Page 252 of Back in the Saddle

My gaze wandered to the living room, the sectional filled, the girls on the floor with some leftover ribbon playing with Henny, people talking, laughing, drinking, spent plates and napkins everywhere, Bing Crosby crooning, and the tree, boughs and décor glowing.

“How I cope,” Eric stated, and I turned back to him.

“What?”

“With losing Mom. I don’t know what I believe about life after death. If it’s possible, or if it’s just hopeful. But what I think is, if it’s real, and Mom can see what I earned in my life, she’d be happy for me.”

Liking this thought a whole lot for him, I forgot all about the cake and leaned into my guy. “Yeah.”

“She’d be a lot happier recently,” he remarked.

Oh God.

“Yeah,” I repeated, but his time it was husky.

He bent and touched his mouth to mine.

Really,reallyloved it when he did that.

After he lifted away, though not very far, he said, “Those meatballs were insane.”

I grinned at him, “I know, right?”

“Ugh! Mommy! Uncle Eric and Aunt Jess are like you and daddy!” Maisie complained.

We looked to the living room.

Shirleen was coming our way, saying, “I’ll help pass those around.”

But my eyes had gone to Ava.

She was cuddled into Luke but twisted to gaze over the back of the couch at me.

She was smiling.

She approved.

Oh yeah.

I didn’t have to worry.

Eric had a ton of family.

I noted Jeff turning his head away when my eyes caught on him, but that didn’t hide his smile.

And Eric’s family was only going to get bigger.

And as things like this were wont to be…

Better.

* * *

For your edification,the Battle of the Best Christmas Song was hotly debated.

In the end, it became a girls versus boys thing, with the finalists being Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” versus Taylor Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm.”

Jeff, Roam and Cap were blindsided when Eric, Moses and Luke switched teams at the last minute so Gracie and Maisie’s favorite song would win.

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