Page 54 of Once Upon a Holidate
“We’ll get through this,” she told him. “I’m never going to leave you or let you feel scared. I’m going to take care of you. Your dad will, too. You’ll see, little one. You’ll see.”
***
After church, Wynn changed into old jeans and a T-shirt. She wanted to go through her decorations and figure out what would last another holiday season and what needed to be tossed. While she believed in the magic of a glue gun, sometimes an item was beyond repair and had to be released to find a new life elsewhere.
She walked into the garage and pushed the button to open the big door to give her light and a breeze. At the far end were several shelving units filled with clear bins. All her decorations were stored there, by holiday. The Christmas ones took up two entire shelving units.
She ignored the bins with wreaths and lights. She always checked both at the end of the season, so she knew they werefine. The same with the ornaments. It was everything else that needed to be examined.
She moved her car outside to give herself extra room. As she walked back into the garage, she couldn’t help glancing toward Garrick’s house and smiling. They’d talked the previous evening. He’d phoned close to nine, and they’d stayed up talking until nearly midnight.
Their conversation had started out being about Joylyn’s horrible friends who had finally left around five in the afternoon, but then they’d ended up discussing everything from their favorite subjects in school to how he’d met his first wife. They’d only hung up when both their cell batteries had started flashing warnings about being seconds from dying.
She supposed given that they lived next door and the late hour, she could have suggested he come over. As long as they were relatively quiet, Hunter wouldn’t know—once he was asleep, he was out for the night. But she hadn’t. Some because she didn’t want their first time to be like that and some because the anticipation was really nice.
She pulled out the first bin and opened it. Inside were decorations she put around the house. There were several stuffed Santas in all shapes, sizes and species. She had a cow, a giraffe and a space alien, all in Santa suits. She checked each item to make sure it was still in good condition, then moved on to a bin filled with Jim Shore holiday pieces. There was a small jewelry box tucked in the corner. Inside was a pinecone charm on a chain—something she wore every year at the holidays.
She fastened the chain around her neck, then smoothed the charm with her fingers.
“I’m ready for Christmas now,” she said with a laugh.
Another bin held a half dozen throws in Christmas patterns. At the bottom of the bin was a blanket she’d crocheted. It wasn’tespecially fancy or even square, but she’d made it herself after Hunter had been born and she’d wrapped him in it over their first Christmas.
That had been a hard time—she’d been so scared. Not just about him but about how she was going to keep him in diapers and herself in food. She’d been too young, too poor and too alone to manage, but she had. How would it be different now?
The question surprised her. Why did it matter? She wasn’t having more children. She was done with that. Hunter was fourteen and she...
She was only thirty-four, she reminded herself. A lot of women hadn’t even started having kids at that age. She was healthy—there was no reason to think she couldn’t get pregnant and have a baby. She certainly had financial resources and a support network beyond what she could have dreamed about the first time around.
Funny how she’d made all kinds of rules for herself when it came to romantic relationships, but she’d never thought about having more kids. Not seriously. But as she turned the idea over in her head, she realized that it wasn’t totally crazy. She liked children. She liked being a mother. She would prefer to have a man in her life, but even if she didn’t she would be fine.
The unexpected line of thought had her shaking her head. She decided to let the idea sit for a while. Later, she would take it out and see how she felt, but for now she still had decorations to get through.
Over the next hour she examined the tree skirt, the silk poinsettias she used to make a display in a fireplace and did a battery count for her flameless candles. She was just putting the last bin back on the shelf when Joylyn wandered into the garage and waved a greeting.
“Hi,” Wynn said. “I’m getting ready for holiday decorating.I like to go through everything to make sure it’s all in good condition, then Hunter and I will start putting things out tonight. What’s going on with you?”
“Not much.” She sighed as she spoke.
Wynn started toward the door to the house. “Come on,” she said. “I made lemonade yesterday, and there’s some coffee cake from breakfast. We’ll be more comfortable in the kitchen.”
Joylyn followed her. Wynn pushed the button to close the garage door, then collected glasses and dessert plates. When everything was prepared, she sat across from Joylyn.
“You feeling all right?” she asked.
The young mother-to-be nodded. “Physically it’s all what it’s been. My back hurts, I can’t see my feet. You know—normal.”
“Considering how pregnant you are, yes.”
Joylyn picked at her piece of coffee cake. “It’s just everything is different. My friends stopped by yesterday.”
“Were they the ones driving that great old Mustang? It was a sweet ride.”
Joylyn pressed her lips together. “They drank all day and hung out by the pool. It’s like we have nothing in common. They’re interested in having fun and getting laid, and I’m just not into that. Not anymore.”
“You chose a different path.”
“Was it the right one?” Joylyn looked at her, tears trembling on her lower lashes. “Did I make a mistake?”
