She liked the idea of a full table at the holidays. Friends that were her family. It gave her a sense of belonging and showed Hunter the importance of community.
She heard her front door open.
“It’s me,” Garrick called.
Her body reacted with a bit of a tingle and a happy lift to her heart. She smiled as she met him in the living room.
“Hi,” she said, stepping into his arms for a hug and a kiss. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving.” He held out a foil-covered bowl. “I bought some wine,” he added. “I left it on the porch. Let me go grab it.”
She took the salad into the kitchen and found space for it in the crowded refrigerator. Holiday meals were always a challenge. She had a countertop convection oven she’d bought at a garage sale a few years back. It was plugged in and sitting on the kitchen table, ready to heat any extra sides that showed up.
Garrick joined her, a bottle of white wine in each hand. “They’re already chilled.”
She looked at him, noting the tension in his jaw. “What happened?” As Joylyn wasn’t with him, she could make a couple of guesses but figured she should hear the whole story from him.
“She’s not coming.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea.” He put the wine on the counter. “She was okay when she got up this morning. Not superfriendly, but not hostile. Then she got a call from Chandler. After that she was crying and screaming and didn’t want anything to do with me. She wouldn’t eat breakfast or talk to me. When I asked her to come over just for a few minutes, she screamed at me to go away.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. I don’t know what’s wrong, and I don’t know how to get through to her.”
“You need to talk to her.”
“I’ve tried.”
She looked at him without speaking.
“You’re saying try harder?” he asked.
“I am.” She stepped close and rested her hands on his waist. He pulled her close and hugged her.
“Kids are difficult,” he murmured. “Even when they’re grown up.”
“Yes, they are. But you love her, Garrick. You’ve got to keep pushing until she lets you in.”
“I know. I’m the parent and all that, but I have to tell you, the rejection is tough. Sometimes she looks at me with such loathing, I wonder if she wishes I was dead.”
“She doesn’t. You’re her dad.”
The doorbell rang and they stepped apart. Wynn let in Jasper and Renee, along with their dog Koda. The old guy sat politely until Hunter came running.
“Koda! Happy Thanksgiving.”
The dog’s tail wagged as Hunter collapsed to the floor and wrapped his arms around the dog. Then Hunter glanced up at Jasper and Renee.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” he told them. “Thanks for bringing your dog.”
Renee glanced between them. “You really should think about getting—”
Wynn shook her head. “Don’t even say it. I don’t need one more thing right now.”
Jasper shook hands with Garrick, then kissed Wynn’s cheek and handed her a ceramic frog container filled with a leafy plant. “Not for the table. I know you do your own thing for that. Maybe for the windowsill.” He started for the family room in the back. “Got the game on, Hunter?”
“Uh-huh. It’s tied at seven.”
“Come on, Garrick. Football.”
Garrick glanced at Wynn. “The age-old division of the sexes. Let me know when you want me to pull the turkey out of the oven.”
“I will,” she murmured, carrying the plant into the kitchen.
Renee trailed after her, then put the sweet potato casserole on the counter. “He does know this isn’t your first Thanksgiving, right? That you managed to wash, season and stuff the turkey, not to mention get it in the oven, all by yourself.”
“He’s trying to be helpful.”
“I know, but they’re so unaware of what we do in a day.”
Wynn pulled a pitcher of orange juice and a bottle of champagne out of the refrigerator. While the guys had a few beers as they watched the game, she and her girlfriends would sip on mimosas. Hunter had the thrill of soda pop in the house. It was a holiday tradition that he looked forward to.
Wynn had just opened the champagne when the doorbell rang again. She and Renee greeted Silver, Drew and Autumn. Drew made his way to the family room while Silver and Autumn walked into the kitchen.
“There’s soda,” Wynn told Autumn.
Autumn laughed. “Hunter must be excited.”
“He is,” Wynn said with a smile. “How’s school?”
“Good. I’m doing really well in my math and science classes.”
Silver put her arm around her daughter. “She got into a STEM school. They have a fairly rigorous application process, so we’ve all been crossing our fingers.”
Renee sat on one of the stools by the island. “What’s a STEM school?”
“The academic focus is science, technology, engineering and math,” Autumn said. “I want to be a chemical engineer.”
Silver grinned proudly. “I know. Where did she get that?” she asked with a laugh.
“Oh, Silver. You’re smart, too. And Drew. I get it from you guys.”
With that, she left to go hang out with Hunter. Silver watched her go.
“She’s amazing.”
“You and Drew should have more kids,” Renee offered.
Silver sighed. “Maybe. We’re talking about it. At first he just wanted to focus on getting to know Autumn, but now he’s mentioned having more kids.” She looked at Wynn. “What do you think?”
Wynn handed her a mimosa. “Why are you asking me?”
“You have a child almost the same age. Would you start over again? Have more kids?”
“I don’t know. It’s never come up.” Wynn passed a drink to Renee. “When I moved here, I was terrified of failing so all I thought about was raising Hunter and making my business successful. I didn’t date for years or think about having more kids.”
“But that’s all different now,” Renee said. “You’re successful, you have a network of friends. Were you waiting to fall in love? Did you want a partner this time? Because while you make being a single mom look easy, I doubt that it was.”
Wynn sipped her own drink. “Having a partner would make a difference.” But she’d never let herself go there. She hadn’t dated—not in the conventional sense of the word. She’d had relationships that were kept separate from her life with Hunter. The guys never met him and weren’t to let him know they even knew his mom. Jasper had violated those rules when they’d been together, and she’d ended things without a backward glance.
It was the guilt, she told herself. Because of her past and what she’d done. After all these years, she was finally ready to let it go, but did that mean she was open to having more children?
“I want to say I’m too old,” she said slowly. “But I’m not.”
“You’re what? Thirty-four?” Renee waved her glass. “Lots of women have kids in their thirties. Some don’t even start until their forties. You two should both have more kids.”
“You’re very free with the advice,” Silver teased.
“I know. My turn is coming. I just want a little more time with Jasper.”
Hunter walked into the kitchen, Koda at his heels. “Mom, where’s Joylyn? I thought she was going to be here.”
“Her dad said she didn’t want to come.”
Hunter shook his head. “That’s not right. It’s Thanksgiving. She shouldn’t be alone. I’m going to talk to her.”
He started for the front door. Koda watched him go, then hurried over to Renee and lay down at her feet.
Wynn hoped her son wasn’t setting himself up for disappointment. She knew
his heart was in the right place, but Joylyn didn’t make things easy on anyone around her.
* * *
JOYLYN SAT AT the kitchen table, her paper supplies spread out around her. Even as she brushed away tears, she folded and glued the paper to make snowmen. So what if her life was falling apart—at least when Chandler got home she would have money in her savings account for them and the baby.
On the tablet screen, she saw Chandler holding out his hand to her, then pulling her close for their first dance together. Everything about the image was perfect—Chandler so tall and handsome, how her dress swayed, the happiness on both their faces.
She missed him so much. Missed them. She was lonely and scared and uncomfortable. Thoughts swirled and crashed together, making her more miserable by the second. Tears fell faster as emotions overwhelmed her. She crushed the small snowman in her hand and threw it onto the floor.
“I hate this!”
There was no one to respond because she was by herself. No one to—
The front door opened.
“Joylyn? It’s Hunter.”
She quickly brushed the moisture from her face. “In here,” she called.
He walked into the kitchen. “Whatcha doing?”
“Just making snowmen.”
“But it’s Thanksgiving. Why would you want to stay here by yourself instead of being with us?”
A very good question, and one she could no longer answer. “I just do.”
He sat across from her. “I don’t believe you. Why are you crying?”
“I’m not.”
“You were.”
She sniffed. “It’s just everything. My mom called for maybe two seconds. She’s so busy with her dinner and stuff. I talked to Chandler, but he’s far away and I miss him. Everything is awful.”
Hunter’s mouth twitched. “You mean awesome.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not funny. My life is horrible, and I hate that it’s the holidays.”
Hunter stared at her for a long time. “I don’t get it,” he said at last. “Why do you always look at the bad side of stuff? You never see what’s good.”
“That’s not true.” Only she knew it was.
“You miss Chandler, but he’s not in a war zone and he’ll be home in less than a month. You have a lot of family. You have your mom and your dad. I never had a dad. He died and I never knew him. Mom’s shown me some pictures, but they don’t mean anything. We don’t have any other family. It’s just the two of us. I’d never want to be mad at her the way you’re mad at your dad. I’d never want to hurt her feelings or make her sad. I don’t know how you can stand it.”
His unexpected confession and his very accurate assessment of her life made her feel ashamed. “It’s different for me. You’re too young to understand.”
“You’re hiding because you’re scared. That never works out.” He stood. “Come to dinner. You know you want to. Being by yourself only makes you feel worse. Jasper and Renee brought their dog. Koda’s a great guy. Someone abandoned him at an RV park in Texas. Jasper found him and brought him home. Now he’s happy. There’s a lesson there.”
Joylyn looked at the teen and saw the man he would be one day. He had a solid character and a caring soul. Somewhere out there was a teenage girl who was going to marry a great guy.
She looked at the snowmen she’d made that morning and the stacks of paper waiting to be put together. While she wanted to earn the money, maybe the snowmen could wait.
She stood. “I probably won’t like it,” she grumbled.
Hunter only laughed.
* * *
WYNN WAS SHOCKED when Hunter reappeared, Joylyn at his side. Later she would ask him what happened, but for now she did her best to act casual as she introduced Silver and Autumn.
“It gets hectic in an hour,” she told them, then turned to Joylyn. “The men are watching football in the family room. You’re welcome to join them or hang out with us.”
Autumn walked over to join Hunter. “There’s too much adult talk here,” she said. “I’d rather watch football.”
Joylyn elected to join the kitchen conversation. Wynn poured her juice, and they all gathered around the kitchen table.
“What weddings do you have this weekend?” Wynn asked.
“It’s busy after today,” Renee said. “A traditional wedding tomorrow night, a full-on princess wedding on Saturday, then a small bird wedding on Sunday.”
Joylyn stared at her. “Birds getting married?”
“Shades of the big dog wedding from last year,” Silver said with a laugh. “Not birds. People getting married and their theme is birds. Bird everything.”
“She’s right,” Renee said brightly. “The invitations, the decorations, the cookies. The centerpieces are a play on a bird nest. It’s beautiful and still kind of weird.”
“So are they having chicken for dinner?” Wynn asked.
Renee glared at her. “Of course not. They’re vegetarian.”
“Egg drop soup?” Joylyn asked with a grin.
“Stop. They are not eating any bird products.” Renee frowned. “Although now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure the bride’s train has feathers in it.”
“Why birds?” Wynn asked.
“I didn’t ask.” Renee sighed. “I am so looking forward to our three weeks off. No birds, no snowmen, no action figure–costumed grooms.”
Silver turned to Joylyn. “What was your wedding like?”
“It was very traditional. No birds.” She smiled. “Chandler and I got married in a church, and the reception was in my mom’s backyard.” Her tone turned wistful. “I was just watching a video of the wedding. Everything turned out perfectly.”
“That’s nice,” Renee said. “Do you have a lot of family?”
“Not as much as Chandler. He’s one of six kids, and there are tons of aunts and uncles and cousins. My dad and my stepdad walked me down the aisle, so that was nice. And all our friends were there.”
“This will be your mom’s first grandchild, won’t it?” Wynn asked.
Joylyn nodded. “My mother-in-law has three already. But this is the first boy, so she’s really excited. She offered to let me stay with her when Chandler was deployed. I would have gone, but she lives all the way in North Carolina. That seemed so far.”
“I can see why you’d want to stay close,” Silver said. “Is she going to come be with you when the baby’s born?”
“Uh-huh. She said she’ll come out the second month and stay for a few weeks. My mom says she’ll be around for the first couple of weeks.” Her mouth twisted. “At least I hope she will.” She dropped her gaze. “She’s really busy with stuff.”
“Having family around will be a big help,” Wynn said, hoping to deflect her from potentially difficult subjects. “Babies are a challenge.”
“I couldn’t have done it,” Silver said. “I had Autumn right out of high school. I hadn’t been pregnant very long when I realized I was in no way prepared to be a mom.”
Joylyn stared at her. “You gave her up for adoption?”
“I did. I found the family and they were great. I ended up living with them for a while. Autumn and I have always been close.” She smiled. “It’s complicated, but we’re all a family and it’s pretty wonderful.”
Wynn stood. “All right, ladies. We’ve left the men alone for too long. Why don’t we join them until it’s close to dinnertime?”
Everyone stood and headed for the living room. Wynn was pleased to see Renee link arms with Joylyn, making sure she stayed with the group. Wynn checked the turkey and did a quick time calculation in her head, mentally figuring out how long it would take to get everything ready once the main oven was free.
Once she confirmed her calculations, she made a quick review of the dining room, then turned to go to the family room, only t
o nearly run into Garrick.
“You joining us?” he asked.
“On my way. Did you see Joylyn?”
“I did.” His gray eyes met hers. “Hunter’s doing?”
She nodded. “He said she shouldn’t be alone on the holiday and went to get her. I’m not sure what he said, but it worked.”
“Your kid is impressive.”
“Thank you. I like to think so.” She smiled. “I’ll remember his actions so the next time he gets into trouble, he gets some bonus points for previous excellent behavior.”
“You’re very fair,” he said.
“I try to be.”
They stared at each other. She felt a yummy kind of tension flare and knew there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.
As if reading her mind, he murmured, “We have got to work on our timing.”
“Maybe it’s because we’re out of practice.”
“Something we should change.”
She smiled. “I’m game. Just maybe not with a houseful of people.”
“I’d say we could pretend it’s just part of the entertainment, but your son and my daughter being here adds an element I’m not comfortable with.” He leaned in and lightly kissed her. “Soon?”
“Yes.”
He put his arm around her and they walked toward the family room. Wynn enjoyed the feel of him next to her and told herself the anticipation was nice...even if she would much rather have the real thing.
CHAPTER NINE
GARRICK SORTED THROUGH the tools he had on hand, putting some of them in drawers under the workbench and hanging others from hooks on the pegboard. Once he got the workshop area of the garage cleaned up, he would swing by the hardware store and pick up his order.
He’d researched the best wood to use to make the bassinet for Joylyn and the baby. He wanted something strong but with a beautiful grain. With the simple design of the piece, the wood would be the star. He would use an organic stain, avoiding anything toxic, which meant no varnish. The directions were fairly easy, and he’d made furniture before. Most of the time would be spent sanding the wood to a silky finish—something he would enjoy.
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