by Anthology
Wiping the salty tears from my face, I grabbed his hand. "Thank you."
He smiled as if it was nothing to thank him for. "I love you," he mouthed before getting ready to turn away once again.
"Wait! It’s your turn."
"We can wait. Let me get breakfast started for you guys."
My long hair swished as I shook my head. "Jase, should we let Daddy open a gift?"
A tiny gasp left Jase’s mouth. He darted up from the floor and ran toward us. "Daddy prise!" Jase threw his arms around Aidan.
"See!" I told Aidan.
"All right, all right." Aidan chuckled and lifted Jase into the air as he slowly stood. "You guys win."
Jase, now perched on Aidan’s side, clapped his little hands and cheered. I giggled and set the picture frame back in the box, and groaned as I put the gift on the floor next to my bare feet. The couch dipped as Aidan lowered himself next to me, Jase in his lap.
I twisted to gaze at him. "I hope you love it," I murmured. He met my stare. The lights from the tree shone off his face, and I smiled.
"Sweet Tea, I love anything from my two favorite people . . ." he paused and glanced down at my stomach before he met my gaze. "Three favorite," he corrected himself. Warmness spread throughout my limbs. He sat there, so devilishly handsome, and I couldn’t help but smile back at him.
This would be so perfect.
I scanned beneath the tree for one of Aidan’s special gifts. But as I examined each delicately wrapped present, the one for Aidan wasn’t there. My heart began to race. I gripped the cushions and leaned forward, my belly and gravity wanting to take drag my belly to the floor.
Jase peeked around the tree, a frown on his face. "It not here, Mommy."
Blood rushed from my face, and my cheeks slackened. "It has to be."
Aidan laughed and crawled onto the floor next to Jase. "What color is the paper, Sweet Tea?"
"It’s a slender navy blue box with a silver bow," I told him, my words rushed with panic.
He nodded and rolled onto his side, then stretched out as he sorted through the piles of presents. It wasn’t seconds later he sat up, a twisted smile stretched across his face. "Not here, baby. Did you hide it and forget where you put it?" A slight smirk lifted his lips to the side. I’d had my bouts of pregnancy brain, but I thought for sure I brought his present out. In fact, I knew I did. Jase and I tucked it under the tree together.
"No. I know it’s down there. Check again. Please?"
He captured my eyes with his, sincerity swimming in them. "It’s okay, we’ll find it later." He growled like a bear and pulled Jase in by the waist. "How about little Robin opens . . ." Aidan grabbed a large Batman wrapped gift, "This one!"
"Yay!" Jase plopped to the floor and nestled the present between his legs. He tore off scraps of paper one at a time.
My shoulders sagged in defeat. "Can you help me up?" I lifted my hands for Aidan to grab. Getting up these days was near impossible.
"Yeah, baby." He strolled toward me, his mouth downturned.
"I swear it’s under the tree, Aidan. I’ll cry if we can’t find it. It was so . . ." My words clogged in my throat, then threatened to erupt with a loud cry. Stupid hormones.
Aidan bent down, his knees touching the carpet, his warm hands covering mine in a familiar and comforting touch. "Don’t worry. We’ll find it."
I dropped my chin to my chest. He didn’t understand that the moment had passed to give him the perfect present. "It was a special gift, Aidan. I’ll be heartbroken if we can’t find it."
I sniffled as a loving finger lifted my eyes upward. I met the sorrow in his stare and cupped his cheek.
He leaned into my touch and asked, "I can’t have you sad on Christmas. What can I do?"
"Daddy, prise." Jase’s cheerful high-pitched voice surrounded us. Aidan’s finger left my skin and my palm lowered from his cheek to my lap. My pulse escalated and with a wide gaze I watched Jase take one last step toward us carrying a box.
I sighed as I investigated the red box. It wasn’t the one I was searching for.
"What do you have there, buddy?"
"A prise for Daddy." His cheeks squished in a smile that seemed to make everything better. "I put on for Daddy."
Aidan’s brows pulled together as he eyed me in question.
I gave him a knowing smile, loving that Jase remembered what he picked out for his daddy. I shrugged and giggled as Jase unwrapped Aidan’s present for him.
Aidan sat curiously as Jase shredded the paper and opened the box. Not two seconds later, Jase’s tiny fingers wrapped around a black silicone watch decorated in Batman logos we found at the store. I’ll never forget Jase running toward it and holding it to his chest as he repeated "pesent for Daddy. He my Baman." I melted into a puddle that day.
Aidan blinked as he eyed the watch, his hazel eyes full of pure love as he peered up at me. He pressed his lips together and stared back down at what I imagined was his new most prized watch.
"Daddy, you okay?" Jase put his face so close to Aidan’s that their noses touched. Aidan’s Adam’s apple bobbed before he opened his mouth to speak. Pulling Jase into his chest, he nodded. "Daddy is more than great, buddy. I love my watch, Robin."
"Yay," Jase cheered. He pulled away from Aidan’s long arms to return to his toys.
Buckling the strap around his wrist, Aidan gazed down at the shiny black and yellow face of the watch and grinned. "Perfect," he muttered. His line of vision met mine.
I smiled back at him. It wasn’t the gift I had specially picked out for him, but it was one he loved and that was more than I could ask for. "I love you," I whispered.
"I love you more, Sweet Tea."
"Sanna eat all the cookies?" Jase's disappointed voice grabbed both of our attentions. His bottom lip quivered as he ran toward me.
I tilted my head and pushed an unruly piece of his hair away from his eyes. "Yes, sweetie. He ate all the cookies. And he drank his milk, too!"
Tears welled in his sad gaze. My son was about to burst into tears at the mere thought of Santa eating his cookies and milk.
"But why?" His palms lifted to his sides as he shook his head. "He not share?"
I giggled and pulled him to me, and wrapped my arms around his soft pajama-clad body. Pressing my lips to his hair, I mumbled, "That's his special treat, Jase. He leaves presents and we leave cookies and milk."
"Mean Sanna. Not share with Jase." His small voice muffled into my shoulder.
Aidan scooted beside us. Jase left my embrace and threw his arms around Aidan. "Daddy . . . Sanna need time out."
Aidan's low chuckle rumbled around us. "How about we have cookies and milk for breakfast? I think Santa left some in the kitchen."
Jase gasped and jumped back from Aidan. "He did?"
I shot Aidan a stern look and shook my head. "I don't think that's a good idea."
His brows rose high and he shrugged, mouthing the words 'it's Christmas' to me.
"Pease, Mommy?" Jase spun around and faced me, his eyes pleading with me to give in.
I wasn't winning this battle, and what the heck did I have to lose. It was a holiday, and if it meant Jase smiled today, so be it.
My stomach growled. "Cookies for breakfast, it is," I agreed.
Our first Christmas morning was spent around the tree, showered with wrapping paper, and stuffed with cookies and milk. There was still no sign of Aidan’s special gift, which had my pulse racing, but I knew deep down it hadn’t grown legs and walked away. His gift had to be inside the house, I just had to remember where I hid it.
Jase busied himself with a toy tractor, driving it over the torn paper and boxes. He wore his new cowboy hat Aidan had found him a few months back. It was black and reminded us both of a certain special someone.
"Toons?" Jase twisted around and eyed us both, his tractor lost in a mound of tissue.
"Sure, buddy. I'll put on some cartoons." Aidan reached for the remote and turned on the TV. A special news report p
opped on the screen instead of Jase's normal cartoons.
"The snow we had expected today has turned much heavier than anticipated. If you are just now joining us, we have a blizzard sneaking into the eastern part of the state, hitting Keaton hard today. We expect upward of forty-eight inches of snow by midnight. Please be advised, the roads are dangerous and only getting worse throughout the day. It's suggested you stay indoors and only travel if necessary. We anticipate up to four feet of snow by tomorrow morning. This blizzard is not bringing folks the jolly day they’d hoped for. This year the term white Christmas is sure one that isn’t wanted."
Aidan was silent as he pushed up into a standing position. He practically jogged toward the window neither of us had bothered to look out yet this morning. We lived in a small town; snowstorms happened, and when they did, the city simply shut down. But that wasn't an option today. It was Christmas and we had family coming over, a refrigerator of food to cook, presents to open, hugs to give.
Aidan's brows pulled together; his hand relentlessly rubbing over his forehead as he grabbed our house phone.
"Mom?" I sighed. My gut already knew he would call them immediately. They’d be just as worried. He huffed loudly and then glanced out the window. "I know, Mom. They said we'd get a light dusting today, not a damn blizzard. I don't know what to do." Air blew through his flared nostrils as he paced. "I'll come get you guys. Mom, it's fine. I have the truck and I just had new tires put on."
A spark of hope perked my senses. He could go get them, we would still have Christmas. But was it safe?
Aidan's loud huff halted my thoughts and I strangled my hands in my lap. "I know you guys live close and dad has a truck too. But what about Grandma Maggie?" He froze, dropped his hand from his forehead and began to pull at his jaw. "Dad's picking everyone up and bringing them over? You sure that's a good idea?" He started pacing again. Jase peered up at his dad, completely interested in what was going on. Seconds later, Jase put one little leg in front of the other and followed his dad on his heel, back and forth across the living room. "If it gets bad, just turn around. We can celebrate tomorrow. It's not worth the risk, Mom. Make sure to tell Dad that, too. I would rather you were safe than risk trying to get here."
Sadness swept through me as fast as this blizzard was burying the town.
Aidan's face slackened and his shoulders hunched. "I know, Mom. We want to see you guys, too." Aidan’s empathetic stare met mine and then his eyes shifted downward toward his feet, where Jase stopped. He held a pretend phone to his ear, his other hand flat on his forehead.
Jase was at that stage where he questioned and mimicked everything.
A slight smirk touched the corners of Aidan's lips at the sight of him. "Merry Christmas, Mom. We love you, too. I'll make sure to give Jase a hug from you guys. Love you. Bye." He lowered his hand to his side, and expelled a deep sigh.
"W-what's going on?" My voice shook with anxiety. Mindlessly, I rubbed the sides of my belly. A kick from my baby would bring me some sort of comfort.
Aidan slowly shook his head. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I don't think they'll make it." My heart sank at his words. "Dad's trying to shovel out his truck, but the snow keeps coming in faster and faster. He can't keep up. They'll try, but it doesn't look promising." His voice tapered off and his head bowed in defeat. "Damn it."
I waddled toward him, and closed the distance between us. Jase had gone back to his toys, loading trash in his tractor while I palmed Aidan's face. Sad hazel eyes found mine.
"What do we do?" I asked, my hands warmed from his cheeks.
"I don't know, Sweet Tea. I honestly don't know." He blanketed my hands with his and I smiled at the way that small gesture comforted me. "Some first Christmas, huh?"
I forced a weak smile. "This is what we're gonna do." His dark lashes batted a few times. "We'll still fix our big dinner the way we planned. That way, if by some miracle they arrive, it'll be ready."
"And if they don't?" My stomach churned at the thought.
"If they don't make it, we'll celebrate tomorrow with leftovers." He nodded slowly, as though he knew deep down that's what would end up happening. "Everyone loves leftovers, right?" I asked, my voice raised a notch.
A small grin spread over his face. "You don’t have to pretend to be happy about this. I'm your husband, remember? I know how you feel inside even when you don't say it." His hands left mine, and within seconds I was being pulled into his chest, his arms coiling around me in a way that stole my very soul. Just like the first day we met. He was mine then and he was mine now. "I'm so sorry this is happening."
I buried my face in his bare chest, inhaling the scent of cookies still lingering on his skin. "Okay, I'm sad, Aidan. It was our first Christmas with your family. Even nine months pregnant and the size of a house, I was looking forward to this."
"I know, baby. I know." He pressed his lips to the side of my head. "What can I do? Tell me what I can do to help?"
"Pray for the special delivery of your family. That they arrive safe and sound."
* * *
The kitchen smelled of turkey, and the timer on the oven said there were only two hours left until the red popper on the bird pushed up. The green bean casserole was waiting to be baked, and the veggie tray was out, untouched. The worst was that Jase hadn't stopped asking about Nana and Papa. Every two seconds, he shuffled into the kitchen with his cowboy hat on and his tractor in hand. His sad eyes would break me soon. Aidan finally intervened and told Jase they had to wait until Santa told them it was time to come over. Jase was now furious with "Sanna".
"We can't keep lying to him."
"Eh, let him take it out on the fat man in a red suit." Aidan’s mouth curved into a grin as he padded his way to the kitchen island where I hovered over a bowl of raw potatoes. His chest melted against my back, his lips doing the same against my cheek. "Let me finish, Sweet Tea," he mumbled in my ear.
A tingle ran the course of my spine and I smiled, but only for a second as a pain shot across my abdomen. I flinched and grabbed my belly. Of all days to get Braxton Hicks contractions, today had to be it.
I muffled the sound of my groan, but it was no use. Aidan caught on and placed his hand over mine to soothe out the pain with me. "Cassie, are you okay?" Panic swam through his deep voice.
I nodded. "Braxton Hicks. It's nothing." I twisted my neck and peered over my shoulder at his concerned gaze. "Promise." I wasn’t sure he believed my assurance, though.
"Baby, you have to tell me if they get worse." He rubbed my stomach once more. "Promise me, Sweet Tea."
"I-I promise."
He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before stepping to my side. "Can you let me finish these?"
I shook my head, and a lock of my hair came out from behind my ear. "It's keeping me distracted. Just let me do my thing, okay?" I shoved the strand of hair back. I hoped he would just let me peel the damn potatoes that I really didn't want to peel, but, God, if it didn't help keep my mind off things.
His eyebrows lowered in a disapproving scowl. "You're not going to let me win, are you?"
"Not at all."
"You know," he paused, and a sexy expression crossed his features, "I could make you stop if I wanted to, right?"
I giggled for the first time this morning. The cheerful noise filled the kitchen. "Mm. I love that sound."
I flashed him a quick wink and went back to my mind-numbing potatoes.
"All right, I'll start on the apple pie." Aidan set a large bag of Granny Smith apples in front of him. It was a daunting task, but he refused to buy a pie this year.
I wrapped my hand around a large potato and started in. The doorbell rang. My heart jumped into my throat and then sprinted. I jerked my head up from the half peeled potato in my trembling hand; Aidan's wide eyes immediately met my curious gaze. He set down his apple, his quizzical gaze ping-ponging between me and the entrance of the kitchen.
Another bell chimed throughout the house and I gulped past the lump of emotion i
n my throat. "It can't be. Could it?" I let the peeler and the potato both slip through my fingers into the bowl.
"It has to be them."
With an encouraging hand on my back, Aidan followed me out of the kitchen and toward the large front door. Jase was already there and standing on his tiptoes as if he could get to the peep hole. "Who dere? Nana? Papa?"
I stopped a few feet behind him and palmed my racing heart. "Hurry," I said, my word a mere whisper. Everything inside me screamed that it was Trish and Bart, but I also knew what the weather had brought in, and that them being at the door was probably impossible.
Aidan's Adam’s apple bobbed as he gripped the handle and yanked the door open. Freezing air stung my cheeks, but what froze my body even more was the sight in front of me. A bundled up Bradley family wearing smiles and red noses crowded our porch.
"Yay!" Jase’s excited high-pitched voice mimicked what I felt inside. "Nana! Papa!" He jumped up and down, dropping his tractor to the floor beside him to clap.
My lungs held tight and tears flooded my vision as Aidan let go of the door handle. The chill from the blizzard air still swirled around us, but it didn’t matter because I felt anything but cold.
I blinked to collect myself and glanced at Aidan. His arms hung at his sides, the hair on them standing at attention. I knew he wasn’t cold either, but in a state of pure shock, as I was. Looking back at our family, I couldn’t help but smile through the band clenching around my heart.
Our family is here.
Wearing a knitted cap, Bart towered behind Trish and Grandma Maggie, presents piled high in his arms.
Fresh snow accumulated on their jackets as we all exchanged glances full of love and hope.
"Oh, sweetie." Trish rushed toward me with outstretched arms. Her body snuggled mine in close for a tight hug and I lost it. Happy tears of joy unleashed onto her shoulder.
"You guys really made it," I said, my voice tremulous from nerves of excitement.
She released me and held my cheeks in her gloved hands. "There was no way we would miss it."
Swallowing hard, she rubbed a gentle hand over my overgrown belly and then swooped Jase into her arms.