by Clare Revell
White towels hung from every window, a huge white sheet adorned the roof. Tears sprang to her eyes, falling suddenly. They wanted her back, after everything she’d done. They really wanted her back.
Several figures appeared at the gate. Her father was taller than she remembered and his hair was completely grey. His cardigan flapped open showing his pale blue shirt and tie. She’d never seen him without a tie. Her mother’s pearl necklace glinted above her black dress. Neither of them wore a coat as they ran as fast as the snow covered path would let them to where the car was parked. Behind them ran Rick, while Grace walked slowly with Faith and the dog.
Before Nick had even turned off the engine, Hope opened the car door and got out to find herself enveloped in many arms. Tears streamed down her face, matching the ones on the faces of her parents. “I’m sorry.”
Her father held her tightly. “It doesn’t matter. You’re home, that’s all that counts. Come in, we’ve got some tea on.”
Hope glanced around looking for Nick, but he was reversing the car, obviously about to do a three point turn and leave. She ran after him. “Nick, please.”
Nick stopped and wound down the window. “You don’t need me here. They love you, all that white proves that. Go be with them.”
“I can’t do this without you. Please, stay.”
“OK.” He stopped the car and turned off the engine. “I’ll be right in.”
“OK.” She went back to her parents, letting them each wrap an arm around her and lead her back to the house.
Rick, Grace, and Faith met her on the path, each in turn hugging her tightly.
Nick talked quietly to her parents to one side.
Tears ran down Hope’s face, and the faces of the others. “I’ve missed you all so much,” she managed.
Faith’s fingers traced her face and Hope cried harder at the thought that Faith couldn’t see. “Your nose still turns up,” Faith told her. “It’s kind of cute though. Did you know Angel’s is the same?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Grace tucked her arm into Hope’s, walking with her. “Angel is adorable. And the antibiotics are working on her chest infection. Dr. Parker said we caught it in time, which is good. It means she won’t be sick over Christmas. You know when she ran away, she came here, to the shop, looking for Aunt Tilja. She was looking for our family, for you. She found us.”
Hope caught her breath. “So it’s a God thing.”
“Very much so. Anyway, welcome to my home.”
“It’s changed,” Hope said. “I was expecting to find Aunt Tilja here and the house the same, but Nick said she’d died.”
“A year ago today,” Dad said as he closed the door. “Grace inherited the house and shop.”
“But the changes to the house are a long story,” Grace said. “Elliott rebuilt it. This is said Elliott, my fiancé. El, this is my sister, Hope.”
Elliott smiled. “Hello, again.”
Grace frowned. She stuck her hands on her hips and glared at him. Just the exact same way Hope remembered. Some things never changed. “Again?” Grace demanded. “And just when did you meet my sister and not tell me?”
“I told you I was helping Nick with counseling someone after the service this morning, love,” he said. “Remember I saw him leading a very distressed woman into the vestry and went as backup because he shouldn’t be there alone? The woman was Hope.”
Hope smiled as she shook Elliott’s hand. “Elliott and Nick led me back to Christ.”
Faith cheered. “That gives us another reason to celebrate.” She leaned back against the man behind her. “This is Joel, my fiancé. Not to be confused with Elliott. They look a bit similar, but I’ve convinced them to wear different cologne so Grace can tell them apart.”
Grace laughed. “That’s for you, brat.”
Joel held out a hand. “These two don’t change. It’s nice to finally meet you, Hope. Faith and Grace have talked about you endlessly—”
“And prayed for you constantly,” Elliott finished his brother’s sentence.
“Mummy!” An excited scream came from the other room. Angel burst out of the lounge and flung herself against Hope’s legs.
Hope picked her up, holding her tightly. “Hi, baby girl. Mummy missed you so much.”
“Like we missed you, baby girl,” Mum said.
“I’m sorry,” Hope replied, realizing that she had given Angel the same nickname her own mother had given her.
“We were thinking,” Grace said slowly. “I have an empty flat over the shop across the road that needs a tenant. And I need a shop assistant, too, because we’re too busy for just the three of us and I’m away soon on honeymoon. Pay is eight quid an hour. Flat is rent free because there is no mortgage on it and you’ll be doing me a favor by living there.”
“I know nothing about flowers…” Hope protested.
“Nor did I when I started, El will vouch for that.”
Elliott nodded. “She was rubbish.”
“Thanks for nothing.” Grace poked her tongue out at him. “And if you need another reason, we registered Angel at the local school. Which is only ten minutes away. Most of the church kids go there. Oh, and Dad is thinking about retiring here and we’re working on getting Rick to transfer down here. So what do you say?”
“It…It sounds perfect.” Almost too good to be true.
“Please, Mummy,” Angel said. “Then we can see Auntie Grace and Auntie Faith lots and play with Patches. And we can go to their wedding. I’m a bridesmaid flower person.”
“Are you now?” Hope looked at her, and then at Grace.
“Faith and I want you to be a bridesmaid too. For us both.”
Hope looked around at the smiling faces of her family. “But what about the last nine years? I walked out on you. I don’t understand.”
“Forgotten,” Dad said. “And forgiven. Consider it a pause button. Just promise the next time you want to leave, you’ll let us know first.”
Hope looked at them all, and then turned to Nick as he stood beside her. “Nick…”
He smiled. “I told you it would work out.”
Grace hugged her. “Hope, you’re not alone now. You have us. And if you take the flat and the job you’ll have money and a home and we’ll be right across the road. Babysitting on tap.”
Dad came into the room with the holly wreath. “It’s time for the holly tradition. The first one we’ve all been together for in a long time. Hope, will you do the honors?” He set the wreath down on the table and slid the candles into the holders.
Hope took the matches. “Wow, so many…”
Dad smiled. “The six of us, plus Elliott, Joel, Angel, and an extra one for Nick for bringing you home to us.”
Rick elbowed her. “And from the looks he keeps giving you, I have the impression Nick will be around a lot longer.”
I hope so. Hope lit the candles, and then sat down next to Nick, with Angel on her lap.
“What happens now, Mummy?”
“Grandad tells us the Christmas story and we sing,” Hope said. Her heart filled to overflowing. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d taken all this for granted until now.
Dad opened his Bible and read the passage from Luke’s gospel about the birth of Jesus.
Then they all sang “Silent Night” and “The Holly and the Ivy.”
Nick smiled. “That is one lovely family tradition. Thank you for letting me be a part of it this year.”
Hope grabbed his hand. “Nick…that sounds like you’re leaving.”
He kissed her cheek, not letting go of her hand. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said gently. “I’ll be here for you as long as you need me.”
Angel grinned. “See, Auntie Grace, you and Mummy are wrong. There is a Santa Claus.”
Grace shook her head. “I’m pretty sure there isn’t.”
“But I’ve seen him. He came to school and asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I asked for Mummy to come home and if it wasn’t t
oo much trouble for her to bring me a daddy because I’ve never had one of those. And he brought me Nick.”
Hope’s cheeks burned. “Angel…”
Nick grinned. “There’s no such person as Santa. But there is a God who hears our deepest wishes and answers prayers in unexpected ways.” He picked up a piece of fallen holly and stuck it in Hope’s hair. “I don’t think Mummy and I are quite ready for me to be a full time daddy yet, because I want to court her properly, and that means asking Grandad’s permission to do so. But perhaps until then you’d let me be your daddy-in-waiting.”
Angel hugged him. “OK.”
Hope looked around at her family, loved, needed, forgiven, and maybe on the cusp of a proper relationship for the first time ever.
“So, about this flat and job?” Grace asked. “The flat’s got two bedrooms so you won’t have to share with Angel.”
“I’ll take it on one condition,” Hope said.
“What’s that?”
“I don’t have to move because I’m finally home.”
Her father hugged her. “Of course you are. And once we move here from Ely, we’ll all be together again.” He picked up the tray of glasses of mulled wine and offered them around.
Grace put on a CD of carols in the background.
Nick wrapped his arms around Hope and kissed her neck. “Merry Christmas, love.”
“Love?” she asked. “I didn’t think we were mentioning the L-word…”
He grinned, pulling her against him. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Yes, I said the L-word. You, too, can have a happily-ever-after. So long as I’m part of it.”
Hope looked at the refection they cast in the window. Nick, Angel, and her. A family. And around them, the rest of her family, reunited, whole. “I’d like that,” she whispered.
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