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Authors: Cheryl Douglas

Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #Family, #next generation, #nashville nights, #cheryl douglas, #short story, #holiday, #novella

Holiday Homecoming (10 page)

BOOK: Holiday Homecoming
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Alisa gasped
when he opened the box to reveal a large blue topaz surrounded by
twenty quarter carat diamonds on a platinum chain. “Trey’s
birthstone,” she whispered. She bit her trembling lip. “Oh, Liam,
it’s gorgeous. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”
He kissed her softly before pulling back to look her in the eye.
“It’s crazy that no matter what I try to do or give you, I always
seem to come up short.”

“What are you
talking about?” Her husband had spoiled her with lavish gifts since
the day they met, and despite her repeated protests, he insisted it
gave him pleasure to treat her to nice things. “You’ve given me so
much…”

“But I’ve
realized something. No matter how big the diamond or expensive the
car, it’s never going to be enough to show you how much you mean to
me. That’s why I decided to do something to prove to you that I
listen to every word you say and my goal…” He smiled and brushed
away a tear sliding down her cheek. “Is to do whatever it takes to
make you happy.”

“You’ve
already made me so happy, you have no idea.”

Liam slid off
the bed and walked to the door.

“Where are you
going?”

“There’s
someone waiting to see you.”

“Who is
it?”

Liam opened
the door and Alisa cried out, startling the baby nuzzling her neck.
“Oh my God, Val!”

Val was her
nanny growing up, but she was so much more than that. She was a
member of their family for more years than Alisa had been alive. “I
can’t believe you’re really here.” Well into her eighties, Val
hadn’t made the trip back to Nashville in more than a decade.

Liam held
Val’s hand as she made her way to Alisa’s bed and reached down to
hug Alisa and her son. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything in
the world,” Val said, sniffling as she reached for a tissue. “When
your husband offered to fly me here on his private jet, I couldn’t
get to the airport fast enough.”

Val and her
second husband, Terrance, had moved to Florida to be with his
family many years ago, but they continued to travel with Trey and
his entourage to support Sierra as she cared for Alisa.

“I can’t
believe you did this,” Alisa said, looking up at Liam. “How did you
know how much this would mean to me?”

Liam helped
Val claim the seat at the side of the bed and placed a hand on her
back. “Like I said, I listen. You’ve mentioned Valerie to me a
hundred times. I knew how much having her here to meet our son
would mean to you.”

Alisa couldn’t
contain the steady stream of tears sliding down her cheeks. She
wanted to blame the outburst on hormones, but she knew it was more
than that. She had found a man who not only loved her, but seemed
able to read her mind. “You’ll never know how much it means to me…”
She looked from Liam to Val. “Thank you, both of you.”

Liam smiled.
“I’ll give you ladies some time to catch up.”

Valerie waited
for Liam to close the door before she said, “That’s some man you
have there, my dear.”

“I still don’t
know what I did to deserve him.”

Val patted her
hand. “I’m sure he asks himself what he did to deserve you.”

“How are you,
Val? I mean, really?” Valerie had lost her husband three years ago
after a long bout with Alzheimer’s. Since she didn’t have any
family left, Alisa feared she may be lonely.

“I have my
good days and my bad days.” She smiled. “But doesn’t everyone?
That’s just a part of life, especially when you get to be my
age.”

“I know you
have friends in Florida, but…” Alisa and her parents had asked
Valerie to return to Nashville numerous times, to no avail. “We
miss you so much.”

“You’re the
only family I’ve ever had,” she said, a tear leaving a trail on the
deep-set wrinkles in her cheek. “I came to work for your mama and
daddy after my George died, and being here with them filled the
hole in my heart.”

Alisa set the
baby down on the mattress beside her and propped a pillow beside
him so she could take Val’s hand. “I can only imagine how difficult
losing George and then Terrance was for you.” When Liam had his
heart attack, Alisa had only known him a short time, but that
didn’t minimize her fear of losing him. Now she was vigilant about
making sure he ate a healthy diet, minimized his stress, and
exercised every day. With twenty years between them, she knew she
would have to face too many lonely years without him and the
thought terrified her. She needed him, and their son needed his
daddy.

“I thought I’d
never get over losing George.” She gripped Alisa’s hand. “He was
the love of my life. But then your parents took me in and I became
a member of your family.” She reached behind her silver framed
glasses to catch an errant tear with the corner of her tissue.

“You’re still
part of our family, Val. I hope you know that.”

“I do.”

“Then why
won’t you come home?” Alisa didn’t care if she was being selfish.
She loved Valerie and so did her parents. If Valerie only had a few
years of life left, Alisa wanted her to spend them here, with her
family.

“Your husband
asked me the same question when he called to ask me about making
the trip.”

“And? What did
you tell him?”

“I told him I
didn’t know anymore.” Valerie sighed. “At first, I wanted to stay
in Florida because I’d made some good friends there, but most of
them have passed on or moved into nursing homes. It’s not the same
anymore.”

“Does that
mean…?” Alisa held her breath, waiting and praying.

“Your husband
is quite the philanthropist, isn’t he?”

Liam donated a
fortune to various charities every year, but Alisa couldn’t imagine
how that would impact Valerie’s decision to move. “What do you
mean?”

“He told me
about the assisted living facility he’s funding… said it’s right
between your house and your parents’. He also said the first suites
were all ready to go.”

Alisa had
trouble imagining Val, who was always so active and vital, needing
someone to take care of her, but if that’s what it would take to
get her back here, Alisa was all for it. “Are you sure that’s what
you want? I mean, maybe a nice little condo would be better?”

“Honey, when
you get to be my age, the last thing you want is to be holed up in
some condo staring at the same four walls all day. Liam sent me
some information about this place. They have lovely suites, a
beautiful restaurant and dining room, games rooms, exercise
facilities. He said it’s as nice as one of his hotels.”

“It is. I’ve
been there. In fact, Liam’s mother is thinking of taking a suite
there. She’s not that old, but she thought it would be nice to live
in…” Alisa blushed when she realized she may have offended Val.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t
apologize.” She laughed. “Hell, I know I’m old. No sense beating
around the bush about it.”

“Anyways,
Liam’s mother’s a lovely lady. I think you two would really hit it
off.”

“I met her
downstairs.” Valerie winked. “She seems to enjoy getting your
husband all riled up.”

Alisa winced.
“Yes, they have a bit of an antagonistic relationship.” She held
her hand up. “But he loves her very much. Trust me, he would do
anything for her.”

“I could see
that.” Valerie smiled, looking wistful. “Now that I’m getting
older, I really wish I’d been able to have children.” She glanced
at the sleeping baby beside Alisa. “Your grandparents sure are
lucky to have lived long enough to meet this little one.”

“Val,” Alisa
said, reaching for her hand, “it’s not the blood running through
your veins that makes you a family. We couldn’t love you any more
if you were born to this family. You must know that.”

“I do, honey.”
She held Alisa’s hand. “I just needed someone to remind me.”
Blinking back the tears, she said, “Thank you for convincing me to
come home.”

 

 

Later that
evening, with the Turners, Coopers, Spencers, McCalls, and Brysons
all gathered around the enormous dining table, Liam raised his
glass. “To family.” He smiled at his mother. “Sometimes they’re
your best friends and your worst enemies, but you love them every
day, no matter what. Here’s to another year… with
our
family.”

Trey smiled at
his son-in-law as he touched his glass of sparkling water against
Liam’s. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“The food
looks incredible, Sierra,” Marisa said. “But I’ve gotta tell you,
I’ve been salivating over your apple crumble all day.”

Alisa smiled.
Her mother and Aunt Marisa had been best friends since her parents
met, and their relationship renewed Alisa’s faith that some
relationships may fade, but others were built to endure life’s
trials.

Alisa reached
for her best friend’s hand. She knew that no matter what life threw
at them, she and Lena would always be as close as sisters.

It would soon
be Lena’s turn to get the happy ending she so deserved when she and
her fiancé, Dominic, took their vows on a Caribbean beach next
year. Alisa didn’t know who was more excited about the wedding,
Lena or her. Watching her best friend fall in love with Evan
Spencer’s college roommate was bittersweet. She wanted Lena to find
the love of her life, but before she met Liam, Alisa questioned
whether she would ever find a man who looked at her the way Dom
looked at Lena.

Lena squeezed
her hand and her eyes filled with tears. “Who ever thought we’d sit
here like this one day?”

She said it
loud enough for Sierra, who was seated next to her, to hear. “I
knew the first day I met you that you were going to be an important
part of our lives, Lena.”

Lena sniffled
as she reached for the cloth napkin in her lap. “I was in such a
bad place back then. I don’t know what I would have done if I
hadn’t met y’all.”

Alisa touched
Lena’s arm as the large group fell silent. “There’s something I’ve
wanted to ask you for a while, Lena.”

Lena dabbed at
her eyes, careful not to smudge her make-up. “What is it?”

“My business
wouldn’t be the success it is without you. Your ideas are so
creative, so innovative, yet you’ve got this incredible head for
business and marketing.”

Lena grinned
at Trey. “See, I told you that expensive M.B.A. would come in handy
one day.”

He chuckled.
“I had no doubt it would, darlin’.”

“We all know
my life’s about to change in ways I can’t even begin to imagine.”
She looked across the table and smiled when she met her husband’s
eyes. “And I’m looking forward to a whole new set of challenges.
I’m so excited about being a mother, I can’t even tell you.”

Lena rubbed
her back. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

Liam winked at
his wife’s best friend. “It won’t be long before we’re helping you
and Dom celebrate your big day.”

Lena and
Dominic had planned a long engagement, so she could finish school
and find a job. They were supposed to marry last year, but when his
father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, they put their plans
on hold.

“It can’t come
soon enough for me,” Dom said, smiling.

Evan Spencer
stole a glance at Dominic before looking at his girlfriend, Erika.
She quickly turned her attention back to the food on her plate
without acknowledging him.

Alisa couldn’t
help but wonder what that was about. Evan was like a brother to her
growing up, their fathers had been best friends since long before
they were born, and she thought he found the woman he’d been
looking for in Erika, but if the tension between them this weekend
was any indication, their relationship may be at a crossroads.

The platters
of food made their way around the table amid soft chatter and
intermittent laughter as Alisa tried to find the words to express
her wishes. There was no question in her mind that she was making
the right decision, but she wished she had talked to her husband
about it first. They agreed early on to discuss all major decisions
and that was her plan, but she thought she would have a bit more
time before the baby was born. She could wait, but this seemed like
the perfect time to make her announcement, with all of their
friends and family around them.

“You okay?”
Liam mouthed from across the table, frowning at her empty
plate.

Taking a deep
breath, she forced a smile. It felt a little like giving away a
part of herself, but she knew in her heart she would gain so much
more than she lost. “I, uh, want to stay home with the baby,” she
said, gaining the attention of everyone seated around the
table.

“No one could
fault you for that, honey,” Nana Turner said. “Every new mama wants
to be there to care for her baby.”

Liam set his
utensils down on his plate and looked at her, almost as though he
was trying to read her mind. “What about your business… your
expansion plans?”

“I still want
to grow the business—”

“Darlin’,”
Trey said, “it’s not easy to have it all. Take it from someone who
knows. Balancin’ a career and a family is never easy.”

“I know.
That’s why I’ve decided to ask for help.” Alisa stole a glance at
Lena, who looked a little hurt and confused. She undoubtedly
assumed Alisa was on the verge of making a major decision that
affected her livelihood without discussing it with her first.

“You know I’ll
do anything I can to help out at work,” Lena said.

“And we can
hire a nanny to help out at home,” Liam said. “Don’t worry,
sweetheart. We’ll find a way to make it work.”

“I think I
already have, that is, if Lena agrees.”

“Whatever you
need, you know I’ll be there for you,” Lena said quickly.

“Good, because
I want you to be my partner in the business.”

Everyone
digested the news for a minute before an excited murmur stirred the
table.

BOOK: Holiday Homecoming
9.78Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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