Temptation Ridge (Virgin River #6)(95)

She gave him a new leather jacket that was almost as expensive as the boots and just as personal. “It’s okay if you don’t wear it a lot. I know you love that flying jacket of yours and you’re so sexy in it—but this is for when you’re not on the bike. For those rare times you dress up a little bit.”

He asked her about all those things she’d talked about doing before Doc had died and she’d become so busy helping Mel—the applications to college, for example. She told him she’d applied to several major California universities: Stanford, USC, UC Davis, San Francisco State. It was only Christmas—September was a long way off. “I also sent an application to Humboldt State University, right down the road, in case I decide to stay right where I am. They have a fabulous program for bachelor of science nursing.”

That was his cue to say something about how much he’d like that, he’d like to keep her here forever. But something caught in his throat and he said, “Sounds like you’ve covered all the possibilities, honey.”

It was only the three boys in Phoenix for the Christmas holidays, Luke’s stay being the most brief. “With Art and cabins full of holiday visitors, I can’t be gone long.”

“And with Shelby there,” his mother said while she blended egg nog.

But Luke said nothing. His mother and Sean brought up Shelby’s name fairly often, but Luke wasn’t participating.

Their traditions amounted to food and church and laughter. There was a call from Colin in the Gulf, another from Paddy aboard ship. Once those two calls had been handled, they were free to leave the apartment. On Christmas Eve, they refused to let Maureen cook, even if it was the one thing she most wanted to do. Instead, the boys took her to Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Scottsdale where you could eat the filets with a spoon. Then back to her apartment complex where they played pool in the recreation room, all four of them.

Then there was midnight mass. This was where Maureen shined, presenting three of her five sons to her friends, to the priest, to the sisters she knew. “I’m going to hell,” Luke muttered to Aiden. “I took Communion and I haven’t been in a church since last time I visited Mom.”

“Me, too,” Aiden whispered.

“Me, three,” Sean said.

And the three of them cracked up, laughing so hard they could barely stand, while Maureen glared at them.

The tradition in their family since they’d become adults was to open their presents after mass on Christmas Eve, but the presents were less important to the boys than the fact that now they could finally bring out the bottle and pour some healthy shots, since they were in for the night. They had purchased lavish gifts for their mother. Luke had gotten her a gift certificate to the Chanel counter at Dillard’s. Aiden had bought an expensive Lladró sculpture for her collection. Sean gave her a new iPhone.

The brothers gave each other modest gifts. Luke got a subscription to a motorcycle magazine and a sweater that was as ugly as a ball of string. Sean gave Aiden a subscription to Penthouse magazine.

“What the hell,” Aiden said, looking at the gift card. Aiden was thirty-four, an OB-GYN in the navy, a doctor responsible for active-duty military women and a lot of the wives of marines and sailors, although he himself was alone.

“I thought you might like to know what women can look like when they don’t have their feet in the stirrups.”

“Thoughtful,” Aiden said. “How can I ever thank you?”

Luke simply gave his brothers shirts, but Maureen’s gift to her three sons stole the show. “It’s for the Camel-back Spa,” she said proudly, passing them their individual envelopes. “They’re open from eleven to three on Christmas Day and I made you appointments. I had to do it months ago. While I’m making the turkey and trimmings, you can go have massages or facials, manicures.”

They looked at each other with wide eyes. And each one said, “Thank you, Mom, that’s wonderful,” “That should be cool, Mom, thanks,” “How original, Mom—thanks a million.”

“Now, I know you think you’re too manly for facials, but try it. You’ll love it!”

And on Christmas Day, while Maureen was making the turkey, Aiden, Luke and Sean found a bar that was open and drowned their guilt that they were not in a spa having facials and manicures. When they got back to Maureen’s apartment, she fussed over how relaxed they all looked.

The Christmas dinner was, as usual, fabulous. Maureen loved nothing so much as fussing over her family and they all ate too much, which pleased her. Luke would be the first to leave, the next morning. Home to Virgin River. As his last day with his mother and brothers wore on, he grew more and more pensive, thinking about how Shelby had said after the first of the year, she’d be moving on. When everyone finally went to bed, he fixed himself a drink and sat up in the dimly lit living room of his mother’s apartment.

Aiden found him there, sitting in the semidark, nursing a whiskey. Aiden fixed himself a matching drink and went into the living room, sitting down across from him. He was one of the brothers who’d tried marriage. It had been brief, during his residency, but in his case the breakup was his idea and he couldn’t get out of his mess fast enough. He didn’t suffer anything afterward but relief.

“So,” Aiden said. “We could talk about it.”

“Talk about what?”