Page 122 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
“Of course, you didn’t.”
“She hates me!”
“She doesn’t hate you. In fact, she wants very much to be your friend. But then you already know that, don’t you?”
Bella wasn’t confirming or denying.
“I’m sure you always hoped your mom and dad would get back together.” Bella was still silent, so Mia continued. “Even though they both moved on, they didn’t move on from you, and they never will.”
“How do I know they won’t?” Bella asked in a small voice.
“Grown-ups are funny that way. Sometimes they fall out of love with each other, but they never fall out of love with their children. Sometimes they even meet someone really nice who falls in love with their children, too.”
This brought on fresh stormy tears.
Mia hugged the girl against her. “Everything will be all right, and you have a chance to help with that.”
“How?” Bella stammered.
“By being kind. That’s all it takes.”
Bella nodded and rubbed her forehead.
Molly smiled. Mia hadn’t needed any backup. She had this.
As it turned out, Sunny had a chip fracture on her ankle and a mild concussion. The baby was fine, thank God. “It could have been so much worse,” she said to Travis as he drove her back to the house.
“It could,” he agreed. “No more carrying stuff up and down stairs for you, Mama.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of ever falling again. I just got in a hurry.”
“How about now you get in a hurry to take it easy until the baby comes?” He reached over and took her hand. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“I’m glad I didn’t scare it out of myself. That would have been so embarrassing,” she joked.
Back at the house everyone fussed over her, settling her on the couch, propping her foot up with pillows.
“I’m glad you had the grace to wait to bang yourself up until after the wedding,” Rae teased her. “That stupid boot would have really wrecked the pictures.”
“I’m so glad it wasn’t worse,” Mom said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll stay overnight, and help you make sure she’s all right,” she said to Travis.
“I’m fine,” Sunny insisted. Now that she had a Tylenol in her.
“We should go and let you rest,” Jeanette said. To Travis, “Your father and I will take the kids home.”
“If you need anything or have any questions, call,” Alden said to Travis.
Sunny was wrung out like a sponge but she managed a goodbye smile for everyone. Dylan actually kissed her cheek before following his grandpa out of the house. Bella didn’t even look her way as she rushed out the door past her grandmother.
What did you expect?Sunny asked herself. This wasn’t the movies where the bad thing turned out to be just what everyone needed to get to something good and messy relationships got tied up in a neat little bow. Start the happy music with the ending credits. Show some bloopers.
The only blooper had been her fall and she sure had no desire to replay that.
The next day was Sunday and she and Travis lazed around the house, watching movies, him feeding her leftovers from the party, along with Tylenol at regular intervals. Molly and Ava called to check on her and Arianna stopped by to see how she was feeling.
“Foolish,” Sunny confessed. “But I’ll recover from that.”
They were still visiting when Travis’s phone went off. It was Tansy’s ringtone.
