by Howe, Olivia
“Well, this family has a ritual and it’s about time we explain it to you.” Cole looks at me, his smile wider than ever. “It’s called 7 Days of Christmas.”
“We get seven whole days of Christmas?” Timmy is jumping up and down.
“What do we do on the first day, daddy?” Carly’s eyes meet Cole’s, waiting for his answer.
Cole stares at me, mouthing the words, “I love you.” I do it back to him. “On the first day, we find a beautiful Christmas tree.”
I’ve never seen the kids so excited before. Cole continues to explain everything we will be doing on the seven days. They’re jumping up and down, wanting the first day to start right now.
I rub my belly, feeling the newest addition to the Castello family kick. A smile spreads across my face. I wouldn’t want to spend the holidays any other way.
The End
Prologue
December 21, 2010
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Love is messy. Marriage is hard. That doesn’t mean that the journey is all for naught. To experience the absolute bliss of true love, to have a burning heart that simmers for another, you have to risk being burned. Holly and Brant Edgemont knew a thing of two about that. Christmas used to be their favorite time of year. It was a time of year that was rich with traditions and parties, merriment and excitement. There was rarely a day that went by when one of their friends or relatives weren’t inviting them over for dessert or an impromptu dinner party. Every year Holly, Brant and their children celebrated many traditions. They enjoyed watching the light show in downtown Philadelphia and going on a horse drawn carriage ride when the weather turned wintry white. Ice skating by the river, their breath turning into a fog before them. But their favorite tradition was going to Wallford Forest to cut down their own blue spruce. One year, Brant had to trim almost six inches off the top of the tree before pushing it through the front door of their tiny row home.
Their eldest children, Chloe and Jake, loved adorning the freshly cut tree with all of their favorite ornaments. It took a full two hours to adorn the tree with all of the decorations and trimmings. The tree branches sagging from the weight of all the tinsel, lights and ornaments. Last Christmas, the four of them inspected the tree in awe and delight when a sound came from behind them. Little Belle, just eighteen months then, reminded them that they had forgotten her favorite tree topper: the angel. Belle toddled over to her mother and handed the golden-haired angel to her.
“Oh right, Brant. I almost forgot.”
Brant looked at the angel and instructed Holly to give it back to Belle. He then picked Belle up, hands gently grasping her belly as he lifted her in the air. Belle securely placed the angel in the appropriate place right atop the tree. As the children applauded, Brant pulled Holly into a tight hug with Belle at their feet. The Edgemont family knew then what true happiness was, and it simply didn’t get any better than that.
That would be the last happy Christmas the family would spend together before the divorce. In just a few short months, Holly’s heart would be ripped out by Brant’s careless actions, quickly turning their happily ever after into “I wish I could forget.”
Chapter One
Alone At Christmas
December 22, 2013
Pour House Coffee Shop
Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Holly despised the thought of celebrating Christmas this year. Alone.
“Alone?!.... What do you mean alone?! You have me!” replied her exasperated friend Sloane in a thick British accent over her steaming mug of hazelnut macchiato. Holly raised her eyebrows in contempt as she prepared to listen to her oldest friend’s rebuttal. The speakers in the Pour House Coffee shop blared out Christmas carols at an obnoxious level.
“Look Holl… I know you hate this time of year now because of ‘What’s-his-name’ but seriously, that was two years ago! Besides, with both of us being single, we can hit some of the big parties this year!”
“Sloane. You are not single. You and Luke are knee deep, and have been for years. Give me a break!”
“Do you see a ring on my finger?”
Holly rolled her eyes and replied, “No, but-”
“Until Luke Cassile sees fit to make me a Mrs., I am free to do whatever I please.”
“Uh, aren’t you forgetting something, Sloane?” asked Holly with a perturbed look on her face.
Confusion painted Sloane’s pretty face as she glared at Holly.
“Sloane… The kids. I can’t go out partying with you when I have an eight-year old, a seven-year old and a four-year old running around,” Holly calmly reminded her wild and carefree friend. Suddenly, a smirk spread across Sloane’s face.
“I do believe you are the one who is being forgetful, my friend…” said Sloane with a raised eyebrow, intent upon keeping her already flustered friend guessing.
“What are you talking about?” asked Holly, with no idea what Sloane was referring to.
“Don’t you remember that you told Brant-”
Holly held up her hand at the sound of his name at which Sloane used one of the agreed upon nicknames for her friend’s ex-husband in conversation. Holly had resorted to giving her ex-husband Brant what Sloane affectionately called “The Lord Voldemort Treatment.”
“Sorry, uh, He-Who’s-Name-Should-Never-Be-Spoken-Aloud…”
“Thank you…”
“Anyway, you promised Mr. Fancy Pants that he could take the kids to see his parents in Colorado for Christmas this year.”
Holly looked dumbfounded. Sloane’s declaration had hit her like an oncoming train. She had completely forgotten about that entire conversation she had with Brant about the upcoming Christmas holiday.
“Shit!”
“No, it’s brilliant!”
“Sloane, I want to spend Christmas with the kids!”
“You never get a break. This is the perfect opportunity.”
“I should never make decisions when I’ve consumed three glasses of carbernet sauvignon…” Holly lamented as she looked down at her now cold stack of pancakes. Sloane smirked at her.
“Girl, that is when I make my best decisions!”
“Be serious!”
“I totally am! Now you are free to party hearty with your’s truly and there are a ton of parties this week… You might even meet someone.” Sloane said as she winked at Holly.
“I am a divorced mother of three children. I can’t get my ex-husband out of my mind. I don’t have time for a boyfriend!”
“Nonsense!”
“Besides… Who would want me?”
Sloane eyed her friend mischievously. “Oh, I know of someone…”
Sloane eyed the scenery of the café with an amused smile. This look always worried Holly because she knew that Sloane had a bag of tricks the size of Montana up her petite sleeves.
“I heard Richie Turello is going to be at Archie’s Friday night. Wanna go?” said Sloane, slyly. Holly nearly choked on her orange juice.
“Oh, God! Gag me with a spoon! Wait. Let me analyze this train wreck for a second. First off, Richie Turello… Isn’t he the guy that did three years for tax evasion? Is that the best guy you could come up with? Two… I wouldn’t be caught dead in Archie’s Saloon in broad daylight let alone at night!”
Sloane’s amused face had now taken on a more sheepish and surprised look.
“Tough customer… I heard Richie is quite charming and has been totally rehabilitated.”
“Well then… Total catch,” said Holly sarcastically. Sloane chucked to herself.
“Seriously, can we not make this a repeat of last year?” asked Holly earnestly.
“What was wrong with last year?” asked Sloane innocently.
“Uh, well let’s see… Blind date after blind date, and then you created a J Date account for me and I’m not even Jewish… And let’s not even discuss the Chris Beckman incident,” Holly ranted on.
“Hey! J Date never steered me wrong! Besides, it’s not my fault that you got banned from Christian Mingle for life for using the Lord’s name in vein on a date! And believe it or not, Chris Beckman is loads of fun to hang out with. He’s okay once you get to know him.”
“I can’t believe that guy reported me. And, just because someone is fun, doesn’t mean that they are a decent person. That’s like saying ‘Oh, he’s a real asshole, but you’ll eventually get used to it!’ If Chris is so wonderful why don’t you go out with him? He was the best man in my wedding to Brant. I couldn’t possibly. I still can’t believe he thought he was going to just swoop in on me because my date had left for two minutes to go to the bathroom.”
“Eww, gross.”
“Yeah. And since you’re so fond of him, you hang out with Beckman.”
Sloane shook her head with a smile.
“No way… Besides, he has the eyes for some other girl.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yep.”
“Like who?”
With a sneaky move she brought two fingers to her ruby red lips and pretended to lock them tight.
“My lips are sealed.”
“I think I just vomited in my mouth a little.”
Chapter Two
If Only You Knew…
December 23, 2013
Edgemont Residence
The doorbell at 56 Wallace Road buzzed loudly, causing Holly’s nerves to go on edge. Holly yelled down the steps to Sloane who was slouched back on the couch watching a re-run of The Bachelor. Holly felt as if her brain was about to explode.
“Get the door, Sloane!”
Holly rushed about upstairs, getting the rest of the kids’ clothes into their respective suitcases as her sanity hung on by a thread.
“Chloe! Where is your jumper? Jake! Where on earth are your hiking boots?! Belle! Please don’t make a mess of yourself!” Already frazzled, Holly needed a moment to herself. Calgon was not equipped to take this meltdown away. Holly went into the bathroom, closed the door and came face to face with her mirror. She took one look and wanted to die.
How the hell am I supposed to face Brant like this?! Hair a mess. No make up. I didn’t even brush my teeth yet. How much do you want to bet that he is downstairs looking perfect? Button down shirt primly pressed, khakis with not a wrinkle on them, and his hair just messy enough to look like he didn’t care… But he cares. Men shouldn’t take a full hour to get ready in the morning. Let’s not even mention that cologne that he always wore. Ugh! If only he knew how much I still loved him. But I have to stay firm. He’s the one that messed this up.
Holly let out a meaningful sigh. In an effort to look somewhat decent, she pulled a comb through her long blonde hair, brushed her teeth and blotted some lip gloss on her chapped lips before heading downstairs to face the one person she dreaded seeing most.
*****
“Holly!” Sloane yelled from the front door. “Are you coming down, or what? Brant is here.”
Brant. The one guy who had the ability to break her heart a million times over again. Funny enough, he might be the only one with the power to heal it again too. He had never treated her wrong, if you wanted to get technical. He had been an excellent husband and father. His only flaw was walking out on them when their luck ran low.
Holly rushed down the stairs and went to the front door with a miserable look on her face. There she was, face to face with the one guy she loved to hate and hated to love. Brant Edgemont.
She took in the sight of him, and was surprised by what she saw. She expected to see his usual dapper and charming self, but instead she saw a ghost of his former self. His hair was disheveled. He had traded in his usual button down shirt for a navy blue Drexel hoodie and a pair of blue jeans. He looked exhausted. Holly recalled how his slate blue eyes once sparkled. Now they were dull and stormy.
“Oh, it’s you…” said Holly awkwardly.
Brant chuckled, but only slightly.
“Who else would it be?” he asked with a hint of jealousy to his voice.
“That’s not what I meant. No one, of course.”
“Can we talk?” Brant pleaded with a tortured look in his eyes.
“That depends…”
“Holly, there are things that we need to discuss. I am not sure that you completely understand the reason I left…”
The tears began to well in Holly’s eyes before she could even begin to speak. Rage quaked just under the surface threatening to boil over.
Do we really need to argue at the holidays?
“No Brant. I get it. I wasn’t enough for you. We weren’t enough for you. So you hit the road. That’s fine… I get it. It’s a lot taking care of a family.”
Brant shook his head.
“Holly, you don’t understand at all.”
“No, Brant. I understand perfectly. It’s okay.”
Holly whipped her body around, leaving Brant staring at her golden strands of wavy hair. Holly cut off the conversation as she opened the door so that the kids could come out. Brant just wanted to reach out to her. But she was so closed off. There had to be a way.
“Kids!” Holly yelled in the house, “Kids! Daddy’s here!”
Suddenly, all three children came trudging over the threshold with their suitcases dragging behind them. As soon as Belle saw her father she dropped her suitcase and squealed with delight.
“Daddy!” Belle yelled in her squeaky, high pitched voice. “Oh Daddy, I’ve missed you!”
“At least someone is happy to see me!” said Brant as he gave Holly a charged glance.
The comment nearly made her break out into tears. Holly nudged Jake and Chloe to say hello to their father. Jake gave his dad a fist bump and a nod while Chloe gave Brant an awkward hug. They quickly made a beeline towards his truck.
“Can you have them back by New Year’s Day?”
“I can do that… I can have them back sooner if you wanted to… You know… Have Christmas as a family.”
Holly sighed. There is nothing more that she wanted in the whole world than to spend the holidays with Brant and the children, as a family… But not like this. Too much had transpired. She had to know that she could trust him.
“I wouldn’t want to spoil your plans. Now go before you catch your death out here. It’s getting chilly.”
Against his better wishes, Brant climbed into the cab of his F-150, but not without glancing back at her. He could tell how hard it was becoming for her to push him away. As the truck climbed up Wallace Road, Brant hit his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.
“She just doesn’t get it.”
“What? What doesn’t Mommy get?” asked the always curious Belle.
“There are just some things that Mommy doesn’t understand.”
“Like what? I’m smart. Mrs. Noonan says I’m very smart for a four-year old. I know my ABC’s and numbers, and shapes… Daddy, please tell me.”
“I am not a perfect man but…”
“But you are a good one! You always buy me milkshakes when I ask.” Belle interrupted, causing Brant to laugh.
“Kids, I love your mother, whether she realizes it or not.”
While Jake and Chloe looked out the window trying to avoid the conversation, the always talkative Belle seemed to clam up too. Finally, Chloe broke her silence.
“She loves you, too… She just has a funny way of showing it.”
The expression on Brant’s face turned from sadness to shock. A small sliver of hope remained in his big slate blue eyes, causing his youngest daughter to smile.
*****
Holly closed the front door as tears flowed from her eyes. She slumped back on the door. It took forcible measures to keep from running back outside; to tell him to come home. To stay.
Quietly, she said aloud, “If only you knew how hard it is to say goodbye to you.”
Chapter Three
Party Hearty?
Dece
mber 23, 2013
Edgemont Residence
“Come on, girl! Aren’t you ready yet?” yelled Sloane from the other end of the phone. Holly looked down at her appearance and laughed. She had on a pair of black sweat pants, a grey t-shirt, white bedroom slippers, and her frizzy hair was tossed up into a messy bun.
“Uh… not really…” said Holly honestly.
“Get dressed! The hottest party of the year is tonight, and we’re going!” Sloane was insistent.
“The hottest party, huh?” replied Holly unethusiastically.
“Yes! Jenny Turnbull’s father is throwing a huge Christmas party at Rogue and everyone who is anyone is coming!” Sloane gushed dramatically.
“Not me! I’m sitting here watching Jeopardy and eating cheese puffs!”
“Cheese puffs! Get dressed! I’m coming over!”
“What?!”
Before Holly could stop her friend from barging into her peaceful evening, Sloane had hung up the phone and was already running out her front door. Within ten minutes, Sloane barged through Holly’s front door, kicking fresh snow off of her three-inch red stiletto pumps in a most animated fashion. She took one look at Holly, and her jolly tone of voice went murderous.
“You’re still not dressed?!”
Holly looked up at her friend with a most matter of fact expression. She eyed her up and down, admiring her very festive attire. Sloane knew how to dress to impress. Her red mini-dress sparkled and glinted in the low light of the foyer. Her black hair charmed in her usual sassy bob. Sloane’s makeup was gorgeous. She looked perfect and Holly was utterly depressed.
“I have nothing to wear.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“Not kidding. Go look for yourself.”