Holiday Trilogy Special Edition

by Jamie Hill

  "Perfect." She smiled at him, then ran a hand over his cheek and gave him a kiss. "Um, you clean up nice."

  "Stop that, now, your parents are in the house. No hanky panky allowed."

  "Bullshit," Maddie told him. "We're doing it, even with them down the hall. I may scream out, 'I'm coming' real loud just to see what happens. What can they do? We're married."

  Rob laughed so hard he had to set the suitcase down and stop walking for a moment. "Whatever you say, baby. I'll make you come, and you can take it from there."

  "It's a deal." She ran her tongue around the edge of his ear, then pulled away reluctantly. They picked up the luggage and carried it inside.

  Maddie found it much easier to get along with her parents with Rob and the children there to help carry the conversation. She made baked potatoes and Rob grilled steaks for dinner, and they all had an enjoyable evening. Meg helped them tuck the children in bed, and they sat on the back porch for a little while afterwards.

  "Anybody care for an Oklahoma champagne?" Rob held up a bottle of beer.

  "I believe I would," Michael said, and Rob handed a bottle over.

  "Anyone else?"

  Maddie smiled. "No thanks, sugar."

  "No thank you," Meg said.

  "I'll be right back." Rob went in the kitchen.

  Meg turned to Maddie. "He's a good one, Madison. He's so helpful with the children, and so polite."

  "He's the best. He takes very good care of us."

  Rob returned with his beer and sat in the chair next to Maddie. "My ears were burning. It better have been something good."

  She ran a hand through his hair. "I was just saying how nosy you are."

  He tossed his bottle cap at her and she grabbed it. "Just kidding. I was saying how well you treat me and the kids."

  "Easiest thing I've ever done in my life." He gazed at her lovingly.

  Michael said, "We're very grateful to you. It's good to know Maddie has someone to take care of her."

  "With all due respect, Sir," Rob said "Maddie really doesn't need someone to take care of her. She was doing quite nicely on her own. But thank God, somehow, we found each other. I love her very much."

  Michael sipped his beer and said thoughtfully, "I think this relationship works because each of you thinks that you're the lucky one. So many times people get wrapped up in what they want or what they deserve, that their partner doesn't feel appreciated."

  "Not a problem for us." Maddie put her hand out and Rob held it.

  "Or for us." Meg put her hand on her husband's arm.

  His eyes twinkled as he gazed at her.

  Maddie suddenly looked at them differently. She remembered walking into a room and seeing her parents cuddled together, sharing a bottle of wine. She'd been too wrapped up in her own life back then to realize that her parents had a life, as well.

  As she thought about that, her father said, "I think we should turn in. It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be another one. I bet those children wake up bright and early."

  Rob nodded. "Usually do."

  They all stood up, and Meg said, "Goodnight, then. We'll see you tomorrow."

  They went to their room, while Rob let in Bo and locked up the house.

  Maddie was quiet until they got into their bedroom and shut the door. "Did you see the look they gave each other? Oh, my God!"

  "Oh, yeah!" Rob chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "I bet they're in there doing it right now."

  Maddie grimaced. "Gross!"

  "You don't think your parents should have a sex life?"

  "Not in my house!"

  "Do you still want to have sex with me when we're their age?"

  "That's different."

  He kissed her. "No, it's not. Be glad if they're happy. Lots of people aren't." He kissed her again, then let his mouth move down her neck.

  "I can't do this, thinking about them in the other room!" Maddie complained.

  "You shouldn't be thinking about them, if I do my job correctly." He unbuttoned her blouse.

  "What if we hear them?" She widened her eyes.

  He laughed. "You may have to drown them out. You're young, you can yell louder."

  "Oh my God!" Maddie pouted, until Rob's mouth reached her breast. She repeated, "Oh my God" in another context entirely. She focused on him, and put everything else out of her mind. It wasn't as hard to do as she'd thought. She never heard any noises, and she tried not to make any, either.

  "Chicken," he whispered as she climaxed quietly.

  She merely smiled as her eyes rolled back in her head.

  When she woke the next morning, Maddie heard conversation and smelled breakfast. She yawned and looked at Rob.

  "Good morning, beautiful." He smiled lazily at her.

  "Good morning. Someone's cooking in my kitchen."

  "Maybe your parents are doing it on the kitchen table," he teased.

  Maddie sat up and covered Rob's face with her pillow.

  He laughed and rolled on top of her, tickling her until she begged him to stop. He nuzzled her neck. "You usually don't beg me to stop anything."

  She groaned as he kissed her neck, then ran her hands over his face. "You're a gorgeous man, you know that?"

  "If you say so. I trust you completely." He kissed her gently, and they necked for a few minutes.

  "Happy Thanksgiving," she whispered as they pulled away from each other.

  "Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, cutie pie. Now I'm going to hop in the shower, before you seduce me with your feminine wiles."

  "Aw, damn." Maddie pretended to pout, and he nuzzled her neck before he got out of bed and headed to the shower. "Nice ass," she catcalled him.

  He turned around and walked backward into the bathroom. "Quit checkin' out my butt."

  Maddie licked her lips. "I like this view even better."

  He shook his finger at her. "You are naughty, naughty, naughty." He closed the bathroom door.

  Maddie chuckled and threw her robe on. She stopped and used the bathroom in the hallway before she entered the kitchen. "Good morning everyone."

  "Hi Maddie!" Sophie called. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

  Maddie gave Sophie a hug and kiss. "Happy Thanksgiving, baby doll. Hey Sammy, Stacie." She kissed each of the kids. "Hey Mom. Look at you, making pancakes in my kitchen."

  Meg looked at her. "Hope you don't mind. Sophie said that was their favorite."

  "Mind? No way! Thank you!" She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

  "I believe you have something to show me." Meg looked at her sternly.

  "What?" Maddie was confused.

  Meg shook her head. "Sophie let it slip that you and Rob got matching tattoos. Let's see it."

  "No way!" Maddie grinned and held her robe closed tightly.

  "Show her!" Sophie laughed. "It's pretty!"

  Meg said, "Show me."

  "Oh all right." Maddie lowered the shoulder of her robe and showed the heart to her mother.

  "Good Lord!" Meg ran her finger over the heart. "The little one was kind of pretty. This one is as big as a deck of cards!"

  "And it's pretty, too," Maddie said. "I like the rose and the drops of blood."

  "Hmmm." Meg covered the shoulder up. "I hope you're done with the tattoos."

  Maddie laughed and picked at a pancake. "I probably am, but Rob had the children's names put around his. So if we have any more kids…" She raised her eyebrows.

  Meg's eyes widened. "Are you considering more children?"

  Maddie smiled. She was not only considering it, she needed to pick up a pregnancy test the next time she went to the store. She nodded to her mother and shrugged.

  Meg raised her eyebrows, and turned back to the children. "Who needs more pancakes?"

  Maddie showered and they proceeded to cook their Thanksgiving meal. They planned to eat at three p.m., one big meal for the day. Edward and Andrea Cooper arrived, and they sat in the living room visiting with the Stewarts. Fred and Emma joined them, and Rosa, S
moky and Callie arrived shortly thereafter. Emma and Rosa ended up in the kitchen with Maddie, and the others in the front room chatted while watching the kids and a football game.

  Rob carried a drowsy Stacie into the kitchen. "Mama, I think we might need a nap before we eat."

  "Go ahead and lay her down." Maddie kissed Stacie and ran a hand through Rob's hair. "Thanks, sugar."

  He sniffed around the kitchen. "I'm hungry."

  "Beat it," Rosa scolded.

  "Damn, she's tough." He looked offended and carried the baby out.

  "Bring Rosa her broomstick, why don't you?" Maddie called after him, and as he walked off laughing, she explained to her friends what Rob said to her the day after her accident.

  "That smart ass!" Emma muttered, and they chuckled.

  "He is," Maddie agreed.

  "You had every right to be cranky. You were in a car wreck, for Pete's sake!" Rosa said.

  Maddie chuckled. "I was Uber-cranky. I'm not sure 'cranky' is a harsh enough word for the way I was. The seriousness of what had happened hit me that next day, and I guess I freaked out. Fortunately, I have the world's best husband, and he got me through it."

  Rosa peeked in the front room and then back at Maddie. "So, how is it with the parents? They treating you okay?"

  "Yeah, they're fine."

  Rob passed back through and said, "They're horny, though. We think they did it in the guest room last night."

  Emma put her hands on her hips. "So what? You believe anybody older than you shouldn't have sex?"

  Rob raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm all for it. I hope to be going well into my nineties. Maddie just got grossed out, is all."

  Maddie made a face at Emma. "They're my parents!"

  Rosa and Maddie both said, "Ewww," together, and Emma laughed. Maddie picked a walnut out of a salad sitting in front of her and nibbled on it. She looked at Rob. "So only into your nineties, huh?"

  He shrugged and grinned. "Check back with me in a few years, granny. I'll let you know."

  Rob carved the turkey in the kitchen before they sat down. It was his first time, and he didn't want everyone staring at him. They ended up watching anyway, with his father, father-in-law and Smoky all giving pointers. Rob looked at Fred. "No advice from you?"

  Fred smiled and shook his head. "You're doing fine. You're about as skilled a man as I know."

  "Ooh, I think so too." Maddie patted Rob's butt in front of everybody.

  His face got red and he looked at her. "Do you see this really big knife in my hand? You might make me hurt myself."

  "I'm sorry." She crinkled her nose at him. "I'll leave so you won't be distracted."

  He shook his head and proceeded to carve.

  "How can you see the turkey with your hair in your face like that?" his mother asked.

  "Maddie likes my hair, Mother. In this house, what she says goes."

  Michael looked at his wife. "That's pretty much the rule at whatever house Maddie's in, isn't it?"

  His wife chuckled and nodded agreement.

  They turkey was carved and the food served. They all sat down, interspersing children with grandparents who could help them eat. The conversation was lively and the meal a success.

  "This is wonderful, Maddie!" Emma told her hostess.

  "It sure is," several others agreed, and they talked and ate.

  Maddie almost missed hearing the phone ring.

  "Is that the phone?" She looked at Rob.

  "Yeah, I think." He was cutting Sam's turkey. "Want me to get it?"

  "No, I can." She rose from the table. "Who could it be? Everyone we know is here." She grabbed the cordless phone and said, "Hello?"

  Maddie frowned. "Who is this? What? Slow down, I can't understand you."

  Rob looked at her.

  The table conversation grew quiet as Maddie spoke. "Matt, is that you? Matt…Mattie, calm down. What's wrong?" She looked at her parents.

  They stared at her.

  Tears streamed down Maddie's face.

  Michael stood up.

  "Hang on Mattie, Daddy's here…" She held out the phone. "Daddy, something's wrong."

  Michael took the phone. "Matthew? What is it?" He stepped into the hallway for privacy.

  Meg pushed away from the table and followed him.

  Rob looked at Maddie. "What happened?"

  She shook her head. "I don't know, but he's sobbing."

  Rob nodded toward the hall, urging her to go to her parents.

  Maddie went after them.

  They'd gone to their room, and Maddie stopped in the doorway. Her mother stared out the window. Her father talked as tears rolled down his face. "Okay, son. I understand. Matt, it wasn't your fault. These things happen. No, Matt! Don't say that! Listen to me, Marsha needs you now. Take care of her and Melly. We'll get the next flight out of here and be home as soon as we can. Go to the house if you want. We'll call you when we know when we'll be home. Be strong, Matthew." He broke down and added, "We love you, son. Okay, goodbye." He clicked the phone off and stared at it.

  Meg continued to stare through the window. "You said take care of Marsha and Melly. So it's Marcy. What's happened to our Marcy?"

  He sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed. Meg broke down and her shoulders shook. Maddie didn't know what to do, so she just stood there.

  Michael finally said in a broken voice, "They were at Marsha's parent's house, and the girls wanted to play outside after dinner. Matt said it's warm today, almost sixty. They were playing with a ball and it got away from Marcy. She chased it out into the street…" He broke down again, shoulders sagging.

  Meg turned and looked at him. "Is she alive?"

  Sobbing, he shook his head.

  "Oh my God!" Meg fainted.

  Maddie ran to catch her. She screamed, "Rob!"

  He was there in a flash. He helped get Meg to the bed and laid her down. Rob grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, wet it, and brought it for Meg's forehead. He closed the bedroom door as he came in.

  "Marcy," Meg cried painfully.

  "My niece," Maddie whispered.

  Rob nodded.

  Michael said, "She was hit by a car. The driver was a neighbor. He's traumatized, he never saw her. She died instantly."

  "Oh my God!" Maddie kept the cool cloth on her mother's head and grabbed Rob with her free hand.

  "How old was she?" Rob whispered.

  "Four," Michael answered dully. "Four years old. Can you believe it? Oh, Jesus!" His shoulders shook and Maddie sat down and hugged him.

  "I'm so sorry, Daddy."

  He clung to her and sobbed.

  Rob knelt next to Meg and wiped her forehead with the cloth. "This really sucks," he murmured.

  "Yeah, it does," Michael added. "Oh, Jesus, I've got to get our plane reservations switched. We need to get home."

  "Let me handle that." Rob stood. "Do you have your reservation information for tomorrow? I'll call and switch it to the first available flight out."

  "Yes." Michael dug in his suitcase and pulled out the sheet of paper. "Thank you."

  "Sure." Rob headed out and Maddie followed him. "Rob, make the reservations for three."

  He nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

  "I do, but you can't. I need you here to take care of things. I wouldn't be comfortable if we both left."

  "I understand." They got to the table, where everyone sat quietly waiting, their faces showing concern. Only the children ate.

  Maddie said, "Apparently, my four-year-old niece was hit by a car today and killed, back in Hartford."

  Everyone gasped, and murmured sympathies.

  "My parents and I are going to fly out as soon as we can."

  Rob held up their flight schedule. "I need to see what's available."

  Edward Cooper stood up. "Let me take care of that for you, Robert."

  "Thanks, Dad. They need their reservations changed, and Maddie needs a flight out with them."

  He took the paper and
pulled out his glasses. "I'll use the phone in your office."

  Rob nodded and looked at Maddie "I'll get your suitcase. You start getting your stuff together. Mom, why don't you see if you can help Meg pack?"

  "Of course." Andrea set her napkin on the table and got to her feet.

  Emma said, "We'll start cleaning this up."

  Rob told her, "Thank you. Divide up that food and take most of it home. We won't eat that much." He squeezed Sophie's shoulders. "Can you help mind the kids for a little bit?"

  "Sure, Daddy." Sophie nodded, tears in her eyes. She looked at Maddie. "Was she nice?"

  Maddie looked at Sophie. "Marcy? I suppose so, sugar. I never met her. But she was only four."

  "That's so sad."

  "Yeah, it is." Maddie hugged Sophie.

  "Punkin pie!" Sam slapped the table in front of him.

  "I'm sorry, sweetie." Maddie kissed the top of his head. "Maybe Smoky can fix you and him and Fred some pumpkin pie. I know you've been waiting for it."

  Sophie looked up shyly. "Could I have pie, too?"

  Maddie chuckled. "You bet. Cut a piece for daddy, too. He's gonna want it, later."

  She went back to the guest room where Andrea was helping Meg pack, and Edward handed some information to Michael. "Your flight leaves in three hours. As soon as you're packed, we'll drop you at the airport on our way home."

  "Thank you." Michael shook his hand. He looked at the paper. "Three tickets?"

  Maddie said, "I'm going with you."

  Her parents both looked at her, and nodded. "Thank you, Maddie." Meg sniffled and wiped her face again.

  "I'm going to pack right now." She went to her room.

  Rob came in with the suitcase and closed the door.

  Maddie slid into his arms and sobbed.

  "Damn it!" he muttered. "Why does this bad shit keep happening?"

  "This is extra bad," Maddie whispered. "She was so little, so innocent…"

  "Your brother and his wife must be devastated."

  "I can't begin to imagine," she replied. "He was so hateful to me the last time I was there. I'm really not sure how this is going to work. But I know I have to go. I need to be there for them."

  "God damn it, Maddie, I want to be there for you."

  "I know." She clung to him. "But you're doing what needs to be done right here." She pulled back and looked at him. "And you'll be with me." She patted her chest over her heart. "Always."