When You're Home for the Holidays Read online

  “Hey. Hi there. Hello… Martha.” Before she even realized what was happening, Fielding was using his big hockey body to displace her at the counter. “It sounds like the most wonderful time of the year is actually the most stressful time of the year, am I right?” His joke didn’t land as intended, and the woman behind the counter—Martha, according to the name tag Fielding had clearly spotted—assessed him up and down. She pursed her lips and sat up a bit straighter in her seat, no doubt ready to dismiss him.

  “How much?” he demanded, leaning his elbows on the counter and letting his broad shoulders fill the plexiglass window.

  Whether it was his size, his looks, or his audacity, he finally had Martha’s full attention.

  “How much for what?” she sneered.

  “How much money will it cost to get five ornaments personalized right now, on the spot, so we can take them with us tonight? Name your price, then add tax. Charge me ten times what you’re supposed to charge. I’ve even got cash if you want to…”

  Tori gave Fielding a shove in the side. She knew he had cash. She’d seen it when he went to pay for his pickup order at the dispensary. She also knew he was really high. She didn’t want him to regret wasting his money on this when he was clear-headed.

  “Field, it’s fine, I’ll just come back next year…”

  “No.” His objection came out loud and strong. His eyes gleamed with determination.

  “Will $500 do it?” he asked quietly, turning his attention back on the customer service representative. “$500 for five ornaments? I can hand you the cash right now, then you can still have someone ring us up at the register if that makes it easier. You know, inventory-wise?”

  Fielding held a wad of cash in his hand as he stared at the woman who would determine their fate. Tori held her breath, desperate for this moment to pass and hoping beyond hope they weren’t about to get kicked out of the world’s largest Christmas store before she could purchase the other ornaments she needed for the tree.

  “Fine,” Martha huffed, quickly grabbing the money and sticking it in the back pocket of her jeans. “Fill out this order form and date it for some time in August. I’ll take these straight to the back and say we missed an order. It might take up to an hour, though.”

  “An hour’s fine with us. You’re a Christmas angel, Martha,” Fielding crooned as he offered her a dazzling smile. Tori filled out the form as quickly as possible, her heart racing faster with each line she completed. She handed over the order form and the five ornaments with a timid smile.

  Martha turned on her heel without another word and disappeared through a door labeled Employees Only.

  “Field…” She was shocked by what had just happened and how it all went down. “That was too much. You didn’t have to. But thank you.”

  “I knew it was important to you,” he replied with a shrug, unfazed that he had just spent $500 on five ornaments. “Want to look around some more while we wait? I think I saw some kids in line to talk to a ginormous snowman with light up eyes. That, or I’m really really high.”

  Tori shook her head. Fielding wasn’t kidding when he called this trip an adventure. “Sure. But let’s try to make our way to the front and check out sooner rather than later. Once your buddy Martha is done, I want to go home.”

  They meandered through the aisles, all of which were less crowded now that it was almost closing time. There were sports ornaments and animal ornaments; entire aisles organized by color and theme. They walked through three rows of life-size Santas, which was funny at first, then creepy by the end of the third row. And much to Fielding’s delight, there was, in fact, a gigantic snowman named Archie set up in the corner of the store.

  He insisted on waiting in line for his turn to talk to Archie, even though Tori refused to participate. She stood back and recorded the entire encounter, then sent the video to Jake and Fielding’s twin brother, Dempsey.

  “I’ve had enough gummies tonight,” he said as he made his way back to her with a goofy grin on his face. He handed her a sugarcoated green gumdrop wrapped in plastic that he must have picked up from Archie’s elf escort.

  Tori accepted the candy, ripped it open, and popped it into her mouth. “Want to go check on the ornaments?” she tried to ask around a mouthful of sticky lime-flavored gelatin.

  Fielding just looked at her and laughed. “If I wasn’t high, I wouldn’t know what the hell you just tried to say.” He kept chuckling as he turned on his heel. “I’ll go track down the magnificent Martha. Why don’t you head to checkout, and I’ll meet you at the front when we’re done?”

  Tori smiled, then grinned even wider when she looked down at her phone to read Jake and Dempsey’s reactions. Outside the group text Jake had messaged her separately.

  Jake: You guys heading home soon?

  Tori: Yep. Finishing up here, then it’s just 30 minutes back to the cabin.

  Jake: Who’s driving?

  Shit. She should have led with that. Fielding was clearly not fit to drive, and she didn’t want Jake to worry.

  Tori: I’m driving. Fielding is obviously high. It’s barely raining here now.

  Jake: Just checking. Go slow and be safe. I’ll have dinner ready for you guys when you get here. Want to watch a movie tonight?

  Tori: Yes! As long as it’s NOT The Holiday…

  Jake: What? Why not? You know that’s my literal favorite Christmas movie.

  Tori: It barely counts as a Christmas movie.

  Jake: Two words for you, baby: Jude. Law.

  Tori: How is that supposed to convince me?

  Jake: Baby. It’s JUDE LAWWWWWW

  Tori: Still not convinced.

  Jake: Fine. Jack Black as a talented musician without all the pesky 5th graders?

  Jake: Kate Winslet showing off the breaststroke she didn’t know how to do in Titanic?

  Jake: Cameron Diaz drunkenly dancing around to one of the greatest songs of all time?!

  Jake: Seriously. There are so many things to love about that movie. Take your pick! But don’t pick Jude. He’s mine.

  Tori: You’re ridiculous. I want to watch a classic holiday movie, not a rom-com that happens to include a few mentions of Christmas and Hanukkah.

  Jake: Yet Tootie and Agnes throwing flour on people on Halloween is supposed to put me in the Christmas spirit?

  He had her there. But Meet Me in St. Louis was her favorite.

  Tori: We’ll let Fielding decide.

  Jake: You know he’s going to side with you.

  Tori: I know. *winky face*

  She had been so engrossed in her conversation with Jake she hadn’t paid attention to any of the aisle markers. She was pretty sure she was still heading toward the front of the store. It wasn’t until she glanced up from her phone that she paused to get her bearings.

  When she looked around, she noticed that she was surrounded by soft pinks and baby blues on all sides; she had stumbled into an entire aisle of baby ornaments. A pang of sadness struck her heart as her mind instantly went to Rhett.

  She slowed her pace, scrutinizing all the sweet little designs. Baby’s First Christmas. A stork holding a stocking. Our Favorite Christmas Gift. Toward the end of the row was a smaller section of less colorful pieces. She gravitated toward them before she realized what she was even looking at.

  Her fingers itched to trace the dime-sized footprints pressed into stainless steel. It was a simple ornament: Just the tiny footprints and the phrase “Sleeping in Heavenly Peace” etched along the bottom. A lump formed in her throat while a tightness squeezed around her heart.

  “There you are!” She jerked her hand away from the ornament, pulling herself out of the moment as Fielding approached with a bag and a few receipts in hand.

  “Hey,” she greeted him timidly.

  “What’d you find now?” he inquired, stepping forward to close the space between them.

  “It’s nothing. It’s just…” She tried to brush it off, but his eyes locked in on the ornament she had just been touching. “I just thought Rhett might appreciate it,” she mumbled as she took a step back toward the cart.

  Fielding squinted at the ornament she’d been admiring. “It’s beautiful, Tor,” he confirmed, his tone somber as he matched the seriousness of the moment.

  She looked up to search his face. For what, she didn’t know. Comfort? Encouragement? She had worked hard to process her own feelings about her husband’s ex-girlfriend’s miscarriage. She had spent months trying to make it make sense, and to accept and forgive herself for the role she had played in the whole situation. How would it affect Rhett if she gave him a reminder like this?

  She shook her head, annoyed she let herself fall into the stereotypical grief trap. Talking about the child he lost wouldn’t “remind” her husband of his loss. The memories and thoughts of the baby were with him, always. She knew that from her own experience of losing her mother when she was eleven. Her grief was an integral part of who she was as a person.

  “I think I’m going to get it,” she declared, stepping past Fielding with more confidence now that she’d worked through the ache. She selected the ornaments and gently pulled them off the hook.

  “Did you mean to grab two?” he questioned as he watched her place them in the cart.

  “Yes. One for us, and one for Chandler, if he wants to send it to her. They still talk sometimes. I think it helps them both. I’m sure this Christmas will be hard for her, too.”

  Fielding pulled her into a side-hug so fast she almost lost her balance. “You’re a really good person, Victoria Thompson.” He lowered his head and smacked a kiss into her hair, only releasing her after he’d taken an obvious sniff of her shampoo. She didn’t have time to call him out on his weird behavior, though, because he snagged the cart and start
ed jogging toward the front of the store.

  “Race you to the checkout!” he called over his shoulder as he gave the cart a running start and hopped on the lower ledge to ride it like a skateboard.

  “Don’t break my ornaments!” she hollered before taking off after him.

  Chapter three

  Tori

  “Oh good lord. You both know I’m happily married, right? Your fuckboy lingerie is wasted on me.”

  Jake and Fielding had emerged from their room in the basement just moments earlier wearing light gray sweatpants and fitted black T-shirts. They looked good—and they both had smarmy smiles on their faces that told her they knew it.

  Jake glanced down at his attire, then cocked an eyebrow in question. “Would you rather I watch the movie in my usual sleepwear?”

  He preferred to sleep just like her husband: in his boxer briefs. In only his boxer briefs.

  “Nope!” she popped the P for emphasis as Fielding plopped down beside her on the sectional.

  “I figured I better bust these puppies out now,” he explained. “Mr. Buzzkill over there said I’m not allowed to wear gray sweatpants once little Wheeler gets here.”

  Jake scoffed. “I said wear them at your own risk. I’m just trying to save your ass from getting smacked upside the head when Maddie inevitably flirts with you in front of Rhett.”

  Tori burst out laughing. She hadn’t considered that particular dynamic when she invited both Fielding and Maddie to join them at the cabin for Christmas. She was glad Jake had the forethought to lay down some ground rules before Rhett arrived.

  “You want in on this?” Fielding asked, spreading his arms wide and surveying the space between them. Tori rolled her eyes at his offer but shifted closer, placing one of the couch pillows between them so she could use his body as a cushion and lean back against him.

  Penny promptly hopped off the couch and jumped up into Fielding’s lap, assuming her favorite seat in the house.

  “Okay, let’s do this,” Jake announced as he came back into the living room with three bowls of popcorn. “Do I even need to ask what movie we’re watching, or should I just assume you’re going to pick whatever Tori wants?”

  Fielding sneered and threw his hands up in defense. “Come on, man. I’m not just some yes boy. I have my own thoughts and opinions!” She smirked at his self-deprecation and the way he carried on like only Fielding could. “There’s no way I’m just settling for what Tori wants to watch.”

  Shit. She was sure Fielding would cave and they’d be watching Judy Garland sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

  “Wait. Why are we letting him pick?” she interjected, trying to salvage her chances. “You know he’s going to fall asleep halfway through anyway.” That was the truth. Even if he wasn’t drunk or high, Fielding had a knack for falling asleep just about anywhere.

  “So what are we watching then?” Jake countered, ignoring her protest.

  “Home Alone.”

  Tori and Jake groaned in unison. They should have seen that one coming. As insufferable as it might be, Home Alone was very on brand for Fielding Haas.

  Within the first five minutes, Fielding was holding his sides from laughing too hard. Penny had been displaced twice so far because of his reactions.

  “I think you just like this movie because you have the exact same maturity level as Kevin McCallister,” Tori observed. She couldn’t help but smile at the way he sat transfixed by the movie on the screen. It was almost more fun watching him than watching the actual movie.

  “You’re not wrong,” he managed to reply while trying to catch his breath. He spent the next hour sharing Home Alone trivia and quoting the movie under his breath. But by the time Kevin was walking home and his grocery bags split, she was almost certain he had fallen asleep. She adjusted the pillow between them, but must have jostled him in the process.

  “Hey. Do you guys think that if they remade this, they’d call themselves the WAP Bandits? Missed opportunity if they didn’t,” he yawned. “Wait. That’s an amazing concept for a holiday porno. Somebody write that down.”

  “Stop…” Tori pleaded at his ridiculous commentary.

  Ten minutes later, Fielding and Penny’s snores had finally synced. Not only had he fallen asleep, he had slumped over so one of his long arms and his head were draped over her legs, trapping her.

  “Psst,” Jake called to catch her attention. “Come here,” he whispered, giving her a two-finger beckon.

  Tori groaned, shifting her body out from under Fielding’s arm. “I’m… trying… he’s just so big and muscley,” she heaved, finally rising to her feet.

  “And warm. And comfy. And amazing to cuddle with…” he muttered in his sleep.

  She covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and waking him up. Fielding could fall asleep almost anywhere, and he also talked in his sleep, something they had discovered over the last several months hanging out together.

  She scooted across the sectional, burrowing into Jake’s side when he lifted an arm to invite her in. She was just getting comfy when a sharp pinch shot through the left side of her abdomen, right along her scar. It was the first pain she’d felt all day.

  “You okay?” Jake asked, worry marring his features.

  She nodded but readjusted her posture to sit up a bit more. She rarely had pain from her hysterectomy anymore, but every now and then, if she moved too quickly or contorted her torso, she was reminded of the surgery from five months ago. “I’m good. Just sat down funny, that’s all.” He accepted her assurance at face value. She could always count on him to not fret the way her husband was inclined to. He turned the volume all the way down on the TV before speaking again.

  “Have you heard from him tonight?”

  “He texted me right when the movie started. As of now, he says he’s planning to stay at the airport overnight. He’s afraid if he goes back to the apartment, he might get a last-minute flight but not make it back in time to catch it. Quinn keeps getting him added standby for anything coming into Ohio or Michigan, even Windsor or Toronto.”

  Jake let out a heavy sigh. He absentmindedly started playing with her hair before voicing the fear they both felt in their bones. “Are you more worried about him not making it home or about him being at the airport all night?”

  “Airport,” she answered without hesitation.

  “Yeah. Me too. Fuck. This sucks. But he really has been doing well, and I know he has his priorities in order. Plus we both know it’s useless to try to convince him not to come at this point.”

  All she could do was nod, lost in her own worry about the man she loved so much. Frustrated, on edge, and sleep-deprived wasn’t a good look on anyone. It was a recipe for disaster for an alcoholic in recovery. She knew Rhett would do literally anything to be with her, even if it meant putting himself at risk.

  As if he could hear her spiraling thoughts, Jake whispered, “He’ll be okay, baby. I believe in him. Everything’s going to work out. Give me your phone. Let’s send him a selfie so he knows we’re thinking about him.”

  She handed over her phone, then scooted closer so both their faces filled the screen. He put her in a fake headlock and plastered a goofy grin on his face while she looked right into the camera and blew a kiss. She took her phone back, typed out a text to Rhett, and sent it with their picture.

  V: Be safe, husband. You have people who love you and can’t wait to see you.

  Chapter four

  Rhett

  His phone vibrated on the table next to him, alerting him that a message had just come through. He smiled when he unlocked the home screen to find a picture of Tori and Jake grinning back at him. It looked like they were in their pajamas, curled up on the couch at the cabin. Fuck. He missed them both so much. Tori had come to visit him in Virginia a few weeks ago, but he hadn’t seen Jake since Thanksgiving. All he wanted was to be with them now.

  Ev: I’m trying, beautiful.

  V: I know. I’m not trying to make you feel bad. We have to accept the things we can’t control… Just know that I love you. And I miss you.

  Ev: I love you, too. And I miss you. So damn much. What’d you guys do tonight?

  V: Field and I went shopping, then we all just chilled and watched a movie.