“And on every street corner, you’ll hear...” Beth sang, this time.
“I guess it’s not so, so sad,” Andrew agreed. “But any time you have children smiling in songs, you think of your own childhood and you want it back. All that magic.”
“Which is why I’m grateful for Will,” Beth said. “He keeps the magic alive for me.”
Andrew looked overwhelmed. He sat his glass of wine on the coffee table, added the platter of cookies beside it, and then moved forward to kiss her again. This time, the kiss was more urgent. Their bodies seemed to call out to one another.
“Before we go to sleep...” Beth said softly, breaking the kiss, “I have to put Will’s presents under the tree.”
Andrew helped her every step of the way. They carried the packages up from the basement and placed them beautifully beneath the Christmas tree. They then filled the stocking—both hers and Will’s. On instinct, Beth grabbed a little grocery sack and filled it with a few pieces of candy and a spare book she hadn’t read yet from her bookshelf.
“What’s that?” Andrew asked.
“It’s your stocking,” she said. “Will wouldn’t forgive Santa if he thought he forgot you on Christmas.”
“That reminds me,” Andrew said. Hurriedly, he grabbed his keys and rushed into the night to retrieve something from his car. When he returned, he held two bright red packages.
“What are those?” Beth whispered. Her knees were on the verge of giving out.
“This one is for Will to open, from me. Something of a manipulation tactic,” Andrew said with a funny smile. “And the other one? Well. You’ll just have to open it tomorrow.”
Later that night, giggly and much happier than she’d been in a long, long time, Beth collapsed in the arms of Andrew Montgomery. She was warm. She was safe. And tomorrow was Christmas.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Sunrise Cove Inn looked like a postcard.
It seemed that someone—maybe God himself, or maybe just Santa Claus—had arranged the snow beautifully so that it lined the windows and the shutters and the various rooftops of the multi-generational Inn just perfectly. Andrew stood with his hand wrapped around Beth’s waist, and with little Will all bundled up on the other side of her. Even from where they stood, they could hear the mass chaos from within.
It was a Montgomery and a Sheridan Christmas.
“We’ve had such quiet Christmases over the years,” Beth said as they walked toward the front door. “I can’t imagine how different this will be.”
When they stepped into the foyer, they found themselves in the midst of an all-out party, only the kind the Sheridan sisters and the Montgomery clan could stitch together. It looked like a picture out of Martha Stewart’s Christmas magazine itself with a large tree in the corner, fully decorated and lit up.
Lola whipped forward, her long hair flowing behind her and her hand latched through the fingers of a dark-haired and handsome, broad-shouldered man.
“Andy! You made it!” She threw her arms around him and then gestured back toward her boyfriend. “This is Tommy Gasbarro. We met this year when I traveled by sailboat with him from the Florida Keys to Martha’s Vineyard.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. I had no idea you knew how to sail, Lola,” Andrew said.
Lola giggled lightly as she added, “Tommy would say that I don’t know a thing, and he would be right. And if I’m honest with you, the whole expedition wasn’t without its problems. We had a huge storm during the trip that made me more than a little queasy. The clouds were black as night, and I thought for sure we would go under.”
Tommy rolled his eyes as he said, “Nice to meet you, Andy. And if you know Lola at all, you know she’s being dramatic right now.”
Tommy turned his chin down to dot a kiss on her forehead. Lola’s smile grew infectious.
“And Beth! And Will! Goodness, welcome to the Sunrise Cove,” Lola continued. “Let me take your coats. Susan put me in charge of them, but she really shouldn’t have. I keep getting distracted.”
Beth, Andrew, and Will shelled themselves of their coats and watched as Lola disappeared into the back coatroom. Kerry called to them from inside the bistro, which they could see down the hallway from the foyer.
“Come on in, guys! The fireplace is warm,” she said.
Tommy, Lola, Beth, Andy, and Will entered the bistro area to see it completely re-done for a perfect family Christmas. Long tables had been set up toward the far end of the room. They were piled high with Christmas snacks—cookies and pies and delicious finger foods, that kind of thing. According to Christine, who whipped past with a wide grin, “Christmas dinner is at one!” This was only an hour away.
“Who’s cooking Christmas dinner?” Andrew asked as he, Beth, and Will sat near his mom by the crackling fire.
“Christine’s boyfriend is a master chef. His name is Zach,” his mother affirmed. “He also catered that wedding that Charlotte did. He’s a master.”
Over the next hour or so, Andrew and Beth fell into a flurry of beautiful conversations. All the while, Will sat by the fire with a few other kids, coloring in coloring books and discussing the toys they had gotten under the tree that morning. Naturally, Will’s toys had taken on a dinosaur theme.
“What beautiful earrings!” Amanda, Susan’s daughter, said to Beth as they spoke toward the bistro windows, all of them with wine glasses in-hand.
“Oh, thank you,” Beth said as she touched the diamond rings delicately. “They were under the Christmas tree this morning if you can believe it.”
“Oh, wow. Santa really is so generous,” Amanda said as she gave Andrew a bright smile.
Beside her, Amanda’s fiancé shifted his weight anxiously. Andrew wanted to ask him what the heck he was nervous about. Wasn’t all the wine, food, and company in the world enough for him?
“I’m going to run to the bathroom, babe,” Chris said as he nodded to Beth and Andrew. “I’ll grab you another glass of wine when I get out.”
When Chris disappeared, Andrew said, “I heard you have a wedding coming up real soon.”
Amanda blushed. “We want to get it done sooner rather than later. My career is about to become insane, and his already is. We’re thinking, get the wedding done now, and then have the honeymoon later on. Summertime, when we can actually enjoy ourselves.”
“That’s smart,” Beth said.
Amanda blushed. “I hope so. Hard to believe this is my last Christmas as a single woman.”
Beth gave Andrew a funny look after that. Somewhere, in the pit of his stomach, Andrew wondered if he, too, would be married sometime soon. He hadn’t envisioned that kind of life for himself, at least, not for a long time.
And the thought filled him with much more hope than he could have imagined.
“Everyone!” Christine called. “We’ve set up the dining table, and Zach says he’s ready to serve. He’s slaved away at this beautiful meal.”
“I had some help,” Zach said. He reached over and drew his hand around Christine’s hip so that he could tug her into him and kiss her on the cheek.
“Wonderful!” Uncle Wes called. “Thank you so much!”
“Oh, and don’t forget. Aunt Kerry was kind enough to cook us up a huge vat of clam chowder,” Christine said. “If you grew up in the Sheridan or Montgomery family, then you know as well as I do how addicting that stuff is. I went years and years without having it at Christmas, and I always thought about it. I missed it. And I think I speak for me, Lola, Susan—and probably Andy Montgomery when I say that I missed all of you, as well.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Andrew. He blushed and lifted his hand as he said, “It’s wonderful to be here.” His voice was a little too soft, proof of how shy he felt. But the smiles he received back were so wholesome. He really could have flown away.
Andrew slipped his fingers through Beth’s as they walked toward the beautifully-decorated, incredibly long dining room table located beneath a gorgeous chandelier in the f
oyer. The foyer had a gorgeous view of the frigid Vineyard Sound. Andrew remembered being a little kid in that very foyer and gazing out the window. There was always something about looking out across the waters. It had always filled him with so much calm.
He’d thought of that several times when stationed overseas. The desert had served as a kind of ocean, but his heart had been entirely too black to really bring any kind of romance to the equation.
The meal was elaborate. Lola, who sat across the table from Andrew, Beth, and Will, laughed and said, “Zach always has to go all-in on dinner, doesn’t he?” It was roasted ham, roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes—both regular and sweet—along with Brussels sprouts, perfectly seasoned, cranberry sauce, and countless varieties of bread, including French baguettes, traditional dinner rolls, and enough scones to feed a small country. “Of course, Christine supplied the carbs,” Lola teased.
Christine laughed as she passed a tray of scones down the long row of people. “You know you love it, Lola.”
Beside Lola sat Audrey, a beautiful girl with a very pregnant belly. She splayed her hand over it as she directed her eyes toward Andrew and said, “This is what I’ve been dreaming about for months. Christmas dinner.” She leaned toward him, conspiratorially and said, “You can’t imagine how hungry I am. I wake up every morning and feel like I could eat at least this much food. Maybe even more.”
“I remember that,” Beth said with a laugh as she spooned herself some Brussels sprouts. “I remember one particular day of intense cravings. I went to that diner near the airport...”
“The Right Fork?” Lola said.
“That’s the one!” Beth affirmed. “And I think I ate a big breakfast, read a bit of my book, and then ordered a big lunch after that. The woman working didn’t bat an eye. I loved her for it.”
Mid-way through dinner, Andrew caught Kelli’s eye. She was seated several seats away, between Lexi and Josh. Sam sat on Josh’s other side. She looked strangely depleted; her cheeks were hollowed out, and what she’d chosen to wear wasn’t exactly up to her normal “fashion sense.”
Andrew mouthed to her, “Are you okay?”
Kelli nodded and tried out a smile, but it barely managed to shine through her eyes. Over the previous days, she’d had to explain the separation to her children. There had been a great number of tears spilled at the Montgomery residence, but Kelli had reported that all in all, they’d taken it with empathy and understanding.
“I guess that means you raised them right,” Andrew had told her at the time.
There were round after round of toasts, almost as though the Montgomerys and the Sheridans had too much to be thankful for.
There was Susan, standing upright with her glass raised toward Amanda and Chris as she said, “I look so forward to my daughter’s wedding next month. Chris, welcome to our crazy but loving family. We’re so grateful for you.”
Then, there was Uncle Wes, who stood and lifted his glass to his three girls as he said, “I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you all back. Our house has never been more joyous. I just adore you all and the life you’ve given me. I hope for many more Christmases, just like this one.”
Christine stood after that. “I imagine all of you are getting pretty sick of my speeches, but I have one final thing to say: Audrey, my shining and beautiful niece. You are about to become a mother, and you’ve allowed me the challenge and the light of helping you raise your child. I cannot wait to see what next year will bring. I imagine that next year at Christmas, things will be a great deal different. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Audrey, who seemed to normally be the kind of girl who liked to be smarter than her own emotions, blinked back tears. She lifted her glass of sparkling water and said, “Thank you, Christine. I imagine it will be a lot louder. That’s for sure.”
Just when Andrew thought that the toasts were finished and separate conversations began to bubble up again, he watched as his father clinked his glass with a fork to get everyone’s attention, as he couldn’t stand.
“I’ll add my two cents before we get back to this beautiful meal,” Trevor said. His eyes scanned over, from Steve to Kelli, to Claire, to Charlotte, before they finally settled on Andrew. “As all of you know, I’ve had something of a pretty crazy December.”
A few people chuckled knowingly and nodded. Andrew’s heart nearly stopped beating.
“When I first woke up in that hospital room, and my Kerry told me my youngest son had returned home, I thought maybe I was still unconscious and having some kind of dream,” Trevor continued. “But when they finally let me out, there he was. My Andrew. My Andy. He drove me home from the hospital. But I have to say a long time ago, I made some pretty serious mistakes. I know we all have in our own right. But since he’s returned, I have gotten to know the man he has become, the man I am so proud to call my son. Andrew, I’m so happy your home; we all are. I love you, son.”
Here, he held up a finger to indicate he wasn’t finished and glanced toward Uncle Wes and the Sheridan sisters, who’d all experienced their own heavy truths that year.
“In any case, this toast isn’t just directed toward Andrew. It’s for my wife, for my beautiful children, for my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren. It’s also for everyone else here. As someone who very nearly left this world only a few weeks ago, I have to say, there’s a great deal here to stick around here for. Thank you, everyone. God bless you and Merry Christmas.”
Everyone applauded his speech. Andrew wiped his tears away the minute they fell onto his cheeks. Beth reached over and squeezed his hand hard.
“You okay?” she whispered.
Andrew nodded yes, although, in truth, he felt like a boulder had just crashed into his chest.
AFTER DINNER, EVERYONE gathered back in the bistro area for more drinks, pie, cookies, and conversation. Audrey stationed herself toward the back, where she played Christmas songs from the speaker system. Amanda padded up and sat alongside her. The two girls were almost identical and clearly had built up a beautiful friendship in the months since they’d met.
Andrew sat near the fire, with Beth on one side, Kelli on the other, and Will stationed on the floor with another coloring book.
Suddenly, Lexi, Josh, and Sam appeared before their mother. They looked a bit awkward. They glanced at one another as though one of them was supposed to start speaking first.
“Hey guys,” Kelli said. Her voice was strained. “Did you have a good Christmas dinner?”
“It was just weird for us this morning,” Sam told her. “Not being together as a family.”
“We weren’t sure when to give you your present,” Josh said.
Lexi brought out a little jewelry box from behind her back. She placed it tenderly in her mother’s hand. “Merry Christmas, Mom. We’re so thankful for you. And we’re thankful that—” She paused for a long moment before adding, “We’re thankful that you are going to find a way to be happy. We only want you to be happy.”
Kelli swallowed the lump in her throat. With quivering hands, she opened the box to reveal a beautiful gold necklace with a shimmering center made of diamonds. She lifted it into the light, breathless.
“You guys,” she whispered. “This is beautiful. I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Josh told her.
Kelli stood and hugged each of her kids for a long time. Her cheeks were lined with tears as she turned and asked Lexi to latch the back. When she collapsed back in the chair, her children’s eyes remained on her. Sheepish, she said, “Did you guys get any pie? Christine’s apple pie is to die for.”
“Want us to grab you a piece?” Sam asked.
“That would be great, guys,” Kelli said. “Thank you.”
As her kids walked toward the dessert table, Kelli turned her eyes toward Andrew. She held onto the diamonds of the necklace and heaved a sigh.
“I probably look like a complete mess to you, don’t I?” she asked. Her l
aughter was the saddest thing Andrew had ever heard.
“You’ve been through a lot,” Andrew said.
Kelli shrugged. She leaned toward him, her voice soft, as she said, “You know, when I woke up at Mom and Dad’s this morning, all I could remember were the good times. Christmases that Mike and I spent together with the kids. I couldn’t remember the fights anymore. I couldn’t remember why I left. But when I had that first cup of coffee with Mom around the tree, the images came crashing down again. He put me through so much. But I still find myself missing him. And I guess that might be my reality for a long, long time.”
“You deserve to carve out space for a different kind of happiness,” Andrew said. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t hold the good times close.”
Kelli reached a handout and held onto Andrew’s for a long time. Again, she said, “I love you, baby brother. More than you could ever know.”
As more tears traced down her cheek, Will blinked up and caught sight of her. Immediately, he dropped his crayon and said, “Are you all right, Kelli?”
Andrew was shocked that Will remembered her name. He’d been introduced in passing. What else could that kid’s mind do?
“I think so, Will,” Kelli returned.
Suddenly, Will stood and marched toward her. His little, eight-year-old arms wrapped around her, and he placed his chin on her shoulder. The hug was so genuine and such a surprise that Andrew, again, stopped breathing. Kelli’s eyes closed as she hugged him back.
They were two people on the outside of so much: Will in his autism and Kelli in her grief.
At that moment, they needed one another.
And somehow, Will had known just what to do.
Chapter Twenty-Three
That night, Kelli, Andrew, and Trevor sat around the kitchen table. The clock ticked itself toward eleven, and their bellies swelled to account for the massive feast, the pie slices, and the wine. Still, there was a platter of Christmas cookies in front of them, and they nibbled slowly as they sipped the last of their wine. There was something about the magic of Christmas. You had to see it through to midnight.
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