Page 84 of The Christmas Keepsake
Savannah.He quickly scrolled through his contacts and tapped her name.
“Hollis?” Savannah answered on the second ring. “Is everything okay?”
“Not really. I mean, yes. Everything’s good. Better than good, but I’m trying to reach Mallory. I messed up.”
“Yeah, I know,” she huffed. There was a pause on the other end of the line. “She worried herself sick last night, Hol. You let her spend a sleepless night before going to a long nursing shift. You froze her out, so if she’s doing the same to you, well, I’m sorry to say, it’s well-deserved.”
Hollis winced. “I totally agree. That’s why I need to talk to her.”
Savannah audibly sighed into the receiver. “I think she needs space. To process everything. She’ll reach out when she’s ready.”
He wanted to argue, to insist on fixing things right now, but Savannah was Mallory’s best friend. If this was what Mal needed, he needed to respect that. He’d promised Nan last year that he’d protect Mal. He just didn’t realize he’d be protecting her from himself. “Yeah. Okay. Will you… will you tell her I called?”
“Of course. Just… be patient, okay?”
After hanging up, Hollis glanced around the waiting room, feeling lost. He felt the urge to run again, to escape the mess he’d made, but he pushed it down. That was his instinct, but it wasn’t the answer. There was someone else he needed to make amends with. He called Matt and Sandy’s home number.
“Hollis?” Sandy answered. “I’ve been worried. Are you okay?”
“I’m… I’m fine,” he said, but quickly decided to tell the truth. “Actually, I’ve been better. Is Matt there? I need to talk to him.”
“He’s home. Come on,” she said without hesitation.
Fifteen minutes later, Hollis stood on the porch of his foster parents’ home, his heart pounding. The door opened before he could knock, revealing Sandy’s worried face. Hollis was inclined to step in and hug her but stopped when Matt walked up behind her.
Everything inside him froze. He didn’t want to argue. Part of him wanted to turn around and get right back in his truck. What he wished most was that he could go back in time and undo what felt like irreparable damage.
“Come in,” Sandy said, ushering him inside.
Hollis cautiously stepped forward, hearing the front door close behind him. He kept his hands clasped, and his head tipped low. He was ready for whatever Matt wanted to say to him. He’d take every word.
“Have a seat,” Sandy urged, gesturing to the sofa.
They settled in the living room, an uncomfortable silence stretching between them.
Hollis took a deep breath and steeled himself. When Matt didn’t immediately start yelling at him, he led the conversation himself. “Listen. I’m sorry,” he began, his voice shaky.
To his surprise, Matt leaned forward and placed a hand on Hollis’s knee. “I don’t accept your apology.”
Every muscle in Hollis’s body tensed.
“No, Hollis. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who needs to apologize. My behavior last night was… inexcusable. I don’t even recognize the man who walked into this house last night. That wasn’t me.”
Hollis blinked as he looked up to meet Matt’s gaze.
Matt’s words rushed out. “Jealousy turns a man into a boy, Hollis. I guess I was jealous of your relationship with Pop, of the way he wants to hand over the tree farm to you.”
“You told me that you never wanted the farm,” Hollis said quietly.
“I don’t. But selfishly, I still felt entitled to the land, which just makes me, well, it makes me a jerk. Instead of being proud of and supporting you, I lashed out. I asked you to leave, and I’m so ashamed.” Matt’s voice broke.
“Matt,” Hollis said, but Matt held up a hand.
“Lemme finish. I let my insecurities cloud what Pop tried to do for you, and I’m sorry. You were nearly grown when you came to live with us, but you are our son, Hollis. In every way that matters. And I know Pop thinks of you as his grandson. You deserve the farm.”
A lump formed in Hollis’s throat. He’d spent so long feeling like an outsider, never quite believing he truly belonged. To hear Matt say these words…
Sandy reached out and took Hollis’s hand. “We love you, sweetie. We always have, and we always will. There is nothing you can ever do or say to change that. Ever. We are your forever family.”
