A Christmas to Love You (7 page)

Everyone has their eyes on me and it’s quiet. They’re listening, even the little one. This next part is hard because I was asked not to say a word and it’s also not the time and place so I talk around the elephant in the room. “Health and happiness are important to all of us. It’s what keeps us going among the chaos of life.” I keep my eyes on my wife to not give anything away. “Relationships are hard work.” I glance towards Chloe and Jackson. “Remember the little things in life. Remember all the good times you have. If you have more bad ones then good then you aren’t doing something right. Sit back and look at what’s right in front of you.”

Last, but not least, I glance towards my one and only daughter. “We all have dreams in life. Some of us get handed those dreams and some of us have to work for them. I think the ones that we have to work for are the most important dreams. You can sit back and look at all that you have accomplished to get where you are in life. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything in life.”

Elle reaches up and grabs my hand. “So let’s all dig in so we can get to the fun later.”

“Love you, dad.” MacKenzie says with a dazzling smile on her face. She knows that last part was for her and finishing her degree. I know she can do it but she needs to do it on her own.

As everyone digs in and fills their plates with food, Hunter and MacKenzie sneak away and come back with Ryder, Olivia and Alex. Now our family is complete.

After dinner is had and the girls have all pitched in and cleaned up we are all in the living room. The fireplace is going and the lights on the tree are on. Hailey and Mason are holding the twins, MacKenzie and Hunter are holding their little ones while MacKenzie reads to them. Alex is messing around with his Uncle Cooper while Jackson and Chloe are snuggling on the couch. Jaylinn has her head resting on her mother’s shoulder on the love seat; Sadie glances my way and gives me a sad smile. It breaks my heart knowing what she’s going through. She’ll have to talk to her kids sooner or later and I’m really hoping it’s sooner. She’s explained to Elle and I that she just wants to get over the holidays before talking to them. I understand it and I even agree with it but I just wish she wasn’t going through it alone.

“She’ll be fine.” Elle who is perched on the arm of my chair whispers in my ear.

I just nod.

A short time later MacKenzie hands us a huge wrapped box that she pulled out from behind my chair. “Here mom and dad.”

MacKenzie hands Hunter another box and he hands it to his mom.

Elle takes the box and starts to tear the snowflake wrapping paper off the box while I hold it. Next, the top of the box comes off and Elle’s hand comes up to cover her mouth. I lean forward so I can see what’s in the box. It’s a stunning picture off all the grandchildren. All the boys dressed up in suits with little ties, their hair all styled and the girls are wearing dresses with their hair all done up.

Elle sniffles holding up a picture of Ryder kissing Olivia on the forehead. “I love it.”

Reaching for the picture I stand with it. “I know exactly where it’s going.” I walk over to the fireplace and set it on the mantel. I’ll get it hung first thing in the morning, I don’t want to bring the ladder out with all the kids running around.

Elle wraps her arms around me and rests her chin on my shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”

I turn and put my arm around her shoulder pulling her close to me. “We did an okay job, huh?”

My wife smiles, “I think we did.”

As we go to sit back down, all the girls in the room are teary-eyed. Hailey is almost in sobs as Mason just shakes his head. She looks to him and then to us and points. “I wanna be them, Mason.”

The room grows quiet except for the kids playing because they have no idea what’s going on. Chloe, MacKenzie, and Jaylinn look to Hailey and then in the next second they are all hugging her. Sadie and Elle are watching with unshed tears in their eyes. Hunter slaps Mason on the shoulder and says, “Those damn hormones are still raging, huh?”

I chuckle.

Jackson adds, “I don’t miss those days, that’s for damn sure.”

Poor Cooper is ignoring the whole situation as Alex and Ryder are teaming up on him.

“Wine anyone? I think we all need it.” Elle turns with Sadie right on her heels.

While the girls are getting themselves under control I’m feeling a little out of place so I leave them and head towards the garage. I flip the light switch and then plug in all the outside Christmas lights. The house is outlined in multi-colored lights, the windows are also outlined as well as the doors. We have candy canes that are lighting the flower beds and walkways. There are several different blow-ups scattered along the front yard and Santa and his reindeer are high up hanging in the tree. Elle said we didn’t have to go all out this year since it was just the two of us but I insisted. It was my thing, I enjoy doing it.

Leaning up against my truck I stare out over the front lawn and think back to the day that Elle gave me a second chance.

My best friend John kept tapping me on the shoulder with his pen while we were in class. Finally I had to turn around and tell him to knock it off.

“Quit doing that.” I said in an irritated voice.

“Look man.” John tilted his head to the side.

I look around him and only see Fred who is picking his nose not caring that everyone can see him. “That’s gross.” I said to John.

John rolled his eyes. “Not him, idiot, her.”

I looked again and sure enough there was Elle Breson sitting next to Fred watching him. Her pretty face was a shade of green and I thought at any second she was going to be sick. Her hand shot up and the teacher called her name.

“Elle, what is it?” Mrs. Mallory asked.

“I’m not feeling so well. Can I please go to the nurse?”

Mrs. Mallory studied her for a second before nodding. She motioned for her to come up to the front of the class.

“She’s pretty hot this year.” John stated while drooling over her.

And he was right, Elle grew up over the summer. Her once stringy brown hair was now cut shorter. Her boobs had filled out a lot or maybe it was just because she was wearing clothes that actually fit her and she had put on some weight too which she really needed.

“Andrew,” Mrs. Mallory called. I glanced up wondering what I did this time. John and I were always getting in trouble. “Would you please walk Elle to the nurse’s office?”

I looked to John who was giving me a goofy smile and then he patted my shoulder. “What I wouldn’t do to be in your shoes.”

Rolling my eyes I stand and walk to the front of the class and open the door. Elle steps out with her hall pass in her hands along with her books. Once the door closes behind her I reach for her books.

“Thanks.” She said shyly.

“You’re welcome.”

The walk to the nurse’s office is quiet and a little awkward. I’m not sure what to say since we haven’t really talked since last year when we were working on a project together. I kind of used baseball as an excuse not to work on a project with her after school because I was to wrapped up in trying to get Anna’s attention. Anna was on the cheerleading team and had looks that every girl would kill for. Elle did all the work on the project earning us an A and I never even said thank you to her.

“Well, thanks for walking me.” Elle said as we stopped in front of the nurse’s office.

“Elle,” I started to say but she stopped me.

“It’s okay, Andrew. I forgive you.” Elle turns and looks down the hallway.

“I was an asshole.”

She laughed. “That you were.”

I stuck my hands in my pockets suddenly nervous. “Do you want to maybe catch a movie this weekend?”

She turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes. I felt her gaze like she was seeing right through me.

“Okay but this is your last chance.” She smirked. “Make it count, Champ.” Elle opened the nurse’s office and left me standing there in the hallway.

I made it count alright. Twenty-six years later and she still lights up the room for me.

“Dad?” Cooper calls out.

“Out here.”

Cooper leans up against the truck next to me. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just thinking.”

He nods and wraps his arms around him. “It looks good out here. You did a pretty damn good job.”

“Thanks, kid.”

Something is on his mind but he won’t talk to me about it. Cooper handles things his own way and when he wants someone else’s opinion he’ll ask. If you try and give Cooper advice, nine times out of ten he’ll do the opposite.

“Dad,” Cooper blows out a breath. “What am I supposed to do with Jay and Hunter? They barely talk anymore.”

So this is what’s eating my son. I choose my words to him carefully, “Maybe you have to let them handle it, Coop. Jaylinn hurt Hunter. We all know that she didn’t mean it but it still hurt him. He knows that deep down inside. It’s just going to take time for them to figure it out. There is nothing you or anyone can do to fix them.” I stick my hands in my pants pockets to warm them up but it’s pretty cold out here. “Put yourself in his shoes. Would it hurt you if MacKenzie didn’t come to you for help?”

Cooper kicks at the pile of snow in front of us. “But look how he’s acting, Dad.”

Shaking my head I raise my eyebrows at him. “It’s exactly how you would act, son.”

Cooper’s mouth opens and shuts a few times until he nods realizing I’m right. “Let’s go back inside, they are probably wondering where we are.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime.”

When Cooper and I go back inside the girls are all sitting on the floor around Elle sitting in the rocking chair. MacKenzie has a bowl of popcorn on her lap and Olivia keeps trying to reach for it.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“The girls want to hear our story.” She says with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Shaking my head I reach for Olivia and take a seat on the couch next to Jackson. Olivia reaches for Jackson’s phone and he lets her have it.

“This should be an interesting story, Dad.” Jackson says keeping an eye on Olivia with his phone.

“You should listen to it. It’s my favorite story.”

“Andrew and I were friends back in grade school. We weren’t great friends but we’d say hello to each other and even worked on a project or two together for school. Then we entered high school. Our freshman year we got a little closer. Lived within a bicycle ride of each other’s houses and some days after school I’d go over there or he’d come to my house and we’d watch movies.” I glance over to Andrew who is watching Olivia in his arms.

“Andrew was involved in baseball, it took a lot of his time as you all know.” I look around the room to Mason and Cooper who are now listening as well. Andrew’s love for baseball was passed down to those two. “He did his thing with baseball and I threw myself into my school work. Every once in a while we’d run into each other at the movies or in the library or even when we were out with friends. We’d talk and catch up like no time really passed at all. Our sophomore year came and I was at a party with a few of my girlfriends. I was supposed to be meeting a boy there but it turned out that he got grounded and wasn’t able to make it. Andrew showed up a little while later. I was standing around talking with the girls when he asked me to dance.”