“You and Liam,” she says with a cheeky wink. Before I can argue, she glances over my shoulder. “Speak of the devil.”
I follow her gaze to find Liam, Nathan, and Rex stepping out onto the porch, zipping their coats. Liam heads straight for me, wrapping his arms around me from behind. Nathan, as usual, takes up a spot as far from Fiona as possible, using Rex as a human shield between them. Silence falls as we all look out at the snow. It’s so beautiful and festive.
“Who built the tree house?” I ask.
“Murph,” Liam and Nathan say at the same time.
“He built it when we were five or so,” Nathan adds. “We used to be up there all the time as kids.”
“Not just as kids,” Fiona says with a twinkle in her eye.
One side of Nathan’s mouth lifts, but he doesn’t say anything.
“I wish it wasn’t too cold for Poohsticks,” Rex says suddenly.
I eye him as if he’s spoken a foreign language. “Forwhat?”
“Poohsticks,” Nathan answers before Rex can. He’s smiling now, and it’s small and almost wistful. “It’s fromWinnie the Pooh. There’s a creek with an old bridge at the far end of the property. Basically, you stand on one side of the bridge and toss sticks in the water. Whoever’s stick comes out first on the other side is the winner.” He chuckles when he sees my bemusement. “I know it probably sounds silly, but we loved it. We’d play for ages.”
“One year Mum got us these floating wind-up toys to try,” Fiona says. “Mine was a frog, Nathan’s was a duck, and Liam’s was a turtle. We’d wind them up, throw them down, and race them. I cried when my frog was swept up in the current and got lost before we could catch it.” She shakes her head, laughing fondly at the memory.
“And then Nathan gave you his duck and everything was right with the world again,” Liam says.
“Yeah. Yeah, it was.”
My gaze ping pongs between Fiona and Nathan. Their eyes are locked, and I can practically feel the connection between them, pulled taut like a wire that’s about to snap. I give an involuntary shiver and Liam’s arms wrap tighter around me before releasing.
“Why don’t we go inside?” he suggests. “We should do a bit more dinner prep before Mae gets it into her head to leave the party and do it herself.”
We all troop inside and return our coats to the closet. The others drift away, announcing what they’re going to do for dinner prep. Liam catches my hand, holding me in place. I watch in amusement as he casts an exaggerated glance around to ensure we’re alone before drawing me closer.
“Hi,” he whispers when we’re so close our hips are bumping.
“Hi yourself,” I say, nipping at his lower lip.
He makes a rough sound in the back of his throat. “You having fun?”
“So much fun. You?”
“Mmhmm.” He presses his lips to mine, but eases back before I can deepen the kiss. “I love seeing everyone so happy and light. Especially Murph.”
“I thought Mae was nuts to undertake such a big event with everything else going on, but it seems to be exactly what Murph needed.”
“I’m glad she went ahead with it.” Sadness flickers across his features, but it’s gone as quickly as it came. “I have to admit, I’ll be glad when it’s just the family later for dinner. Let’s be sure to take as many pictures as we can tonight, okay? I know Mae and Fi will appreciate them when…well, after.”
Throat tight, I opt to respond by pulling Liam into my arms and holding him close. A throat clears a minute later and I lift my head to see Nathan in the doorway.
“You two gonna stand here making out in the kitchen like a pair of teenagers, or are you going to help set the table?”
Liam releases me, brushing a kiss on my forehead before stepping away. He opens the cutlery drawer and pulls out a fork. “Hey, Nathan? You know that saying ‘Stick a fork in me, I’m done’? C’mere and let’s test it out.”
*****
We crowd around the beautifully laid-out dining room table a few hours later. Every spare inch is covered in platters and bowls of food. Throughout dinner, as I look around at the happy, laughing faces of people I didn’t even know a month ago, I wonder how I’m going to find the strength to leave Honeywell in three weeks.
I resolve not to think about it tonight. My problems are small compared to everyone else here tonight, with the fear and sadness associated with Murph’s illness and the worry about Thea at rehab. They’re all making a valiant effort to keep it together, so I can too. They’ve welcomed me into their lives and homes and hearts, and the least I can do is be present and enjoy our time together while it lasts.
When we’ve finished eating, we trek to the living room, holding our bellies and exclaiming over the delicious meal. All the furniture has been put back in its proper places, and there’s a new addition in the room that wasn’t here before: a pile of presents under the Christmas tree.
