Page 23 of A Constant Christmas

Well, when she’s right, she’s right.

I can tell she’s anxious to change the subject before I turn her on to the point of no return. “So, does where we are going to have snow? As much as I love our tropical island, having Christmas lights on a palm tree with no snow just doesn’t seem right.”

I laugh. “Guess you will just have to wait and see.”

“You’re just not fair. You know that?”

We play some more Jenga followed by some cards for a couple of hours until the pilot announces we are about to land.

Anxiously, Sam opens up the window shade and looks at the ground below us. Instantly, it clicks in her head as to where we are, and she beams from ear to ear.

She continues to stare at the ground below, but I hear her whisper one word.

“Kansas.”

Chapter Seventeen

Sam

Armstrong, Kansas.

My home town. I gaze out the car window as we drive through the sleepy little town.

It used to be my favorite place in the world, but things turned dark pretty quickly. During my senior year, my mom killed herself. She’d been suffering for a long time with Schizophrenia, and she just couldn’t take it anymore.

After that happened, I broke up with my boyfriend. The guy who had been my high school sweetheart turned on me and did unspeakable things with some of his friends.

After it happened, no one believed me. They all thought that I was just having too good of a time and decided to make up a tall tale about the hometown hero quarterback. Little did they know that man would one day turn into my crazy stalker who tormented me relentlessly.

After high school, I left and moved to Boston for college. A few years later, I met Tyler, and we eventually fell in love. Back then, I avoided this place as much as possible, and when I would come home, I wouldn’t leave the house to venture into town.

Eventually, I found my voice and started making my way back into that small town…with Tyler right by my side. He helped me get through the bad and remember the good that’s here.

The memories of my mom.

My dad and brothers.

My favorite secret spot at the lake where I love to fish.

Since I had the kids, we don’t come back too often. Most of the time, my dad flies out to us even though that hasn’t happened a lot either as of late. It’s easier for him to fly than us carting around three small kids onto a plane. And my brothers come when they can although I don’t see them all too often anymore.

Damn. I’m trying to remember the last time I even saw my dad, and I swear it’s probably been over a year.

As we pull into the gravel driveway leading to my dad’s house, I see him seeing him sitting in his rocking chair on the porch. His once dark blonde hair similar to my own has now turned a light gray color, and maybe his face is a bit more worn than it once was. But besides that, he still looks exactly the same.

As we step out of the car, I see Tyler opening the trunk to grab our bags.

“We are staying here?” I ask.

He smiles back at me. “Where else would we stay?”

My dad stands up from his chair and walks down the steps into the yard. I run over to him as he wraps me in a giant bear hug.

“Sammie, baby, I missed you!”

“I missed you too!” I exclaim as my eyes begin to fill with tears that I had no idea were coming.

“Baby girl, it’s been too long,” he says in his gruff voice.

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