Page 74 of Can't Get Over You
“Now, come on.” Jude stalked down the driveway. “Dad’s unloading by himself.”
As they all headed to the street, Gunnar set aside the dolly to hug his sons.
“You buy out a whole furniture store?” Jude asked.
“Pretty much,” Decker said.
“You’ve got the boy for six weeks.” His dad went back to stacking boxes. “And it’s Christmas. You want it to feel like home for him, don’t you?”
Jude looked from one man to the next. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him display his feelings so clearly. He seemed unable to speak.
Finlay stepped in. “That’s so nice, Gunnar. Thank you.” She hugged him, breathing in the scent of leather and pine. And even though the gifts weren’t meant for her, she said, “This means so much to us.”
“All right.” Gunnar patted her back awkwardly. “Now, don’t go sending me another meat board. Let’s get this done.”
But as they all started for the trucks, Jude stood there, unseeing, his eyes clouded with emotion. She didn’t even ask if he was okay because he clearly wasn’t. So she reached for his hand.
He could’ve brushed it aside or given a polite squeeze and release. But to her surprise, he clasped it, holding it tightly for a moment as though it were a lifeline. He lowered his chin and blinked.
“Good to be home?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
The four men did all the heavy lifting, relying on Finlay to show them where to put things. It would’ve taken her a decade or more to acquire the furniture and toys they’d bought, so she was overwhelmed by their generosity.
When they finished unloading the truck, they brought in their tool kits to assemble bookcases and bed frames and peel the plastic wrap off the mattresses. Finlay didn’t have siblings, so she wasn’t used to the way they constantly joked with each other, recounting childhood stories and making fun of each other’s jobs.
She loved every second of it and got to see Jude in a whole new light. He might act like a broody loner, but he wassurrounded by love and support. For some reason, he didn’t feel he deserved it, and she wondered why when it was clear his siblings looked up to him.
With an armful of moving blankets, Gunnar crossed her living room that now had a couch, loveseat, ottoman, television, and media center. Her four bedrooms were fully furnished, and one of them doubled as a guest room and a play area for Cody. It was filled with books, a kitchen with fake food, several Duplo Lego sets, and art supplies—including a finger-painting kit.
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done,” she called out to him. “You’ve given Cody a real home.”
He gave a curt nod and headed for the door, but she couldn’t miss the pink staining his cheeks.
Was filling up her entire house over the top for a six-week visit? Yep. But Jude’s family expressed themselves through action. And she heard them loud and clear. They loved Jude and wanted him to come home.
The man himself came trampling down the stairs. “We’re about finished up there, and we’re running out of time. What’s next?”
They were trying to get everything done before Ava brought the boy home from school. “The last thing we have to do is decorate.”
He eyed the stacks of boxes. “Do we really need all this crap?”
“Maybe not, but did I need a ping-pong table in the basement?”
Jude cracked a grin. “That’s my dad’s way of making sure everyone spends time here so Cody has a big family around over the holidays.”
“I love that.” For Cody, but also for herself. She’d always wanted a full house.
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. Well, let’s get started.” He pulled out his folding knife and slit each box right down the middle of the packing tape.
She stepped in to pull out the contents. “You have the best family.”
“Yeah. They’re cool.”
She set all the ornaments and tree lights on the floor by the hearth. It seemed a shame to stay away just because of encounters like he’d had with her neighbor. “How come you didn’t tell Mrs. Atherton the truth? You had a chance to say you had nothing to do with what happened to her son.”
He’d finished opening the boxes, so she handed him an evergreen and berry-laden garland. Just for a moment, his hands stilled as he seemed to consider whether he wanted to answer. And then, he lowered his arms. “When I was about ten years old, I was walking down Sundance Road. A couple of kids from school ambushed me with a pile of snowballs they’d stockpiled.”
