Miles for Love Series Box Set, page 105
Mallorie adds. “We decided that we’ll come home every other year for Christmas. It’s just…too hard staying away from everyone every year. We’ll celebrate Christmas with Aleks’s family the week before, and then we’ll come home.”
“That sounds wonderful. And you have so many places to choose from where you can stay. We all have room now…even Tyler, evidently.” Dad points out.
“We can discuss that later. For now, I’m so happy to be coming home.” Mallorie says, and then she addresses Kayla. “And you’ll be showing by then, too, so I can get some tummy time.” she winks. “How far along are you?”
“Thirteen weeks today, which is why we corralled everyone to spread the good news.” Kayla answers.
The stove beeps for dinner, interrupting us. “Oh, is that dinner already?” Mallorie whines. “What did you make, mom?”
“I’m not telling you.” Mom says, smiling.
“That’s because it’s my favorite, right?”
Dad whispers, going in close to the screen. “It is.”
Mallorie chuckles. “Okay, I’ll let you guys go eat. But, mom, you better be making more of that come Christmas!”
“I will, dear.” Mom calls. “Love you!”
“Love you all, too.” Mallorie and Aleks say together. “See you soon.”
“See you guys.” We all say, and then dad hangs up mom’s phone.
We sit down to dinner, and I sneak a kiss from Ripley before anyone notices, or at least before I think anyone notices. “What’s the matter, you two don’t get enough time to do that, living under the same roof?” Christopher teases.
“Shut up. I saw you playing tonsil tennis with Ashley a few minutes ago.” I say, kissing Ripley again, this time for playful spite.
“I highly doubt that.” Ashley giggles.
We keep up with the playful banter as we eat. As I help my mom clean up after supper, I ask. “You okay with all this, mom?” I pat her on the shoulder.
She looks at me and grins. “Are you happy, sweetie?”
“Blissfully happy, mom.”
“Then, that’s all I need to hear.” She kisses my cheek. “You just be sure and keep her safe, Tyler.”
“I will, mom. Her husband is dead. I promise you nobody else will touch her ever again.”
“Her husband died?”
I nod. “Car wreck on the way to the courthouse.”
“Oh, I hadn’t heard.” Mom tilts her head. “Is she okay?”
“I think she’s better than okay. I just…I had to get her out of that house. That’s where he beat her the last time.”
She shakes her head. “Well, you did the right thing, Tyler. All she needs now is love. And I’m sure that you can handle that.”
“I am, mom. I love her more than anything.” I say, smiling warmly.
“I believe you, dear. And it looks to me like she loves you just as much.”
“Sometimes I think she loves me more, mom.” I say honestly.
Mom kisses my cheek again. “It’s about time, Ty. I wondered when it would happen for you.” She smiles.
I smile back, and then we’re interrupted by Lacey, Hunter and Mitchell scurrying through the house, making choo-choo train noises, squealing with joy. Hunter looks adorable running; he can barely manage walking. He looks like he’s going to topple over, but he’s having a blast playing with his cousins.
“Oh, can you imagine this house come Christmas? With Mallorie’s bunch, too?” Mom chuckles with happiness. She looks at me. “Just make sure that whatever you do, you bring me lots of grandchildren.”
I guffaw, feeling my cheeks heat. “I’ll try, mom.”
Chapter 24
Ripley
Henry stands next to me. Mallorie, Aleks and Tyler eye us carefully. “Turn, so you’re back-to-back.” Mallorie says. We do as instructed. Mallorie closes one eye. “I can’t believe this. My child is as tall as you. This is depressing.”
“It is not depressing, Malloriya.” Aleks says, kissing his wife’s temple. “You have seen him eat my mama’s cooking. He is growing faster than the weeds in our garden.”
Viktor stands next to his brother. “And look at Viktor.” Mallorie gestures towards her younger son. “He’s only a few feet shorter than his brother, and he’s six years younger!”
“Mallorie, children grow.” Tyler says. “What are you going to do?”
“At least Lara is still little.” Mallorie says, gesturing to her daughter, over by the Christmas tree, helping her gramma decorate it.
Kayla intervenes. “Don’t worry, Mallorie. This summer, when we come to visit with the new baby, you’ll have plenty of baby toes to play with, okay?”
Mallorie manages a smile. “I’d forgotten about that.” She rubs Kayla’s growing belly. “Okay. Just keep them coming.”
Kayla giggles. “Well, I’m just working on this one, for now. Talk to Christopher, he’s due for another one.”
Overhearing, Christopher pipes up. “We’re working on it.”
Karen looks at her son. “Are you really?”
He shakes his head, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth. “Are you nuts? No. Maybe in another year. Hunter’s only two. We’re both too busy. I just said that so she wouldn’t feel so bad.”
Ashley elbows Christopher. “Shut up then.” She chuckles.
He leans in and kisses her once, and then again. “We could try again, baby. What do you think?”
She gives him a look, snuffling a laugh. “Can we maybe…talk about this later? When we’re not in front of all these children, including our own?”
He grins, stealing another kiss. “Okay, later.”
“Who wants egg nog?” Warren shouts from the kitchen over the din of Christmas music and chatter. “Come and get it!”
Grant comes into the kitchen, and Tyler walks out, taking my hand in his. We exit the kitchen together, and Christopher gives Tyler a look. “Still not talking, huh.” Christopher says to Tyler.
“I’ve tried, man.” Tyler shakes his head. “The guy is stubborn. You know that.”
“It’s been months.” Daniel intervenes. “Nothing more than a nod hello and goodbye. It’s so sad.”
“He still seeing her?” Christopher asks.
“I’m guessing, yes, otherwise he’d be talking to me again.”
“Well, don’t think he’s being any warmer with us, man.” Christopher says, and Daniel nods agreement. “He calls me when needed only, and even then, it’s a hesitant, one-sided conversation.”
Overhearing, Kayla says. “I wonder if this girl knows what she’s doing to his family.”
“I don’t think it matters.” Tyler says. “We’re not creating the distance. He is.”
We watch Grant over talking to Warren, sipping egg nog. “At least he’s not rebelling with your mom and dad.” I comment. “That would break your parent’s hearts.”
“It’ll break mom’s heart if she figures out that he’s not talking to any of us soon. Fact, I’m surprised she hasn’t picked up on it yet.” Christopher says.
“I’m sure she’s figured it out.” Ashley says. “She just has faith that things will work out.”
“She stopped coming to the clinic.” Daniel volunteers. “I guess she hadn’t figured out that me and Christopher were running it when she first came in. We were both in medical school when Grant was in Afghanistan. She would never have known.”
Mallorie comes over to join us. Aleks and Grant are still in the kitchen talking to Warren, and Karen is putting up more decorations with Lacey and the grandchildren. “What are we whispering about?”
“Just…Grant.” Tyler says. “Has he been talking to you?”
“Yeah, he’s fine with me. But I also live on the other side of the planet. I never knew this Stacey character, so I can’t judge. I’m impartial.” She pauses. “Who’s Frankie?”
“She’s my best friend.” I say. “They dated for a while before he met up with Stacey.”
“He dumped Frankie for Stacey.” Christopher adds.
“He’s mentioned her on a couple of occasions now. I didn’t even know if it was a guy or a girl.”
“Frankie is short for Francesca.” I explain. “Nobody has ever called her by her full name for as long as I’ve known her. Including her parents.” I pause. “What did he say about her?”
Mallorie shrugs. “Not much. It sounds like they’re still friends. He’s hung around her here and there. It doesn’t sound like Frankie has met this Stacey person though.”
“Shocking.” Daniel says. “We should split up. Grant’s going to figure out that we’re talking about him.”
Tyler takes my hand. “Come. Let’s go get some egg nog.”
I follow him into the kitchen. Grant and Warren are in a deep conversation about Grant’s job and how it relates to Warren’s medical career before he retired. “Hey, dad.” Tyler says. “Can we steal some egg nog?”
“Sure, son. Help yourself.” Warren says.
“Work been busy?” Tyler asks Grant, fishing.
“Yeah,” he nods perfunctorily.
Tyler tries again. “Have you had any leads on a roommate yet?”
“No, not really.”
“Did you advertise?”
“Nope. But I will.”
“You want me to help spread the word?”
“Nope.”
I’m standing on the opposite side of Grant. Tyler looks at me, lifting a brow, as if to say, ‘your turn’.
“You can come by whenever you want.” I offer. “We outfitted the hot tub so that we can use it during the cold months.”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about putting one in the backyard, actually.”
Tyler is interested. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I haven’t decided yet.” Grant says as Warren goes over to lend a hand to Karen, who looks like she’s struggling to hang a banner.
“Let me know if you need a hand.” Tyler offers.
“Yeah,” he nods but offers no eye contact.
“You okay, man?” Tyler asks.
“Fine.”
“You ever going to be cool with me again?”
I try to look busy by putting the egg nog away and tidying the counter for Karen.
“I don’t know. You ever going to fix this family so that I can have a proper relationship with Stacey?” Grant asks evenly. “It’s tough enough with her divorce to try and solidify things with her, without having to tip toe around the family. I know she’s not perfect like all the other women in the family, but hey, we’re making a new beginning, and it’d be nice to have some support.”
“We’re all trying to be supportive, buddy.” Tyler says. “It’s the distance that’s the killer. We give an inch, you go back a foot.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Not really, man. Aside from Mallorie, we’ve all been getting one-liners out of you for months. If you and Stacey are so solid, why didn’t you bring her here tonight? You didn’t even ask.”
“Because I know what’s going to happen. We’ll be able to cut the tension in the air with a knife. She’s got enough problems, that’s the last thing she needs, especially her first Christmas away from her ex.”
“If it weren’t for the tension, would you have brought her?”
Grant considers his answer carefully. “Probably not. We’re not there yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s…complicated. She and I aren’t really a couple yet. I’ve been trying, but she’s got so much going on with her family and the divorce.”
“So what was her bracelet doing at the house the day I moved out?”
“Look, you wouldn’t understand. And if it weren’t for your preconceived notions about her, I’d try to explain, but it would be for naught, so just drop it.”
“You mean you’re not sleeping with her?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no.” Grant says somewhat coldly.
“Well, I apologize then.” Tyler says solemnly. “I thought you were. I thought you’d dove in deep with her. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Grant says, nodding, pursing his lips together into a smile.
Tyler tries again. “Hey, man. Don’t let this…come between us. We’ve been close for way too long. It’s Christmas. Just…forget about it.”
“Sure.” Grant says, only semi-convincingly. I can still feel a negative vibe from him.
“You kids want to open a gift?” Karen calls from the living room.
Tyler looks at me. “It’s tradition. One teaser gift only on Christmas Eve.” He takes my hand in his and leads me to the living room. Both Daniel and Christopher look at Tyler. He shrugs. They get it. He tried. As we both sit on the couch, waiting for Karen to hand out a gift to everyone, Tyler’s hand is in mine. So far, this has been the best Christmas ever. Tomorrow should be interesting, trying to balance our time between my family and Tyler’s family. My family adores Tyler, especially my mom. All my siblings can’t wait to see him. In their eyes, he’s my guardian angel, just as I believe it, too. Tyler has changed my life, making my family love, not dread, looking ahead at our future together.
As I’m handed a box with a gift label that says ‘from Santa’ I smile. Tyler is handed one, too. He opens his box first, and sees a pair of leather gloves, which he’d asked for, and he grins. “Thanks, mom…err…Santa.” He says, and then he looks at me expectantly. “Open it, babe.”
He watches me open the box. Inside is a hand-made knit stocking with my name, date of birth, and a large apple on it, signifying the fact that I’m a teacher. Tyler points to the mantlepiece above the fireplace, where stockings are hung, each one with every family member’s name, date of birth, and an image signifying each person’s interests. “See? You’re part of the family.”
I lean in and kiss him, feeling tears prick the backs of my eyes. “Thank you, Santa.” I say, hearing my voice crack.
“Oh, you’re welcome, dear.” Karen says. “I hope you like it. And I hope that you don’t mind if we keep it here with the rest of them.”
“No not at all.”
“Do you want to come and hang it, sweetie?” Warren offers, setting aside his gift, which is unopened.
“Sure.”
I go hang my stocking, and everyone claps a little, like I’ve been initiated into the family. Tyler gives me another kiss as I sit back down, watching everyone gush and make jokes about their gifts. A couple of hours later, we’re home. Tyler turns to me, as we look at our Christmas tree and says, “Do you want to open a gift?” he points to the few gifts under the tree.
I’m feeling so full of love and adoration for this man in front of me. In a few short months, he has turned my life around. Our beautiful house is gleaming with Christmas decorations, and it smells lovely, like freshly baked cookies, since we just finished making some this morning. I couldn’t be more blessed. They could be empty boxes under the tree, just for show, and I wouldn’t care. I have all that I would ever need or want right here in front of me.
“Why don’t you have a look at the ornaments?” I suggest. Since this is our first Christmas together, we decided to both buy and make a few each week, as Christmas approached. It’s been our thing; every time we add another one, we admire our tree.
“Oh, do we have another new one?” Tyler chuckles. “This thing is going to topple over if we keep adding more.”
“It’s just a little one. I found it today and I couldn’t resist.”
“Is it another themed one? Those ones are awesome.” He comments, inspecting the tree. He looks around and doesn’t see it. I put it closer to the back, so he wouldn’t see it right away.
“It’s there, babe. Keep looking.”
“Can you give me a hint?” he asks, playing along. “Like, tell me when I’m getting warmer or colder?”
“Sure. You’re getting warmer.” I say, as he heads towards the back. He goes down and I say. “Colder.”
“Shoot.” He chuckles. “Okay, help me out here. This thing is full.”
“You’ll notice it the second you see it.” I say, feeling my heart pound. Tears are starting to form in my eye, and I’m trying like hell to hold them back. “Warmer.” I say as he’s inches from it. A tear falls down my cheek. He is too focused on looking, thank God. He can’t tell that I’m crying.
“Babe…um…” he looks at me, but the lights are dim because our house is only lit by the Christmas lights at the moment. “Why is there a baby’s soother in our tree?”
He looks at it, looks at me, and he can see the tears. He takes a stride to me. “Is this…are you…”
I nod, tears are pouring down my face. I gasp for air as he catches on. “Are you serious?” his face brightens up like I just told him that he won a million dollars. “You’re pregnant?”
“Eight weeks.” I answer, my voice cracking. He takes me in his arms, sweeping me off my feet.
“Oh, man!” he sets me back on my feet. “This is…” he looks at the soother, fiddling with it in his hand. “This is so perfect. This is the best Christmas present ever.” He can’t believe it. He kisses me, all over my face, making me giggle. “Oh, man!” he keeps saying. He kisses my lips. Looking at me like I’m a unicorn or some unknown figment of his imagination that up until now, he didn’t believe existed. “This is so perfect.” He repeats.
Then he hugs me, giving me one of his mind-numbingly comforting hugs, and I never want to let go. When he finally pulls back, he says. “I know that this is going to seem futile after that, but, I bought another ornament, too.”
I wipe the happy tears away, snuffling a laugh. “Did you?”
“Yeah,” he smiles, having way too much fun. “You want to play the game again?”
“If you must.” I say. I can’t help but smile. His smiles are infectious.
“You want me to spin you around or something? Make it more challenging?” he teases.
“No. I think this will be fine.” I laugh. “You’re such a goon.”
I walk to the tree, and he takes two steps, so that he’s in front of the tree. The soother he’s wearing like a ring, around his index finger. It’s so adorable, I make a mental note to take a picture of him once I find his stupid ornament. Some of the ones he’s chosen are so silly, but we’ve been having so much fun, I just go with it. “Is this another car one? I think this tree is going to start smelling like gasoline if you keep adding those.”
