A Christmas to Cherish (A Festive Christmas #4)

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

S he peeled off her coat and hung it up behind the door. Then, she kicked off her boots and sniffed, the smell of flour and sugar lingering in the air. Emma unwound her scarf and left it on the table behind the door, a strange niggling in the back of her head. When she went into the living room, her parents were on the couch, the TV muted in the background.

As soon as they saw her, Marie sat up straighter and cleared her throat. “Why don’t I go and make us some tea?”

Marie paused and patted Henry’s hands.

He laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. The two of them shared a sweet look, the kind she hadn’t seen in years, and it made her glance away with tears in her eyes. Once she peered back at them, they were still looking into each other’s eyes and smiling. Slowly, Marie walked away, never once breaking their gaze.

Until the door flapped shut behind her, plunging them into silence.

Henry sat up straighter and patted the space next to him. “You and I have a lot to talk about.”

Emma hesitated and then walked over to him. “We do.”

Henry switched off the TV, so the only sound other than their breathing was the crackling of the fireplace, casting long shadows across the walls. Emma lowered herself onto the couch and studied the flames as they leaped and danced, and she could’ve sworn she saw herself in them, a younger version of her, forever preserved in the house.

“I know I can’t change what I did to get you here,” Henry began, “and I won’t make you stay if you don’t want to.”

Emma linked her fingers together and turned to look at him, feeling as if she was seeing him for the first time. “What happened to laying the guilt on thick? And all that talk about Grandpa’s legacy and yours?”

Henry’s lips lifted into a half-smile. “Everything I said was true, but I don’t want you to feel tricked or trapped or manipulated. If you decide to stay in Rockport, and I really hope you do, then I want it to be because you want to. Not because you feel obliged.”

Emma twisted so she could look at him fully. “Dad, I…I have a career in Boston.”

Henry nodded. “I know.”

“And Jules still has a year of college left. I can’t just leave her there on her own. She’s used to having me around.”

“Jules is a lot stronger and more resilient than you give her credit for,” Henry replied, pausing to tuck a lock of hair behind her ears, the gesture so intimate and familiar that it sent a jolt through her. “Just like her mom. She’ll be fine if you decide to move back here.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you weren’t going to pressure me.”

Henry held both of his hands up. “I wasn’t trying to. I’m just pointing out the obvious.”

“Jules isn’t the only reason. I have a career in Boston.”

While Emma knew there wasn’t much room for her to grow without a partnership on the horizon, she wasn’t sure she was ready to give that up.

Not just yet.

Still, the thought of staying in Rockport and working on the newest astronomical findings with her dad held some appeal.

It was a chance for them to make up for lost time, time she wouldn’t get back, no matter how hard she tried.

“Sweetheart, you can be a lawyer anywhere,” Henry said after a lengthy pause. “I swear this is not me trying to influence you or steer you or whatever. I just want you to ask yourself if you’re happy, if you can see yourself heading back to Boston and going on with your life there.”

Emma opened her mouth and slammed it shut.

She hated that he was right.

Because more and more lately, Boston was beginning to feel like a weird fever dream.

Rockport, on the other hand, felt like stepping back into her old pair of boots, only to find they still fit.

They fit her like a glove.

Abruptly, Emma stood and wandered over to the window. She stared at the flakes of snow falling outside and frowned. Then, she wandered over to the fireplace and searched the flames, praying for answers to a question she didn’t know how to phrase. When she looked over her shoulder, her father was leaning forward, fingers linked together and an expectant look on his face.

“If I stay, and I’m not saying I will, we would get to work on the research together, right?”

“Of course.”

“We’ll have to give Marley and Jack credit for helping us bring all of the new information to light, and we need to share our findings with the scientific community.”

Henry’s smile lit up his whole face. “That goes without saying.”

“You can’t become obsessed though,” Emma added, pausing to give him a meaningful look. “And you can’t expect me to base my whole life around the research either. We have to go out and do things, and you need to spend more time with Mom. Also, you can’t do this at the expense of your health.”

“You might want to write all of this down so you don’t forget,” Henry joked, his eyes brimming with amusement and excitement. “I don’t disagree with anything you said. There’s just one problem. What are you going to do about your job?”

“I have one more case that I need to see through, and after it’s done, I’m going to take a break.”

Henry exhaled. “Are you sure you want to do that? I can’t ask you to walk away from a big career like yours…”

“You’re not asking. I need a break. It hasn’t felt right in a while, and maybe when it’s all over, I’ll go back to it.”

Or maybe she wouldn’t.

Either way, it was her decision, and taking a few days to process everything was exactly what she needed before she committed.

In silence, Emma went to sit next to her father and pat his hand.

A heartbeat later, he draped an arm over her shoulders and squeezed.

Emma’s chest was tight with emotion as she leaned into his side and closed her eyes. The smell of him—like soap and old cologne—washed over her. It made her feel like a little girl all over again.

With a sigh, she tucked her legs under her and smiled when her father pointed the remote at the TV, and it came to life.

Henry was dozing peacefully when Jules came back home, Kyle nowhere to be found. She left her scarf, gloves, and boots behind the door and went upstairs without talking to anyone. Frowning, Emma carefully removed her father’s arm from around her shoulders and crept up the stairs after exchanging a quick look with her mother. In their shared room, Jules sat perched on the edge of the bed, one hand threaded through her hair and the other lying limply at her side.

The door creaked open when Emma pushed it, and she lingered in the doorway. “Is everything okay? Where’s Kyle?”

“He wanted to explore a little longer, but I told him I wanted to shower and relax, so he dropped me off at home.”

Emma pushed the door open the rest of the way. “You seem upset.”

Jules blinked and swung her bright-blue eyes over to where her mother stood. “I’m not. Just a little confused.”

Emma took a step in her direction. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Kyle told me he was offered a teaching position in the city, and he’s thinking of taking it.”

Emma took another step and raised an eyebrow. “I thought he liked traveling?”

Jules shrugged and pressed both hands against the mattress. “He does, but I guess he wants to try something a little more stable. I’m happy he’s going to be around, but I don’t want him to resent me for it later.”

Emma sat on the bed next to Jules. “Honey, I’m sure he won’t resent you. Why would he? It’s his decision, after all.”

Jules nodded. “I didn’t even ask him to take any local jobs…”

“But?”

Jules brought her head to rest in the crook of her mom’s neck and exhaled. “But I just worry about him. He loves traveling and being on-site to look at things. I hope he’s not rushing into a decision like this for the wrong reasons.”

Emma draped an arm over Jules’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “I’m sure he’s not, but why don’t you talk to him anyway? Tell him how you feel and make sure both of you are on the same page.”

It was easy for things to get lost in translation, and Emma didn’t want Jules getting caught up in her own head.

What good would it do?

Jules sighed. “I will. So, did you talk to Grandpa?”

Emma paused. “I did.”

Jules stirred and drew back to look at her. “And?”

“I haven’t made a final decision yet, but we talked about what it would be like if I stayed.”

And with Kyle’s new teaching job on the horizon, it was one less thing for Emma to worry about.

Jules wasn’t going to be alone in the city.

“I still have a case to wrap up after the holidays,” Emma added hastily. “I’d probably have to fly back a few more times for the trial and to get everything settled…”

Jules’s eyes widened. “You’ve actually thought about this.”

“I’m thinking about it,” Emma replied with a frown. “I don’t want to rush into anything though, and of course, if you’re not okay with this, I won’t move.”

Jules took both of her mom’s hands and squeezed. “I think it would be a great move. It gives you, Grandma, and Grandpa a chance to properly reconnect. You can help Grandpa with research, and I know you’ve been feeling stuck at work lately. Also, there’s one more person I know will be thrilled if you stay.”

Emma blinked. “Who?”

Jules gave her a knowing smile. “Jack.”

Did she sense a hint of disappointment in her daughter’s voice?

Or was she imagining it?

Emma had never spoken to Jules about moving on because she hadn’t imagined being able to. After Andrew, she’d been content to build a life around her career and her daughter. But now that things were changing, she was beginning to grow panicked.

What was she supposed to say about Jack?

Jules was never going to be okay with a man replacing her father, nor should she be.

And if it were anyone else, it would be unthinkable.

Except Jack wasn’t just any other man.

“There’s nothing going on there,” Emma responded without preamble. “I don’t know if anything will. You know I’ll always love your father, right?”

Emma had to make sure she knew that, and that she would always come first, no matter what was going on in her life.

Jules was and always would be her number-one priority

Jules’s eyes softened, and her expression turned wistful. “I know you will, Mom. Moving on with your life doesn’t mean you love him any less. I’m sure he would want you to be happy.”

Emma’s heart sputtered and stopped. “So, you’d be okay with me seeing Jack?”

It wasn’t the response she’d expected, but it soothed her heart all the same.

Something warm and pleasant unfurled in the center of Emma’s stomach, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Was this what it felt like to have hope and optimism?

Jules smiled. “As long as he makes you happy. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. I don’t think you should write him off just yet.”

Emma exhaled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Even though she had no idea how they were supposed to move forward from there, or what the future looked like for them.

At least she knew her daughter was okay with it.

It was more than she could’ve hoped for.

She tucked that knowledge away and kept it close to her heart.

Jules gave her hand another squeeze and got up to duck into the bathroom. Emma’s heart was racing as she changed into her pajamas and crawled between the covers. All night, she tossed and turned, her mind flitting from one scenario to the next. In the morning, the sound of raised voices woke her from her stupor, and she stumbled downstairs, her hair a wild mane around her head and a thick robe wrapped around her waist.

Jules, Kyle, and her parents were all gathered around the Christmas tree, talking over each other. Emma stopped at the bottom of the stairs, gathered her hair into a bun, and yawned. Her mother was the first to spot her, and she immediately came over, a cup of coffee in hand. Wordlessly, she handed the mug to Emma and urged her into the living room.

“Emma will be the tiebreaker. She’s the one who can tell us whether we should move the tree and if it needs more decorations,” Marie announced with a sweeping hand gesture. “Let’s give her a minute to look around.”

Emma took a sip of her hot drink and giggled. “I’m going to need a lot more than a cup of coffee to make such an important decision.”

Laughter met her statement.

A heartbeat later, everyone was talking over each other again, and Emma took the opportunity to sneak into the kitchen and take her phone out of her pocket. After leaving her boss a voicemail, she swung the refrigerator door open and took out a few eggs. Emma was humming to herself when Marie found her, and the two of them settled into a comfortable silence while the smell of eggs, pancakes, and toast filled the air.

I can definitely get used to this if I stay.