by Jaye Diane
“My turn!” Grace said, shoving him out of the way. She hugged Robyn as Devin quickly made his way back to his spot on the carpet.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” Marjorie asked Robyn.
“I'm fine, Mom,” Robyn said. “It's just been a long couple of weeks. I wanted to sleep in today but I knew I had to leave early to beat that snow.”
“Aunt Robbie!” Whitney yelled, making everyone smile. She ran over to Robyn.
Robyn picked her niece up and kissed her cheeks, then nuzzled her nose in Whitney's hair.
Seeing the scene touched Devin's heart. Robyn was such a sweet and loving woman. Being her friend and then her boyfriend had meant so much to him. It truly hurt him that they now had nothing at all. He had to find a way to get through to Robyn. He knew it was probably impossible to get her back as his girlfriend but he had to have her in his life some way.
Robyn put yet another mint into her mouth to help take some of her queasiness away. She hadn't been able to eat much at dinner. The aromas had been overwhelming and unappealing. She'd mostly pushed her food around her plate and prayed that no one would notice. Since there were so many people around, talking and laughing nonstop, she didn't think they had noticed.
She was aware that Devin kept watching her but he was with his father and unless he wanted Jared to suspect something, he'd better get his act together.
Peyton had taken Whitney upstairs to give her a bath and Javy and his wife, Elizabeth had gone to their room but everyone else was back in the living room watching the weather channel. Apparently they were now in the midst of a full-fledged winter storm, with more than two feet of snow expected to fall. Hearing that filled with Robyn with a sense of foreboding. What were the chances that she'd be able to leave tomorrow? She hated driving in the snow. Who knew how long it would take for the highways and streets would be plowed.
“It's going to be a mess out there,” Keith, her brother-in-law said, frowning at the television.
“It's already a mess.” Grace was standing at one of the windows. “That looks like more than six inches on the ground. Maybe more.”
“I'm going to make some hot chocolate,” Marjorie said. “Who wants one?”
Robyn smiled as just about everyone raised their hands. She knew her mother was enjoying this. Marjorie would gladly keep everyone under one roof forever.
“Would you mind helping, Robyn?” Her mother asked.
Robyn followed her mother into the kitchen and quietly counted out the mugs as Marjorie filled two kettles with water and put them on the stove to boil.
“So tell me what's going on,” Marjorie said quietly as she set a variety of cookies out on a platter.
“Nothing's going on,” Robyn denied, instantly nervous and annoyed.
“When I saw you a couple of weeks ago, you looked like you'd lost some weight but its very obvious now. Are you sick? What's the matter?”
She had lost some weight but she was having trouble keeping most foods down or eating in the first place.
“Nothing's wrong, Mom,” Robyn said, walking away from her mother and going to stand at the small glass table.
“You hardly touched your food at dinner, Robyn. I'm not stupid. Now don't make me worry for no reason. Tell me what's going on. Please.”
Her confession on her tongue and dying to come out, Robyn bit her lip. Marjorie came to the table and sat across from her.
“What aren't you telling me?”
“Mom! Enough,” Robyn said desperately. “Nothing's wrong, Mom, honestly. I'm perfectly fine.” It wasn't a complete lie but the guilt ate at her anyway.
Marjorie stared at Robyn, running her eyes over Robyn's face, searching for answers.
“Fine,” Marjorie said, her tone resigned. “I'm here when you're ready to talk.”
“I know that, Mom,” Robyn said, licking her dry lips. “But there really is nothing wrong.”
Her mother nodded without saying anything and poured gourmet chocolate powder into all the mugs. Once the kettles whistled, Marjorie quietly poured water into all the mugs and stirred them. She placed six mugs on one tray and four mugs on the other. Without a word, she carried the tray out of the kitchen. Robyn picked up the tray of chocolate, deciding that she'd come back for the cookies in a minute. She hated that she'd hurt her mother's feelings.
She'd known that this would be hard, which was why she'd tried to get out of coming. Now she'd hurt her mother's feelings and there was nothing she could do to make it up to her.
The bell rang and his dad jumped up to answer it before Devin could. Devin frowned, wondering who was crazy enough to be out in this snowstorm. He followed behind his father, just in case. The world was a crazy place and you never knew what could happen.
But when his father opened the door to reveal the short, beautiful woman bundled in a huge snow covered coat, Devin was filled with happiness.
“Abuela!” He yelled, picking up his tiny grandmother and hugging her tightly.
“Mami?” Angelica came rushing into the foyer.
“Hi, everyone,” Elena Vasquez said enthusiastically, shrugging out of her coat and kicking off her boots. She explained how she'd driven from her home in New York to make it for Christmas.
“Thank goodness you're okay,” Marjorie said, giving Elena a hug. “And don't you ever do that again.”
Elena laughed at that and began to hug everyone. When it came time for her to hug Robyn, she put Robyn away from her with wide eyes before hugging her again. Devin puzzled over that for a minute before his grandmother took his hand and walked with him to the kitchen, asking him to sit with her while she ate.
They talked about the work her was doing on a current game and his grandmother told him how fond she was of him and his siblings. He asked how she'd been and she told him excitedly that she had a new friend. It was a big deal for her to mention having a man as a friend. She'd been single since her husband, Angelo, had died eight years before.
“Someone is having a baby,” Elena confided after a short while, watching him closely with wide eyes as she ate leftover turkey and potato salad.
“Wow,” Devin's eyes widened and he sat up at the table. “Nobody's said anything.”
“They must be saving the announcement,” Elena said, nodding slowly. “But the news will be out soon. I can feel the baby in this house.”
The news filled Devin with a great deal of happiness, as Whitney was the only child in either the Jamison or Phillips family. He wondered if he was going to finally be an uncle or if Peyton was going to have another child. Even if it was Peyton, he'd still be an honorary uncle and that brought a smile to his face.
“Have you noticed anyone behaving differently?” Elena asked him.
“No,” Devin assured her with a laugh.
“I will figure it out tomorrow, when we are all together for breakfast. Everyone is getting ready for bed now.” Elena was famous in the family for sensing pregnancy. She'd bragged how she'd known when her own mother became pregnant with her sister and brother, as well as when her sister and sister-in-law were pregnant.
When Angelica had married Jared, neither Elena nor Angelo was happy about the marriage. They'd hoped that Angelica would marry a friend of Elena's family but Angelica and Jared were devoted to each other and very much in love. Angelica's family turned her away and didn't speak to her for almost four years. When Javier was born, Elena sensed his birth and called Angelica. They'd made up instantly.
Devin had a glass of wine with Elena and then they both left the kitchen. The only one in the living room was Grace, who was lounging on the couch watching some reality show. She jumped up and gave Elena a kiss before going back to the couch. After Devin walked his abuela up to her room in the attic, he stood in the short hall and wondered if he should go talk to Robyn.
It was getting late but he didn't think he could wait any longer. Tomorrow was Christmas. It would be another hectic day. The good thing was, with all the snow falling, he doubted anyone would be able to
leave. But he didn't want to wait another minute to straighten everything out with Robyn. They had to talk everything out and salvage some part of their friendship before it was too late. It was all he could hope for.
The TV was on but Robyn wasn't paying it any attention. She sat on the soft blue comforter and tried to make a plan for the morning, when her morning sickness usually took over. With so many people in the house, it could be difficult getting to the bathroom without being seen. She was getting a headache just thinking about it.
She lay on the bed and closed her eyes. Even though she'd had an extremely long nap earlier, she still felt sleepy. Just about everyone had headed to bed. It had been a long day and she knew she wasn't the only one who was exhausted.
Robyn turned off the bedside lamp and picked up the remote to turn off the television but before she could turn it off, there was a knock at the door. Sighing, Robyn got off the bed and went to the door, opening it quickly. Her stomach seemed to drop when she saw Devin standing there, looking so sexy and handsome that she wanted to melt.
He'd changed into a white T-shirt that put all his muscles on display, along with green flannel pajama bottoms. Her fingers twitched as she remembered running her fingers over his hard sculpted chest, loving the light sprinkling of hair that trailed down to his waistband.
“Can we talk?” He asked, stepping into the room and closing the door before she could answer.
She turned the lamp back on and sat on the bed wordlessly, resigned to this confrontation. She could refuse to talk to him but she didn't want to cause a scene. Her parents, as well as his, were sleeping in bedrooms right down the hall. And there was, of course, the fact that she missed him. She wanted to be near him despite that fact that she shouldn't want to, even if only for a few minutes.
“I don't want us to hate each other, Robyn,” He said simply, standing in front of her. “We were great friends... I don't think it’s right that our...failed relationship...should stop us from being friends again.”
Robyn knew that he was trying to extend the olive branch but each of his words felt like a stab to the heart. She was in love with him and he wanted to be friends? She swallowed a lump in her throat.
“Why wouldn't you talk to me that night?” Robyn demanded. “When you broke up with me, why was I not even worth talking to then? What was different between then and now?”
“I'm sorry,” Devin said, having the good sense to look shameful. “I was so wrong to act like that. All I can say is that I was mad and hurt. I guess I let my pride get in the way.”
“What?” Robyn asked incredulously. “You were hurt and mad? How do you think I felt? You're the one who dumped me.”
“What did you expect me to do, Robyn?” He sounded a little irritated. “I wasn't going to sit around in a bad relationship where I clearly wasn't wanted. I don't blame you for that. I just wish you would have told me how you felt. But that's over with now. I don't want to keep bringing up the past. I'm worried about our future.”
Robyn's mouth was hanging open and she couldn't even speak, so profound was the level of shock she felt. He was blaming their breakup on her? What the hell was wrong with him?
“A bad relationship?” She squeaked. “What the hell are you talking about, Devin? You're not making any sense right now. You're trying to put this all off on me, as if it's all my fault?”
“Of course it's not your fault,” Devin said, frowning. “I didn't mean it like that. But it started becoming so obvious that your feelings were changing... Anyway, can we move on? I want us to get past this. You mean a lot to me, Robyn.”
Robyn was having trouble processing everything that he'd said. He'd dumped her out of the blue and somehow thought that it was all her fault? It didn't make any sense.
“I'm really not understanding this,” Robyn whispered, the godawful tears stinging her eyes. She willed herself not to cry but she had no control over her emotions. “What are you talking about, my f-feelings w-were ch-changing? What does that mean?” She ended on a wail and slapped her hands over her face in horror.
Stop it right now, Robyn! She berated herself. But it was too much. It was all too much. All these weeks of missing him, the pain present all day, no matter what she did. Now he was here, on Christmas Eve, telling her that not only did he blame her for their breakup but that he wanted them to be friends? She threw herself back onto the bed and pulled the pillow over her face, weeping uncontrollably.
She felt the bed dip and Devin picked her up, pulling her onto his lap. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, the smell of his cologne causing her to ache inside. She had missed him so much, in every way that you could miss someone. It hurt to be this close to him again but she reveled in the feel of her body against his.
“I'm sorry,” He whispered over and over, rubbing her back. “I really am sorry.”
She wished that they could go back to their last date, back in October, when everything was good between them. She'd been so sure they were falling in love. For the first time in her life, she'd had a true sense of happiness. And then a few weeks later it was cruelly snatched away.
An image flashed in her mind of them making love in front of the fireplace in his house before falling asleep in each other's arms. That was the happiest she'd ever been with him. She'd fallen asleep that night feeling safe, protected and even loved, though they had yet to say the words to each other. She'd felt his love for her. Or so she'd thought. Obviously, she was very wrong because he'd broken up with her less than two weeks later.
The tears flowed freely as she thought about how close she'd come to getting her happily ever after, something she hadn't planned to even look for for years. It had found her when she'd least expected it. But it had just been a tease. She supposed she had to look at it as another lesson learned. But the hurt was just too much to take sometimes. Most of the time.
She became aware of Devin's hand, still on her back, her skin seemingly burning through the fabric of her T-shirt. He was sitting still now, with her on his lap, and she had no idea how long they'd been like that.
Finally calming down, Robyn felt her nipples harden to tight, achy peaks and she pulled back, unable to look at Devin's face. The sudden move only caused her to move an inch or two but she felt him harden beneath her. Her heart began to race but she didn't make herself get up. It was actually good for her self-esteem knowing that she still had some affect on him.
Stupidly, selfishly and without thinking of the consequences, she deliberately shifted again, enjoying the hard swell beneath her. It had always been instant and powerful between them, every single time.
“Robyn?” He whispered, lifting her chin so that her brown eyes met his hazel ones. Desire burned in his eyes and she felt herself leaning forward, all thought leaving her head. Their lips met and she greedily wound her arms around his neck, craving him more than she could crave food or water.
She gratefully opened her mouth for his tongue, stroking it with her own. His arms curled tightly around her and she felt his erection press against the back of her thigh. She hummed in the back of her throat, enjoying the tantalizing tangle of their tongues. His scent, his touch, his taste...it all combined to drug her, making her weak in the knees.
When they came up for air, Devin's firm lips trailed hot kisses over her neck and ear. Her eyes snapped shut and she let her head fall back, running her hands through his short black hair. Holding his face, she brought his lips back to hers, pushing her tongue into his mouth. She felt his hand slip underneath her shirt, his hand caressing her back. She could feel the wetness between her thighs. She was ready. More than ready.
“Uh...”
They jumped apart, Devin nearly dropping Robyn off of his lap. Her brain felt fuzzy and Robyn tried to make sense of what had just happened. Her sister. Her sister had come in.
“I'm sorry,” Peyton was saying, backing out of the room.
“No, no, come back in,” Devin was saying, sounding too calm for Robyn's liking. She was still
trying to process what had just happened. Her mind felt slow and sluggish.
Peyton couldn't keep the grin off of her face. She eagerly walked back into the room, staring back and forth from Robyn to Devin.
Robyn didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed about her sister's interruption. She must have completely lost her mind to let her guard down with Devin. He'd broken her heart and she'd proven to be an easy mark, just falling into his arms as if nothing had happened between them.
Devin kissed her cheek and started out of the room.
“You both have a goodnight,” He murmured, not even looking embarrassed at having being caught making out with Robyn by her big sister.
Robyn nodded stiffly, refusing to look at him as he left the room.
“Goodnight, Dev,” Peyton said in a singsong voice, making Robyn want to childishly kick her.
After the door closed behind him, Peyton whirled in a circle, laughing like she'd heard the funniest joke ever.
“You and Devin? How long has this been going on? Tell me everything!”
“There's nothing to tell,” Robyn said, her heart still racing. Her lips tingled in remembrance of his kisses and she turned away from her sister.
“Like hell there isn't,” Peyton said, unfazed by Robyn's stony glare. “Tell me!”
“What do you want, sis?” Robyn asked, ignoring her sister's demand.
“I actually came to talk,” Peyton said, plopping down on the bed. “We hardly see each other lately and this is the first time we've had to be alone since we got here.”
Robyn smiled a little because her sister seemed sincere. They used to get together a lot at each other's houses or to go shopping or have lunch. But Robyn had been trying to keep a low profile since the breakup with Devin. She hadn't wanted anyone to guess at what was going on. She didn't want anyone's pity.
“Mom's worried about you, you know,” Peyton said, folding her legs in front of her. “But after what I just witnessed between you and Devin, I can let her know in the morning that you're just fine. More than fine!”