Vincent and Donovan?”
“I do; we are racquetball buddies.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Let me introduce you to my aunt and uncle.”
“We already met in the hospital. I’ll go find Mason. Do you want me to take this with me?” I ask, pointing at the gifted bottle of wine.
“Yes, please, and help yourself to drinks and appetizers.”
I walk in and see that Mason is refilling the ice and adding more drinks to the bar.
“Nice party.”
Mason looks up and smiles. “Glad you could make it.”
“Thank you for inviting me. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay.”
“Why, are you on call?” he asks, picking up the empty boxes.
“No, it looks like a couples’ party, that’s all.”
“Alec, it’s not. But I must warn you now, I think Angel has something up her sleeve for you and her friend Emma.”
We both laugh and Angel walks up to us. “Mason, would you pour me a glass of wine? And Alec, would you mind helping Donovan and Vincent put the train set together for James?”
“No, Angel, I don’t mind.” I look over and smile at Mason, who is laughing.
“Alec, take this with you and give it to Emma.”
“What are you drinking?” Mason asks.
“I’ll have a Bud Light, please.”
“I’m going to go and give Arturo his gift. See ya,” Angel says as she walks away.
“See, man, I told ya. If Angel gets too pushy, let me know.” Mason says, handing me my beer and Emma’s glass of wine.
“I will, this should be interesting.”
“To say the least.” Mason laughs.
I walk over and hand Emma her glass of wine. Donovan and Vincent are sitting on the floor with train tracks scattered around them.
“Thank you, Alec,” Emma says, taking the wine glass from me.
“You’re welcome. James is feeling better, I see.”
“Much better, thank you.”
I take a drink of my beer and sit down on the floor next to James. He looks over at me and smiles. “Feeling better?”
“I am, thank you for the balloons and the stuffed ninja.”
“You’re welcome. Raelynn picked those out for your son.” Emma stands and walks over to be near Angel.
“Is she here?” James asks, looking around the room.
“No, James, she is with her grandparents tonight. Will you be back at taekwondo next week?”
“Yes, sir, momma wanted to make sure I was all better first.”
I look around the room and Angel and Emma are standing in the other room. Emma has her eyes on James and is watching him closely. “Well, that’s good, we miss you there.”
“Thank you,” James says, trying to attach the train tracks.
Once everything is put together, we put the batteries in the train and watch it go around the track. Emma is sitting beside James and Angel is kneeling down near James.
“Look, Miss Angel, look how fast it goes.”
“Wow, James, that is very fast. I’m so glad you like it.” Angel smiles.
“Momma said my Daddy loved trains when he was my age. I think he would like this train.”
I look at James; he has a sad look on his face.
“Buddy, I think your Daddy wishes he was here to play with you right now,” Angel says with tears in her eyes.
Emma is hugging her son, and I am amazed at how well they both are adjusting. Emma is 26 and raising a four-year-old son alone. Angel stands and walks out of the room. I turn my attention back to the train set and try to lift the somber mood.
“Look, James, it has a whistle,” I say. James watches me push the button and the whistle sounds. We both smile and he comes over to me and sits down.
“May I try?” he asks.
“Sure, it’s this button right here.”
I look over at Emma and she is smiling at James. She has a stray tear on her cheeks that she wipes away. James and I play a few more minutes before someone announces that the food is ready. James turns off the train set and walks over to his mother. I stand up from the floor and Emma walks over to me. “Thank you,” Emma says, looking over at James.
Emma
Alec, James, and I walk into the formal dining room where a large spread of food is on the table. I expected Alec to walk away from James and me, but I am pleasantly surprised when he stays with us. We gather into a circle to say a prayer when James walks over and squeezes in between Mason and Angel. I smile at the way Angel and James have bonded. I watch as Mason and Angel both hold hands with James. I reach my hand out for Alec and he readily accepts it.
Once the grace is said, we begin to eat. Angel brings me over another glass of white wine and asks James if he would like to be her ring bearer in her wedding. I smile and he looks confused. She explains what it means and the importance of the job of the ring bearer, and James soon realizes this is a big deal and agrees.
After dinner and dessert, we help with the clean-up and Alec and Mason puts James’ train set back into the large box it came in. We say our goodbyes and Alec carries the train set out to the car for us. “Thank you, I appreciate that,” I say, as Alec maneuvers the large box into my trunk.
“I’ll follow you home,” Alec states.
“No really, that’s ok, I’m fine.” I finish buckling James into his booster seat.
“Do you have someone to help you with this when you get home?” he asks, looking at the trunk of the car where the large box is.
“No,” I say as Alec holds my car door open for me to get in. “I can manage that myself.”
“I’ll follow you there. Do you have everything you need?” he asks, still holding the car door open for me.
“Yes” is all I can say.
He closes my car door and walks back to get into his car. I watch him with my mouth open. I find him very attractive and his demeanor is very sexy. I think I like his in-control, do-what-I-say tone. He flashes his headlights to alert me he is ready. I look back at James; he is already falling asleep.
I drive home in silence, looking back periodically at James and the car following closely behind us. Although I can’t see Alec because of the darkness, I get goose bumps thinking about him following us. I pull up into the driveway, and before I can get out of the car Alec is opening my car door for me.
“I’ll get James while you unlock the door,” he says.
I look in the back seat; James is sound asleep. I reach for my purse and the unopened gift Angel sent home with me. I stand there and watch as Alec gingerly removes James from his booster seat and holds him close to his chest. James automatically wraps his arms around Alec’s neck and I smile. He is the first man to hold James like that since Max died.
I walk up the few steps leading to the porch, unlock the door, and turn on the lights. Alec is right behind me. He follows me down the hall and into James’ bedroom. He stops at the doorway and waits for me to turn the covers down. I lean up from the bed and see Alec staring at the wall-mounted train that goes around the perimeter of the room. I just smile because I already know this train is impressive.
Alec finally looks at me and smiles. He walks over to the bed and lays James on it. I reach into the dresser and get a pair of pajamas out to change James into.
“I’ll get the train set from the car,” Alec says.
“Ok, thank you. I’ll be out in a few minutes,” I say, holding out the pair of Christmas pajamas for James to wear.
When I walk out into the living room, Alec is sitting on the floor with the train set out of the box and scattered around the floor. His suit jacket and tie are off and laid over the arm of the chair. I clear my throat and he looks up. “What are you doing?” I ask, although I know the answer.
He laughs, “Putting this together, unless you want to.” I look down at all the small pieces and decide I would rather have him do it.
“Coffee, beer, or wine?”
“Beer.” He smiles.
“Beer it is. I’m going to change first, just give me a minute.”
“Good idea, this may be an all-nighter.”
“Really?” I ask, concerned.
He smiles and winks at me. “No, relax, I’m just kidding.”
“You’re not funny.” I walk out of the room and realize I am still smiling. This is the first Christmas Eve without Max that I am not crying. I change into a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt. I usually wear Max’s sweatshirts, but I decide to wear my own tonight.
I walk out of the bedroom and peek into the living room. Alec is still sitting on the floor working diligently putting the train set together. I pour a glass of wine for myself and get a bottle of beer for Alec. After putting some grapes, cubed cheese, and crackers on a plate, I carry the tray of food and drinks into the living room and place it on the coffee table.
I sit on the floor and hand Alec his unopened bottle of beer. “Here ya go.”
“Thank you,” he says, taking the beer from me and opening it. He looks at the tray of food and then at the glass of wine.
“How’s the train coming along?” I ask, looking at the partially put-together train.
“Not too bad,” he says, taking a long drink of his beer.
I look around the floor and I don’t see the instruction booklet anywhere. I smile because I already know he is looking at the picture on the box as his guide. I look inside the box and pull out the instruction booklet and wave it at him.
“What?” He smiles.
“Do you need these?”
Alec smiles and proudly looks at the train set on the floor. “Does it look like I need instructions?”
I smile, too. I look at the train, the box, and then the instructions.
He laughs, “No, Emma, the answer is no. I do not need instructions to put this together.”
“I was just checking,” I say, taking a drink of my wine.
We sit on the floor together and when the train set is almost done, I get up and get Alec another cold beer. I walk into the spare bedroom and start to get James’ wrapped Christmas gifts from the closet. I put the larger wrapped gifts in the back of the Christmas tree and then the smaller ones towards the front. I bring out a bag with other gifts and place it on the floor. I empty the bag of toys and batteries and set them neatly together. I want to make sure all the gifts have batteries already in them when James opens them.
Alec smiles and says, “Only a mother would think to do that.”
“Thank you. I remember my dad always having to go out and get batteries on Christmas morning for our baby dolls and games.”
“I know what you mean; Molly was always good at remembering the batteries and the turkey bags.”
“Who is Molly?” I ask, opening up a box of remote control cars.
“Molly is Raelynn’s mother. She is no longer with us.”
I think, She must have died. I should not pry.
I tuck the last gift under the tree and gather all the trash into the now empty bag.
He stands up and takes the bag of trash from me. “Is the trash in the garage?”
I also stand with him. “Yes, but I can do it.”
“I got it, I think I should get going, I have kept you long enough.”
“Alec?”
“Yes?” he says, turning around to look at me.
“Since Rae is with her grandparents and James is sound asleep, would you want to hang out and maybe watch a movie or something? This is the first Christmas Eve since my husband’s death that I haven’t cried. And I know, as soon as you walk out that door, the tears will come like they do every year.”
“Let me take the trash to the garage and then we can decide on a movie.”
I smile a big smile when I realized he just agreed to stay. “Another beer?”
“No, thank you. Water?”
“Coming right up.” I follow him into the kitchen and direct him through the laundry room and then to the garage. I open a bottle of water for him and pop some microwave popcorn. He smiles when he enters the kitchen.
“Who doesn’t love popcorn? Do you have any seasoning salt?”
“Do you put it on your popcorn too?” I ask. Max used to make fun of me because I would add seasoning salt to our popcorn. I have been doing that since I was a teenager. Sprinkle a little on top and shake it around. There is nothing like it.
“What do you mean, too? I thought I was the only one to do that.”
“Nope, great minds really do think alike,” I say, laughing.
While the popcorn is finishing popping, Alec disappears into the living room. He comes back into the kitchen and asks for some matches or a lighter, then he disappears back into the living room again. I walk into the bedroom and get two pillows and two throw blankets.
When I return to the living room, Alec has a fire going in the fireplace. He is standing at the mantle looking at Max’s flag, his medals, and his gold star. I put the blankets and pillows on the couch and walk over to him and stand.
“I’m truly sorry for your loss,” he says, but he doesn’t look at me. He stares at Max’s flag that covered his casket.
“Thank you, he died four years ago, and I still miss him every day,” I say honestly.
“James was a baby,” Alec says, and it’s not a question.
“He was just a couple months old. James has no memory of him.”
Alec turns to look at me. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“I went ahead and started a fire, I hope it’s ok.”
“It’s a great idea, thank you. What Christmas movie do you want to watch?”
“Christmas movie?” he asks.
“Yes, it’s Christmas Eve. We have to watch a Christmas movie,” I say, smiling.
“It’s actually Christmas morning,” Alec corrects. “Merry Christmas.”
I look at the clock on the wall and it’s 12:09 am. “I guess it is and Merry Christmas to you, too.”
“How about Die Hard?”
“I said a Christmas movie. You know, Miracle on 34th Street, Frosty, or Rudolph.” I smile.
“Die Hard is a Christmas movie,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his lips.
“Ok, I’ll give you that; it has a Christmas tree in it.”
“It has an entire Christmas party with Christmas music and everything.” He grins.
“It is very festive,” I joke, “If I had it, we could watch it, but I don’t, so sorry,” I say, although I don’t mean it. I like that movie, but it’s not what I had in mind.
“So, if you had it we could watch it? Is that right?” he asks with a raised brow.
“Yep, but I don’t. Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, or Miracle on 34th Street?”
“I happen to h
ave my favorite Christmas movie, Die Hard, in my car. Let me run out to get it.”
“You do not,” I say.
“Wanna bet?” he says, smirking.
Do I really want to bet? I think to myself. “What’s the bet?”
“Let me think… if I have the movie in my car, you go to Mason and Angel’s wedding with me next weekend.”
“And… if you don’t have it?”
“I’ll stay and watch all the Christmas movies you want.”
“As many as I want?”
“I’ll watch them all twice,” he says, smiling.
I take a step closer and put my hand out for his, “Mr. Collins, you have yourself a bet.”
He reaches for my hand and shakes it. “Ms. Greyson, I’ll be back with the movie and we have a date for next week. Just so you know, my favorite color is red.”
“Why would I need to know that?”
“So you know what color dress to wear.” He winks at me and walks to the front door.
I watch him from the front window as he walks to his car. He reaches for something, closes his car door and waves a clear plastic case at me and smiles. He re-enters the house, locking the door behind him, wearing a smile and carrying a movie. “Where’s the DVD player?”
“You really carry that stupid movie around with you?”
“I never leave home without it.” He smiles. “Actually, my car came with a DVD player already installed. So I keep a variety of movies in the car for passengers in the back seat. Sorry, but where’s your DVD player?”
“It’s under the TV on the bottom shelf.” I toss a pillow and blanket on the couch for Alec, place the popcorn on the coffee table and I sit on one end of the couch covered up with my blanket waiting for the movie to start.
Alec
“Emma, are you ready to get into the Christmas spirit?” I ask, picking up a bowl of popcorn and sitting on the couch.
“Do you think this is the movie to do that?”
“No, not really, but I do love this movie. Lucky for me it’s Christmas and you lost a bet.” I smile.
“Yeah, lucky for you. I was hoping we could watch Lethal Weapon when we’re done with this. You know, really get into the Christmas spirit.” She smiles a smile to match mine.
“What, you have that movie?” I ask, excitedly.
Shattered Dreams Page 14
