Why Not Now? (The Blue Vista Crew #2)

22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Derek

I stop at my house to feed Abyss, who looks very disgruntled that I’m leaving her. I pet her a few times and promise to be back later. Though while I’m saying it, I consider the fact that when Ava gets her new car, I’ll be able to spend the night at her place. I could leave from there to go to work. She can’t stay over here because of Lacey, though I do have the daybed in my office if Lacey wanted to stay over, too. Maybe on nights when we go out together. Not school nights obviously. On those nights, if I want to be with Ava, I’ll have to stay with her.

“Slow down, Derek,” I tell myself. “You’re moving way too fast.”

We’ve just gotten back together. I haven’t told her about my part in paying for her car yet. She’s going to be pissed, but when I explain how Carter said it was unlikely he’d be able to find a better deal, she’ll understand. If Ava cares that much, she can pay me back, though I don’t intend to ask her to.

Even I know how ridiculous those excuses sound.

I return to the car where Ava waits. I’d told her if she came inside, we wouldn’t be leaving for at least another hour. She’s still listening to Christmas music and I smile, knowing my plan to make her love Christmas again is working. Everything is going to work out. I open my mouth to tell her about the car, because it’ll be fine.

Then she takes my hand and links our fingers and I close my mouth. It’s not the right time. Everything is so new and fresh. We’re not ready for me to destabilize the foundation we’re forming.

We drive without speaking, Christmas music filling the silence with sweet and cheerful lyrics.

I stop in front of her house and tell Ava to wait, texting Lacey who comes outside with a huge grin on her face.

“Ready for this?” I ask when she gets in the car.

“Yep! Ava doesn’t know, right?” she asks, doing up her seatbelt.

“I’m right here,” Ava grumbles.

“She has no idea,” I say.

I drive us to a local tree lot. We get out and Ava shakes her head. “A real tree is expensive and unnecessary. We have an artificial one.”

“I’m buying it,” I tell her. “Lacey told me about your artificial tree. But I also remember going with you and your mom and dad to pick out your real tree. You were so excited and had to pick out the exact right one. You told Lacey all the reasons it was perfect. Ace and I haven’t picked out a tree in nine years. So, show us how it’s done, sweetheart.”

Ava looks at me skeptically while Lacey waits, hands clasped in front of her, pleading silently.

She still looks stern when she says, “The first thing you need to think about is the height. They can’t be too tall or too short.”

Lacey squeals and hugs her sister. “Oh, Ava. We’re going to have so much fun. I already got all the decorations and the tree stand out of storage. This’ll be great.”

Ava sighs. “Come on. Let’s go get one.”

She leads us into the lot and flinches when she sees the prices. Lacey starts looking, but Ava turns to me. “I can’t let you spend that much on something that’s only going to be in the house for a few weeks.”

“Don’t check the prices. Please let me do this for you and Lacey.”

“You’re a bit of a jerk dragging her into this.”

I wink. “I play dirty when I have to.”

She huffs and follows her sister.

“What about this one?” Lacey asks.

Ava shakes her head. “It’s too skinny. You want a nice fat tree with no bald spots.”

Lacey snorts and Ava rolls her eyes.

They pull out three trees before Lacey declares she’s found the perfect one. I stand aside as the sisters look it over with a critical eye, examining it from every angle before Ava agrees. “This is it.”

I pay before Ava can change her mind about letting me and the three of us strap it to the roof of my car. Back at their house, I park in the driveway, where Lacey has gotten a small hand saw out like I’d asked her to.

“I hope that one’s okay,” she says nervously. “It’s the only one I could find.”

“It’s great. You got the stand?”

She runs to get it while Ava stands by.

“You really think of everything, don’t you?” she asks.

“I like to be prepared,” I tell her, setting the tree up and sawing off about half an inch from the trunk. “It’s what makes me good at my job. We have so much shit at Blue Vista in storage that no one thinks we’re going to need until the moment we do. Then I get to be the hero.” I grin at her while she smiles and shakes her head.

Lacey brings the stand out and we get the tree set up, cutting off a few of the bottom branches before bringing it into the house.

“The next important thing,” Ava says, “is ensuring it’s straight and positioned correctly.”

“What do you mean?” Lacey asks.

“Well, it’s not going to sit in the middle of the room. So part of it will be hidden by the wall.”

I move it to the corner she points to, turning and adjusting until both sisters are happy. In the end, it sits exactly as I had it initially, but I don’t tell them and I don’t complain. If I’m being honest with myself, I’d stand here adjusting this fucking tree all day if it makes these two happy.

When it’s ready, Ava gets water for the base and Lacey opens the bins of decorations. While they get started, I head outside again to find the piece I’d cut off the trunk. I make a hole through the top with the drill Lacey found and thread a piece of twine through, which I’d brought specifically for this purpose. Then I take out a dark green Sharpie and write “Ava & Lacey” and the year in block letters.

I bring it inside and give it to Ava.

“Here. A new one for you. We’ll have to seal it, but we can do that after Christmas.”

“Where did you get this?” she asks, taking it from me.

“I just made it.”

Tears fill her eyes as she traces her fingers over the writing. “Dad used to do this.”

“I remember,” I say with a nod. “How do you think I knew you’d have a drill?”

Lacey looks at it over Ava’s shoulder. “You should put your name on it, too,” she says. “You helped.”

“Oh. It’s your tree, guys. I don’t need—”

“She’s right,” Ava cuts in. “Where’s the pen?”

I hand her the Sharpie from my pocket and she writes my name in a flowy script underneath my block letters. Finally, she hangs it.

Lacey turns on the Christmas music while we continue to decorate.

As they work, Lacey says, “Did you know real trees are better for the environment than artificial ones?”

“Really?” I ask.

“Yeah. Tree farms plant way more than they cut down each year and are always close to local. Artificial ones get shipped all over and are made from plastic.”

“Plus, real ones smell nicer,” I add, breathing in deeply, letting the scent of pine fill me up.

“Do you have a real tree, Derek?” Lacey asks.

“Yeah. But mine is alive. I keep it out on my deck and bring it in for the winter. It’s pretty small.” I indicate with my hands how big it is.

“That’s a cool idea,” she says.

“It’s really cute, too,” Ava says. “I helped him decorate it the other day.”

I sit and watch as they pull out baubles and trinkets, laughing over each one as they remember where it came from. There’s a blue one that came from their grandmother, and a pink one that says Baby’s First Christmas and Lacey’s name.

“Your first ornament,” Ava says as Lacey finds a spot for it.

“Do you have one?” Lacey asks.

“No. I think it broke a long time ago.”

“We should get you a new one,” Lacey says, hanging a red ball with silver sparkles.

Ava laughs. “A Baby’s First Christmas ornament?”

“No. Just one with your name on it or something. You don’t have any others except the ones Dad made with all our names on it. You don’t have any that are just yours.”

They get to those ornaments next, round pieces of Christmas trees spanning nineteen years, right up until the last Christmas before Mr. and Mrs. Calligan had died in the car accident. As the sisters pull each one out, tears flood their eyes.

When they’re done, they stand together, their arms around each other, and look up at the tree. I stand behind them.

“I still miss them sometimes,” Lacey whispers.

The lights twinkle and reflect off the tears that have fallen on her cheeks.

“I know,” Ava says. “I do, too.”

I rub a hand over both of their arms, not sure what more I can do for them.

We finish with the decorations inside, then go outside where I get a ladder and string lights up around their door and windows. Lacey told me they hadn’t decorated the outside of the house in years, since Ava was always too busy. I keep the display simple this year, already planning how I can improve it next Christmas.

Their neighbour, Theresa, comes out to inspect our work, commenting that it looks nice, but the way she eyes me makes me wonder what she really thinks. Theresa and I never got along. She and I have incompatible personality types. After a while, when no one is giving her the attention she wants, Theresa returns to her house.

When we’re done, the colourful lights twinkle merrily and the sisters grin as they hang a wreath on the door. Christmas has arrived at the Calligan house.

We go back inside where Ava makes hot apple cider and we decide what we’ll eat for dinner.

“Is Derek staying?” Lacey asks, going through a few takeout menus.

Ava and I look at each other and come to a silent agreement. She swallows and says, “Yes. He and I came to a decision last night, actually. We should probably talk about it.”

Lacey looks up, her gaze shooting between us, eyes wide.

“Are you guys dating again? For real?”

Ava nods, starting to say, “This doesn’t mean—”

But Lacey jumps up, squeezing Ava in a tight hug, then me.

“I’m so happy for you guys,” she says. “This is awesome. When are you guys getting married? Are you going to move in with us, Derek?”

I laugh. “Woah, now. Slow down, Ace. I’m glad you’re happy, but this thing is still new.”

Lacey sits back down in front of the menus, smiling so wide and wiping tears from her eyes. I’m suddenly worried about how Lacey will take it if Ava and I don’t work out again.

Then she says with confidence, “You’ve always belonged with us, Derek. You guys will get married one day.”

Ava chuckles, changing the subject back to dinner while I’m left thinking about the little box I’ve kept in my top dresser drawer for almost nine years.