Page 19 of All I Want For Christmas

She turned onto the street and pulled up to the stop light at the corner. And then suddenly said, “Huh.”

“Huh?” he asked.

“I guess I need to take you home first, don’t I? If we’re going to keep you from the boys until morning.”

He wanted to see the boysnow. He wanted every minute with them he could get. But that wasn’t practical. It was late and she was right about them not settling down after they saw him. And he’d blown in here tonight without warning to her. He couldn’t expect that everything just stop and change course for him.

“Yeah. I guess.” But that was stupid. Bea lived a good twenty minutes from here and then it would be another twenty to thirty back to their house. “No, hang on.” The light was still red and he opened his door.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m getting out. I’ll take a cab home. All my stuff’s at Logan’s and he said he’d drop it over tomorrow.” He didn’t bring much home with him anyway. He had clothes at the house and could get anything he needed while here. “I’ll shower quick and then hide out while you get the boys settled.”

There was a quick honk behind them. The light had turned green.

“But I?—”

Clearly Lindsey didn’t like the idea of dumping him out on a street corner at ten o’clock at night. Or maybe she didn’t like the idea of letting him out of reach now that he was home. He knew the feeling. The first few days when he was home on longer leaves it always felt strange for her to go to work and the boys to school. This time, at least, he’d have them twenty-four-seven. Or twenty-four-three.

Feeling that mix of regret and worry and frustration coiling in his gut, he got out of the car. The car behind honked again and then pulled around them.

He leaned in. “I’m fine, Linds. Go get the boys.”

She gave a soft laugh. “I guess I don’t need to worry about you, of all people, out in the dark by yourself.”

He gave her a wink. “I pity the mugger who tries something with me.”

She smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Hurry.”

“Definitely.”

He stepped up onto the curb and watched her pull away. Then he sighed. Things were already not going to plan. Having to take a cab home was hardly the end of the world, of course. But it mixed together with the other stuff swirling through him. Like the ticking clock. And the fact that it really could be the end of the world for those people waiting for the American troops to show up.

And that he was going to have to get a hold of his buddy Kyle and see if he could bring the boys’ Christmas gift over early. Because he couldnotmiss seeing them open this one.

Thankfully, Aidan had been asleep when Lindsey arrived at Bea’s and hadn’t fully awakened even when she’d carried him to the car and then into their house.

Liam hadn’t fallen asleep watching movies like his brother, but he was clearly exhausted.

“Did you have fun, buddy?” she asked as she tucked him in and kissed his head.

Right now the boys shared a room. She didn’t know if they would always want to, but for the time being they liked having their toys and books and each other in the same place.

“It was really fun,” Liam told her, just before a big yawn hit him. “We made reindeer food and snowman bathtubs.”

Lindsey smiled and brushed his hair back from his forehead. God, he looked so much like Matt. So many nights doing just this very thing it would hit her and her breath would catch and she’d have to breathe through it.

Tonight was no different but the wave of longing was tempered by the thought that Matt was just down the hall waiting for her.

She felt bad about not telling the boys he was here, but then Liam yawned again and when she looked over at Aidan, she realized this was the right thing. They were too tired to deal with that kind of excitement right now. And besides, she’d come up with a fantastic way to surprise them tomorrow and she was a little giddy thinking about it.

“What’s in the reindeer food?” she asked. She already knew. She’d made reindeer food with her class before and she’d provided the little baggies for the project tonight.

“Oatmeal and birdseed and red and green glitter,” Liam said. “I guess reindeer eat birdseed because they fly, right?”

“That makes sense to me,” Lindsey agreed. “And the glitter helps them find it in the dark, right? It sparkles in the moonlight.” She pulled his blankets up around his shoulders.

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