Page 2 of The Yes at Yuletide

“Dad,” Ollie said, entering the house through the sliding glass door. “Come see the altar.” He glowed, and Tripp smiled at him.

“It’s done?”

“Simone is the best aunt in the whole world,” Ollie said, turning and going back the way he’d come.

“Waffle in a minute,” Jeremiah said as Tripp stepped away from the counter.

“Be right back.” He followed his son out onto the deck, and Simone stood out in the yard, next to a hulking piece of furniture that reached all the way to her chest. She grinned at her husband, another of Tripp’s brothers, who held their newborn daughter in his arms.

Ollie’s boots went quickly down the steps, but Tripp approached a little slower. Ivory took his hand as they went down to the yard, and Tripp paused several feet from the altar.

Ollie went all the way to it and ran his hand along the top of it, which had been covered with an off-white lace that looked antique. He turned to face Tripp and Ivory, his face filled with that insane happiness and hope.

“Isn’t it great?” he asked.

“Yes,” Tripp said, and he meant it. “It’s actuallyreallygreat.”

Chapter Two

Ivory Walker couldn’t look away from the altar in front of her. Rather, she couldn’t tear her eyes from her son standing in front of that altar. He suddenly aged about ten years right in front of her eyes, and she saw him as a man and not her little boy.

Tears filled her eyes, and her fingers squeezed Tripp’s with everything she had.

“It’s wonderful,” she said, releasing her husband’s hand and stepping forward. “Simone, you’ve outdone yourself.”

“I had an apprentice,” she said, and Aurora Martin rose to her feet, a couple of pins pressed between her lips. “Aurora has done all of the upholstery. She has an eye and a mind I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Aurora put the pins back in the cushion. “She’s being kind.”

“I am not,” Simone said, a look of distaste actually crossing her face. “Who found the antique lace?” She folded her arms.

“Who built an altar out of reclaimed barn wood and galvanized steel legs in only two weeks?” Rory shot back, a glinting light dancing in her eyes. She faced Ivory, a hint of nervousness entering her expression now. Ivory wished it wouldn’t, but she knew the feeling. She sometimes still felta little blip of unrest when Tripp’s momma turned her full attention to her.

“Hello, ma’am,” she said, coming around the altar. “Sir.” She shook Tripp’s hand, but with Ivory, she took a stilted step toward her. Ivory opened her arms and hugged the girl, because this was the person her son loved. Ollie loved Rory so much, he wanted to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her.

Ivory hadn’t been that surprised when he and Tripp had returned late from a riding lesson with a diamond ring. Tripp had taken her into the bedroom and closed the door, recounted the things Ollie had said to him, and paced back and forth the whole time.

Ivory was having an easier time accepting her son’s decisions, though she didn’t know why. He wasn’t Tripp’s biological son, but he sure worried about him like Ollie was.

“She found the blue fabric underneath too,” Simone said. “She sewed it to fit like a glove, and she spent the last hour putting in the decorative pins along the bottom of the lace.”

Ivory released Aurora from the hug and studied the details along the bottom of the altar. “These are beautiful.” She beamed at the girl. “Are you sure you want to do the fashion design and not the furniture design?”

“I told her I’d hire her to design for me in a heartbeat,” Simone said. “She’s a genius.”

Aurora smiled at Simone and looked at Ivory again. “I’m going to take classes in both,” she said. “See which I like more. I haven’t really decided yet.”

“You have plenty of time to decide,” Ivory said, and she turned back to Tripp. “Look at the pins, baby.”

“They look like gems,” he said, smiling down at where the lace met the reclaimed wood. The metal legs added a charm to the altar Ivory hadn’t anticipated. It was a perfect mix of modern and antique, and it fit Simone’s style perfectly.

“They are gems,” Aurora said, clearing her throat. “My dad bought them for me.” She reached for Ollie, who slid his arm around her waist, the very same way Tripp had done inside the house when she’d stepped to his side. “For us.”

“They’re beautiful,” Tripp said, and his voice sounded fairly genuine.

“Have you two eaten?” Ivory asked, turning away from her son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law. “Micah, let me have that baby.” She loved babies more than almost anything. Maybe not hot chocolate with cream, and not more than her children and husband. But a whole lot.

Micah stepped over to her and slid the darling girl into her arms. “Oh,” slipped from her mouth. “She’s just gorgeous, isn’t she?”

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