I handed Mike the folder and smiled.

“Aren’t you just chipper this afternoon,” he said.

“It’s the week of Christmas. It’s the best time of the year.”

“No, it’s not. It’s terrible. Nobody is buying houses. Or selling. Everyone is worried about Santa and all that crap.”

“Sorry you’re having a bad week,” I said. “I’m sure after the new year, it’ll be busy again.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mike said. “Hey. I hope you have a great holiday this year. I hope everything is okay at home.”

“It’s perfect,” I said.

Mike’s eyes moved to the right. “I can see why.”

I turned my head and Ramsey came through the door, holding a coffee in his hand.

He kept his promise by bringing me coffee a few times a week. It was always a surprise when he did it. It still made my stomach jittery and made me blush.

“Here you go,” he said to me as he put the coffee down on the desk.

“Back again, huh?” Mike asked.

“Is that a problem?” Ramsey asked.

“Not if you’re going to finally sell that house of yours.”

“Not sure yet,” Ramsey said with a grin.

“If you do, you’d better call me. Don’t go behind my back.”

“I won’t,” Ramsey said.

“Thanks for these files, Jordyn,” Mike said.

He went back to his office and I hurried around the desk to hug Ramsey. He smelled of sweat and maybe sawdust. His jeans were roughed up and dirty. His boots looked destroyed but were still intact. It was super cold outside, yet he wore a flannel with the sleeves rolled up. A black beanie covered his head, somehow making him look sexier.

I almost hated how attracted to him I was.

“How’s your day?” I asked.

“Busy. Couple more days and this one is done. Then a two-week break.”

“Not really a break, Rams,” I said.

“True. But I get to spend all that time with you.”

“We’ll probably get sick of each other.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Ramsey said. “Dinner’s tonight at Aunt Millie’s, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Sam is getting dropped off at four. Then I’ll be over.”

“Or I can swing by and get you. I promise I’ll keep my distance until you tell me.”

“Rams…”

“I know, bad joke. But to be fair, I haven’t punched anyone since…”

“Since the last time you did,” I said with an eye roll.

Ramsey planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “Love you. Get back to work. I’ll see you later.”

As he moved away, I grabbed his hand. I squeezed it tight. He looked at me and grinned.

Sometimes the silent I love you look was more powerful than him actually saying the words.

I finished work and went home to wait for Sam.

Keith called me after everything that happened and apologized for what he did. He said he had been drinking only a little, but that day it got out of control. Then he took some anxiety medicine and kept drinking. I told him he wasn’t going to be driving Sam around for a while. And I wasn’t sure about even seeing him. He called me every day for a week to check on Sam. To talk to him. I knew that story though. That guilty feeling of getting sober was hard to live with. What happened was Marcy and I became friends. I talked to her. I texted her. She drove to pick up Sam and drop him off. Picking up all the slack for Keith.

They were going away for the weekend that Keith was supposed to have Sam. So, we worked it out where they picked up Sam Tuesday night and kept him until Thursday. It was a nice midweek break, but I missed him. I wasn’t used to not having him around during the week.

When the car pulled up and I saw Marcy and Sam, I smiled and waved from the porch. I hurried down the steps and ran along the sidewalk. I charged toward the car as though I hadn’t seen my son in weeks.

Marcy got out of the car and opened the back door for Sam. By the time he was out of the car, I had my arms around him. I picked him up and spun him around. I kissed his cheek over and over until he giggled and told me I was being gross.

I put him down and let out a sigh of relief. Without Sam around, I didn’t feel the same. Ramsey knew that and always tried to keep me in good spirits.

I realized that Keith wasn’t with them.

“No Keith, huh?” I asked.

“No. He’s at a meeting.”

“A meeting…”

“A meeting,” Marcy said with a half-smile.

“That kind of meeting,” I said. “Good for him. I’m glad he’s getting help.”

“Me too,” Marcy said.

“How was Sam?”

“Amazing,” she said. “Right, Sam?”

Sam looked at Marcy with eyes that worried me. That puppy dog love look was interesting to see on a five-year-old.

“It was fun,” Sam said.

“Well, I hope you two have a good trip together,” I said. “Skiing?”

“Yeah,” Marcy said. “Going to hide in the mountains. We both need it.”

“Hey,” I said. “I know this is hard. The whole thing. But I appreciate you sticking around. Whatever your reasons are I’m not worried about, but it helps Sam. That means a lot.”

Marcy nodded. “Of course.” She looked at Sam. “Be good for your mom, Sam.”

“I will,” he said.

“I’ll talk to you at some point, I’m sure,” Marcy said to me.

“Drive safe,” I said. “Thanks again.”

“Thank you for letting Keith see him this week. That’s why he’s at the meeting today. He had such a good time he wanted to go and stay with that feeling. That you worked with him on the schedule.”

I nodded.

I grabbed Sam’s bag out of the back seat of the car and shut the door. I offered my hand and Sam took it. We walked together down the sidewalk to the house.

I paused at the porch steps and looked at the house.

It had been a hell of a ride in that house. A lot of bad days and long nights. But we had survived in it.

And now it was time to say goodbye to the house for good.

* * *

“Cheers to all and to all a goodnight!” Doc announced at the table, holding up a glass of blood red wine.

“Will you sit down?” Aunt Millie barked. “This isn’t your table.”

Doc slowly sat, looking to Uncle Tom.

“Thank you, dear,” Uncle Tom said.

“Of course,” Aunt Millie said.

Uncle Tom rose to his feet.

It was an interesting dinner we were having. All the guys from the construction company were there. Aunt Millie had cooked a massive amount of food. A turkey. A ham. All the sides to go with it. The table was full of food. And a few long, skinny candles were lit in a really old-looking Christmas themed candleholder.

“I just wanted to share my love with everyone tonight,” Uncle Tom said. “I thought about retiring at the end of the year. Stay home and get extra fat on Millie’s delicious cooking. But I don’t think I’m going to do that. However, I am handing control over to Ramsey. Which means any of your bullshit requests go through him.”

Everyone laughed.

“Tom!” Aunt Millie cried out. “Little ears are here.”

Sam sat next to me, his cheeks red at hearing a curse word.

“Sorry,” Uncle Tom said. “Thank you all for being here. For being part of our family. And next week for the holiday you’ll be with other family. But tonight, this is our family. All of us together. Eat until you’re full. Drink until you pass out. Give love, gifts, smiles, and handshakes. Tonight, we think about all the good in our lives. All the good we have. We forget about the bad. We don't want it and we don’t need it. Now, everyone shut up and eat.”

“Cheers,” Aunt Millie said.

We all raised our glasses.

I couldn’t remember ever having a dinner like this. It wasn’t exactly Christmas, but close enough. And the best part was next week we’d be back for another amazing meal. Sam and I were certainly spoiled with Aunt Millie’s hospitality and cooking.

“I would like to add something,” Aunt Millie said. “Everyone keep getting food.” She waved her hands and we all kept loading up our plates. “I want to celebrate everything Tom said, but I want to celebrate a family coming together. I’m talking about Ramsey, Jordyn, and Sam. She’s going to need all of our support to put up with Ramsey.”

Everyone laughed.

“Thanks, Aunt Millie,” I said.

“And I’m so happy to finally hear that the house is going to be used the way it should be.”

“Construction starts this weekend,” Ramsey said.

“The following weekend,” I added.

When Ramsey showed me the plans for the old house, I fell in love even more. I called Jack right there on the spot and gave my notice that I was leaving the house. I talked to Sam and in a romantic twist I should have seen coming, Ramsey let Sam pick out what room he wanted upstairs. And he let Sam pick out the paint color too. He included Sam in everything. Big and small.

It was probably the worst time of the year to move, but Ramsey promised it would be smooth. When I mentioned something about Christmas, he surprised me the next day by having the house decorated, complete with a real Christmas tree that left a lingering smell of pine throughout the entire downstairs.

“Are you all packed up?” Aunt Millie asked.

“Ready to go,” Ramsey said. “No turning back now.”

“Or so you say,” I added.

Aunt Millie gasped and went wide eyed.

“See what I have to live with now?” Ramsey asked. “Matt, I might be moving in with you.”

“My place is too small, man,” Matt said.

“You owe me a lot of nights on the couch,” Ramsey said.

We ate. We laughed. They exchanged stories, new and old.

Sam went into the study room to play while I helped carry plates into the kitchen and started to rinse them for the dishwasher.

Aunt Millie touched my arm. “So happy you’re here.”

“Me too,” I said.

“So happy you’re moving into that house. I was so mad at him for buying it after everything that happened. But I guess it all worked out.”

“I guess it did,” I said. “Life is strange.”

“Of course it is,” Aunt Millie said. “And you’re only just getting started.”

“Who’s getting started where?” Ramsey asked as he carried the leftover mashed potatoes to the island.

“You are,” Aunt Millie said. “With the dishes. Get to it.”

Ramsey walked to the sink and stood next to me. He looked over and down at me. He smiled.

“What?” I asked.

“Beautiful.”

“What?”

“You, darling. You’re beautiful.”

“Oh, stop it, Rams.”

“Hey, can I borrow the pretty girl for a second?” a voice asked.

I turned from the sink and Uncle Tom was looking at me.

“Yeah, sure,” I said.

“Don’t you take her near that mistletoe,” Aunt Millie warned.

“He does that, and he will be retiring,” Ramsey said.

“Ah, ignore them,” Uncle Tom said as he wrapped an arm around me. He led me into the living room and pointed to the couch. “Sit.”

He slowly sat in a chair near the couch and reached into his pocket. “I have something for you. A Christmas present.”

“What? Why?”

“Here,” he said. “Open it.”

It was a small present, wrapped with a little, crushed bow on it.

I wrestled with the paper and opened the present to find a key.

I looked up at him.

“It’s a key to the house,” he said. “For here.”

“Why…”

“You’re family, Jordyn. You and Sam. If you ever need anything, this house is yours. Life is unpredictable. But you should feel comfortable knowing you have family.”

“Thank you,” I said. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “This means everything to me.”

We sat in the glow of the Christmas lights as I blinked back tears.

I had a family now. Something I never thought would happen.

Uncle Tom left the room and Ramsey came to find me a minute later. I stood and slipped they key into my back pocket and hugged him. I hugged him as tight as I could. I smelled his shirt and his skin. I felt him breathing. I listened for his heartbeat.

I’d never felt a love like this ever in my life.

I looked up at him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Better than okay,” I said.

“You sure you want to move in with me?”

“Kind of late to ask that now, Rams. Sam already picked out his room.”

“He can stay. Not sure about you.”

“Oh really?” I asked.

Ramsey grinned and winked.

His messy dark hair, darker eyes, scruff on his face, and appearance of a guy ready to throw back a shot of whiskey and throw a punch didn’t fool me anymore. He was a man made of caring, of heart, capable of fear, doubt, and most of all… capable of loving me, loving my son, and becoming the protector that we needed.

And with that, he would have the rest of my life.

“I can just stare at you for the rest of the night, darling.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Well, no, that was a lie.”

“Rams… no lies.” I kissed his chin.

He pulled me closer. “What I meant to say… I can just stare at you for the rest of my life.”