Page 59 of Starts With a Bang

“I always hated being an only child, but thirty-seven years is a big age difference between siblings.”

“Better than becoming a father again in your sixties,” I said.

“I can’t even imagine,” Christian said. Then he chuckled and shook his head. “I loved my mom’s line about Dad not affording the nanny once she got through with him. I hope she takes him to the cleaners and uses the money for a fresh start.”

“And what about you?” I asked.

Christian puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. “There’s no future for Emerson and me.” He slapped his hands on his thighs and rubbed them back and forth. “I’ve known that for quite sometime. Emerson got his thrills from hurting you and watching our family splinter. When he didn’t get you back this morning like he’d planned, Emerson came back to our room like nothing happened. He didn’t know I’d overheard the conversation and tried to gaslight me when he learned the truth. I want to say I immediately fell out of love with Emerson after I heard him admit he wanted you back.”

“That’s not how the heart works,” I said.

“Nope. Like with us, I will have to rebuild my future a step at a time. I’ll block his number and sever all ties once I move out and find a place to live. Maybe I can find someone who will actually love me.”

“You deserve a better relationship than your parents had,” I told Christian.

“And you deserve a love like your parents have.” He nodded toward the house, and I followed his direction. Sven stood at the island with one arm around Janet and the other around my mom. I couldn’t hear what he was telling them, but they were laughing hysterically at his antics. “Seems to me you’re already off to a good start this time.”

I smiled as I watched my family. Nana walked over to Sven and fed him a bite of something. He didn’t propose again, but he appeared to sway a little. “Yes, I am.”

Christian slapped his knees and stood up. “Think I’m going to head upstairs for a little while. I’m not very good company tonight.”

I wanted to tell him that moping alone in his room wouldn’t help, but I’d done that for several months after my marriage to Emerson ended. Who was I to lecture anyone? “I think Nana mentioned something about playing euchre later.”

Christian grimaced. “Does Sven know how vicious she can be?”

I chuckled. “He’s about to find out.”

“Best to see what he’s made of now,” Christian said. “See you later.”

“See you.”

I stared at the fire, enjoying the play of flickering flames. The door opened several minutes after Christian went inside. I glanced over my shoulder and watched as Sven approached. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Is it okay if I come out?”

I tugged Sven onto my lap and wrapped my arms around him as soon as he landed. “Better than okay.”

“How was your chat with Christian?” Sven asked.

“It was a start.” I turned my head to rest my cheek between Sven’s shoulder blades.

“Anything is possible,” Sven said.

“You make me believe that’s so.”

Sven turned sideways on my lap so he could see my face. “I can’t take credit for the miracles of the holidays.”

I cupped his face and pulled him closer. “It’s the miracle of Sven.” And I let my kiss convey the magic he introduced to my soul.

Sven

Asoft bed with luxurious bed linens, a large bowl of buttered popcorn, and a movie on the television was the perfect way to end the night. Dom was snuggled at my side and not on the other end of a phone connection. This was the arrangement I longed for during all our buddy-watch nights. I loved having Dom next to me where I could witness his reactions to whatever we watched. I felt his laughter rumble through his body and saw the wry curve of his lips as he criticized the wholly unrealistic action sequences playing on the screen. I mostly watched him instead of the movie, and I understood why Dominic preferred to see the world through Molly Beth’s reactions.

“This is better than I ever imagined,” I said.

Dom nodded as he lifted a handful of popcorn. “It’s not a terrible movie if you just accept the franchise is meant for entertaining escapism and not as an accurate representation of…anything.”

“I couldn’t tell you a single thing that’s happened so far,” I said. Dom looked at me with a quizzical expression that made me laugh. “I know that you’re the neatest popcorn eater I’ve ever seen though. Not a single kernel has dropped on the bed.” I gestured to my side, where several buttery kernels had rolled to their final resting place on the comforter. “You don’t take your eyes away from the screen to eat or drink.” I cocked my head to the side. “How’d you keep up a steady text commentary with me during buddy watches?”

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