Page 25 of Christmas in July

I move to sit by his side, and wrap my arms around him.

He laughs a little, hysterically, like he is losing his mind. “She would have found it funny. She had the worst sense of humor. She was so silly. Anyway, we were only married a few weeks or so. It was a little dumb wedding, in the hospital chapel. She wore bedsheets as a gown. It was on her bucket list, you know—things she wanted to do before she died. She wanted to get married, and I was her best friend.”

He smiles weakly at me. “So, we did it. I would have done anything to make her happy in those final days. I would have done anything if it could have saved her. But I couldn’t.”

“I’m so sorry, Teddy. I didn’t mean to make you talk about this.”

“You couldn’t have known,” he says. “But how did you find out about Ash?”

“Your mother told me,” I say quietly. “I guess she was trying to freak me out.”

“Typical Henrietta,” Teddy responds, nodding. “She can be a really huge bitch.”

I reach out and touch his hand, including the silver bracelet I always wondered about. Well, that explains a lot. And despite his mother’s ill intentions, I’m glad to know more about him and his history.

“So,” I say lightly. “Where else did Ashley want to visit? Any other places on her bucket list? Has she been to Mount Olympus yet?”

Teddy looks at me with with surprise, and a slow smile overtakes his features. Starting with his eyes. “She always wanted to go to Thailand. And do one of those parties under the full moon.”

“Then Thailand it is. Pack your bags!” I say cheerfully. “We’re gonna make Ashley proud and party all night, under the full moon.”

“She would have loved that,” Teddy says with his smile growing brighter by the second. “And she would have loved you.”

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