“No, why?”
“Curtis, baby. You are worried about Cameron ending up like your brother, but not all who drink become alcoholics.”
She sighs. “OK, I don’t know where all this insightfulness is coming from, but I guess you’re seeing right through me. It’s why I apologized. I know I was displacing my anger. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize again. It’s done, and we’re going to screw up, but we’re doing it together, remember?”
“Right. Together.”
Chapter Fifteen
Christmas Morning
Alayna
Damon and I have been like little kids, excited about our first Christmas morning with a child, but from seven to ten a.m., we’re faced with the realization that we have a teenager, not a child.
Also, we have a teenager who is still a little pissed at us over his grounding. So, after a pot of coffee and sitting on the sofa, waiting for three hours, Damon decides to wake Cameron.
He finally strolls out of his room about fifteen minutes later and takes a seat in a chair. He has on black pajama pants, and a white t-shirt with his basketball team’s logo on the front.
“I’m sorry I woke you, but we wanted you to have time to open your presents before we head to my parents’ home,” Damon says.
“That’s fine.” He lets out a dramatic yawn and stretches his long arms.
“Although an odd gift, we think you will like the one in the card the most,” I say as I drop his stocking into his lap. Cameron manages a small smile and pulls free the card sticking out of the top of it.
Because of good behavior, you are now free of grounding. Enjoy your second week of winter break.
I don’t know if I’ve seen a face light up more.
“Seriously? I can call and see my friends?” he asks excitedly.
“Yep,” I say with a grin. It has been extremely difficult to watch his moping. We were concerned he was falling into a deep depression since he has been unable to have contact with his friends this soon after his mother’s death. We felt he learned his lesson, for a while, anyway.
“Oh, cool, thank you both. I am dying to talk to my friends. I hope Marcus isn’t grounded, so I can see him.”
“As long as you spend today with us, you can visit with your friends some this week,” Damon says. “Oh, and your phone is in your stocking,” he adds with a smile.
Damon passes out the few gifts we’ve purchased for each other. Cameron is ecstatic once again when he opens his Xbox 360. Damon has picked out several games and extra controllers for him.
I feel spoiled after I open the breathtaking infinity bracelet Damon has purchased for me. My engagement ring and wedding band would’ve sufficed for a long time, but he buys me jewelry often.
He clasps it on my wrist, mouthing the words “I love you” and kissing my cheek. “Open your small box,” I say to him.
He sits back down and pulls out the silver cufflinks shaped like books I’ve had custom made for him. His face is lit up like Cameron’s, and he watches as I mouth the three most important words back to him.
“We have a special gift for you, Cameron.” I gather the large box from under the tree and take it to where he is sitting in a chair. Damon wasn’t on board with the idea at first, but once he saw the end result, he thought it was perfect. I hope Cameron agrees.
After removing the red wrapping paper, he lifts the lid from the deep, white box. He rustles the tissue paper to find what’s inside. Cameron pauses for a moment before he pulls the blanket free from the box. We’re all silent as he examines it in his lap.
In an instant, he explodes into tears.
Oh, no, what have I done?
He’s crying over top of the quilt I had specially made for him out of his mother’s clothing. Was this a horrible idea?
As fast as the tears come, they stop. He wipes his eyes as he rises from the chair. With purpose, he comes to me and hugs me hard.
“Thank you.” He goes to Damon and hugs him, too. “I’ll always keep it.”
I fight the tears welling up, and I notice Damon’s are glassy, too. Cameron spreads it out over his chair and admires it.
“We can have one made with all of your old sports shirts if you like. I found a woman who can whip them out quickly.”
“That would be awesome,” he says softly as he runs his hand over one of his mother’s blouses shaped perfectly into a quilted block. The entire blanket is trimmed in bright yellow and orange like the sun. This way it wouldn’t be too feminine for Cameron’s room.
“I’m kind of hungry for breakfast,” Damon says, breaking through the thick quiet of the room.
“I’ll make it. You two can check out that Xbox,” I say. “Oh, you could take it today. I bet Rylan would love to play with you. He’s a pretty smart kid for his age,” I add.
“It’s still weird to think I have cousins now,” Cameron says. “Since Mom was an only child, I never had any.”
Damon stands from the sofa and pats Cameron on the back.
“Yep, you have two cousins, and Alayna and I have some other news we’re going to share with our family today, so we wanted to tell you first.” Damon looks to me with a smile.
“Alayna is pregnant.”
“Really?” Cameron asks, his expression indifferent.
“Yep, and we know it will mean more changes for all of us, but we will do our best to keep them from disrupting your world too much. You’re going to be a big brother next summer.”
“Congratulations. That will be different.”
“Yes, it will, but we think it is a blessing.” Damon glances to me. “I love you,” he says out loud this time, and I smile at him before I head to the kitchen. Exhaling a long breath, I release some of the emotion I have felt this morning.
We’ve given Cameron a lot to take in. I hope he can deal with it all. Our family is coming together nicely.
Damon
Rylan, my nine-year-old nephew, slings open the door at my parents’ home.
“They’re here,” he proclaims loudly with a grin. I see he’s still excited from his Christmas morning. He steps aside, and we file through the foyer with Cameron between us. I mess up Rylan’s hair once I reach him. He pushes my hand away and snickers.
“My new cousin is here!” Mia, my niece, shouts with a squeal as she runs toward Cameron. She grabs his hand and begins to pull. I feel bad for him. This is a lot of change, but you can’t stop the little tornado. “Come see all the presents under the tree, Cameron,” she adds.
“OK, OK,” he says with a sigh. His hand is in hers, while he carries his Xbox in a bag in his other hand. I need to remember to buy him a case for it. Yeah, I’m already ruined by the kid. I never dreamed I could get this soft.
Debra is conversing with my mother when we enter the living room. Dad stands from the sofa and sticks his hand out for me to shake.
Our relationship has definitely improved since Alayna invaded our world, and I don’t mind when he adds a pat to my back, almost bringing me in for a hug.
“How’s Cameron?” he asks, almost in a whisper.
“He’s good.”
“I still don’t know what came over you, taking him in, but it was a noble gesture,” he adds quietly.
“I’d say it is more than a gesture, but it was the right thing to do. He’s great.”
“Uncle Reed, I need to show you the present I wrapped for you,” Mia says as she stands below me at my feet. I glance around and see Rylan talking it up with Cameron.
“Why don’t you two set up the Xbox in the study?” This will be his escape from new people and new traditions, but that’s OK. Whatever the kid needs, within reason, to survive the loss of his mother is fine by me.
I take Mia’s outstretched hand, her little fingers wiggling for me to take them. “OK, show me this present. I don’t believe I’m supposed to open it yet.”
She drags me to the tree and points to a gift that is wrapped in red paper. It has small, green Christmas tree
s on it, but you can barely see them under all the tape sticking every which way.
“You did a fantastic job wrapping it. I can’t wait to see what it is.”
Mia clasps her hands in excitement, squealing again.
“I can’t wait for you to open it. Mommy, can Uncle Reed open his present now?” she yells across the room.
“Not yet,” Debra answers. “After we have dinner.”
Mia scowls and gives a huff as she moves her dark brown hair from her face. We spend the next fifteen minutes going over all the gifts she has wrapped for each person in the family. She beams with pride as her finger points, and I love that Debra and Jeff have raised her to be so generous.
I need to be sure we do the same with our kids. That has me thinking … “Alayna, do you want to go ahead and share our news?”
She blushes, and her hand goes straight to her stomach. I feel my body doing that thing again, where it feels warm and gentler. My heart is hammering with excitement, too.
“OK. You can tell them.”
“Alayna is pregnant. We’re expecting a baby next summer,” I say proudly.
Simultaneously, my mother and Debra are spouting “awws” and hugging Alayna.
“A baby? Oh, my gosh, I have to go tell Rylan,” Mia announces. “Rylan!” she shouts as she runs. “We’re getting another cousin. This one is a baby!”
We all have a good laugh at Mia’s expense. The girl is cute. My father approaches and slaps his hand on my back.
“A new bride, a baby and a teenager. I think you’ve lost your mind.” He’s grinning, and I know he’s only giving me shit. “In all seriousness, thank you for giving me another grandchild.”
My father’s wrinkled eyes look glassy as he continues to grin. I don’t know if I could be any happier today. Alayna has brought joy to not only me but to my entire family. She has brought us all back together, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
Chapter Sixteen
Alayna
“I’m miserable still with morning sickness,” I say to Felicia through the phone.
“I’m free of that, thank goodness. I’m enjoying the early stage of this second trimester.”
“Oh, no, I’ll be pregnant during the summer. My feet will probably look like they belong to an elephant.”
“OK, we need to stop complaining and enjoy this time. I bet we’ll miss having them in our bellies once they’re here,” Felicia says.
“You’re right. I have bigger problems. Like how to tell Damon I have to fly back to Los Angeles now that I’m pregnant.”
“Yeah, good luck with that. I will leave you to it while I try to get some work done without having to pee every five minutes.”
“See ya chicka,” I say.
I sigh and hit Damon’s button on my phone.
“Hi, is everything OK?” he asks.
“Yes. I have some news you’re not going to like.”
“Oh, baby, give me a reason to spank your cute behind. It’s been too long.”
I giggle. “I have to go to Malibu again.”
“Why can’t Phillip fly here?”
Yeah, all his humor is now gone.
“We’re meeting with his publicist. She lives there. I can’t expect them both to fly here.”
“But what about the baby?”
“I called the doctor. She said it’s perfectly safe for me to fly this early in my pregnancy.”
Groans. A long, loud groan is the response I get. OK, maybe that’s more of a growl. “Please keep the trip short.”
“One night. Promise.”
***
Ugh, this flight is much more uncomfortable than the last. First class seating helps, but it does nothing for the queasiness I’m experiencing.
John is waiting right at the luggage conveyors to help me retrieve my bag. Damon insisted I check in even my small suitcase.
“Hi, John. Thank you for your help.”
“Good afternoon, Alayna, and you’re welcome.”
Cliff tips his hat after he steps out of the car to take my suitcase from John. Soon, we’re all in the vehicle, heading to Malibu.
I have to pee so badly by the time we make it to Phillip’s place. I can’t get past John at the door fast enough.
When I exit the bathroom, Phillip is flipping through some papers in the great room.
“Alayna,” he says. “How are you?”
“Oh, great and you?”
“Very well.”
I haven’t told Phillip I’m pregnant. Other than our close friends and family, we don’t feel we need to inform the world. It is still early enough to keep it to ourselves.
“My publicist, Janet, will be here shortly. She’s eager to see where we are with the novel, and she wants to get a marketing plan in place.”
“That sounds great.”
“Let me fix you a drink while we wait.”
“Um, could I have water please?” Phillip gives me a knowing smile, and I wonder if he thinks I don’t trust myself around him with alcohol in my system. That makes me want to tell him about the baby.
“I saw New York is due to get a major snowstorm today,” he says.
“Yes, we are supposed to get some snow, but I thought only a handful of inches.”
Phillip hands me my water before strolling over to his coffee table. He picks up a remote and turns the television on, flipping to the weather channel.
A news reporter is in New York City, speaking about the snow that is expected. Shit, they’ve upgraded the storm. We’re going to get over a foot of snow.
Flashbacks to the snowstorm I was in almost a year ago flicker in my mind; images of Damon and me intimate and the way the city appeared blanketed in snow from his penthouse.
I also recall how stranded we were, and I feel a sudden panic. My hand covers my already queasy stomach.
“Oh, no, what if they close the airports?”
“You’ll have a place to stay if so. It won’t be a problem.” I don’t even glance to Phillip to see if his look is alluring. I shut the book on that a few months ago.
He doesn’t know Damon, so he’s not aware of how serious this situation could be. Damon would flip if I was stranded and he couldn’t get to me, especially if I’m with Phillip Channing.
“I really wouldn’t worry yourself. The weather people get this stuff wrong all the time. It’s so unpredictable.”
“Right.” I nod quickly, trying to rid the thought of being separated from Damon longer than a day. “I shouldn’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be able to get home.”
Janet arrives. She’s nothing like I envisioned. I expected someone in a suit, sophisticated, young looking. There go my crazy notions about everyone in Malibu.
Instead, Janet is middle-aged and has a bohemian look. She’s in a long, brown and orange paisley skirt. Her cream top has puffy long sleeves and two tassels dangling from the front collar.
Her shoulder length, brown hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she’s wearing brown glasses that match her skirt.
She looks more like a philosophy college professor than a publicist. “Hi, I’m Alayna Wynn,” I say with an outstretched hand.
“Of course, you are. I recognize you.” Instead of taking my hand into hers, she comes in for a tight hug.
Oh, we don’t know each other, but we’re hugging are we?
I manage a small one back, hoping she’s not sick or anything. I have a heightened fear of germs since learning I’m pregnant.
“Well, aren’t you a gorgeous sight?” She holds my hands at arm’s length. “Isn’t she stunning, Phillip?”
“I tried to convince her of that the last time she was here.” He gives me a seductive look, and I’m beginning to think he didn’t hear a word I said the last time I was in his presence.
“Why don’t we sit?” Phillip asks. “Janet, let’s fill Alayna in on some of our ideas.”
We take a seat at his dining room table, and Janet begins to tell me about all the news channels and magaz
ines she plans on contacting to do a story on Phillip and me writing together.
As we speak, she keeps a list and adds things to it. It’s all extremely exciting, but I can’t help but wonder how I will time it with my pregnancy.
We’re moving our story along quickly, and I believe we will have it finished before I’m full-term, but I hate to imagine how huge I will be when I appear on television and in the magazines.
Halfway through our meeting, my phone vibrates, so I excuse myself for a moment. I step onto the patio and breathe in the crisp ocean air.
Damon: The snow is coming down heavily. I don’t like this one bit … other than recalling the amazing memories of last year’s snowfall. Those are pretty incredible.
Me: I saw the forecast changed, but maybe it won’t be as bad as they’re predicting, and those memories are pretty incredible. I’m in a meeting. I’ll call later. Love you.
Damon: Love you, too.
I debate on getting an earlier flight out, arriving back in New York tonight. Yes, that’s what I will do.
Returning to my meeting, I jump back in the conversation at hand. We brainstorm how social media could work to our advantage and stray from topic as we discuss the way the paparazzi hounded Phillip and me separately in the past.
They like to report about his supposed womanizing, but I’m beginning to wonder if there is validity to their claim as his leg conveniently brushes against mine under the table.
I hope he doesn’t think a married woman is more his kind of challenge. He’s in for a rude awakening if so.
“I think I will excuse myself and call the airlines. I am going to try to get a flight out tonight.”
“Oh, I was hoping I could take you out for dinner,” Janet says, somewhat excitedly. Her happiness and positive attitude are infectious.
“As much as I would love to join you, I’m afraid I could become stranded here because of the snowstorm in New York. I better try to get an earlier flight.”
Stepping out on the patio once more, I Google my airline and give them a call. After twenty minutes of transferring from one person to another and arguing, I’m told there is no way I’m boarding a plane tonight.
Vow of Devotion: 2nd Novel Addition (One Urge, One Plea, Keep Me Trilogy) Page 11