Coming Home to Paradise (Sisters in Paradise #3)

Chapter 24

“Good morning, handsome husband. Please tell me that it’s another week until Christmas day,” Endora said as she opened her eyes to find Parker propped up on an elbow staring at her. “I want more time with just the two of us.”

Parker strung kisses from her eyelids to her lips. “Me, too, but I sure don’t want to get on your mama’s bad side, or Aunt Bernie’s either for that matter.”

Endora said, “Then we’ll go, but we’re leaving before supper. And darlin’, you don’t have to worry about Aunt Bernie. She was pretty upset at Bo and Maverick, and Rae and Gunner weren’t far behind them. We should be good for several months.”

He slipped an arm under her and drew her close to his side. “That would be pushing it, sweetheart. I’ll be officiating at their weddings in the spring, or maybe early summer. Rae might wait until after school is out, but Bo is a wild card. She will probably be the one who elopes.”

“We’ve got a whole hour before we have to be at the Paradise to open presents and have breakfast with the family. Got any ideas about what we might do with that time?” she teased.

“Maybe one or two.” Parker grinned.

***

Bo slipped down the stairs before the sun came up on Christmas morning. She curled up on the sofa, stared at the tree with all the presents under it, and let the past twenty years play through her mind. From the first Christmas they had at the Paradise, Joe Clay would have moved heaven and earth to get each of the girls what they wanted. She was always, always the first one down that morning, and there would be one big present under the tree from Santa and nine wrapped gifts for each of them. Three from Joe Clay and Mary Jane, because baby Jesus had three presents—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—and one from each sister to the other six.

“Are you thinking about the ghosts of Christmas past?” Rae shoved Bo’s feet off the sofa and sat down beside her.

“Yes, and maybe a little of the Christmas future,” Bo admitted. “Where do you think we’ll be on this very morning one year from now?”

“I hope that I’m living in the house with Gunner. I would move in this afternoon, but he’s old-fashioned enough to want to be married before that happens, so we don’t set a bad example for the twins. What about you?”

“I’m hoping that Maverick and I are together. I figure if we can survive remodeling the old store and staying in a small travel trailer together, then we should be ready to build a house,” Bo said. “I would never, ever tell Aunt Bernie, but something Endora said has made me a little antsy.”

“And that is?” Rae asked.

“She told me that she could feel a storm coming,” Bo answered.

Rae tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I hope her prophecy doesn’t mean the storm is between me and Gunner. Maybe she just had a dose of pre-wedding jitters.”

Bo shook her head. “She was pretty adamant about it, so I don’t think so.”

“It has to be one of us,” Rae said, “and thinking of us being the only two left living here, you do realize that no one else is going to come down the stairs?”

Bo shook her head again. “Every year we all came home for Christmas. Rain, snow, or the threat of a tornado couldn’t keep us away from the Paradise on this holiday. Doesn’t seem quite right that there’s just two of us, does it?”

“Nope,” Rae agreed. “But rest assured Aunt Bernie and the other five will be here before the cinnamon rolls are ready. Then it’ll be noisy and chaotic like always.”

“And sometime before dinner is served, Gunner and the girls and Maverick will join us to add to all the confusion,” Bo said.

“Do you think that by next year, they’ll be here at gift opening and breakfast, too?” Rae’s tone had a wistful sound to it.

“We can hope,” Bo answered. “I hear a car door. Want to bet which one it is?”

Rae leaned over to peek around the tree and out the window. “Five dollars on Tertia and Noah.”

Bo slapped her on the shoulder. “You can’t cheat. I’ve got five on Ursula and Remy. Baby Clayton gets them up very early.”

Bernie came in from the kitchen and yelled, “Merry Christmas, Ophelia and Jake.” Then she looked over into the living room and said, “And to Bo and Rae too.”

“I guess we both get to keep our money,” Bo said and then raised her voice. “Merry Christmas to everyone!”

***

The living room looked like a paper factory exploded. Most of the gifts were set aside in bags marked with each person’s name written on the side. Bo and Maverick were the only ones in the living room when he pointed to the mistletoe still hanging above the archway leading out into the foyer.

“Are we still just partners?” he whispered.

She shrugged. “What do you think?”

“I want to be more, Bo, but…” He let the sentence dangle as he moved closer to her.

Paper crunched under his feet and Sassy ran out of a gift bag. He jumped back and gasped. “That could be a mood breaker.”

“Depends on how hot the mood is,” Bo flirted. She wanted a Christmas kiss, and even more, she wanted to be more than partners.

He looked down at his feet, apparently making sure there were no more cats to startle him, and took another step. “A couple of degrees hotter than hell. How about you?”

“Warm enough to melt that snow that’s coming down outside,” she answered.

Maverick moved closer and cupped her face in his hands.

“Maybe now ten degrees hotter than the devil’s pitchfork.” She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and closed her eyes.

His mouth closed over hers and the next few steamy kisses testified that she had not exaggerated one bit. If the doorbell hadn’t rung when it did, she might have dragged him to her bedroom. The rule had always been that no boys were allowed upstairs, but she would rather have faced the consequences than have to fan her face all afternoon.

“Do you need to answer that?” Maverick’s warm breath turned loose another rush of raging hormones.

“Someone else can,” she answered.

“They are all out in the backyard taking pictures of baby Clayton’s reaction to his first snow,” Maverick reminded her.

She took a few steps back, blew him a kiss, and went to the door. If this was one of the twins playing a trick, they were going to get a piece of her mind—and it would not have a bit of sweet Christmas spirit in it.

Bo slung open the door and gasped. Standing before her a man who was the image of Joe Clay—at least the pictures of him when he was in his late twenties or early thirties. The same blue eyes, and dark hair, and stance even when he was just standing there waiting.

“Is this the Paradise?” he asked, his inflection and voice the same as Joe Clay’s.

“Yes, it is. I’m Bo Simmons, and you are?” she asked.

“My name is Brodie Callahan. Could I please speak to…”

“Hey,” Endora yelled from the kitchen and her voice got louder with each word until she was standing beside Bo. “We need you and Maverick to come outside for pictures. We’re getting a white Christmas after all. My first one since getting married, and it’s so beautiful.” She stopped in her tracks and stared at the guy still standing on the porch.

“I’m sorry,” Bo said. “Who do you want to talk to?”

“Joe Clay Carter,” Brodie said.

“Why?” Bo asked.

Brodie removed his black hat and ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. “I’d really rather just talk to him.”

“Not until you tell me why you are so eager to see him,” Bo insisted.

“I want to meet him because he is my father,” Brodie answered.

“Did you get lost, Endora?” Joe Clay hollered as he walked up to the front porch. “And who is our new guest?”

“He says he is your son,” Bo answered, but her voice sounded hollow and weak in her own ears.

Brodie turned around slowly. “She always said that I looked just like you. I guess she was right. My mama was Jolene Baker. Evidently, y’all spent a weekend together about thirty years ago in San Antonio. I wanted to meet you, that’s all.”

“I remember Jolene very well,” Joe Clay said, “but I didn’t know about you. I expect you better come on in the house and meet the rest of the family.”

“Are you sure about that?” Brodie asked.

“I am,” Joe Clay said. “I’m in shock, but that seems to be the first step we need to take.” He opened the door and ushered Brodie through the house and out the back door.

Bo blinked several times and shook her head. “You know that storm you were talking about, Endora?”

Her sister didn’t seem to be able to do anything but nod.

“Well, darlin’, I think it just arrived.”

“Do we really have a brother?” Endora whispered.

“Looks like we do, whether we like it or not. You were the one who always begged for a baby brother. Merry Christmas to you!” Bo said.