The Snuggle is Real (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

Mason

Dottie opened the door when we arrived on New Year’s Eve, dressed in a cherry red skirt, floral top, and matching lipstick. She’d curled her white hair for the dinner party we’d all be attending.

“Your dress is so pretty!” Charlie said.

“Thank you, sweetie, so is yours.”

Charlie wore a white sweater dress that my mother had bought for her on one of her many shopping trips. We’d spent the week exploring town, hitting every restaurant so that Ash and Vera could deconstruct their favorite menu items, and catching up on everything we’d missed in one another’s lives.

“Oh, Charlie, that reminds me. I wanted to show you this pretty necklace I got for you. Maybe you’d like to wear it tonight.”

“Really?”

Dottie led Charlie to her bedroom, talking about an estate sale where she’d found an old locket with a compartment inside. Charlie seemed intrigued by the concept.

LuAnne emerged, still in yoga pants and a T-shirt. She held her phone in her hand, a smile lighting up her face.

“Why aren’t you ready?”

“What?”

“For the dinner? We’re all going out, remember?”

“Oh.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m going to go. I have some things to do here.”

LuAnne had been withdrawing from the rest of the family more and more over the past week. She’d seemed to enjoy the Christmas Day gathering well enough, but as the days went on, she mostly kept to Dottie’s place.

She didn’t put Charlie to bed or get up to have breakfast with her. She’d pop by around lunch, but she mostly talked about her frustrations with trying to find a job. She’d made a few road trips for interviews, but so far, nothing had worked out. Once, she’d stayed gone a couple of days to catch up with friends.

Ford had worried she might relapse—they’d argued when she got back—but she insisted that she’d stayed sober. Maybe she had. But it was obvious she was restless.

I knew Ford wanted her to stay in Christmas Falls—to get a job here— but LuAnne’s rants about small-town life made it pretty apparent she was itching to leave.

Charlie would have to start school again soon—and LuAnne was due to check in with a probation officer. The clock was ticking down on their time here, and Ford still hadn’t broached the subject of keeping Charlie.

I could tell he was afraid of saying the wrong thing and losing his chance.

“She just needs to see how happy and settled Charlie is with us first,” he’d told me. “I don’t want to rush this.”

He had a good point, but we were running out of time.

“I just got off the phone with Dirk,” LuAnne said with a grin. “He’s going to let me crash with him while I job hunt, so I can get out of your hair.”

“Dirk?” Ford said in a flat tone. “That asshole who threw you out with nothing when you two broke up a couple years ago?”

She shrugged. “That’s in the past. He’s cool now.”

“Didn’t he party a lot, though? What about your sobriety?”

She huffed. “If you must know, he’s sober now too, and besides, I don’t have many options.”

“You could stay here?—”

“No way. You know I hate Christmas Falls. Charlie loves it here. She’d stay forever, but I can’t do it.”

If ever there was an opening, this was it. Ford didn’t speak, seeming frozen, so I took a chance and hoped it wouldn’t backfire.

“Maybe she should stay,” I said tentatively. “With us.”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Charlie can live with us,” Ford blurted in a rush, as if my words had freed his. “She wants to stay, and we want her to stay. We love her so much, Lu. She’s such a good kid.”

LuAnne started to shake her head. “Are you ser?—”

“Really?” Charlie burst out from the doorway to the hall. “I can stay?”

“That’s not…” LuAnne faltered at the smile lighting up Charlie’s face. “Do you want to stay?”

“Yeah! I mean, I love you, Mama, and I’d miss you. But I also love Dad and Mason and Peppermint Bark. Oh, and Grandma Dottie! Dad makes me breakfast every day, and Mason reads to me every night, and Grandma Dottie is teaching me how to knit, and?—”

Charlie stopped abruptly.

Tears spilled down LuAnne’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Charlie said in a small voice. “If you don’t want me to stay, I won’t.”

LuAnne shook her head, mute, and held out her arms. Charlie rushed into them, hugging her mom tight. “I love you, Mama. I’m sorry. I’ll go, okay? I’ll go. Whatever you want.”

“No, no,” LuAnne murmured. “Don’t say—” Her voice broke and she took a shaky breath. “Don’t say you’re sorry, baby. I want you to be happy.”

LuAnne hugged Charlie long and hard while we looked on. I reached for Ford’s hand. He squeezed my fingers tight, giving away his nerves.

LuAnne swiped at her cheeks and turned to us. “Can you give us a few minutes? Charlie and I need to talk, just us.”

“You can use the guest room,” Dottie offered from her spot in the hallway.

LuAnne led Charlie into the bedroom and shut the door behind them. We all exchanged a look.

“Why don’t I fix us some drinks while we wait,” Dottie said after a few minutes of awkward tension.

“Great,” Ford said. “Thanks.”

We took a seat at the table while Dottie started brewing a new pot of coffee, but Ford lasted all of a minute before he was up and pacing. I’d like to think LuAnne was having a heartfelt talk with Charlie about what she really wanted, but it was just as likely she’d talk Charlie out of the whole thing. Obviously, Charlie didn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings.

“Whatever happens, I’ll be here for you,” I told Ford. “I wish I could promise you’d get the answer you wanted, but…”

He paused his pacing to brush his hand over my hair. “It means a lot that you’re here. I’m not sure I could have even asked without you helping me take that step.”

Dottie had just poured the coffee when LuAnne returned with Charlie at her side, both of them with matching red eyes. Lots of tears had been shed tonight. I just hoped it had been worth it.

Ford stood up. “Hey.”

“Hey.” LuAnne gave a fragile smile. “I talked to Charlie, but now I need to hear more from you. Are you sure about this idea? Raising a kid is a lot of work. It’s one thing to have a holiday vacation, but you’ll have to deal with helping her with schoolwork, taking care of her when she’s sick. There’s no breaks, no days off…”

“I know,” Ford said. “I’m sure.”

“Once you make this choice, you can’t change your mind,” she said.

“I’ll always put Charlie first. As long as she wants to stay, I’ll never change my mind.”

I stood up and reached for his hand. “And I’m here to help. He won’t have to do this alone.”

“I’ll help too,” Dottie said. “Charlie will be in very good hands.”

LuAnne chewed her bottom lip. “I do have a lot on my plate. I’ve got NA meetings and probation officer meetings, all on top of finding a place and a job. It’s a little overwhelming.”

“Recovery isn’t a simple thing,” I said, sensing she needed reassurance about making this choice.

She blew out a breath. “No, I guess not. The sooner I get back to a normal routine, the better. Lounging around here has been driving me a little crazy, if I’m honest.”

“I can really stay then?” Charlie asked, sounding anxious. “For school and everything?”

LuAnne’s face contorted. She was clearly struggling with the decision, but after a moment, she gave a nod. “Yeah, baby. You stay. I’ve got to put my life back together. But I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Charlie said. “You have to come visit a lot.”

“All the time,” LuAnne promised, looking at us over Charlie’s head. “Ford will take good care of you. I always knew that. It’s why I sent you here. Maybe…” She blinked glassy eyes. “Maybe I always knew this was where you belonged.”

The breath gusted out of Ford suddenly and he sagged against me a little. “She’s staying,” he whispered. “Charlie’s staying.”

“She is,” I said. “She’s yours to raise now.”

“She’s ours,” he rasped. “We’re a family.”

LuAnne released Charlie and gave her a push toward us. “Go on now. Go have a fun New Year’s Eve. I’ve got some packing to do.”

Charlie ran into our arms, and we all hugged.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” Charlie said.

“You never have to go,” Ford said, voice thick with emotion. “This is your home for as long as you want. You’re my little girl and I’m your dad, okay? Always.”

The next morning, I hugged my mom goodbye on my front porch. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Me too, hon. Don’t be a stranger. I expect you to bring Ford and Charlie to the lake this summer when you’re not so busy.”

“I will,” I promised.

Now that LuAnne had agreed to leave Charlie with us, we could plan the summer vacation. We could plan years of summer vacations.

In two days, Ford and LuAnne were meeting with a lawyer to make the custody arrangement official. We didn’t want to risk LuAnne changing her mind in a few months and swooping back in to take Charlie.

She seemed to have made her peace with leaving her, though.

LuAnne had sent us off to have New Year’s Eve dinner with my family the night before, and when we came back she was writing out a checklist of things to do before she left town.

She seemed upbeat, if a little manic, and I suspected that giving up Charlie had lifted a weight from her shoulders, even though she loved her. Being a single mom wasn’t easy, and LuAnne had a lot of rebuilding to do after her time in rehab.

Sawyer crushed me in a hug, making me beg for mercy before he released me, and Ash slapped my back.

“Ugh, you guys are perfect for each other,” I told them.

Ash grinned. “Of course we are. Your brother was just too stupid to see it.”

Sawyer elbowed him. “Yeah, I should have figured out Ash was obsessed with me much sooner. I mean, who wouldn’t be?”

“Like I said, perfect for each other,” I said with a laugh.

They shouldered their duffel bags, then grabbed some of Mom’s luggage—which had grown significantly while she was in Christmas Falls, thanks to several shopping trips. My family had thoroughly enjoyed the town, even though they’d missed most of the festival.

I picked up a box, but Ford took it from me. “I got it, sweetheart.”

“That one’s a keeper,” Mom said as he strolled down the sidewalk.

I smiled. “Yeah, I’m really lucky.”

“Oh, he’s lucky too.” Mom squeezed me again. “You take good care of Charlie too, all right? That little girl needs you both.”

“We will,” I said.

Charlie was playing with Peppermint Bark in the front yard, but she broke off her game of fetch to hug my mom goodbye. “We’ll see you this summer,” Mom said, eyes twinkling.

“Sawyer has to take me out on the lake,” Charlie said excitedly. “I want to lake surf.”

“Wakesurf,” he corrected, giving her hair a tousle. “And it’s a deal. You show up, and I’ll give you lessons.”

After another round of goodbyes and hugs and well wishes, Mom, Sawyer, and Ash piled into her station wagon and they drove away.

Ford wrapped an arm around my waist, and I leaned my head on his shoulder. Charlie held his hand on his other side, while Peppermint Bark leaned against my leg, panting loudly.

Watching my family go wasn’t as difficult as I’d expected. I had a family here now.

“Want to go inside and pick out which bedroom you want?” I asked Charlie.

Her eyes lit up. “We get to live here? With Peppermint Bark?”

I laughed because of course she was more excited about cohabitating with my dog than with me.

“Yep, go on,” Ford said. “We’ll have to pack up the house, but this is going to be our home.” He paused. “As long as that’s what you want?”

“Well, duh!” She turned to the dog. “Come on, Pepper! You can share my room.”

She ran up the steps of the porch and went in the front door. We followed more slowly.

It was fast to move in together, probably, but I didn’t want to wait to start our lives together. To be part of this little family that had claimed my heart.

Sometimes, you could tell when something was missing in your life—and when you found that missing piece, you held on tight.

That’s exactly what I planned to do.

I turned to Ford in the foyer. “Well, honey, you’re home.”

He grinned and pulled me in for a kiss. “Home has never been so sweet.”