Holiday Homecoming (6 page)

Trey stuck his
head in the door and smiled. “Looks like it’s showtime.”

Liam took a
deep breath and said a silent prayer.

“Everything’s
gonna be fine,” Abby whispered. “I promise.”

Ryan and Evan
sat in the basement watching sports re-runs on the big screen.
While everyone rallied around Alisa, offering their support, the
Spencer brothers knew they had nothing to contribute, so they
decided to stay out of the way until it was time to meet the new
arrival.

“You okay?”
Ryan asked, shooting a sidelong glance at his brother.

“Not really.”
Evan tipped his head back against the suede sectional and closed
his eyes. His life was spiraling out of control. The woman who’d
been his anchor for so long was slipping away, and he had no idea
how to get her back.

“You wanna
talk about it?”

Ryan had a
reputation as being a little wild and out-of-control at times, but
those who knew him appreciated the fact he was fiercely loyal and
loved deeply. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Is it about
Erika?” He shrugged when his brother looked at him. “It looked like
things were pretty tense between you two upstairs.”

“She’s not
happy, Ry. She’s talkin’ about leavin’ me.” Even getting the words
out was difficult, much less contemplating how losing her would
impact his life.

“Shit,” Ryan
said, releasing a slow hiss of air between his teeth. “Anything you
can do to change her mind?”

“Not unless
I’m willin’ to change, and I don’t know how the hell to do that.”
His head started pounding that familiar staccato that usually meant
he’d been so busy working he forgot to eat, drink, or sleep.

“You can’t
really blame her, man.” Ryan looked apologetic when he said, “I
know it sucks, but you’ve been workin’ crazy hours ever since you
took over as president of Titan. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for
a relationship.”

Evan knew his
brother was right. They hadn’t made love in weeks, and with every
passing day, the rift between them grew wider and he had no idea
how to close the gap. “Maybe I should ask her to move in with me.”
He tossed a cushion at his brother when he smirked at the
suggestion. “What? It could work.”

“How would
that change anything? You’re at the office by seven and you don’t
get home until nine most nights, right?”

Fourteen-hour
days, seven days a week had become par for the course since he’d
stepped into his father’s shoes. He knew he had to work twice as
hard as the old man to prove he was half as good. Luc Spencer was a
legend in this town, a star-maker, and the big-name artists on
their label were antsy ever since they learned he was stepping
down. Earning their trust and proving to them they still had a home
at Titan Records was Evan’s job. That required time and patience, a
commitment that seemed to overshadow everything else in his life at
the moment.

“It might give
us a couple of hours in the evenin’.”
To regain the intimacy
we’ve lost and make her fall in love with me again.
That’s what
scared Evan the most. The past several months, every time he looked
Erika in the eye, he saw the words she seemed reluctant to say. She
didn’t love him anymore, and that terrified him because he knew
without that, they had nothing left to fight for.

“I guess it’s
worth a shot.” Ryan glanced at the TV screen when Aiden Cooper, his
good friend and Brianna’s brother, flashed across the screen.

“I don’t even
know if she’d go for it. It feels like she’s already given up on
us.”

“Did she say
that?”

“She didn’t
have to. I’ve known her a long time. I know what she’s thinkin’,
how she’s feelin’.” He sighed. “To tell you the truth, I think
she’s just waitin’ till the holidays are over to let me down
easy.”

“There’s no
way around it. If she dumps you, we both know you’re gonna fall
hard
.”

Evan covered
his face with his hands, trying to control the emotion he knew was
evident to the man who knew him almost as well as he knew himself.
“What the hell am I gonna do? I can’t lose her.”

“I wish I
knew, man.” Ryan reached for his beer bottle and brought it to his
lips. “You can’t change who you are. Everyone says you’re just like
the old man was in the early days. Maybe you should talk to him
about it.”

Evan knew
there was no solution. He had a career he loved that took over his
life, leaving no room for the other love of his life. He could make
noise about making more time for her and finding a healthy balance,
but he didn’t know if that was even possible. The thought of
letting her go to find what he couldn’t give her twisted him up in
knots. He’d heard the saying about setting the person you love free
and having faith they’d come back to you, but his every instinct
told him that if Erika walked out on him, it would be the last
time.

Alisa had
insisted Liam take a break from his bedside vigil to get a breath
of fresh air and stretch his legs, but now that the moment was
here, she just needed him by her side.

Liam walked
into the room just as Maria instructed her to push with the next
contraction and Alisa finally felt like she could breathe.
Something about her husband’s presence, the solid grip of his hand
holding hers, made her believe that everything would be okay.

“You can do
this, baby,” he whispered, kissing her hand. “You’re doing great.
I’m so proud of you.”

“It’s not over
yet,” she said, screaming as the most violent contraction she’d
felt so far ripped through her. Nothing could have prepared her for
the pain, not the books or TV shows or horror stories she’d heard
from her girlfriends. She never experienced pain like this. “This
is it,” she shouted. “I can’t do this again.”

Maria gave
Liam a look that made Alisa want to kick her,
hard.
Didn’t
they understand this little being inside of her was hell bent on
splitting her in two?

“We’re almost
there, sweetheart,” Liam said, leaning forward on the edge of his
chair. “Just think, we’ll be holding our baby in our arms any
minute now.”

Liam always
knew what to say to calm her down, and she held on to that image as
she followed Maria’s instructions, pushing through the contractions
and pausing to breathe when she was told to. Seconds seemed like
minutes and minutes seemed like hours as she tried to focus on her
mother’s gentle words of encouragement in her ear.

She watched
the expression on Liam’s face as he watched the event unfolding,
and she could see it in his eyes when they neared the end of their
ordeal.

“Oh my God,”
he whispered, his eyes filling with tears.

“The head is
out,” Maria said, in a firm voice. “Just let me get a grip on him.
One more gentle push and we can welcome your little angel into the
world, Alisa.”

The tears came
full force as Alisa realized it was almost time to bask in the
miracle of bringing their baby into the world. She couldn’t wait to
meet him, to hold him, to watch her husband fall in love with the
life they created together.

“I have to…”
She didn’t even get the words out before her body interceded,
urging her to push with as much strength as she could muster.
Before she knew what was happening, she was mesmerized by the
sweetest sound she’d ever heard,
her baby’s first cry
.

“Oh, wow,”
Alisa said, staring down at the slippery infant wriggling to break
free of Maria’s tight grip.

“It’s a boy,”
Liam whispered, almost as though he couldn’t believe he’d been
lucky enough to witness this miracle, much less partake in it. “We
have a son,” he said, kissing Alisa gently. He looked her in the
eye before touching his forehead to hers. “Thank you. He’s the most
incredible gift…”

She cried as
she held her husband close. “I already love him so much.”

“I love you,”
he whispered. “More now than I ever thought possible. You’re
amazing.”

Alisa followed
Maria’s final instructions as Maria prepared to cut the cord and
hand the baby off to his daddy.

Liam stared at
him a long time, whispering and rubbing noses with him as Liam
blinked back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

“We’ll give
you a few minutes alone,” Sierra said, reaching down to kiss her
daughter’s cheek. “Congratulations, to both of you.” To Alisa, she
said, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,
Mama.”

Alisa watched
her mother and Maria leave the room before she said to her husband,
“Do I get a turn?”

Liam smiled as
he walked toward her, beaming like the proud new father he was. “Of
course. You did do all the work, after all.” He settled their baby
in her arms, and he immediately started rooting around at his
mama’s breast. Liam laughed. “A man after my own heart.”

Alisa tried to
hide her smile as she pulled her T-shirt up and watched her baby
latch on with a fierce intent that took her by surprise.

“Are you
okay?” Liam asked, frowning. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No, it’ll
just take some getting used to, that’s all.”

“You’re so
beautiful,” he whispered, claiming the chair beside her as he took
one of his son’s tiny feet in his big hand and massaged the
wrinkled sole.

“I must be a
wreck,” she said, wincing when she imagined what the mirror would
reveal when she finally felt brave enough to look.

“You’ve never
looked more beautiful.”

Suddenly,
Alisa didn’t care what she saw in the mirror. She saw the truth in
her husband’s eyes.

Trey paced
back and forth in front of the fireplace, much to the amusement of
their friends and family, when he saw his wife rounding the corner
with the midwife close behind. The expression on her face told him
everything he needed to know. His baby and grandbaby were fine.
History hadn’t repeated itself. They weren’t going to have to pull
together to face a tragedy tonight, as they had so many years ago.
This was a day to celebrate the miracle of life and love.

He glanced at
the clock hanging on the wall as Sierra stepped into his
outstretched arms. It was 12:35 a.m. “Looks like we have a
Christmas baby, y’all.”

Everyone
cheered and started hugging, talking, crying, and laughing all at
once.

“It’s a boy,”
Sierra whispered, reaching up to kiss his lips. “Congratulations,
Papa.”

Trey felt the
hot burn of tears sting his eyes. “No way.”

“He’s perfect,
Trey. Just wait till you see him.”

“How much does
he weigh?”

“Maria decided
to give them a few minutes alone first. She’ll go back in soon and
find out all the details for the record.” Sierra laid her head on
his chest as his arms tightened around her.

Trey could
hear the excited voices filtering in and out of his head, but in
this moment, the only things that mattered were the woman in his
arms and the love of the people surrounding them. He’d made so many
mistakes in his life. He had no idea how he ended up here, with
family who would lay down their own lives for him and friends who
rallied around him when he needed support. He was a lucky man
indeed. Granted, a man who faced his share of tragedy and trials,
but the pleasure he experienced most days was more than many people
experienced in a lifetime.

“How did we
get so lucky?” he asked his wife, kissing her lips gently. “I mean
you, I understand, but me… What the hell did I do to deserve all
this?”

She ran her
hand through his hair. “I was worried about how this would affect
you. I know you were scared for Alisa.” She pressed a kiss to the
opening at the collar of his button-down shirt. “It brought it all
back, losing Callie, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, but you
know what else it made me realize?” He held her tighter, marveling
in the fact that she fit him even better now than she did all those
years ago when they’d first started their life together.

“What’s
that?”

“Everybody
faces tragedy sometimes. It’s hell, but death is a part of life,
and you can’t let the loss steal your will to live. I did that for
so many years. I let it take over my life. I drove you away, and I
ended up alone. God, I was so alone. Now look at where we are,
surrounded by friends and family. Hell, it doesn’t get much better
than this, does it?”

“No, it
doesn’t.” Sierra smiled as she looked around them. “Hey, where’d
everybody go?”

Trey picked
her up and kissed her neck. “Maybe they thought we needed a few
minutes to celebrate in private.”

“You ready to
meet your new grandbaby, Trey?”

He grinned,
feeling his heart swell with love and anticipation. “I don’t think
I can wait another minute.”

Alisa watched
her parents step into the room and Trey’s eyes zeroed in on the
baby sleeping in his father’s arms.

“Wow,” Trey
said, grinning. “Just look at him.”

Alisa reached
out to take her father’s hand and he stepped toward her, reaching
down to hug her gently. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you,
baby.”

“Thanks.”
Alisa didn’t even try to stop the flow of tears. She figured she’d
earned the right to shed a few tonight. “Isn’t he amazing?”

Trey leaned
over to sneak a peek inside the blanket. “He sure is.”

Liam held the
baby out to Trey. “Meet your grandson, Trey Matthew Bryson.”

“Are you
serious?” Trey looked from his daughter to her husband and back
again before Liam gently placed the baby in his arms, being careful
to cradle the infant’s neck as he made the transfer.

“Of course
we’re serious,” Liam said, shifting to stand beside Trey as he
looked down at his son. “I wasn’t close to my own father, and since
I’ve married your daughter…” Liam thrust his hands into his
pockets, rocking back on his heels. “Let’s just say after you got
over the initial shock, you couldn’t have been more supportive.” He
placed a hand on Trey’s shoulder. “I want you to know how much I
appreciate that.” Liam smiled at Sierra, who was wiping away tears.
“You’ve both welcomed me into your family, and I want you to know
how grateful I am.”