Page 16 of A Baxter Family Christmas
“You can use our house.” Ashley’s slight smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Landon and I will take the kids to his parents’ house. It’s only a four-hour drive.”
John felt the weight of his decision squarely on his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I never wanted this to divide us.”
“It won’t.” Luke nodded at his father. “It’ll just be different this year.”
The conversation stalled there. And even though no one exchanged sharp words or got angry, a tension remained. A tension that was rarely part of the Baxter family gatherings. The meeting came to an end, and the children joined them once more. Through dishes and dessert, nothing seemed the same.
For the rest of the night conversations between the adults seemed forced and unnaturally brief, no matter what John did to try to reclaim the mood. Within a few hours, everyone had gathered their children and headed home. The spirit of joy from earlier never quite resumed. John and Elaine were the last to leave. Ashley walked them to the door.
John hugged Ashley and then looked deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry, honey.” He sighed. “I ruined everything.”
“Honestly, you could’ve picked a better time.”
Her comment stung. “I thought it might be the only time we’d all be together before Christmas.”
Elaine looked uncomfortable. “I’ll be in the car.” She kissed Ashley’s cheek. “Beautiful dinner. We’ll talk soon.”
“Okay.” Ashley watched her go. When Elaine was in her car, Ashley shut the door and looked at her father again. “I mean, Dad... it’s still hard enough celebrating the holidays without Erin and Sam and the girls. But to think about having that... that woman here for Christmas?” Tears welled in her eyes. “It opens up all the awful hurt all over again.”
“I’m sorry.” John couldn’t find a way to make things right. “I guess we could’ve picked a better time to talk about it.”
Ashley crossed her arms. “Or maybe only you should meet her. No one else wanted this.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “They’re going along with it, but they didn’t seek it out. Can you see that?”
John’s heart sank to another level. He hadn’t thought about that. “I don’t know what to say.”
A heaviness hung in the air between them. Finally Ashley took a slow, deep breath. “It’s not your fault. You think it’s the right thing to do.” She wiped at her tears again. “It divides us, that’s all. And I hate that.”
John pulled her into his arms. “I hate that too, honey.” He stepped back, his hands still on her shoulders. “Pray. That we’ll get through this together. Somehow.”
“We will.” She nodded. Her eyes grew softer. “I love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too.”
John thought about his conversation with Ashley on the drive home with Elaine. It was true. They would get through this. But he hated seeing her so upset. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he should’ve put the visit off until next year. John felt the sad heaviness straight through his soul. Either way, the decision had been made. He and the others were going to spend Christmas Eve with Kendra Bryant.
Whether Ashley and Luke and their families joined them or not.
CHAPTER SIX
All Thanksgiving Day, Connor thought his sister, Bailey, was acting strange. She and Brandon were more clingy, and several times Bailey was yawning when she should have been laughing.
“You okay?” Connor pulled her aside after dinner. “You seem tired.”
A smile lit up Bailey’s eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just... yeah, I’m a little tired. No big deal.”
Not until they were having dessert did the truth about Bailey’s tiredness come out. She and Brandon kept looking at each other and grinning and finally Brandon held up his glass of cider. “Bailey and I have some news we’d like to share.”
Connor watched his parents’ attention turn immediately to Bailey and Brandon. The other boys didn’t seem to catch on right away, but even they settled down long enough to listen.
“We found out earlier this week.” Bailey looked at Brandon and then back at their mom. “We’re going to have a baby!”
“What!” Their mother was on her feet, rushing around the table to Bailey and Brandon. She threw her arms around the two of them. “Are you serious? This is the best news!”
Connor and their dad were on their feet at the same time, also hurrying over to congratulate Bailey and Brandon, and the other boys did the same thing. Against a chorus of congratulations and questions about the due date, Bailey and Brandon beamed with joy.
“All day we wanted to tell you.” Bailey’s smile filled her face. “But we didn’t want to make dinner about us. So we decided to wait until now.”
“The baby’s due the middle of June.” Brandon eased his arm around Bailey’s shoulders. “She’s been tired, but usually only sick in the morning.”
