A Cross-Country Christmas(59)

“What now? Are you making fun of me again?” Will’s dad was taking his time up the walk, looking around, probably for a shovel. He was always moving potential obstacles out of his mom’s way, and in this case, Will guessed, it was the slipperiness of the snow.

His mom beamed. “You look good.” Two pats on his sides and she stepped back. At that, his father moved in, first shaking his hand, then pulling him close in a hug that felt long overdue. He’d missed them.

“Hey, Dad.”

His father took a step back. “Ahh. So glad you’re home, son.”

In their eyes, he saw the man he wanted to be, the man he thought he’d become, but there was a tormenting echo at the back of his mind chanting people don’t change.

“Lauren.” Mom turned to her. “Oh, my goodness. You are a stunner! Steve, look at Lauren,” she said, waving her hand in Lauren’s general direction. “She’s even more beautiful than I remember!”

That’s an understatement.

“Kath, that’s weird, and it’s cold, let’s get these guys inside.” His father rubbed his hands together, then turned toward their guest. “Hi, Lauren, and yes, she’s right, you look great.”

Lauren blushed, and Will longed for her. He wanted to take her somewhere quiet to apologize again and to ask how he could make it up to her.

“It’s good to see you both,” Lauren said. “I texted my brother. He’s supposed to be here to pick me up.”

“Come inside.” Will’s mom waved a hand at the car. “Just leave your bags in the car, and we’ll go in and eat. Everyone’s here for the holidays, so I apologize in advance— it’s going to be noisy.”

Lauren looked a little panicked. “I don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense.” His mom wrapped her arm around Lauren’s shoulders, then led her up the sidewalk to the door. “We love company! And I made more food than we will ever eat in a lifetime.”

“You obviously haven’t seen Will eat lately,” Lauren said with a wry smile.

Lauren glanced back at Will. He held her gaze for a beat, tried to smile, then he looked away. She was trying to lighten the mood, but he was in pretty deep. His mom led Lauren into the house, and Will and his father hung back.

“Uh-oh,” his dad said under his breath.

Will frowned. “What? What’s uh-oh?”

“What’s going on there?” His father nodded toward Lauren.

“Where?”

His dad looked amused. “No one told me that my eyes would stop working when I got older.” He wiped his glasses with the bottom of his shirt and looked up through them to see if they were clean. “But I’m not blind.”

“It’s. . .nothing,” Will sighed. “There is absolutely nothing going on there.”

Dad slung an arm around him and patted his shoulder. “Uh huh.”

They walked toward the door, and the cinnamon aroma of his mom’s famous wassail rushed out to meet him.

“How’s Pops?” Will asked.

Now Dad sighed. “It’s good you came when you did.”

Sadness pulled at his edges as the image of his grandfather, strong and vibrant, raced through his mind.

“He’ll be happy to see you, that’s for sure.”

Will stopped at the threshold of the house and decided to stop wallowing. This Christmas wasn’t about him, or the love he’d never had and still managed somehow to lose. It was about his family, about their traditions, and sadly, about having the courage to say goodbye.





Chapter 29





The moment Lauren stepped into the Sinclair house, she felt like she was inside a real-life Norman Rockwell painting.

Arguments about licking the spoon, laughter over whose hand was under whose at Slap, she could practically see the smell lines coming off the steaming platters of food set out on the oversized, handmade oak table.

A fleeting memory of the last time she was in this home hung at the back of her mind, but she quickly pushed it aside, choosing instead to relish this moment, in the here and now.

Instantly, the house felt like home.

“Lauren, you must be exhausted,” Will’s mom said. Then, half whispering, “I can’t believe you made it this whole way with Will as your driver.”

“Mom, I can still hear you!” Will called from the hallway entrance. It sounded like he had lightened up a bit after coming inside. Looking around the room, she could see why.

“Come in, I know you’ve been sitting in a car for a week, but sit down, sit down.” She ushered Lauren into the living room, which was full of people who stopped chattering at the sight of her.

“Everyone, this is Lauren,” Mrs. Sinclair said. “Lauren, this is Nadia, Kayla, Kayla’s husband Mark, her son Captain Louie and Will’s grandfather, my dad, is over there sleeping in the recliner.”

Lauren followed the line-up, trying to remember everyone’s names.

“Nadia’s husband Paul is making his famous lasagna in the kitchen,” Will’s mom added.

“And I made the back-up lasagna this morning for when Paul’s goes up in flames.” Nadia shot her a knowing look, and Lauren laughed.

“Will didn’t tell us he was bringing someone home.” Kayla shifted her son on her lap and glanced at Nadia.