A Very Terry Christmas: A Snow Globe Christmas Book 1

by Jacki James

  “Amazing why?” he asked, sounding suspicious.

  “Amazing because we can build a snowman!”

  “You’re insane if you think I’m going out to play in the snow like a little kid.”

  “Who says playing in the snow is only for little kids? I love the snow.”

  “Of course you do,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  “Please,” I said giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

  “You are going to owe me big after this.” He tried to look serious and stern, but I just laughed.

  “Really? And what do you want in payment for this great sacrifice you’re making this day?”

  He walked to the window and looked out, rubbing his chin in an exaggerated fashion. “Hmm, what do I want? I mean, it is cold out there, right? And that snow looks wet.” He shook his head and let out a deep sigh. “How about a cup of hot cocoa, a nice warm shower for two, followed by you naked in my bed?”

  “You drive a pretty hard bargain, Mr. Stavros, but I suppose I can agree to those terms.”

  “We could just skip the snowman and go straight to the you naked in bed part.”

  “Or we could go to your house. You know, the one with the gorgeous yard and create an amazing snow family.”

  “Whoa, when did it go from a snowman to a snow family?”

  “Just now,” I said with a grin. “Let’s get dressed and go. The trick to great snowman making is to have more than one pair of gloves so when your hands get wet and cold, you can swap. But don’t worry, I have all the snowman accessories, as well as extra gloves.”

  “I’m sure you do,” he said, and I shot him a glare. He put his hands up in surrender. “I’ll bow to your superior experience in this matter since I haven’t made a snowman in like, twenty years.”

  I gasped and looked at him. “That is so sad. But that’s okay, we’re going to fix that right now.”

  “Can I at least have coffee and breakfast first?”

  “If you must, but we’re stopping and buying it on the way to your house, not taking the time to make it. We can go to the bakery.”

  “And get kolaches? Cause I really liked those kolaches you brought.”

  “If that’s what it takes to get you building snowmen, then kolaches it is.”

  By the time we got dressed, and picked up breakfast and coffee, the snow had stopped, but Nico’s yard was beautiful. It looked like a Christmas card. We had taken his car to his house, and when we drove up, he paused in the road in front of the house. “Wow, it really is fantastic looking. I need to get a picture and send it to Jacob. He’ll love the way it turned out.”

  “I think it’s great that you two were able to stay friends, all things considered.”

  “I do, too. He isn’t a bad guy at all, we just weren’t right for each other. We wanted different things out of life and out of a relationship. We both knew it before we decided to buy this house, so when he got a new job offer, it only made sense for him to go.”

  “You were moving, anyway. Did you think about just going with him?”

  “No, I didn’t. But it’s a great job, and I’m happy for him. I hope he finds what he was looking for. Now, how about you teach me the fine art of snowman building.”

  We spent the next couple of hours rolling balls and stacking them. I grabbed the box of hats and scarves out of the car, and we dressed up our snowmen. “They are cute, but they’re missing something,” I said, stepping back to look at them. “Did I tell you I’d decided to go ahead and get one of the puppies Justus was telling us about?”

  “No, you didn’t. I think that’s a good idea, though. I’ve never had a dog.”

  “Me either, but I was looking at his webpage the other day and he posted a bunch of puppy pictures. Now I have to have one. And in honor of my fur baby to be… these snowmen need a dog.”

  “A dog?”

  “Yes, a dog.”

  “How are we going to make a dog?”

  “Watch and learn, Nico, watch and learn.”

  It didn’t go fast and it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped it would be, but by the time we finished, we tied a scarf around a somewhat cute snow creature that I thought looked more like a dog than any other animal.

  “Okay, snowmen… done,” Nico said. “Now on to hot chocolate, a shower, and you naked in my bed.”

  “I suppose.” I sighed dramatically. “I mean, a deal’s a deal.” I walked slowly toward the house until I was a few feet past him. “Last one in the house has to top,” I yelled back as I took off running.

  Chapter 13

  Nicolas

  My parents arrived the day before Christmas Eve, with Rhea and the kids in tow. It was so good to see everyone, and I was excited to introduce them to Terry. I really thought my mom especially was going to like him. He’d been a little nervous about being there when they arrived, but I wanted him to see how much they loved what he’d done to the house. He’d worked hard on it and hadn’t been able to be there on the house tour to hear everyone go on and on about how amazing it looked. He’d brought fresh flowers to replace any that weren’t looking their best, which left the house looking every bit as amazing today as it had for the tour.

  I introduced them and then we showed them around. In a matter of minutes, I could tell they liked him by the approving looks they kept sending my way. Once we had made it through the whole house, we stopped in the great room.

  “Oh, Nico, these are like the cups your Yaya had. Where did you find them?”

  “I got them online. They reminded me of her,” I said. My mother pulled me into a hug and then patted my cheek.

  “You’re a good boy, Nico. Now, Terry, tell me about all the flowers you have in here. I know flowers have meaning, but I’m not familiar with the ones in the foyer.”

  “Nico,” Rhea said. “You help me get the stuff out of the SUV while they get to know each other. You won’t believe all the stuff she brought.” We did that while the kids ran around checking everything out. “I hope they don’t break anything. This is all so beautiful.”

  “Don’t worry about it, sis. There’s nothing here that’s a family heirloom or that cost a fortune. If they break something, it’s no big deal—seriously.” It was actually wonderful to have the kids here. They had the same joy and excitement that Terry had. I smiled thinking about how excited he’d been when they’d turned on the Christmas lights on the town tree. I bet the kids would’ve loved that.

  “If you’re sure, some of this stuff looks expensive.”

  I was just about to say I was sure when one of the twins came rushing in carrying Terry’s snow globe. “Look, Mom, it’s like the small ones dad brought us when he came home last time. Except it’s huge.” He gripped the base with both hands and flipped it upside down clumsily and started to shake it.”

  “Crap,” I said under my breath. “Nothing except that.” I rushed to where he stood vigorously shaking the snow globe up and down. I gently took it from his hands, being sure to let him know he didn’t do anything wrong. “This belongs to my friend Terry. It was his grandmother’s. Why don’t we set it up here on the counter? I’ll wind it up for you so you can hear the song. There’s even a train inside that moves when the music plays.”

  “A train, really?”

  “Yep, a train,” Terry said as he came into the kitchen. “When I was a little boy, this was my favorite Christmas decoration. I would sit for hours and watch the train go round and round. Want to see?”

  “Yes,” all three said excitedly as they climbed up on the bar stools to watch.

  Terry wound the music and then shook the snow globe. Then he set it down and watched them as they watched the train.

  “Your mom and dad went to unpack their stuff. I like your mom.”

  “I thought you two would get along.”

  They watched until the snow settled and the music stopped. “Again, again,” Destiny said.

  “One more time, and then you go play while I get a chance to catch up with Uncle Nico,” Rhea
said as Terry wound it up again. When the music stopped, Rhea waved the kids off to play and plopped down on a stool. “Man, I’m wiped out.”

  “I bet you are. I know you’ll be glad when William gets home.”

  “I will be, that’s for sure. It isn’t normally that bad; we’re mostly used to it, but with it being the holidays and knowing they’re disappointed he won’t be home, I’ve been trying to keep them busy. You can’t believe how excited I was when Mom suggested we come here. It gave them something fun to think about. Although, I kind of expected to have to run to the store and get a tree and decorations for it, so this is a pleasant surprise.”

  “This was all Terry,” I told her, pulling him to me. “He was a lifesaver this year. Did Mom tell you my house was actually on the Avana Springs’ Christmas Tour of Homes?”

  “No, but I bet there is a story behind that.” I started to tell her it was the real estate agent’s idea when we heard squealing from the great room. We got up and went in there to see what all the excitement was about. All three kids were standing at the window looking out back.

  “It’s a whole family, look!” Destiny said. “There are two grown snowmen and a puppy.”

  She turned around looking for something. “Uncle Nico, where’s your puppy?”

  “I don’t have one, sweetie, but Terry is planning to get one soon.”

  “I want a puppy, but Daddy’s lergic.”

  “My mom was allergic to dogs, too,” Terry told her.

  “Maybe when I’m a grown up, I can get one.”

  “Maybe so, but in the meantime, we can do like I did earlier and make one out of snow. If that’s okay with you,” he said, looking at Rhea.

  “It’s perfectly fine with me. They’ll love it. Run and put your coats, boots, and gloves back on, and then you can go play.”

  All three kids ran toward the mudroom where they’d shed their coats earlier. “I really am sorry, Rhea. I should have asked you before I said anything. I got a little excited about the idea and didn’t think.”

  “It really is okay, Terry. It’ll be good for them to get to play in the snow, and maybe it’ll wear them out, so they’ll sleep tonight.”

  He grabbed his coat and gloves, as well, and as soon as the kids were ready, they tromped out the back door and followed him out to our snowmen. I stood at the window and watched them play. They had started with a snowball fight because, of course they did. What else would Terry start with? He was allowing himself to be pummeled by snowballs to protect our snowmen, and the kids were having a ball.

  “He’s a really nice guy,” Rhea said.

  “He is,” I agreed. “I’ve never known anyone like him.” They had moved on to snow angels, and he was down on the ground with them. “He did all the decorating in the house. You know how clueless I am about Christmas, but he pulled it together for me.”

  “I still don’t understand why you agreed to do it in the first place.”

  “My real estate agent suggested it. He thought it would be good for me to get some traffic in the house before we put it on the market next spring.”

  “Are you selling the house?”

  “That was the plan back in October.”

  “And now?”

  “Now I don’t know. Things have changed. Avana Springs is kind of growing on me.”

  “Avana Springs? Or Terry Sullivan?”

  “Both.”

  “He’s crazy about you. You realize that, right? He looks at you the same way you look at him. I think it’s sweet.”

  “You think what’s sweet?” my mother asked, walking up to look out the window.

  “Nico and Terry,” Rhea said. “I think the way they look at each other is sweet.”

  “Did the kids build those snowmen?”

  “No, Mama, Nico and Terry built them yesterday.”

  “You built a snowman?” she asked, and I nodded yes.

  “And a snow dog,” Rhea added.

  “Terry decorated the house, and got you to play in the snow?” my mother asked, one eyebrow raised.

  “Don’t make too much out of it, Mom. We haven’t even known each other for a full month, yet.”

  “So, what does that have to do with anything? I met your father on a Sunday. He was shipping out two weeks later, so we got married before he left. When you know, you just know, you know?”

  “I guess,” I answered, because it would do no good to argue with my mother. Not only was she a hopeless romantic, but she was a strong believer in fate.

  “Now don’t get me wrong, I liked Jacob just fine, but I never thought he was the man for you… Not that it was for me to say,” she added, completely ignoring the fact that she did say so and often. I loved my mother, but minding her own business was not one of her strong suits.

  “Yeah, but Nico never looked at Jacob the way he looks at Terry,” Rhea insisted.

  “And how is that exactly?” I asked, all the while wondering why I let myself get pulled into these conversations.

  “Like he's special. Like you would stay in small town Avana Springs with no regrets if it meant you got to keep him.”

  I was deciding what to say when Terry looked up and saw us watching him. He grinned and waved. I smiled and waved back. “You know, to be honest, there probably isn’t much I wouldn’t do if it meant I got to keep him.”

  Chapter 14

  Terry

  A couple of days after Christmas, I was sitting in a small kennel surrounded by puppies.

  “How am I supposed to choose? They’re all so darn cute.”

  “They are. No idea what they’ll look like when they grow up, but the mom is some kind of terrier mix.”

  “She’s a sweetie, too.”

  “Yeah, no one is sure where she came from. The woman who brought her in found her living under an abandoned house. She realized she was pregnant and was worried about the puppies with winter coming, so she brought her here.”

  “Poor, Mama,” I cooed, petting her. I looked at the eight little puppies running around the floor playing. They ran and jumped, tumbling over one another. I wasn’t sure how to pick. They were all equally cute, and their personalities were all different, but I didn’t know what made one dog a better fit than another. “What will you do with her?”

  “Once the pups are gone and her milk has completely dried up, I’ll have her spayed, and then we’ll find her a home. It shouldn’t be hard. She’s a small dog and isn’t very old. We always have people looking for smaller dogs.”

  I picked up the little black and white one that had seemed the most curious and looked it in its cute little face. “Are you a boy dog or a girl dog?” I asked, then turned to Justus. “Does it matter? Do I want a boy or a girl or do I care?”

  “I think you’re safe to pick whichever one you want, regardless. They aren’t purebred dogs, and you aren’t planning to enter shows or breed the dog, so it shouldn’t matter. It’s easy enough to tell though, if you want to know.”

  “I’ll look after I pick,” I proclaimed. I picked up another one that had a little brown mixed in. It had been much more laid back, still friendly, but not as insistent that I give it attention. I saw benefits to both personalities.

  “I really like these two, maybe I should get one and see if I could talk Nico into getting the other since I can’t choose.”

  “I already tried. Even pointed out how perfect his yard was for a dog, but he said since he was planning to sell the house and move back to the city, it wouldn’t be fair to a dog to keep it cooped up in an apartment.”

  I froze. “He said he couldn’t get a dog because he was moving back to the city?” I asked to clarify. I tried to run through our conversations. Had Nico ever said he was going back to the city? No. I would remember if he had said that. Because if he wasn’t staying here in Avana Springs, what the hell were we doing here, anyway? I loved it here and I couldn’t leave. But he didn’t even tell me he was going, which means he wasn’t asking me to leave. Fuck.

  “Terry!”
Justus said, shaking me. “Take a breath.” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Again.” I did as he said and took another deep breath. “Shit, he didn’t tell you he wasn’t staying?”

  I took another breath and as I let it out, I shook my head and said, “No.”

  “Damn. Maybe I misunderstood.” I could see he knew he didn’t, but I appreciated him trying to be nice.

  “No, I’m pretty sure I’m the one who misunderstood. A lot of things, apparently. You know what, I think the puppy is going to have to wait a day or two. I need to go talk to Nico.” The shock gave way to a mixture of embarrassment for having it so wrong, and fury, because I had no doubt he knew how I felt and how dare he not tell me he wasn’t staying in town.

  “I’ll hold on to both the two you liked until you’re ready to choose.”

  “Thanks, Justus.”

  All the way from the shelter to Nico’s house, I ran over the last month. From that first encounter to meeting his family. Shit, his family. They had been so nice. They were exactly what I’d always wanted my family to be. He was exactly what I always wanted my partner to be. Dammit. I pulled in the driveway, got out and slammed the door. I hadn’t knocked on Nico’s door in a couple of weeks, but somehow, just going in seemed wrong. I rang the bell and waited.

  He pulled the door open, a confused look on his face. “The door wasn’t locked,” he said, stepping back so I could come in. But I didn’t move. Now that I was here, I didn’t know what to say. I felt my eyes water and realized I was about to cry. And Oh Hell No, that wasn’t happening. I didn’t say a word, I just turned around and headed back toward my car.

  “Terry,” he called. “What are you doing? Terry!” I just kept going until he grabbed my arm, stopping me. “What’s wrong, baby? I can tell you’re upset.”

  I let out a wry laugh. It was either laugh or cry, and I was not going to cry. Not over Nico. I turned to look at him. “When were you going to tell me? Or were you even going to? Maybe I would’ve just come over one day and the house would be empty, and you would be gone.”