Page 1 of The Yes at Yuletide

Chapter One

Tripp Walker entered the homestead where his brother Jeremiah lived with his family. The house sat in silence, which wasn’t the norm. Jeremiah hosted a lot of family events here, and Skyler did too, at the house next door. Sometimes Micah would have people over to his place, but usually only if he and Simone had news to share.

Liam also hosted quite a few family dinners on the Sabbath Day, or for holidays, or simply to get together.

Since Tripp and Ivory, his wife, lived about ten minutes down the highway, they weren’t right in the thick of ranch life at Seven Sons. Rhett lived a few houses away, and Tripp had grown closer to his brother and their family over the years.

Momma and Daddy enjoyed their life on a small farm even closer to town, and Daddy loved spending sunny days with his miniature horses while Momma consulted with a lawyer in town a few days a week. She worked from home, and spent a lot of time on the phone and the Internet, and Tripp had never seen her happier.

Wyatt alone lived about forty-five minutes away from Seven Sons, up in a gated community, with his wife Marcy and their three boys. He was still the most famous Walker, and hisclothing line only seemed to get bigger and bigger, as he’d just come out with a pair of cufflinks and a matching tie tack.

Tripp fully expected to wear them for his son’s wedding.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he took a moment to press his eyes closed and center himself. Liam had asked him where his faith was a few months ago, and Tripp honestly wasn’t sure where it had disappeared to.

“He should be here soon,” Ivory said, and she appeared at the end of the hall about the time Tripp opened his eyes. “Oh, he’s standing right there.” She looked down at their son, Isaac, who started running toward Tripp.

“What’s goin’ on, Zeke?” Only Tripp called the boy Zeke, and a grin broke out onto his face as the eight-year-old raced toward him.

“Ollie said I could wear the cape at the wedding.”

Tripp laughed, tipping his head back. He swept the cowboy hat off his head and turned to hang it on the coat rack beside the door. He faced his son again and picked up the rail-thin child. “I’m sure he did not.”

“He did,” Isaac insisted, looking down into Tripp’s face. “He’s in the back. Go ask him.”

Tripp put his boy down, and together, they faced the back of the house, which expanded in both directions to provide plenty of space for the living room, dining area, and kitchen. Jeremiah and Whitney took great care of the house, and as Tripp walked out of the hall and into the great room, he found the lot of them eating breakfast.

“There he is,” Jeremiah said, getting to his feet. “Waffles? There’s plenty of sausage left in the pan too.”

“Sure,” Tripp said.

Jeremiah went into the kitchen and opened the waffle iron. He spritzed some vegetable spray on it and looked up. “Did you get your project done?”

“Yep,” Tripp said. “Done until next year.”

Jeremiah grinned at him. “What are you and Ivory doing after the wedding?”

Ivory came to his side, and Tripp slipped his arm around her, glancing at her. “You told them about the trip.”

“How could I do that?” she asked. “You won’t tell me where we’re going.” She cocked one eyebrow at her and grinned.

“Vegas,” he said. “We’re going to Vegas. Isaac can play in the pool and we can just…relax.” Tripp sorely needed some relaxation in his life, and he couldn’t wait until this wedding was done.

He wasn’t going to wash his hands of Ollie—quite the opposite. He’d only worry about him and Aurora more. He’d want to text the boy—he’s not a boy, he told himself—every day to make sure he was going to class and that he and Aurora were doing okay.

He could see the texts now.How’s the apartment? Did you get your car registered? How are your classes? What are you eating?

Tripp was sure the boy would be dead after the first week. He’d never lived away from home before, and he honestly barely knew how to operate a washing machine.

“Vegas,” Ivory said with a smile. “That’s perfect for Christmas, baby.”

“Right?” He grinned at her and kissed her quickly. “Though technically, we’ll be going after Christmas.”

The wedding was in two days, and then they’d spend a quiet Christmas at home…without Ollie. Then, they’d leave town for Vegas for a week, at which point, Tripp had booked tickets from Vegas to Savannah, where he and Ivory would help their son move into his new house, with his new wife.

The next week, Ollie started classes at the SCAD—the Savannah College of Art and Design. His almost-wife wouldbe going to school there too, and while Tripp listened to the conversation around him, he prayed one more time that Oliver and Aurora would survive.

He couldn’t imagine getting married a couple of months after his nineteenth birthday, but he wasn’t Oliver. He’d been trying to find his faith, support his wife, and maintain his sanity as he dealt with Ollie and Rory and their wedding plans.

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