A Christmas to Cherish (A Festive Christmas #4)

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

“ W hen you invited me over to help tidy up the attic, I thought it was code for something.” Jack hoisted another box and offered her a lopsided smile. “You sure you don’t want to go downstairs and watch a movie? Your parents aren’t home.”

Emma peered into another box and laughed. “I’m sure. I actually meant tidying up the attic. It could use some sprucing up.”

Jack came to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pushed her hair forward and kissed the back of her neck. “I can think of something that’s a lot more fun.”

Emma shivered and leaned into his touch. “Stop distracting me.”

He kissed a path up to her ears, his hot breath warm against her skin. “Why not? This is more fun than cleaning up the attic.”

Emma twisted in his arms and linked her fingers over his neck. “You do know that this is the first time since Andrew that I…that, you know… I haven’t even dated in seven years.”

Hadn’t even considered it till Jack burst back onto the scene in vivid Technicolor.

Jack’s smile fell, and his expression turned serious. “Emma, we can take this as slow or as fast as you want. There’s no pressure here. I just want to be with you, and I understand that some things may take some getting used to.”

Emma blew out a breath and pushed herself up on the tips of her toes. She pressed her lips to his for a quick kiss. “Thank you.”

In all the excitement, she hadn’t allowed herself to ponder what it really meant to give them a second chance.

It had been in the back of her mind, but after her chat with Jules, Emma realized her daughter wasn’t the only one clinging to the past out of fear and doubt.

But Emma didn’t want it dictating her life anymore.

Emma giggled as Jack tried to pull her into a dance. She reached into another box, taking out a folder with papers haphazardly thrown into it, and her laughter died down. As she flicked through one medical report after the next, her head started to feel light, and bile rose in the back of her throat. She pried herself out of Jack’s arms, leaned against the nearest wall, and tried to remember how to breathe.

Jack’s voice was in her ear, rubbing the back of her neck.

Then, her mother appeared, voice raised in excitement. She took one look at them, huddled in a corner, and gave Jack a meaningful look. Slowly, Emma drew herself up to her full height and brandished the folder, another surge of fear and disbelief pumping through her.

Having a physical, concrete reminder of her mother’s illness was hitting her harder than it should’ve.

Harder than she’d like to admit.

“You told me it wasn’t a big deal.”

Marie crossed over to her and pried the folder out of Emma’s viselike grip. “It’s not.”

“Mom, this looks pretty serious,” Emma whispered. “Do they know if it’s going to come back?”

“There’s no way to tell with these things.” Marie clasped her hands behind her back, hiding the folder from view. “But I’m choosing not to dwell on that.”

Emma swallowed. “But what if it does? What if—”

“I’m not going to live my life dealing with hypotheticals,” Marie interrupted with a lift of her chin. “We all agreed that we’re going to leave the past behind us. That includes my medical files. I’m going to store them somewhere, so we never have to look at them again.”

“You’ll still get tested regularly though, right? Just in case…”

Marie blew out a breath. She looked older, and a lot more tired. “If it’ll make you feel better, but in return, you have to put it out of your mind. I’m here. I’m fine. Your father is fine. That’s all that matters.”

Emma paused, her mind racing from one scenario to the next.

It took one look at her mother’s resigned face for Emma’s decision to crystalize.

She liked facing problems head-on and dragging things into the light, but it wasn’t her call to make. Whether she liked it or not, she had to face her mother’s decision and make her peace with it. She hadn’t uprooted her entire life in Boston just to wind up at her parents’ throats.

Marie was right.

It was time to leave the past where it belonged, no matter how painful the unknown was.

“Okay,” Emma said, dragging out the syllable. “I can do that.”

Marie searched her face. “Are you sure?”

“I’m willing to try if you are, but you have to promise that we won’t keep secrets from each other anymore. I don’t care how mad we are at each other, or how dark and ugly the truth is. We have to face things together.”

Marie’s eyes softened as she held a hand out and waited. “Deal.”

Emma released another shaky breath and took her mom’s hand. In silence, they descended the stairs and found Jack waiting for them at the bottom. He glanced between the two of them, eyebrows pinched together, and his shoulders only relaxed when Emma cracked a smile.

Smiling, Marie led them downstairs and into the living room, where an old board game and a tray of Christmas goodies were laid out.

For the rest of the night, Emma grappled with her decision as her eyes kept sweeping around the room, and when she saw her parents curled up on the couch, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, something in her clicked.

Especially when Jack drew her into his arms and pressed a kiss on top of her head.

She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but this was the life she’d chosen, the one she wanted to fight for.

As the evening wound to a close, Emma promised herself she wouldn’t lose sight of what she wanted ever again.