Page 11 of Jam and Jingle Bells
Melissa reached out and laid her hand on Stan’s arm. “This is what I want, Stan.”
“We have our reasons,” Mason explained, leaning back and putting his arm around Holly, who snuggled into him sleepily. “Holly came home to Bells Pass with us on December ninth last year. It’s a special day to us, and we want to remember it for the rest of our lives.”
“After they get married, Dad says he’s going to adopt me,” Holly said very matter of fact.
We all glanced between each other. “Really? You can do that?”
Mason grinned wide and happily. “I can legally yes, but first, I have to be married to her mother. Directly after the ceremony, we hope you’ll stick around long enough to watch the adoption hearing where Holly becomes mine,” he said, his voice proud and at the same time, in awe.
My mom hugged Stan and grinned at Mason. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. I love this idea. It’s perfect and so very Mel and Mason.”
“And don’t forget Holly,” she sang, taking another bite of her pie.
We all laughed and then started making wedding plans for Melissa to get a dress, Ivy to be her matron of honor, and me doing hair and makeup as well as the photography. We planned a small reception with cake and coffee at the Nightingale Diner after the ceremony and then a trip to the park to take pictures by the lit tree. It was Holly’s favorite place to be for the season. It would be simple, but a wonderful memory for their new family.
A fork clattered to a plate and we all jumped. My mom sat staring at her empty plate, her mouth hanging open and her hands shaking.
“Mom? Are you okay?” I asked, concerned she was ill.
Stan cleared his throat and turned, pulling a box from under the table and cracking it open. He gave her a cheesy grin. “With all this talk of weddings, I decided I’d waited long enough to ask you to be my wife. Loretta Collop, will you marry me?”
We all held our breath. My mom, her eyes full of tears and her chin trembling, offered him a shaky smile. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” Stan slid the ring on her finger and the table erupted in laughter, clapping, and whistles as they shared a kiss.
Stan held her hand in his and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I’m the luckiest man in the world. A beautiful woman by my side, two new daughters, and a new granddaughter. A man can’t ask for anything more.”
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Mason joked, laughing when Stan playfully punched him.
“You’re old news, dude. I’m surrounding myself with beautiful women here, let me have my moment.”
Mason’s eyes crinkled and he laughed, hugging Melissa tightly. I stood up to give my mom a hug and that’s when I noticed her plate. When she finished the pie there was a message underneath. It read,Will you marry me?
“How adorable,” I squeaked, hugging Mom and then Stan. “You’re the cutest ever,” I teased, squeezing his shoulders. “I’m so happy for both of you. For too many years it’s been just the two of us. I’m thrilled she’s found someone who makes her as happy as you make her every day.”
He held my hand and shook it for a moment. “I’m the lucky one. She not only makes my heart happy, but she keeps it healthy so I can be around to see my son get married and meet my future grandchildren. I’m definitely the lucky one in this equation, without a doubt.”
Last year mom had to rush him to the hospital after he suffered a heart attack at the local bar. He recovered fully and was healthier than ever, but he was probably right. As a nurse, my mom made sure he ate right and got the exercise he needed to live a long and healthy life.
Melissa raised her glass and we all grabbed ours and followed suit. “To love. When you find it, you never question if you’re in the right place with the right person, you just know. To Stan and Loretta.”
“To Melissa and Mason,” Stan and Loretta replied.
“To Holly.” I tapped her glass and we all brought our glasses to our lips. It was in that moment, as everyone gazed at each other with love in their eyes, that I realized how alone I truly was.
Chapter Three
Christmas music was playing throughout the town and the Black Friday shoppers hurried in and out of stores. When the deals were had and the money was spent, they’d trundle it all home where they’d rest up for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony that took place in the park every year. It was the most wonderful time of the year, and those of us in Bells Pass knew exactly how to kick off the celebration. We’d serve hot chocolate and coffee, roast marshmallows, sing carols, and when the moment arrived, stand in revered silence as the Christmas tree was lit up with thousands of blue lights. This town was steeped in tradition, and when it came to the holidays, it was hard to keep track of how many we had.
I finished my grocery shopping early this morning and decided a walk was in order to work off the good food and pie I ate yesterday. I wasn’t opening the salon today, being that it was Black Friday, so a walk would do my waistline some good. With any luck, it would help my mood since I was a bit salty about being stood up at dinner last night. Logically, I knew he probably thought better of his promise the moment he climbed in his truck, but it still hurt. I would rather he had just said he wasn’t coming than get my hopes up and then dash them. He was just another guy in a long line of guys to do that, starting with my father and ending three years ago with my boyfriend of four years. I didn’t know if there was anything more humiliating than finding out your long-time boyfriend had been sleeping with someone else for the entirety of your relationship. Especially when that somebody else was your best friend. It still made me a little sick to my stomach to think about. When I discovered the truth, by the way of stumbling across them necking in the woods, I immediately and without hesitation walked away. That was the last time I dated. I should have remembered that when I was pulled in by Ellis David’s good looks and farm-boy charm. At least he flaked sooner rather than later.
I stared at my reflection in the window of Crystal’s Coffee Bar and sighed. “Let it go, Addie. He’s not worth the amount of anger you’ve already worked up about it,” I scolded myself. I fluffed my hair a couple of times and frowned. “Maybe I should dye my hair. I could stand for a change. I mean, how many black women do you see walking around with a head full of ginger hair?” I asked the woman reflected back at me in the window.
“I suppose not a whole lot, but that’s what makes you unique,” Heather said, coming up behind me and looping her arm in mine. “Besides, I like your hair. You’re all sassy black girl except for that head of stubborn Irish hair. It’s what makes you Addie and that’s why I love you. Stop worrying about the loser who stood you up. He’s not good enough for you anyway.”
I leaned into her shoulder for a second and smiled. “Thanks, Heather. What are you doing here? I thought you were going into the city to Black Friday shop with your mom and aunts.”
“I was, but then I woke up this morning and remembered how I was going to have to ride in a car with them for an hour each way. They’d list off all the ways I should change, from my hair to my clothes. Then my mom would suggest I join a gym and my aunt would offer to pay for it. My other aunt would tell me she knows a great plastic surgeon who can do liposuction without anyone suspecting a thing and she’d slip me his card.” She ran her hand across her throat. “I faked a phone call from you and ditched.”
“Jeez, I don’t blame you,” I said, my lips pulled back in a sneer. “How awful for you. I hate that your family is that way.”
