Mistletoe and Memories (Evergreen Hollow Christmas #4)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Friday evening, Nora took Madison over to The Mistletoe Inn so that she could check on Donovan. Aiden was working late, wanting to get some repairs finished before the next big snow came in, and she thought it was a good night to go over and see her parents.

Besides, she knew whatever her mother was making for dinner would be delicious, and she was tired enough to not want to have to make dinner for just herself that night.

Her father was sitting in his recliner in the living room when she walked in, reading a book. There were a handful of guests milling around, getting ready to go out for the evening or coming in from their afternoon activities in the snow. Soon, she knew, they would start heading out for dinner and drinks, and the inn would get quiet for a little while. That was always a good time for their own family dinner.

It made her think about how the inn had felt, growing up. She knew that Caroline had sometimes disliked having so many people around all of the time when she was a child, tending to find ways to stay away from the guests and withdraw. But Nora and Margo had both loved it.

The guests were always either polite, friendly, or both, and sometimes it had felt like having a big extended family that only came to visit occasionally. There had been plenty of quiet moments to have uninterrupted family time—sometimes too many, in the leaner years of the inn, although Nora had been too young to understand that at the time. But she had always liked having people around.

Even now, it felt natural to have the guests around as she walked into the living room to give her father a hug. None of them paid him, or her, very much mind. They were a part of the house, and she knew a part of the draw of The Mistletoe Inn was how very cozy and homey it was, a real home away from home. The family living there just added to that feeling.

“How are you feeling?” she asked him, and Donovan grunted, putting his book down.

“I’m fine. Your mother is fussing, as always, but I feel just fine. I’m not worried about it, and neither is Spencer. Doctor says I’ll be right as rain as long as I just cut back on the bacon and cinnamon sugar muffins. Wrong time of year for that though,” he said with a grin.

“Mom is responsible for making both of those things, or Caroline, so I’m sure they’ll see to it that there are less available,” Nora said with a laugh. “But I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Privately, she still wasn’t sure that the anniversary trip to Malibu would be happening. Donovan seemed better, but he still looked a little pale, she thought, and tired. A flight and long days of being on his feet and sightseeing might not be what the doctor ordered. Spencer would tell them for sure, one way or another, but it just made her want to focus that much more on making sure that the surprise that she and her sisters were planning went off perfectly.

She also wanted to make sure that wasn’t going to be too much of a strain on him either.

Nora gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then went into the kitchen in search of her mother, bouncing Madison in her baby carrier the whole way. Rhonda was slipping a casserole into the oven as Nora walked in, and she looked at it appreciatively.

“What are we having for dinner?” she asked teasingly as she walked in, and Rhonda jumped a little.

“You startled me.” She smiled at her daughter as she closed the oven. “Winter squash casserole. With fresh cream, the farm delivered some this morning. And an autumn salad too—I got gorgonzola and pears, and some of that sweet poppy dressing, and dried cranberries.”

“That sounds amazing.” Nora heard her stomach rumble faintly.

Her day had been light on meals. She’d managed half a bowl of oatmeal while feeding Madison that morning, the other half of the oatmeal going to supplement what Madison hadn’t wanted of her own breakfast. And then for lunch, she’d eaten a sandwich from the refrigerator in between trying to rock Madison into taking a nap. Everything that Rhonda was describing for dinner sounded heavenly.

“Also, fresh-baked sourdough and butter,” Rhonda added, and Nora sighed happily.

“I can’t wait for dinner.” She glanced back toward the living room, lowering her voice. “What about Dad? Caroline and Margo and I have all been planning this surprise for your anniversary, but is he even going to be up for that? He looks so pale, and?—”

She bit her lip, not wanting to let her mother see just how worried she was. Spencer had assured them that Donovan would be fine, and she wanted to believe that he would tell them if there was anything to worry about, but she still felt concerned. She’d never seen her active, cheery father so tired. And it was a reminder that regardless of how ‘fine’ everything might be right now, her father was getting older. This would happen again.

“He’s doing well,” Rhonda said reassuringly, patting her arm. “And honestly, I think it will be just the thing to raise everyone’s spirits. It’s been a difficult holiday, with Donovan’s health issues, and Margo still adjusting, and Caroline feeling ill. And you adjusting too, with Madison.”

As if on cue, Madison started to fuss, and Nora let out a tired sigh. “Come on,” Rhonda said encouragingly, motioning to the back door of the kitchen. “Let’s take a walk, while dinner finishes baking, and see if we can’t get her to settle right down.”

They put on coats and boots and hats, heading out into the fresh-packed snow and around the inn to the path that led out to the streets. It was always magical at night, with the streetlamps wrapped with Christmas lights and hung with wreaths, illuminating the snow with the white, red and green glow. Nora bounced Madison a little in the carrier as they walked down the street, enjoying the crisp feeling of the outside air. It always felt better here than it had in Boston, clean and bright and refreshing.

As soon as they started to walk, Madison immediately got quiet, cuddling against Nora’s chest as they walked down the street. Nora laughed wryly, looking down at the baby. “I can never seem to manage this on my own,” she said tiredly, adjusting Madison’s tiny beanie to make sure that the baby’s head was fully covered.

“That’s the wonderful thing about having family around,” Rhonda said gently, looking over at her daughter. “You don’t need to do it alone. You always have someone to help when you can’t figure it out, or when it gets to be too much.”

“I wish there hadn’t been this whole snag with Dad’s health,” Nora said quietly. “But it has been a really good reminder of how grateful I am that the whole family is together. I know you are too,” she added with a smile. “Now all three of us kids are back home, and seemingly here to stay, even Margo. All of us are here all of the time, and I know it makes you happy. It makes me happy too.”

“I’m glad,” Rhonda said, looking up at the decorated streetlights as they walked.

“I talked to Aiden the other night, when we finally had a moment to ourselves.” Nora smiled wryly. “A rare moment, these days. But I was looking through photos of you and Dad, still working on ideas for the anniversary party, and I kept thinking about how long you’ve been together. About what it takes to stay together for that long.”

“And what did he say about that?” Rhonda asked, a curious expression on her face.

Nora laughed, shaking her head ruefully. “He said that overcoming the smaller challenges, like a baby who won’t sleep, will prepare us for the bigger challenges we’ll face in the future. That all those things we overcome together just set us up to build a love that lasts a lifetime.”

Rhonda smiled softly at that.

“He’s absolutely right,” she said firmly. “And Nora, your father and I couldn’t be prouder of the woman, wife, mother, and daughter that you’ve become.”

She stopped, turning to face her daughter in the glow of the streetlights, and Nora felt her heart swell at her mother’s words.

“Your father and I are both so touched by all the thoughtfulness that you and your sisters have put into this anniversary surprise,” Rhonda continued. “We’re both so grateful for you all. Having you all home for good is the best surprise, the best gift I could ever ask for. All of this is just icing on the cake.” Her smile widened. “But it’s a wonderful gift from all of you. And I know you and Aiden will have a marriage every bit as strong and loving and long-lasting as ours.”

“I do too,” Nora said, and she meant it. As difficult as these early days with the baby had been, she had no doubt that she and Aiden could go the distance. That they would make it, and be happy, for the rest of their lives.

“We should head back,” Rhonda said, checking her watch. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

Nora nodded, and the two of them, mother and daughter, walked back to The Mistletoe Inn in companionable silence, both of them happy and at peace in the warm, Christmas-lit glow of the winter evening.