Single All the Way (Single Dads of Dragonfly Lake #2)

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Emerson

T here were several events the people of Dragonfly Lake went all out for. The annual holiday parade was one of them.

I was embarrassed to say today was my first as an adult. Up until this year, the parade had been held on a Saturday morning, which conflicted with my job, so Kizzy had taken the kids. This year the organizers had voted to move it to Sunday after much debate over whether it would hurt or help downtown businesses.

“It’s starting! It’s starting!” Skyler jumped up from her kid-sized camp chair as soon as we could hear sleigh bells.

Evelyn and Ruby popped out of their chairs and squealed with my daughter.

The air was electric with anticipation as the square overflowed with people. Ben had told me they came from all around for this parade, and now I believed him. It looked like there were more parade goers than residents.

It’d been less than forty-eight hours since Ben’s declaration of love. I’d slept in his room for most of last night again. There was something so comforting about sleeping beside someone you trusted.

I kept waiting to freak out about his confession. I was nervous around the edges, but he was insistent that he didn’t expect more from me, wasn’t asking for more, so mostly I’d savored the warm feelings and not let myself worry about the day I moved out.

“What do you imagine my grandson and your boy cooked up for this?” Berty asked. She was bundled up for the day like the rest of us, plus had two blankets tucked around her, saying her old blood wasn’t as thick as it used to be.

“I’m thinking costumes are involved somehow,” I said.

“Maybe Daddy’s dressed up as the Grinch!” Ruby suggested, her eyes afire with excitement.

“Daddy’s not Grinchy though,” Evelyn pointed out. “Maybe reindeer?”

“Xavier might be Rudolph!” Skyler guessed.

At that moment, the red convertible carrying the mayor and this year’s honorary grand marshal, Leo Montague, an eighty-five-year-old veteran, eased around the corner to our block, causing an uproar. Our three girls held hands and jumped up and down in front of Berty and me. Their joy was infectious.

Berty reached her mittened hand over and squeezed mine, her lined face reflecting the same ageless joy the girls emanated.

Finally I got it. I felt it completely. Holiday magic. Christmas spirit. Call it what you want, but it was tangible and real on the square today. And maybe even in my heart, thanks to Ben.

The kids were so revved up about Kizzy and her wife’s upcoming visit, never mind Santa and presents and Christmas morning. I found it impossible not to feel it with them, as Ben had predicted.

We watched the lead car go by, decked out in strings of flashing lights and holiday ornaments hanging from them. The grand marshal waved as the mayor played Christmas carols on a harmonica, pausing periodically to call out “Happy Holidays!” or “Merry Christmas!”

Elves of all sizes danced and frolicked behind the car and around the floats behind it, tossing candy to the crowd. The girls had brought grocery sacks to carry their treasures and were wasting no time filling them up.

The next vehicle was a Jeep decked out with light strings and a full-sized, decorated Christmas tree set up on the roof.

After that came the Earthly Charm float, a flatbed truck with literally hundreds of candles set up on dozens of platforms. Harper, Cambria, and Dakota were dressed in sexy, sparkly dresses, one red, one green, one silver, with Santa hats to match, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd. I was sure the candles were lit with LEDs, but the effect was magical, even in the daylight.

Behind them was the high school marching band, which had Skyler plugging her ears, making Berty and me laugh.

More floats followed, some more intricate than others, with most of them keeping the girls enthralled and helping them fill up their bags.

There were all kinds of characters, costumes, more elves, a group of reindeer made of pairs of people in each costume, which was hilarious to watch.

The organizers had picked winners in numerous categories—student, spiritual, nonprofit, musical, mounted, vehicle. I remembered Xavier’s excitement about the prize list and wondered if there was any way he could’ve won something. Even something small. He’d be thrilled to get a prize, whatever his entry was.

The Rusty Anchor had a beer trolley powered by eight people on each side—Holden and his brothers included—pedaling as they imbibed. Above the pedalers was a banner that read, Green Award, Most Earth-Friendly Entry.

Berty leaned over to me eventually and said, “I think if Ben and Xavier were just doing costumes, they wouldn’t’ve required so much time in the workshop. I think they built something.”

“They did spend hours out there,” I said.

Ben had devoted countless hours to my son’s idea, whatever it was, in one of the outbuildings that had been deemed off-limits to the rest of us. They’d worked all day last Sunday and until Xavier’s bedtime every night last week. I’d worked at the salon yesterday, but Berty had stayed with the girls so the guys could finish up whatever it was they were concocting.

There was a bagpipe group, several horses and riders, more floats than I ever would’ve believed possible from this small town, and candy. So much candy.

Loretta Lawson’s Fat Cat Yarn Shop float featured two gigantic balls of yarn, one in red, one in green, with oversized needles sticking out. Loretta herself sat in an armchair in front of a decorated tree, knitting away. The impressive part was the display of hand-knitted mittens. Twine hung from one end of the float to the other, dipping in U-shapes, laden with pairs of mittens clothes-pinned side to side. There must’ve been several hundred pairs in every color of the rainbow, big ones, small ones. They were made by her knitting group, I knew, and she donated some to charity and sold the others, then gave the proceeds to charity.

I promised the girls we’d track down the mittens after the parade, and I’d buy them each a pair. They were entranced by the choices, animatedly discussing which ones they liked best until they’d see yet a different pair they preferred.

The crowd’s excitement grew louder as the next float rounded the corner. Monty Baynes, owner of the Dragonfly Diner, drove the truck that pulled the float. In the back of his pickup, a large two-sided banner was proudly displayed: Overall Winner, Commercial Category. As the float got closer, I saw why.

The first thing I noticed was the dozens of strings of multicolored dragonfly-shaped lights. In the center was a Christmas tree and next to it, two kids pretending to sleep in a bed that was in the shape of a giant waffle. Above them, more giant waffles speckled with blue and purple sprinkles, cooked eggs, and strips of bacon were strung. On the side was a sign that read, Visions of Dragonfly Dust Waffles Danced in Their Heads.

“Isn’t that the cleverest thing,” Berty said with a hoot of amusement.

“Effective. I’m craving waffles now,” I said, laughing. And we’d just had Humble’s slices for lunch.

“They won, Miss Emerson,” Evelyn told me with glee.

“I saw that. They deserved to, didn’t they?”

“I want waffles!” my daughter said, clapping her hands.

“Big, giant ones,” I said.

Several more entries went by with no sign of Ben and my son. My curiosity grew, which I hadn’t thought was possible.

“Oh, my word,” Berty said.

There was so much expression in her voice I glanced at her then followed her gaze to the float coming around the corner.

My mouth gaped open. Then I covered it with my hands and laughed.

“Mommy, they brought the llamas!” Skyler yelled, pointing.

“Look! Look! Look, Ev!” Ruby jumped up and down, and her sister gasped and jumped with her.

“I can’t believe it,” Berty said, dropping her blanket cocoon to stand up for a better look.

I stood too, speechless.

Knox Breckenridge’s SUV pulled the float holding Esmerelda and Betty, standing side by side, wearing reindeer antlers as they chomped hay to their hearts’ content and peered out at the crowd. Ben stood nearby, dressed as an elf, with a pointy green hat, a red elf shirt that stretched across his chest, dark green pants, and pointed red shoes.

“Oh, my God.” I’d never seen a hot elf until now. An elf costume should make a guy look goofy, but this one fit in such a way that it showed off his muscular chest. Ben wore it well.

“Look at Xavier!” Ruby yelled.

At the back end of the float, behind the reindeer-llamas, was Santa’s sleigh, and in it was my dear boy, dressed in a Santa costume, holding the llamas’ reins with one hand and waving with the other. His grin was a mile wide, and then he spotted us in the crowd and jumped up from his sleigh driver’s seat.

We all waved frantically at him and the girls called out.

“Unbelievable,” Berty said, laughing.

I still couldn’t find appropriate words as I took in the details.

There was a large green bag in the sleigh behind Xav overflowing with wrapped presents, and more presents lined the entire bed of the float. In front of my son was a ledge that held a mountain of rainbow-sprinkled cookies. Just as I noticed them, Ben walked back and grabbed two, then returned to the llamas and held out a cookie to each of them. The crowd went wild, pointing and laughing at the hilarious-looking reindeer wannabes as they greedily chomped their sweets.

“Look at Esmerelda up there!” Ruby shouted.

“And Betty!” Evelyn said. “Hi, Betty! Hi, Esmerelda!”

“I want cookies!” Skyler shouted.

“Looks like they have extras,” Berty said, her tone filled with wonder. “I never expected anything like this.”

As the float made its slow way past us, I was so focused on my adorable, amazing son that I almost missed the banner below him that said, Overall Winner, Individual Category.

“They won!” I yelled. “Xavier, you won!”

The yelling and cheering in our area tripled in volume as everyone else noticed the banner.

I didn’t know if Xavier heard me, but he looked down at us, yelled, “We did it!” and swung his head in a joyful victory dance.

I raised my hands and clapped as I cheered for him and Ben. Incredible, generous Ben.

I dragged my gaze from my son, sought out Ben, and found him watching me with the happiest, sexiest expression on his handsome face. As our gazes met, I felt it down to my toes.

“Thank you,” I mouthed to him. He winked, and that little gesture melted me.

“Mommy, does Xavier get a prize?” Skyler asked.

“I imagine he gets something,” I answered, remembering when he’d first seen the parade info at Henry’s, “but I don’t know what.” I hadn’t paid attention because it’d been so far out of the realm of possibility in my mind.

“That float is unbelievable,” Berty said, still staring after it with awe.

I was staring after it too, but my attention was locked on the big, sexy elf who’d taken my boy under his wing as if he were his own child. That was even hotter than the fit of the costume or the handsome crinkle at the outer corners of his eyes.

There were only a few more floats and entries after Ben and Xavier’s. A police car pulled up the rear. After it drove past, the crowd spilled into the streets, meeting up with friends and making their way to shops or restaurants or heading home.

Berty sat back in her chair and bent over to collect her blankets. Her grandson’s float had gotten her so excited she’d stood for the rest of the parade, and so had I.

“Best parade ever!” Evelyn declared as the girls showed off how full their bags were. There was enough candy to keep Joella Livingston, the town dentist, in business for the next fifty years.

As we mixed with the masses, I texted Ben to find out if we could meet up with him and Xavier and Betty and Esmerelda. I couldn’t wait to hug my boy and congratulate him. I was dying to know how much of it had been his idea and how much Ben’s.

And Ben… He was getting a special, private thank-you tonight.

“They’re back at the staging area at the high school,” I told Berty and the girls.

“Let’s go see them!” Skyler said.

“I want to go on the float,” Ruby said.

“I’ll walk with you as far as my house,” Berty said. She lived two blocks this side of the high school. We’d parked in her driveway, knowing public parking would be at a premium throughout town.

On the other side of the square, we found the mitten float doing a brisk business. The girls chose their mittens, and Skyler picked out a pair for her brother as well. Then we continued to the residential area that led to the high school. At Berty’s house, we hugged her goodbye and promised to pick up our vehicle later.

The school parking lot was a madhouse, overflowing with people, floats, animals, and vehicles. We easily found Xavier, Ben, and the llamas, the animals still on the float, still chomping. The float, Knox’s SUV, and the llamamobile were parked on the street about a half block down, out of the fray, probably for the sake of Betty and Esmerelda.

“Daddy!” Ruby yelled when we were a few hundred feet away.

“Xavier!” Skyler hollered.

“Esmerelda! Betty!” Evelyn called out.

“Girls, we need calm down and not run up to them. We don’t want to startle the llamas any more than they’re already startled,” I told them.

I was bursting with as much energy and enthusiasm as they were, itching to run into Ben’s arms to show him my gratitude, but I did my best to act like an adult, held Skyler’s and Ruby’s hands, and Evelyn held her sister’s as we approached.

“Mom!” Xavier ran toward us, his face lit with pure joy and pride. “Did you see we won? We won! The biggest prize ever!”

He landed in my arms in a giant hug, and I soaked up all his seven-year-old excitement, so absolutely happy for him.

Ben’s girls ran to him for hugs, and Skyler hopped from foot to foot next to us until we pulled her into our hug.

Xavier was too revved up to be hugged for long.

“I’m so proud of you, Xavier! This float is incredible! You absolutely deserved to win,” I told him as Ben and his daughters walked toward us.

“Did you tell them our prize?” Ben asked my son.

“We won a family boating afternoon on a pontoon from McNamara Marina and a two-person kayak and a gift certificate to Henry’s and one for Lake Girl. That’s for you, Mom.” He looked to Ben. “And…what was the other thing?”

“A picnic lunch from Country Market,” Ben said. “We got the grand prize basket, didn’t we, buddy?”

“A boat ride, Mom!” Xavier said. “Can you believe it? We get to take our whole family!”

“Can we go too, Dad?” Evelyn asked.

“You’re our family, silly,” Xavier said.

“Close enough to go on the boat ride, anyway,” I said, laughing, not letting myself think about how much our group of six could easily feel like a family.

The girls asked to sit in the sleigh, so Ben lifted each of them, plus Xavier, up on the float, telling them to stay at the back, away from the llamas. Soon all four kids were settled into Santa’s sleigh, showing off candy and sharing it with Xavier. Skyler presented him with the mittens she’d chosen.

My attention went to Ben. Our gazes met.

“Can you believe it?” he asked as I went toward him.

There were people around, tons of them, but that wasn’t going to stop me from hugging him. It would prevent me from kissing him till he forgot his name. I stretched to my toes and put my arms around him.

“I can’t believe any of it,” I said. “Never in a thousand years did I think you’d come up with that .” I gestured with one hand to the float behind him but couldn’t quite pull myself away from him yet.

“It was mostly your son,” he said, pulling me in tight. “He had the idea for the sleigh and the llamas.”

“And you made it happen.” My eyes teared up. “Thank you.”

We managed to come out of the hug, conscious of the kids a few feet away and the rest of the world in view.

“We had so much fun, Ems. He has an incredible imagination. Plus I got to teach him to use power tools.

“He’s on top of the world. And that prize… A kayak, really?”

“A big, nice one from Lake Life Outfitters.”

“I guess I’m going kayaking next summer,” I said.

“And boating.”

“And boating,” I repeated.

The kids had found a fourth plastic bag, and the girls were absorbed in giving Xavier candy, piece by piece. I couldn’t help myself. I hugged Ben again.

“You get a special thank-you later tonight,” I whispered in his ear.

He growled low in his throat, which made me want to race home and thank him appropriately and privately right now. Unfortunately we had llamas and kids to see to.

I ended the hug long before I wanted to, still conscious of where we were.

“Working with Xav was sincerely my pleasure,” he said. “A complete joy. And today was a blast. Happy early Christmas to all of us.”

“Happy early Christmas,” I returned, unable to get the smile off my face.

“Now…we need to get these ladies home before they make an escape.” He gestured to the llamas.

I laughed and looped my arm with his in a friendly way as we went to coordinate llama transport with Knox.

This Christmas was looking like it could be the best ever.