CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Later that Christmas Eve, the family gathered around the Christmas tree in front of the fireplace to open presents. After the drama of the morning, Maggie was grateful for some normalcy. They’d spent the day together, skating on the lake and racing the snowmobiles along the trails. Everyone was very conscious of making this Christmas happy, one without anymore tears. Tomorrow, her sisters would spend the day with their husbands’ family in Minneapolis, and she would accompany Luke to Abby and Reese’s house for Christmas dinner. But she was pleased that tonight her family would be together.
And relieved. After the awful things she’d said that morning, she wouldn’t have blamed them if they hadn’t wanted to be with her today. She was grateful for her family’s forgiveness. She believed Willy should be made to face the consequences of what he’d done, but she could understand her sisters’ reluctance to bring back that painful chapter in their lives.
Pushing away the negative thoughts, Maggie watched Tessa and Hope open the gifts she got them. They seemed excited to receive them, but the sugar high from all the cookies they’d consumed might have contributed to the euphoria.
Scarlet began handing out presents from under the tree. “Time for the adults to have some fun.”
Maggie gingerly pried apart the tape sealing the wrapping on the Christmas present Scarlet and Cam had given her, not wanting to destroy the pretty paper.
Scarlet grabbed the present from her hands. “Stop it! You’re making me crazy!”
With a couple of tugs, she ripped the paper from the box and handed it back to Maggie. “Open it already! The suspense is killing me!”
With a laugh, she lifted the lid. A beautiful red sweater in the softest cashmere was inside the box. Maggie lifted it to her cheek and revelled in the downy texture. “Oh, this is beautiful. Thank you, guys.”
Cam grinned. “You can thank your sister. Buying women’s clothing is definitely Scarlet’s area of expertise.”
“In that case, thank you, Scarlet.”
“You’re welcome. But you need to open the present in the silver wrapping paper. That one is all Cameron.”
Curious, Maggie reached for the box.
Scarlet wagged a finger at her. “Don’t make me come over there and tear off the wrapping paper again.”
“Okay, okay!”
She pulled off the bow and ribbons and tugged at the paper, rending it to pieces. Her frugal, eco-conscious side wailed at the waste, but Scarlet was pleased.
“Hurry and open the box!”
Maggie shook her head and laughed. “I’m going as fast as I can.”
She opened the box and drew back the tissue paper protecting the contents. A set of wooden candlesticks, intricately turned and polished to accent the grain of the wood, was nestled in the box. She lifted one out to examine it more closely. “Oh, Cam. You made these?”
“I did. I made a set for Harper, too, but with a different turning and species of wood. Yours is in oak.”
“They’re gorgeous. Thank you so much.” It touched her to know he’d made something especially for her.
“You made a set for me, too?” Harper sat next to Maggie “Where is it?”
Scarlet pointed to a box wrapped in the same silver paper as Maggie’s. “That one.”
Harper pounced on the box and opened it, revealing a set of candlesticks totally different from hers.
“Thank you so much. I love them.” Harper’s words wavered. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to be with you all tonight. Last year on Christmas Eve, I volunteered to work a double shift at Miller’s so I didn’t have to be alone.”
“I thought you had to work because they were short-staffed,” Maggie said.
Harper shrugged. “I only took those shifts after I found out you and Scarlet weren’t coming home for Christmas.”
Maggie reached over and squeezed her hand. How like Harper to go out of her way to make sure she and Scarlet didn’t feel guilty. She’d had to work last Christmas to make enough money for rent, but of course she hadn’t told Harper that. “It’s so much better to be with family at Christmas.”
Harper nodded and squeezed back. “It definitely is.”
The moment of connection eased Maggie’s heart. She was still raw from the morning, but whatever they decided to do about Willy would be the right decision, as long as they made it together.
Luke sat beside her on the floor near the Christmas tree. “You haven’t opened my present yet.”
She grinned at him. “Oh, yeah? What did you get me?”
He handed her an eight by ten-inch package. “You’ll have to open it to see.”
“Is this a picture frame? What’s the picture?”
“All I’ll say is that I got the same gift for Scarlet and Harper.” He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. “I have something else I’m going to give you tomorrow at Mom and Reese’s house.”
“So do I,” she whispered back.
Tomorrow, she’d give him the hand knit sweater she’d found at the yarn shop in Brainerd, but tonight she’d give him the silver art deco frame. She’d put a picture of Abby she’d found in her mother’s photo album into the frame. Abby was young, probably about twenty-five, and she was laughing, her hair blowing in the breeze.
She opened Luke’s present and found two eight by ten-inch pictures in silver frames. One was of her mother, with her sisters as little girls and herself as a baby. The second was of her and her mother alone. She blinked at Luke. “Where did you get these?”
“Mom had them. She didn’t think you’d seen them before. Is that true?”
“No, I’ve never seen them.”
Maggie ran her finger over her mother’s face. She was so beautiful. And so young and happy. Perhaps it was good not to know what life had in store. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She held up the pictures for Harper. “Have you seen these before?”
Harper knelt on the floor beside her and closely examined the picture of the four of them. “No. But I think I remember going to the photo studio. I wore my favorite dress.” She touched her mother’s image. “Isn’t this odd?”
“What?”
“Mom is wearing earrings in the picture with you, but not in the one with all of us. And I wonder why she took a separate picture only with you?”
Definitely odd, now that she mentioned it. One more secret, one more mystery.
Harper looked intently at the picture of baby Maggie with Miranda. “Aren’t these the earrings you inherited from Mom? I remember Grandma giving them to you. I think she said they’d been a present to Mom when you were born. Daddy must have given them to her.”
Maggie swallowed, hoping Harper wouldn’t ask any more questions about the earrings. “Yeah, those are the ones I inherited.”
“I haven’t seen you wear them in ages.”
“I’ve put them away. They hurt my ears.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.
Her gaze met Luke’s and she tried to send him a silent message to change the subject. She hated lying, but Harper would be upset if she told her the earrings were gone, and even more upset if she explained the reason why.
Fortunately, Luke got her message. He rummaged under the tree and produced two more wrapped gifts identical to hers. “I have copies of the same pictures for you and Scarlet. I thought you’d want them, too.”
Harper accepted the presents from him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Luke. This is very thoughtful.”
“You’re welcome.”
Harper went back to her place on the sofa next to Ethan, and Maggie pulled the art deco frame from under the tree and handed it to Luke. “This is for you. I guess we’re on the same wavelength tonight. In case you haven’t guessed, it’s a photo, too.”
Luke tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. When he pulled the picture frame from inside, he said nothing. Maggie was afraid something was wrong, that she’d upset him.
But then he lifted his gaze to hers, his eyes bright with emotion. “This is how I want to remember her.”
She nodded. This was how she wanted to remember Abby, too. Laughing, happy, and full of life and love.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. “Thank you, Maggie. You couldn’t have given me anything better.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She kissed him, intending to brush a chaste kiss across his lips. But the instant she touched him, inhaled his unique scent, all she could think was that she wanted more. She touched her lips to his again and cupped his face as he deepened the kiss. She forgot that her family was in the same room watching, forgot that Abby was dying, forgot Luke would soon be leaving. In that moment, kissing him was all that mattered. She wound her arms around his neck and poured everything she had into her kiss.
She couldn’t deny it any longer. She loved him, and she couldn’t bear to lose him again.
A loud throat clearing penetrated her tangled thoughts. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Luke. He wore a shell-shocked expression, as if he’d been affected by their kiss as much as she had.
But she didn’t know if it was enough to make him stay.
Cam got to his feet and pulled Scarlet up with him. Tessa ran to them and he lifted her into his arms. “Now that we have your attention,” he said winking at Maggie, “we have something we want to share with you.” He put his arm around Scarlet’s shoulders.
“We’re pregnant!” Scarlet blurted.
With a whoop, Harper scrambled to her feet and ran to Scarlet, throwing her arms around her. Maggie hugged both of them, tears of joy blurring her vision. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you.”
She’d never thought of her career-driven sister as the maternal type. A couple of years ago, if someone had told her Scarlet would become the best stepmother a little girl could want, she wouldn’t have believed it. Maggie knew friction had developed with one of Scarlet’s former fiancés over having children. Scarlet didn’t think she knew how to be a mother.
But that was before she met Tessa and Cam.
“When are you due?” Harper asked.
“In August,” Scarlet said. “Probably not the best timing, considering how busy we’ll likely be next summer.”
“It’s perfect,” Harper said. “Absolutely perfect.”
There were handshakes and hugs all around, and Celeste went in search of champagne. Maggie’s eyes filled with happy tears. She was so happy for Scarlet and Cam. They were wonderful parents to Tessa, and they’d welcome this new little one with love. They deserved this happiness.
She glanced at Ethan and Harper, who toasted each other with the champagne Celeste handed around. They’d soon be parents too, she’d guess. Harper would be a wonderful mother. No one was more loving than her sister.
Maggie’s gaze drifted toward Luke, and he smiled back at her. Would she ever know the kind of happiness Scarlet was experiencing? What did the future hold in store for her?
Perhaps, like her mother, she was better off not knowing.