Dean thought it sounded like he’d have to wait another twenty-four hours before kissing her again and it didn’t sound appealing at all. Beside him, Maya was already chatting about what other kinds of cookies they could make beside the chocolate chip.
They all walked out of the community center together – waving to Kathy as they left - and by the time they were at their cars, he had resigned himself to the wait. He got Maya settled into her booster seat before turning to Abby.
“So...”
“So...” she repeated with a shy smile.
He stepped in close to her and was relieved that she didn’t move away. “Should I apologize for kissing you earlier?”
Her head tilted as she studied him. “That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you intend to do it again.”
That was...cryptic. “So let’s say I planned on kissing you again...that would mean...”
Abby laughed softly. “That would mean that no apology was necessary.” She paused. “And just for the record, I’d be totally on board with you kissing me again.”
Relief swamped him as he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, he gave her a sheepish grin. “I would love to do more but...”
“Understood,” she said softly. “I guess I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Have a good night, Abby.” After she wished him one as well, he watched her walk away and thought about how this was a damn good night indeed.
Four
Standing at Dean’s front door the next night, Abby wondered – not for the first time – just what exactly she was doing.
Dean’s kiss had shocked the hell out of her – but she recovered quickly. The man kissed better than her fantasies about him and if Maya hadn’t interrupted them, she just might have wrapped herself around him completely and refused to let go.
Probably not a good thing.
This was an incredibly delicate and complicated situation. It wasn’t just the two of them. Maya was a key factor and no matter how much Abby wanted to be with Dean, Maya’s needs and well-being had to come first.
This would all be fairly easy to deal with if Dean hadn’t been such a great kisser. Unfortunately, he was, and it was going to be a major distraction. Maybe she shouldn’t have come. Or maybe she’d have to find an excuse to leave early. Or maybe...
“Are you gonna come inside?” Maya asked when she pulled the front door open. She was looking at Abby quizzically. “Uncle Dean said you were just standing out here and we should wait for you to ring the bell but I thought maybe you didn’t know that we had a bell.”
“I was just...um...I was standing here thinking that I hoped I remembered all the ingredients for the cookies,” Abby said confidently and almost sagged with relief when Maya didn’t question her. The kid certainly had a knack for being intuitive.
Stepping into the house, Abby went right to the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Dean stirring something on the stove. “Smells good,” she said, placing her grocery bags down on the counter. “What are we having?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs. Maya said it’s her favorite and that’s pretty lucky because it’s one of the few things I can make,” Dean said to her, smiling and looking relaxed.
“I’m just going to put some of this...” Dean swooped in and kissed her soundly. When he lifted his head, she felt a little dizzy. “Wow.”
“I know,” he murmured and placed one more kiss on her cheek before moving away.
Her heart was beating a little erratically and she wanted to kick herself. How crazy was it that one little kiss in the middle of a kitchen could turn her so upside down? Crazy and pathetic, she chided herself. Maya popped up in front of her and broke her out of her mental dialogue.
“Is that all the ingredients for the cookies?” she asked anxiously.
“Sure is! We’re going to make chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies tonight. And we have colored sugar sprinkles to decorate the sugar cookies with.”
“Really?” Maya asked. “Did you bring cookie cutters too?”
Damn. Why hadn’t she thought of that? “Not this time. I thought for our first time baking we’d stick to regular round cookies. We’ll go shopping and find some fun Christmas ones after Thanksgiving.”
That seemed to satisfy her and for the next few minutes, they chatted about what it took to bake cookies while Dean quietly worked beside them getting their dinner ready. As Abby looked around the kitchen, she couldn’t help but get caught up in the domesticity of it all. Here they were, all working together to put a meal and dessert together and really, it was a lot of fun. Maya’s chatter filled any lull in the conversation but she had so much enthusiasm for everything she was saying that Abby couldn’t help but get excited with her.
“So after we eat and clean up the dinner dishes, we’ll spread out on the kitchen table with our baking sheets and rolling pins and get started,” Abby was saying.
“How long will it take to make them?”
“I’d say it will take us about an hour before we’ll have some cookies coming out of the oven. So that will give us plenty of time to relax and give our tummies a rest after this delicious dinner your uncle is making for us!”
“It’s my favorite,” Maya said proudly.
Beside her, Dean chuckled. “You also said that about cheeseburgers, strawberry milkshakes, pizza and the ham sandwich you had for lunch yesterday. You have a lot of favorites,” he teased.
Nodding, Maya looked at Abby. “I really do. But they’re all so good that I can’t pick just one.”
Chuckling, Abby nodded. “Can I help with anything?”
“You and Maya can set the table and everything here should be ready in about five minutes.” They all worked together and – just as he’d said – they were sitting down at the table a few minutes later.
Over dinner, they talked about a dozen different topics – mostly initiated by Maya – that ranged from food to dancing to Christmas and her wish list. Abby was amazed that her list wasn’t longer – most kids had about a dozen different things on it, but Maya’s list had been short and precise.
A second set of ballet clothes.
A new coat.
And a doll that was a ballerina.
Both Abby and Dean were silent for a moment and before Abby could even comment on her list, Maya was talking again.
“I saw one that had a red ballet dress and one that wears all pink like we do for our classes. Either one of those would be great. I’ve got my list all ready to send to Santa.” She looked at Dean. “Can you put it in the mail for me?”
He nodded. “Of course. You know, we could go to the mall tomorrow and see Santa in person and then you can give him the letter yourself.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really? We can see Santa in person?”
Abby sat there in disbelief. What had Maya’s young life been like before her mother died? It seemed like so many things that most people take for granted – baking cookies or sitting on Santa’s lap – were completely foreign to her! There was no way she could say anything – especially not right now – and maybe it wasn’t polite to ask Dean what the hell was wrong with his sister, but...that’s exactly what Abby was thinking!
Dean looked over at her and it was like he could read her mind. The look he gave her said that he was equally offended and she had no choice but to force herself to calm down.
The rest of the dinner was fairly pleasant and then they all worked together to clean up so they could start working on the cookies. Abby had to say, it was a lot messier when you were doing it with an enthusiastic child. Dean wasn’t taking part in baking, but he was certainly busy cleaning up around Maya who’d dropped flour and sugar and was almost covered in it herself.
When they were ready to put the first two pans in the oven, Abby had a suggestion. “Tell you what, Maya Papaya...why don’t you go and take a super quick shower while these bake so you’ll be all clean when we’re r
eady to eat them? Can you do that?”
Her response was a very exuberant “Yes!” right before she ran from the room.
Dean chuckled. “That was brilliant thinking,” he said. “I’ll be back in a few. I need to get her set up in there and make sure she has a towel and clean pajamas with her.”
“Take your time. We have twelve minutes of baking but I’ll wait five minutes before putting them in to give her a little extra time. I don’t want Maya to miss seeing them come out of the oven.”
Without a word, Dean walked over to her and kissed her gently on the lips before turning to go help Maya.
Abby thought to herself that she would have to start coming up with plenty of brilliant ideas if her reward was a kiss from Dean.
****
Maya was so excited about the cookies that she didn’t argue with him at all about taking a shower. Normally she preferred a bath but tonight, she was all about getting clean quickly. He turned on the water in the shower, got her clean pajamas and a towel and then helped her in. He didn’t go far because he knew she’d need help washing her hair – something that he was learning to do for her.
All in all, it only took about ten minutes and she chatted the entire time about the cookies – retelling him everything she and Abby did to make them. Who would have thought that baking cookies could make such an impression?
Quickly drying her off, he helped her into her pajamas and quickly combed her hair; with its natural curliness, there wasn’t much to do with it except let it dry on its own. When they walked back into the kitchen, Dean saw that Abby had cleaned up some more and she smiled when she spotted them.
Damn. He really did enjoy looking at her and seeing her in his home, his kitchen. It just felt...right.
“Are you ready to take the cookies out?” Abby asked.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Maya cried as she jumped up and down. “Are you sure they’re done? How long will it take for them to cool off? How many am I allowed to eat?”
“One question at a time, Maya,” Dean commented. Then he simply stood back and let the two of them work together to take the pans out of the oven. Abby had on the oven mitts and when she pulled out the first tray, she held it so that Maya could see how the cookies looked and how you could tell that they were done. She placed the tray down on top of the stove and then pulled out the second sheet and placed it beside it.
“I have special racks that we use to help the cookies cool. These pans are very hot so I don’t want you to get too close to them. I’ll move the cookies to the racks and then we’ll get ready to put the next batch in the oven, okay?”
Maya nodded and watched as Abby did what she’d just explained. Ten minutes later, the next batch of cookies were going in the oven. That was the last of the cookie dough and while that batch baked, Abby and Maya worked together to clean up the kitchen. Dean had offered to help, but Abby told him that it was important for Maya to learn the importance of cleaning up. Surprisingly, his niece didn’t argue.
The kitchen was clean, the entire house smelled of freshly baked cookies and Dean felt happier than he had in a long time. Maybe his father had been right; maybe he and Maya really did need each other. Life had certainly gotten a lot more demanding but...he was beginning to see all of the unexpected benefits to that. Besides the bonding he and Maya were doing, Dean was getting involved in the community more and...he had Abby.
Well, he didn’t have her. Not like that. Not yet anyway. But...he was really enjoying their time together and was anxious to see where it was all going to lead.
“Uncle Dean, are you going to have milk with your cookies too?”
He chuckled. “Of course! You can’t have cookies without milk!”
That seemed to please her and she worked with Abby to get another glass down from the cabinet and then went and got the milk from the refrigerator. In minutes, they were all seated around the table and enjoying warm, freshly-baked cookies.
Dean noticed the anxious look on Abby’s face as she watched Maya.
“So?” she asked. “What do you think? Do you like warm cookies?”
Maya nodded her head vigorously. “These are the best cookies! I love them like this! They are my favorite!”
“Uh-oh,” Dean said dramatically. “Another favorite food? How am I supposed to keep up with this?”
Maya giggled uncontrollably at his comment and Dean had to admit, he loved the sound of her laughter. Soon they were all laughing and that was even better. For far too long his house had been quiet. Empty. Almost void of life. And now? Here he was sitting at the kitchen table with two amazing females who made him happy. How great of a gift was that?
Once their laughter died down, they finished eating the cookies – not all of the cookies, just the amount that Abby had plated for them. It was late, almost nine o’clock, which was Maya’s bedtime. She thanked Abby for teaching her to bake cookies and then kissed her goodnight. Dean picked her up and carried her down the hall to her room.
“Do you want a story tonight?” he asked.
“Can Abby read one to me?”
“We can ask,” he said, placing her down on the bed. “Why don’t you pick a book and I’ll go ask her?”
“Okay!”
Walking back to the kitchen, he saw Abby cleaning up again. “You know you don’t have to keep doing that. It was already pretty clean in here.”
Abby shrugged and smiled at him. “I needed something to do while you got Maya ready for bed. Is she asleep already?”
Dean couldn’t help but laugh. “That would be something,” he teased. “Actually, she wanted to know if you’d read her a story tonight. We’ve been doing that almost every night and so...”
“I would love to,” she replied, quickly drying her hands. Walking down to Maya’s room, Dean watched as Abby sat down on the bed and took the book his niece had picked out and smiled.
He stood in the doorway quietly and just watched and listened. A month ago, he never could have imagined this being his life. He had no idea that he’d be enjoying the sound of a child’s laugh or listening to a beautiful woman read a children’s book, and yet...here he was.
He understood now. The things he couldn’t wrap his brain around while dealing with his parents back in Pennsylvania, it all made sense now. It would have been the wrong decision for them to take Maya. She needed a lot of attention and she had boundless energy and really, she needed someone who needed and wanted her. Sometimes it was hard to understand why life handed you some of the curves that it did and sometimes you were lucky enough to get that understanding and have peace with it.
Making a mental note to call his parents the next day, he noticed that Maya was asleep – and Abby was barely at the halfway point in the book. He gave her a thumbs up and watched as she gingerly climbed from the bed and walked quietly across the room to him.
“I can’t believe she fell asleep so fast,” she whispered.
“She has two speeds – full throttle and out cold,” Dean said quietly. Reaching for Abby’s hand, he turned out the light and led her out of the room and to the living room. “Can I get you something to drink?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks.”
They sat down and for a moment, simply enjoyed the quiet.
“Thank you for all that you did tonight,” he finally said. “I’m sure you could tell how much it meant to Maya. And to me. I guess...sometimes it’s hard for me to understand how much she’s missed out on because my sister...” He stopped and shook his head. He didn’t want to go there.
“Like I’ve said before, I grew up with a single mom and sometimes there were things we just didn’t do because we couldn’t. But there were plenty of things that we did do that made a lasting impression and I’m sure there are going to be times when Maya’s going to remember them and want to share them.”
Dean gave a low, mirthless laugh. “I hate to say it, but I don’t think my sister did a whole lot with Maya. At first, she was so distraught over losing her husban
d that she was barely holding on by a thread. My parents stayed with her and I went and stayed with her. Maya was just a baby. Then she seemed to be doing better and we all sort of relaxed and went back to our own lives. We saw each other for holidays and whatnot, but I didn’t realize just how bad things were until I showed up the morning that Karen died. There were things that Maya said and it didn’t take long for me to realize that she was fairly self-sufficient.”
Dammit. He really hadn’t meant to get into all of this. Not when he finally had Abby alone.
She was still holding his hand, caressing it with her other. “You learn to be that way. Not only because a parent is neglectful – because mine wasn’t – but you do it because you want to be helpful. It makes you feel like you’re helping. My mom was always so tired from working two jobs that I wanted to learn to do stuff so I could help her.”
“I wish I could say it was the same for Maya, but it wasn’t. Unfortunately, she spent more time with the sitter than she spent with Karen. It kills me. I swear, every time I think I’m okay with it or that I’m used to it, Maya will say something that just breaks my heart all over again.” He looked up at her sadly. “I hate that I wasn’t there more or that I didn’t know just how bad it all was for her.”
“But you’re here now,” Abby reminded him. “And you’re working so hard to make a good life for her. I can see such a difference in Maya. She’s chatty and friendly and...I’ll admit that she doesn’t talk a whole lot about her mom, but she talks about you and all of the things the two of you are going to do together. What you’re doing for her – with her – means a lot. You’re doing a great job.”
He wished he could believe her. Shaking his head, the only thing Dean knew was that this was not the conversation he wanted to have, so he did his best to change the subject.
“I’m really glad that you’re here, Abby. And not just because of Maya, but...for me too. I can’t believe that it took me so long to get to know you.”
Christmas On Pointe (A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella) Page 6