Page 16 of Deck the Halls with Cowboys
That was a lie. What happened in the bunkhouse usually made its way to Abbie, who told Harmony, who told Diana, who told me. Just like the whole Santa’s cookies with Destiny thing that went down last night. But now that I knew Lawson and Lance were talking to my stepson about puberty? His father was going to murder them before Mags could get the chance. I could only imagine the vile things they were filling his innocent teenage—
I grimaced, shutting down those thoughts. “Okay, that’s enough of that. Thank you.”
The smirk on his face reminded me of his uncle, wild and cocky. “You seem grossed out.”
“How about you just talk to your father about those things? If you take life advice from the twins, you’ll end up in federal prison before you turn twenty-five.”
His head fell back as he busted out laughing, his voice going up and down and back up again. “They aren’t that bad.”
“No, sweetheart, they’re good people,” I assured him.
“Anyway, I just came down to ask you a question, Val,” he said, trying not to laugh.
My hesitation was comical. “A puberty question?”
His face twisted with humor. “Hell no.”
“Don’t say hell.”
“It’s a place.”
Fair.“Then, for NJ’s sake, don’t say it in front of her. Or on holidays.”
My stepson ran his fingers through his hair, his Adam’s apple bobbling as he looked out the window, watching the snowfall. The air around us shifted suddenly, and I made sure to turn more in his direction. Something was up.
“What is it, Caleb?”
His question, the sadness laced through his voice, made me flinch. “Do you really believe this Christmas will be different from all the others?”
It was no secret that my husband hated Christmas, and it broke my heart. I knew why this season was hard for him, and trying to make him love something that brought him pain was the last thing I wanted to do. I just wanted him to feel the joy and warmth this holiday was meant to bring us. Hopefully, this dinner, with the entire family, would provide that for him. As Caleb got older, he saw through his father’s act.
After several attempts to swallow the lump in my throat, I said, “I can’t make any promises, but I hope it will.”
He nodded and shifted his weight. “Do you think he’ll like my gift?”
I looked at the small gift chaotically wrapped in snowman wrapping paper under the tree. When I looked back at him, I flashed him a smile. “Without a doubt.”
NJ finally pulled her attention away from the ribbons and noticed her brother. “Bub, bub, bub, bub,” she chanted, clapping her hands and giving him her two-teeth smile.
That got the moody teenager to move.
When he was on the floor with us, he leaned back against the coffee table, pulling NJ and the ribbons closer to him. He plucked a red one off the floor and began twisting it between his fingers. “Growin’ up, Dad did his best to give me good Christmases. More than Mom ever tried.”
I looked down at my lap, knowing the history of Caleb’s mother, Cathy. Truth be told, she was a deadbeat, just like Abbie’s mother. She only cared about herself and left Caleb alone in that god-awful apartment several times. Then, finally, Denver lost all patience with her and took full custody of Caleb. When she teamed up with Moonie, all hell broke loose and she lost her life. Now, years later, Caleb hardly ever mentioned her.
She’d caused him enough pain.
“I know he did.”
Caleb’s eyes, smoke gray like Denver’s, flicked up to meet mine. “Christmastime was never warm until you came around, and that’s not because Dad didn’t try.” Tears stung my eyes, but he wasn’t done. “It was because you made Dad’s life warm again.”
“Caleb,” I rasped, my bottom lip trembling.
He ruffled his sister’s hair as she gathered all the ribbon into her arms. “I don’t think I can ever repay you for that.”
“That’s not your job.”
“You make Dad happy, Val.” That was all he said before he changed the subject, asking about tomorrow. “So when is everyone coming over?”
