My sisters had been quiet the whole time, watching everything unfold. Larissa spoke up. “We’re helping Amelia plan the wedding,” she said, wanting to break the silence, looking over at Melinda.
Melinda caught the hint. “She’ll be a beautiful bride, don’t you think?”
Dad fought a grimace, nodding, then he turned to me and changed the subject. “While I’m here, I might as well help out with moving. Do you want to put me to work?”
I grinned widely, heartened to see him making an attempt to be useful. It was his way of showing he cared.
We unpacked some more boxes for the next hour or so, with Nathaniel and Larissa moving furniture around, and Melinda and my father sorting through my belongings with me and putting them away. After a while, Melinda left the two of us alone so she could grab some bottles of water downstairs.
I began loading clothes into a dresser. My dad started breaking down boxes.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said, tearing a large piece of cardboard, “how about we plan a family dinner together? Something to celebrate the baby.” He paused, as if to gauge whether he had said enough. “And your engagement.”
He’s trying so hard.
“I would love that. You mean, including Nathaniel, right?”
He picked up another box–this time the biggest one–and tore it gruffly. “Of course.” He let out a quick sigh. “He’s your fiancé, after all. We’re celebrating you, and you’re going to marry him.” His tone suggested he was still trying to convince himself that this was the new reality, and he was going to have to accept it.
“I would love that, Dad. Celebrating with you would mean the world to me.”
“Well, Christmas is only a couple of weeks away, and you know your mom’s going to be leaving on her girls’ cruise to Puerto Vallarta on Christmas Eve. So, we’ve got to plan something before then. How about we all get together next weekend? I can take the week to convince Mom to come around to the idea.”
I rolled my eyes at the mention of my mother, but Dad caught me. “Baby steps.” He winked, and I felt more hopeful than ever to see my dad’s old, charming self, ever the smooth, reliable liaison between my mother and her daughters.
“Baby steps,” I agreed.
I couldn’t wait to be together as a family for the first time with Nathaniel, my sisters, and my parents. Today had gone so much better than I had anticipated, and I was on cloud nine by the time my sisters and my dad left for the day.
Nothing could shake my optimism now.
Chapter 38
Nathaniel
Ihad been searching for the Icy Hot for at least fifteen minutes, but everything was in disarray. Despite the long hours spent unpacking yesterday, my place was still filled with moving boxes, yet it felt more like a home to me than it ever had. Having Amelia there gave me a sense of family that I had missed for many years.
She was excited for the holidays, but I wasn’t crazy about the season. After my parents died, Christmas didn’t feel quite the same to me; I had no siblings, no extended family to speak of. My parents were important to me, and once I was alone, the holidays lost their luster.
Even so, I had been happy to watch Amelia enjoy the trappings of Christmas, and I gladly picked up fancy coffee drinks topped with whipped cream and crushed peppermint candies just to see the smile it would bring to her face. I even let her put up a wreath on the front door–nothing ostentatious, just a simple circle of pine boughs with a little silver bell. It was something that made her happy each time she came home, and if Amelia was happy, I was happy.
David certainly hadnotlooked happy when I saw him Saturday morning, but I kept faith that he would adjust over time. After he had attacked me, it was uncomfortable shaking his hand, but he had been a close friend, the man who had basically made me. Knowing him for so many years, I was confident that we could repair our friendship in time. Plus, now, he’d be family. I would be his son-in-law, the father of his grandchild. All those years ago when David took me under his wing, neither of us could have predicted that one day I would be marrying his daughter. It was strange, but wonderful, that things would come full circle like this.
By the end of the day, we had decided to stop unpacking and settle in for the night. I could tell Amelia was exhausted from the move, and we both needed a break.
“Pepperoni and jalapeño,” she shouted from the bedroom when I called upstairs to ask her what toppings she wanted. I placed the order, tidied up the kitchen, and set the coffee table with plates and napkins–no kitchen table formality for us. Tonight was a night for dinner on the couch. A quiet night in, for a couple in love, expecting a baby.
I had never been happier.
The doorbell rang, and I paid the pizza delivery guy. Amelia hurried downstairs in her socks and sweats, and settled into the leather couch cushions cross-legged, with a big slice on a plate in her lap.
“More red pepper, please,” she said through a mouthful of pizza. I handed her the jar, chuckling at her penchant for extra spice on everything.
“You want some hot sauce, too?” I joked.
“Yes please,” she said, earnestly.
How could I say no? She looked so cute in her sweats, nestled into the couch like she had lived there for years.