Calendar Girl 12 - December (6 page)

“Who knows? She’s probably trying to tell herself that she had a good reason to leave us. All of us. I’m going to tell you right now, I won’t buy it. There’s nothing she can say that will make me forgive what she put us through. Nothing.”

T
he phone rang four times
, which was unusual for Max. He was one of those that kept his cell in his back pocket, and I knew he wasn’t working.

Finally, on the fifth ring, he picked up. A screaming baby could be heard in the background.

“Hold on, hold on…your nephew is hollerin’ down the neighborhood. Kid shit himself up his entire back. His back, Sis. Shit all the way up to his hairline. Now how the hell did he do that?” Max yelled through the phone.

I gathered pretty quickly that I was on speaker, and I waited while I heard Max pass off the munchkin to Cyndi. Total dick move. I smiled for the first time since I’d seen our mother yesterday.

“He shit himself up his back!” he reiterated.

“So what do you want me to do about it? Clean your son!” Cyndi shot back, and I laughed.

“Cyndi, love of my life, I will pay you a million dollars to clean our son,” Max pleaded.

“Your money is my money, or did you forget that?” she growled back, sounding rather irritated.

This was deteriorating into a domestic situation I did not need to be a part of, nor did I want to. “Guys, how about you call me back.”

“Mia, honey, is that you?” Cyndi said.

“Yeah, hi! Sorry for interrupting. I needed to talk to Max about something uh…pretty important, but he can call me back when he’s dealt with baby Jack.”

I heard her sigh. “No, no. Fine. Max. I’ll take our son, but you
so
have diaper duty for two days straight!” she fired at him.

There was a bunch of crackling noise, and then I heard Max alone. He must have turned off the speaker. “Sugar, this better be good. Diaper duty with a boy like Jackson is horrid. It’s like something crawled up in that kid and died a foul death every time I have to change him. It’s awful.”

Not wanting to make him wait, coupled with the fact that my nerves were ready to burst, I blurted out what I needed to say. “I found our mother.”

The line went quiet for a solid minute. “Did you talk to her?”

“If by talk you mean yell, berate her, and slap her face, yes, I think it would be safe to say I spoke with our mother.”

“Where did you find her?” he asked.

I laughed for emphasis not because it was funny. “Get this. She’s one of the local artists I was sent to interview in Colorado.”

“She’s in Colorado?”

“In this very town. Yes.”

“Christ on a cross,” he whispered.

“Yes, exactly.” I blew out a harsh breath.

“Are you okay?” His tone held genuine concern, and I loved him for it.

I thought about lying, telling him I was fine, the same way I’d mulled it over with Wes this morning in bed, but I couldn’t do it. He deserved more than that. He deserved honesty. “No, I’m not. I’m not sure how to deal with this. It’s been fifteen years in the making.”

“Try thirty for me,” he said, somberly.

“Oh, Max, I’m sorry. We need to deal with this together. When you get here this weekend, we’ll talk, figure out what we’re going to do with this information.”

“You think I’m letting you deal with this tsunami alone? I’ll be there tomorrow at the latest. I’ll pack up the family and come a few days early.”

“Max, really, it can wait.” I tried to rationalize even though I’d wanted him there more than anything.

“You hurting?” he asked.

I sighed. “Max, you know I am. This was a blow.”

“Then, I’m there. ’Nuff said. Now let me talk to my wife. We’ve got some packing to do. Our rooms ready or we need a hotel?”

Instant relief swept across me. “I love you, Max. Like,
really
love you.”

“Darlin’, you know I love you. This is a family matter, and if one of us is having a hard road, the others need to drive. Now, will my room be ready or do I need to get a hotel, sugar?”

I swallowed down the lump of stress that coated my throat. “It’s all ready for you and the family. Wes even ordered a bassinet for Jack. He had the caretaker put it in your room. There’s a foldout for Isabel too.”

“Sounds peachy. Mia, don’t you worry anymore ’bout this. I’ll be there tomorrow. Family matters we handle together, okay, Sis?”

“Family matters are handled together. Got ya, Maximus,” I repeated, believing every single word.

He chuckled. “Okay. Call Maddy and find out if she wants to come early. If so, I’ll have my plane stop in Vegas before heading to Colorado.”

Of course, Max would be the voice of reason in all this. Following his directions to the letter, I called Maddy and told her what was happening. She was just as shocked as I was. She and Matt agreed to take a couple days off school and come out early, since it was Christmas break from school anyway. I told Maddy to call Max and confirm the date and time of the airport pick up.

Then I went in search of my sanity—in the form of a movie-making surfer turned mountain cabin guy. I found him in the kitchen making breakfast.

“What do you want to do today?” Wes asked while flipping pancakes onto a nearby plate.

“Let’s hit the slopes,” I suggested, needing to feel the air rushing through my hair, the chill on my face, and the speed of the slopes reminding me I was alive. That this too would pass.

My family was on their way, and together, we’d deal with the one woman who had broken each of us in a way that could never be mended or forgotten.

“
A
re
you going to tell me what we’re doing tromping through the woods around the cabin in the snow?” I said, tugging my beanie farther down over my ears. My hair was tied at the nape and hanging over one side. Otherwise, the beanie would have already fallen off. Hair like mine didn’t appreciate an attempt at being tamed.

Wes grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the crunching snow. In his other hand, he was dragging a sled that carried a brown zip-up duffle. “What time did you say Max and Madison will be here?” he asked, dodging the question.

I followed him over a log from a long-forgotten fallen tree. “This evening, around six or so. Why?”

“Well, if they are coming to celebrate Christmas, don’t you think we should have a proper Christmas tree?” His breath was labored as he let go of my hand and the sled and jogged up a small hill.

A tree. A real Christmas tree. I hadn’t had one of those in as far back as I could remember. I wasn’t sure Maddy had ever had one. It’s not something a family strapped for cash worried about having. Due to the circumstances, we never bothered to push the issue. We were more concerned about eating dinner than having a tree. Hell, I had to break it to Maddy at five years old that Santa Claus was indeed a ruse. There would be no presents under our non-existent tree from a magical jolly fat man. Maddy and I had taken to making each other homemade presents. When we got older, we’d do a little more. Exchange a gift or two, but nothing extravagant.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wes asked, his head tilted and his expression concerned.

I shrugged. “I’ve never had a tree before.”

“You’ve never had a Christmas tree?” The shock was evident in the way his mouth hung open, the frosty puffs of air billowing around him. He nodded curtly. “Remind me to punch your father in the face when he’s up and walking around,” he said on an exasperated growl.

Then he quickstepped down the hill, grabbed my hand, helped me up, and pointed off in the distance. “See those? They would be perfect for a Christmas tree.”

Beyond the clearing was a section of smaller pine trees. Almost as if they had their own personal Christmas tree farm up here. “And how do you propose we get it out of the ground?”

Wes chuckled. “We cut it, sweetheart. Now, come on.” He picked up the rope for the sled, and together we went down the hill to get a better look at the trees. Each tree was at least seven feet tall and enormous.

“I don’t know about this. Killing a tree for decoration doesn’t seem right. Maybe we should buy an artificial one?”

Wes scoffed. “Nonsense. This is our first Christmas together. Your first with your brother and my family as well. Together, we’re going to make it special. And to do that, we need a proper tree. So pick one out.” He held his hands out wide.

Wes had a solid point. I’d never had a tree before, or at least one that I could recall. We were making amazing memories and traditions as a couple along with our extended family. The excitement about creating new memories wiggled its way into my subconscious, destroying any future concern over the environment and the loss of a single tree in a forest of thousands.

For several minutes, I circled around each tree. After I’d discarded a good ten or so, I found the perfect one. It was mighty, green, and smelled of the Earth. Its branches were separated equally in a way that would allow ornaments to display beautifully. The tree had my attention and I stared, imagining it with colored bulbs, lights, and Christmas flair.

Wes came up to me and hooked his arm around my shoulder. “This the one?”

I grinned at my guy and nodded. “This is the one.”

Wes leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Before he could back away, I took his head and kissed him soundly on the mouth. It was long, deep, and so very wet. His tongue danced with mine, taking as much as giving. He licked into my mouth, stirring an excitement inside me that had taken a back seat after seeing my mother. That excitement was back in full force, and all because of the love of this man.

“I love you,” I said, our lips still touching.

He smiled against my mouth. I could feel his teeth move when he said, “I love you more. Now let’s cut down our tree, shall we?”

“How?” I looked at the sled.

Wes went to the bag, unzipped it, and pulled out an axe. He took off the plastic protector on the blade’s edge and tossed that back on the bag.

“You’re seriously going to do this.”

He frowned. “What? You don’t think I can?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can. Just seems like a lot of work.”

“Mia, my love, anything worth having is worth working for.”

And on that note, he swung the axe and slammed the blade right into the base of the tree. The tree shook, snow globs and pine needles falling with every new strike.

While Wes chopped at our Christmas tree, I pulled out my phone and took his picture. Then I sent it to Ginelle.

T
o
: Skank-a-lot-a-Puss

From: Mia Saunders

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?

Within seconds, my phone dinged.

To: Mia Saunders

From: Skank-a-lot-a-Puss

If a woodchuck would chuck wood? Well, I can’t say exactly. Samoan wood, I’d gather about 8.

To: Skank-a-lot-a-Puss

From: Mia Saunders

8 what?

To: Mia Saunders

From: Skank-a-lot-a-Puss

Inches dumbass. Has the snow frozen your brain?

To: Skank-a-lot-a-Puss

From: Mia Saunders

You’re a nasty bitch.

To: Mia Saunders

From: Skank-a-lot-a-Puss

Takes one to know one. Besides, you’re the one who sent me a pic of a man chucking wood. ;-)

I
snort laughed
. Flipping Ginelle. I shook my head, giggling. Such a character. It reminded me that I hadn’t yet updated her on the finding of my mom issue. She’d be rightly pissed off and have a whole host of evil things to say. Probably why I hadn’t called her yet. I would. Just, after. After what? I didn’t know. I figured I’d come to that answer along the way. She could be pissed at me later. But with Gin, even if pissed, she’d forgive me, understand, and love me anyway. That’s what best friends did. She knew all the ugly, pretty, and in-between and loved me anyway. Same way I loved her.

“What are you laughing about?” Wes asked.

His breathing was labored. Sweat moistened his brow and dripped down his temple. A man hard at work. For me. Trying to make my holiday memorable.

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just Gin.”

“She doing okay?”

I grinned, knowing exactly what, or should I say whom, was doing Gin just fine. Made me wonder what was going to happen when Tao went back to Hawaii. Would she want to follow? Knowing Ginelle, she wouldn’t leave Malibu so soon after we’d gotten her a job and given her a place to live, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t want to. Something I’d have to talk to her about…among other things.

“Fine, fine. She’s with Tao, remember?”

He frowned. “Who’s Tao, again?”

“My friend Tai’s brother. She met him in Hawaii.”

Wes picked up the axe again, swung it hard right in the center of the big gaping wound he’d cut into the tree already. “You mean client number five.” His voice was now devoid of emotion.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. “Yes. Tai Niko. My
friend
.” I emphasized friend though he knew the truth of what our relationship was now and what it had been.

“The one you spent a month fucking while I pined after you?” He slammed the axe into the tree again. Chips of wood went flying at the force of the hit.

I gasped. “That isn’t fair, and you know it. You were with Gina then, if I recall.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Worst decision of my life,” he said, followed by a deep scowl.

I wasn’t about to agree with him. Gina is and has been a sore subject for me, but I’d gotten over their relationship. Okay…lie. I’ve
accepted
what they now are to one another, and Wes had better accept that with Tai because the giant Samoan was one of my best friends.

“You say that now. Anyway, I’ve come to terms with Gina, and you need to with Tai. He’ll be here for our wedding.”

He hit the tree and backed away, jerking his head up. “What? You didn’t tell me that.” He gripped the axe, knuckles turning as white as the snow all around us.

“He and his fiancée, Amy, are two of my twenty-five people. We’re also going to attend their wedding this summer in Hawaii.”

“That’s who’s getting married this summer?”

I sighed. “Yes, Wes. That’s who. My friend Tai. The same man who got on a plane in June and helped nurse me back to health after my attack. Alongside Mason.”

“That should have been me!” He turned and swung the axe, hitting the tree so hard the trunk finally gave way and the tree fell forward. The air around us seemed to vibrate when the huge tree landed.

“You done now?” I asked, hands on hips, head tilted in frustration. He knew the look well enough by now.

His shoulders slumped. “I don’t like that other men took care of you. Okay?”

“I know. I get it. I don’t like that you had your time with Gina. But it’s in the past. That doesn’t change that these people mean something to me, if on a different level than they once did, and you know that.”

“You say his fiancée is coming?” Wes asked quietly.

I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder as he focused on the fallen tree. “Yes, baby, his fiancée, Amy, is lovely. She knows about our history as well and doesn’t hold it against us. Tai and I were something to one another for a single month out of our entire lives. We haven’t been anything more since the day I got on that plane at the end of May. I’m marrying you in a couple weeks. She’s marrying Tai in six months. We’re friends. We care about one another. That’s it.” I did the best I could to express my sincere feelings about Tai. The last thing I needed was Wes to be jealous of yet another man in my life. I’d had enough of that.

“I’m sorry. Just…the thought of you with someone other than me makes me see red. It’s not fair, but you’re right. We both have pasts, and you’ve been great while I’ve attempted to help Gina through her trauma. I’m sorry. You forgive me?” He turned around then and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I’ll always forgive you. And I’ll show you just how much when we get this tree back up to the cabin and defrost our bodies in a steaming hot shower.” I waggled my eyebrows with intent. “How does that sound?”

He moved fast, and before I knew it, I was in his arms, my feet dangling, and my mouth on his. Right where I always wanted to be. He pulled away with an audible smack and let my feet hit the Earth again. “Are you suggesting we have make-up sex?”

“Um, hell, yes!” I giggled, and he kissed me once more.

“I accept! Now hold the sled while I hoist our first family Christmas Tree onto it.”

W
es
and I spent a solid hour dragging that tree to the cabin, hefting it up the stairs and onto the patio, where he proceeded to shake it for a really long time. Apparently, it was necessary to shake the shit out of a real tree to dislodge any potential forest friends, loose pine needles, and remaining snow. Then—no kidding here—he got the leaf blower out, put it on a low setting, and blew the tree dry. Just like blow-drying hair. The entire process was fascinating from start to finish.

Afterward, we spent another hour in the shower, making up. That was more fun than the tree hunting experience by far, but I didn’t share that bit of information.

Now, I sat on the couch, unloading box after box of ornaments, lights, and other Christmas decorations from not one, not two, but
four
huge tubs. For a family who didn’t come to this cabin that often, they sure loaded it up with the comforts of home. I’d already decorated the mantle where Wes had lit a fire. Greenery with fake poinsettia bows were strategically placed alongside some silver candle holders Wes informed me were a wedding gift from his grandparents to his parents when they were married all those years ago. I displayed those priceless treasures on high and lit some deep red candles to give the look even more appeal.

Together, Wes and I loaded up the tree with lights and many ornaments. Included with the store-bought ornaments was a box filled with special homemade ones. On the back were Wes and Jeananna’s names.

Wes smiled when I picked up a plaster cast of a small hand. Each finger was painted a different color and then splashed with gold glitter. On the back was Wes’s name and age five written in his mother’s careful script.

“When we were little, Mom would have Jeananna and I pass the time up here by making Christmas ornaments. Then she’d leave those here to use when we had another Christmas in Aspen. It was a great tradition.” He held up the little hand and smiled.

“We can do that with Isabel. Have her create one and add it to the box.”

Wes plopped down on the couch next to me. “And we’ll have our kids do them one day, too.”

Kids. We’d talked a little about it but not much more than a cursory discussion with us both agreeing that we wanted them one day.

“When do you want to start a family, Wes?” I asked, nervous about his answer.

He picked up my hand and kissed each knuckle sweetly. It was kind of our thing with one another. Something uniquely us. “Depends on when you want to start taking a break. If it were up to me, we’d start right away. I’ll be thirty-one this year. But you’re only twenty-five and have your entire career ahead of you. Not that you need to work,” he reminded me.

“How about we take a year for us, and then revisit this discussion, the same time next year?”

“Sounds like a date to me, sweetheart,” Wes agreed easily. Man, he really was amazing.

“Well, that was easy,” I joked.

“Why wouldn’t it be? Marriage isn’t about one person getting everything he wants. My parents always compromised with one another. I think that’s the key. And honesty. If I have a burning need to have children, you and I will talk about it. Make sure it’s something we’re both ready for. I think that’s the best way to handle anything that comes up. Don’t you?” he asked.