Present Day…

Lanie arrived with the kids on Christmas Day. When she got out of the van, I gasped at the changes in her appearance. She’d lost weight and cut her long hair to shoulder length. Worry had robbed the sparkle from her eyes. Owen wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. A knot formed in my throat at the sight of his generosity. His ability to forgive and forget provided a shining example and made me ashamed of my behavior. While they gathered their belongings, I stood on the porch with my arms wrapped around my waist, shivering in the wintry air.

“Hi,” Lanie said when she’d reached the top step. The tip of her nose glowed cherry red from the cold. Colton bounced at her feet, his small gloved hand in her.

“Hey.” I glanced at the sky then the ground, hating the prickle of tears in my eyes. The bonds of sisterhood were strong between us. Even though I hated her sometimes, I loved her more. For once, the need to be right seemed less important than the need to have her in my life. I threw my arms around her, pulling her to me, feeling the thinness of her body, and hating the time we’d wasted through our stubbornness. “I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

After giving hugs to Trey and Kimberly, we trundled into the house. I’d stuffed dozens of presents beneath the tree for them. They exclaimed over the Christmas tree and began shaking the boxes, trying to guess what was inside. Lanie and I tiptoed around each other at first, but after a few hours, we fell back into the rhythm of our old relationship. This time, however, the gravity of maturity clung to Lanie. Owen made hot chocolate for everyone. We gathered in front of the fireplace to enjoy the falling snow and a renewed sense of family.

“Are you okay?” I asked Lanie, searching her eyes. “I mean, really okay? You’re so thin.”

“I’ve been too busy to eat. I finished my GED, and I’ve enrolled in college courses for next summer. I think I want to be a nurse,” she said, twisting a strand of hair around her index finger, the way she’d done since childhood. “Michael helped me find tuition assistance, and he found an attorney to help me get my back child support.”

“That’s great. I’m so proud of you.” I covered her hand with mine to show my sincerity. “Wait a minute. My Michael?”

A blush spread across her fair skin. “He’s not your Michael anymore, is he?”

“No.” I studied her face. She bit her lower lip and glanced down at her lap. “Are you guys seeing each other?”

“No, no.” She waved a hand through the air, laughter shaking her shoulders. “Of course not. He’s just been really helpful. He suggested I see a counselor to talk about Chris and everything. I owe him a lot.”

“That’s great. Michael’s a good guy,” I said. “You should totally go for it.”

“Really?” The tone of her voice climbed higher. “Would that be weird?”

“Probably.” I shrugged, enjoying her embarrassment. “But we’re strange people.”

Her laughter rang through the room and filled the void in my chest. I glanced around the room, at the chaos created by the children, and thanked God for the blessings in my life. The aroma of wood smoke filled the air. Owen and Trey shouted in the other room as something meaningful happened in the football game. The Shermans arrived with an armload of gifts and Cindy’s famous pecan pie.

Owen entered the room with Colton tucked beneath one arm like a football. The little boy giggled and kicked his feet, squealing with glee. “I hate to interrupt, but this young man had an accident in his pants.”

“Sorry, Mommy,” Colton said. His childish smirk suggested he wasn’t sorry at all.

“Come here, big guy.” Lanie retrieved her child. With his small hand in hers, she chattered to him as they walked down the hall. I watched them with a lump in my throat. Where had the time gone? It seemed like yesterday that I was holding her hand and helping her with her homework. In a way, she felt like my child.

Owen sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap. “How’s it going?”

“Good.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “How about you? Are you okay?”

“Better than okay,” he replied. “Great.” The brush of his lips across my temple filled me to the top with happiness. I snuggled into the nook of his arm, never wanting to leave.

“Stella, something’s burning in the kitchen.” Cindy called to me from the hallway.

I jumped from Owen’s side and ran to the oven. I’d forgotten to set the timer on the ham. When I opened the oven, black smoke rolled into the room. Dad opened the back door. Trey and fanned the smoke alarm with towels. Owen watched the performance with an amused smirk.

We gathered around the large farmhouse table a few minutes later. Cindy had cut the burned top off of the meat. I warmed up leftover fried chicken to make up the difference. Dad said grace, and Owen poured wine for everyone but the kids. Lanie rejoined us a few minutes later with a clean Colton.

As I looked around the table, a feeling of peace descended over me. Except for Lanie, these people weren’t my blood relatives, but they were more family than I’d ever known. I smiled through their chatter and laughter. Beneath the table, Owen held my hand. Outside, the snow thickened. And inside the house, my heart swelled until I thought it might burst.

We were about to dig into the meal when the front doorbell rang. A group of carolers stood at the front steps. Their warm breaths steamed up the chilly air. Marjorie came forward to greet us. She glanced nervously at Owen. “We just wanted to say how sorry we are for the way we’ve treated you. I hope you’ll join us at the Christmas sing tonight. It’s at eight-thirty on the square.” One of the other carolers extended a paper flyer to me.

“Sure. Thanks,” Owen said, in his usual, brief manner.

“We’ll be there,” I said. Even though he didn’t show any emotion, I knew how much a gesture like this meant to him. After closing the door, I placed a hand on his arm. “That was nice.”

“Yeah.” His deep voice cracked on the word.

We rejoined our guests at the table. Chatter and laughter filled the house. A dozen conversations tumbled over each other. Despite the noise and the clutter, I wouldn’t trade one second of it. Beneath the table, Owen set his hand on the top of my thigh and squeezed. Our eyes met. Time stopped. I drew in a sharp breath, remembering the first time we’d kissed, and all the strange twists that had occurred to bring us to this moment. Clarity enveloped me. This beautiful monster of a man was mine, and I was never going to let him go.