Jeremy
I let out a long sigh of relief as I pulled up to the house early on Christmas morning. Bailey's car was parked in the snow, and the idea of her being in the house asleep in my bed had my pulse spiking.
There was nothing I wanted more than to fall into the bed face-first and pass out, but knowing she was there, that wasn't going to happen. Making love to her for a little while was first on my list of priorities.
I got out of the car and walked up to the house as the sun started to rise behind me. There was a slim chance Austin wasn't going to be up and hopping around the tree in the next hour, but I was praying for a quick fuck and a quicker nap if at all possible.
The house was completely silent when I walked in, and the scent of sugar cookies filled my senses. I walked to the kitchen to find a note scribbled in Austin's handwriting and another one beside it from Santa. I picked it up and smiled, realizing that Bailey must have written it for my son.
The cookies were half eaten, and the milk was all gone.
I stopped by the living room as my heart overflowed with love and adoration for the beautiful woman I was soon to ask to be my wife. She hadn't left anything undone. A huge fire truck sat in front of the tree with a teddy bear laying across it as if the little bastard was sound asleep.
I laughed as tears filled my eyes. How in the world could a cold-hearted asshole like me find another woman like her? She was everything I dreamed I would find in my first chance love, but so much more than I hoped for in my second.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see Nina calling.
"Merry Christmas," I half-whispered into the phone.
"You didn't text me at midnight like you usually do." She sounded a little let down about it.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Sis. I am honestly just walking into the house right now." I sat down on the couch and smiled as I realized Bailey finished wrapping all my presents and got them under the tree. There was no way she found the necklace I'd bought for her. It was high in my closet, just in case.
"Oh. Jeez. I'm so sorry, Jer."
"It's all good. We got the fire out about four this morning, and there was no loss of life. We're all good." I leaned back and ran my fingers through my wet hair. I was cold and tired. The only thing I wanted for Christmas was about an hour wrapped around my woman in the warmth of my covers.
"That's great news." Nina stopped talking, and the pregnant pause between us left me a little worried.
"What's up? You have something you want to say. Say it." I got back up and walked down the hallway toward Austin's room. I pushed the door open to find Bailey wrapped around him, both of them breathing deeply.
My heart felt like it might flood with love for them both.
"Something happened last night, but I'm not sure what."
I turned away from the bedroom and closed the door. "I'm lost."
"I took Austin down to Katie's place and, I don't know, when I got back with him, Bailey was on the front porch in tears." She took a deep breath. "Something happened with her and Mom."
"What?" I walked into my bedroom and closed the door before pulling off my t-shirt and crawling into my bed. I planned on talking to my sister and then going back to Austin's room to carry B back to my bed. "What happened? Did you ask Momma?"
"No. She was upset about it being the holidays and not having Dad." She let out a sigh. "Have you talked to Bailey?"
"She's still asleep. I'll go wake her up here shortly. She did cookies with Aus, cleaned the damn house, wrapped everything, wrote him a Santa letter. The fucking list goes on and on, Sis." I laid back and pinched the bridge of my nose as exhaustion rolled over me.
"She's a good woman, Jer. One you need to keep."
"I plan to." I yawned loudly. "I went to Laila's grave yesterday before the fire and said goodbye."
"Oh, Bubba. Why didn't you tell me? I could have gone with you."
"I appreciate that, but I needed to do it on my own." I turned on my side and pulled the covers from the other side of the bed over me. "It was time, you know?"
"You gotta make some room in your heart for new things."
"And not be the damaged one anymore?" I smiled and pulled my pillow down farther.
"You never were damaged, Jeremy. Just dented a little, but something tells me that Rhys's little sister is going to help heal all of those dents. Her, Austin and some time." My sister made more sense than anyone else in my life did. She loved me with a patient love. It was something I cherished deep in my soul.
"I love you, Sis. I'm going to rest my eyes and then go talk to Bailey. I think I'll propose in the late spring after we’ve had the time to date a little longer and get to know each other a little better."
"That's a great idea. Mom and I will be over in a little while unless you don't want me to bring her. We don't have to be there today."
"Sure you do. It's Christmas. I'm sure whatever is going on, we can solve it. Mom loves me. If she's being a bitch, she's doing it out of some sense of needing to protect me. We'll figure it out. Merry Christmas."
"You too, Bubba. See you in a little while. Sleep well."
"Yeah." I dropped the call and closed my eyes as darkness rushed in to take me under.
Sleep. I just needed a little bit of sleep.