Page 48 of Shifted

"Hope?" Reed comes into view, and he steals Joely from my arms, causing her to giggle, "Merry Christmas Eve, you bugger!" He tickles her and hugs her close, then turns to me, pressing a kiss onto my cheek.

"I see, you've met my arch nemesis, Griffin Austen." Griffin raises his hands in acknowledgment and nods. Across from him, a woman with almond skin and silk raven hair comes into view. She is absolutely stunning, and I knew her from the photos.

“This is my wife, Ellis,” Griffin introduces her as she walks over.

"You must be Hope, and that's Joely." She smiled at her. I've heard so much about you!" I was pulled into a hug. "Don't let the vultures get to you," she whispered in warning and pulled back with a smile. Now, a sour pit grew in my stomach; what did she mean by that?

"Come, we were just baking Christmas cookies with their parents." She takes my hand and leads me into Reed's apartment, where his two parents sit with Margaret at the island table. His parents were the spitting image of him. His father looked almost identical but aged, and his mother shared his eyes and nose with sandy gray hair instead.

"Hope!" she turned to me, stepping away from the two. "Oh, you are absolutely stunning! What did Reed do to get a girl like you? I'm Helen." She pulled me in for a tight hug.

"He is a doctor, Mom?” Margaret added, "It's great to see you again, Hope." She went in for a hug, but instead, I shook her hand, taking her by surprise. Her eyes moved to see Joely.

"That is the cutest baby girl!" Helen slowly walked over to her as she remained in Reed's arms. “Your daughter is absolutely stunning. How old?" Helen stared at Joely, and I looked at Reed's dad, Miller, who remained seated with his glass of wine, staring at me.

"She's three." Helen walks over to steal her from Reed.

“Give me the munchkin!" She says to him, and I laugh as he obliges. She steals her and steps away from the kitchen.

"Mom would do anything to have a baby in her arms again," Margaret sighs.

"Yeah, even push me into having one," Ellis mumbled, rolling her eyes. Then she looked at me. "I'm not built for motherhood," she clarified, and I nodded in understanding. Not everyone is; I never thought I was. But then, once I knew about her, I could never get rid of her, especially since she was his.

"I totally get it. Not wanting to be a mom is normal, and the job is stressful," This seemed to have me gain another smile from her in understanding. Someone who doesn’t want to be a mother shouldn’t have to be one.

"We are happy, just the two of us in Vermont you know? I don't want that ever to change." I nod. Sometimes, it’s good to keep things the way they are before they get messed up. She didn’t even have to explain herself to me.

He sat on the sofa, sipping a beer disinterested, but it was better to make confrontation than avoid the man, "Mr. Austen," I offered my hand, and he stared at it and then shook it.

"You must be Hope Taylor, the girl my son never shuts up about? Boston University Law graduated early and is almost a junior associate at her firm just a year in?" I sit on the stool beside him and sigh. It almost sounded impossible. I know. Sometimes, things are just simply unexplainable.

"Well, now he's making it sound like I'm some insane overachiever," I roll my eyes, which causes him to smile.

"It's incredibly impressive. Also, while taking care of a child by yourself? Your parents should be proud of you, Hope." Now, this felt more awkward, and I could see it on Reed’s face. My parents didn't deserve to be proud of me because they didn't raise me.

"Well, not all of us are lucky to have parents like you and Helen. I have chosen ones, and my best friend's mother was my biggest cheerleader. She helped a lot with Joely after she was born." He nods, and Margaret joins me on the couch. She looked pretty put together compared to me. I was wearing a simple black dress with boots, but she was in a fancier one with her hair blown out.

"Christmas in Boston is something I love. I’m happy that we are all here and that I also get to meet you, Hope." She squeezed my hand, but it felt weird, almost fake. I wasn’t fully sure how she felt about me and her brother. But based on her questions a couple of days ago, I presumed she just didn’t like me, especially after she basically shamed me for being a single mom.

"So, Helen, I hear you own a Jewelry shop back in Oregon. Is that right?" She turned to me, excited by my interest.

"Yes, I do! Oh, I'll have to bring you and Joely back some pieces next time I come for a visit!" Helen used to be a nurse practitioner but retired a few years ago to follow her love of jewelry. I liked Reed’s mom. "That would be lovely," I say.

" Reed says you can't stay for dinner?" Griffin questions, taking a swig of his red wine and leaning over the table towards me.

"It's Christmas Eve, dear. She has a family of her own." Ellis rolls her eyes at him as if he's the most oblivious man in the world. She sinks into the couch and sits beside me as everyone else continues to talk. "Wishing this eggnog was spiked right about now." I clink my glass with her in agreement as we laugh.

Miller sits with Helen, and they both entertain Joely. He's making funny faces at her as she giggles, but as I’d hoped, it makes me feel at ease. It kind of made me feel sad. My daughter didn't have a grandfather, and I really didn't either. But watching her and, Miller felt warm-hearted as if she was gaining what I had never had, even though our relationship wasn’t promised.

"What are you two scheming?" Reed asks me and Ellis.

"How to fake a cardiac embolism so I can get away from your parents," Ellis whispers and takes the wine from my hands. “And why the fuck is the eggnog not spiked?" Reed laughs and walks over to me.

"Well, welcome to my interesting and a little bit chaotic family." He placed a chaste kiss on my cheek, interrupting me and Ellis. I didn't have the heart to tell him this was far from chaos and mostly simple. It was the family I dreamed of having as a child. They all seemed to love each other in a way that I never had growing up.

"It's beautiful," I whisper as Griffin, Ellis, and Margaret join his parents on the couch. Christmas was always hard, but here, it seemed simple and even a little plain. But Joely stole the show from them all, winning them all over.

"I think I want to be Joely when I grow up," he whispers, making me laugh.

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