“That’s how they did it.”Tears pooled in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away.“That’s how the Phantoms took Oliver away from me.”She turned her head, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Sadie.”She continued to look away from him.“Sadie, honey.Look at me.”
Her teeth were sunk into her bottom lip to the point he was afraid she might draw blood.He stepped closer, settling his hands on her upper arms.“No one is going to take Oliver away from you.The Sons will never take him away.Do you hear me?”She didn’t say anything for the longest time, until he gave her a little shake.“Honey, do you hear me?”
“Yes.I hear you.”
“Good.Now, let's go back out there before Oliver comes looking for us.Take a deep breath and calm yourself so he doesn’t figure out you’re upset.Okay?”
She nodded her head and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.
“Good girl.Let’s go.”He pulled the door open and waved her through first.He watched as she went to sit on the floor next to her nephew.He talked about his ride with Jed in his “super-fast” car.He told her about freeze tag with his buddies at recess and how Emily tried to hold his hand at lunch.Then he told her that Jed said one day he was going to grow up and want to hold hands and kiss girls.Again, he said it like he thought Jed was nuts.
And again, Jed thought about how the boy would change his tune when he got older.He’d want to kiss women.Maybe a lot of them, maybe a few.Only time would tell.
For Jed, there was only one woman right now that he wanted to kiss, and she was looking up at him with gorgeous green eyes and a smile that tripped something in his chest.And on the heels of that thought came another.He was so damn confused when it came to Sadie.
There was no denying he was attracted to her and would love to fuck her, but he was also aware that she wasn’t a one-and-done kind of woman, and he wasn’t sure if he was at that point in his life yet.
He was fucked.
3
Sadie
It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and she had decided to dip into her savings so she and her nephew could go to the store and buy a Christmas tree.With her brother gone, she was desperate to find some kind of joy for the holiday for her nephew.
While she was at the store buying a tree, she also bought a stocking for each of them, some ornaments, lights, and some decorations to put up around the apartment.It was more than she wanted to spend at this time, but it was well worth it to see the smile on his face as they piled things into the shopping cart.
It wasn't until they had the tree put together and the lights strung on it that she noticed Oliver was getting a little quieter, and some of his earlier enthusiasm was wearing off.
“Are you okay, buddy?”She smoothed his hair back and settled her hand on his shoulder.
“Yes.I wish Dad was here.”
“I know, honey.Me, too.”Sadie swallowed past the lump in her throat.She’d been thinking the same thing.For as long as she remembered, Ryan had always helped her trim her tree.“How about we finish the tree, then we’ll go back to the store and buyThe Polar Expressmovie.We’ll put on our PJs, make some popcorn and hot chocolate, and snuggle under the covers?”
“Can we turn off all the lights except the ones on the tree?”He smiled as he warmed to the idea.
“You bet.Let’s get this finished.”
They finished the tree, and when it was time to figure out where to put their Christmas stockings, they weren’t sure where to put them.There was no fireplace mantel or even a shelf to hang them from.They ended up using the weighted stocking hangers on the end of the kitchen counter facing the living room.It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do for this year.Maybe next year, they’d be in a new house.
When they got back from the store the second time with the movie, she told Oliver to change into his pajamas while she put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.While that was cooking, she went to change into her pajamas, too.Pulling her comforter off the bed, she brought it into the living room and tossed it on the couch.
Oliver came running back into the room wearing his red and green plaid pajamas just as she was dumping the popcorn into a big bowl.
“Here.Take this to the living room while I make the hot chocolate.”
He took the bowl and immediately shoveled a handful of salty goodness into his mouth.She shook her head at his silliness.A couple of minutes later, she joined him on the couch, pulled the comforter over both their laps, and settled the bowl on her lap where Oliver could reach it.
“Did you put the movie in?”
“Yes.It’s all ready to go.”
She started the movie and snuggled in with her nephew.She thanked God every day for gifting them with Oliver.The boy had stolen her heart the day he was born, and with the loss of her brother, she didn’t know what she’d do without him.
The movie finished, and it was time for bed.“I love that movie,” Oliver commented as he handed the empty bowl to Sadie.
