Page 162 of Beyond Protection
Ma got there first. She stopped three feet away, hands up like touching Eamon might break something.
"About time you came home." She stepped forward and reached around him, avoiding the bad shoulder. "This is where family comes for Christmas."
His good arm wrapped around her.
Marcus beamed over her shoulder. "Merry Christmas, brother."
Brother.Eamon just nodded.
Family packed the entryway. Michael and Alex. Marcus and James. Matthew and Dorian. Miles and Rowan. Everyone talking over each other, the smell of ham and cookies competing with the smell of wet wool.
Claire stood near the stairs. Watching. Still.
Our eyes met. She nodded once.
"Enough." Ma clapped. "Eamon needs to sit. Everyone move."
The crowd parted. I guided him through. The living room looked like Christmas had exploded—lights everywhere, garland wound through the banister, and the tree sagging with ornaments.
Ma had set up the couch like a recovery station. Pillows arranged. Afghan folded. Water bottle next to Eamon's pain medication.
"Sit," Ma ordered.
He lowered himself down. I grabbed the afghan.
"I'm not an invalid."
"Humor me." I tucked it around him. "You want the pillow?"
He grabbed my wrist. "I'm okay. Sit with me."
I sat. Close.
My cousins sat around the room. "Well." Ma settled in her chair. "Now it feels like Christmas."
Someone turned on the gas fireplace. Outside, snow piled against the windows while inside, conversations layered over each other.
Ma rose. "Before this gets too chaotic—I have something."
She stepped up to the mantle and took down a stocking. Held it out to Eamon.
She'd stitched EAMON in red thread—a small shamrock below in green.
"Made it two weeks ago," Ma said. "Knew you'd be here. Knew you'd be ours."
His hand tightened around mine hard enough that my knuckles ground together.
"Ma, I—"
"You're family." She pressed it into his hand. "This is how it works."
He held it as if it were fragile, thumb tracing the letters—the shamrock.
Something rustled inside the stocking. He reached in.
His hand came out holding a key. Brass. Still had the little cardboard tag from the hardware store dangling from it.
"Made that two weeks ago, too," Ma said quietly. "Figured you'd need it."
