Page 3 of Even More Christmas Magic and Romance (Holiday Hiccups #3)

Three

AFTER WE HAD lunch, Stanley went back to work in his upstairs office, and I visited the nursery. The airy room has a large window overlooking the back yard, and a few flakes of snow were still falling outside. Even if there wasn’t a lot of it, the snowfall helped to put me in the holiday spirit.

The nursery always cheers me up, too. Since Stanley and I don’t know if we’re having a boy or a girl, we decided to paint three walls a pale, neutral yellow.

A wallpaper mural covers the remaining wall.

Its pastel rainbows and hot air balloons couldn’t be more upbeat.

Sometimes, I sit in a corner rocker, look at the mural, and dream about holding our baby. This is one of those days.

Ben always comes along to the nursery with me and settles down in a doggie bed we keep in the room. While I’m rocking away and whispering to my unborn baby, Ben’s usually fast asleep. When I see his twitching paws and hear his occasional whimpers, I know he’s dreaming, too.

We always decorate the house after Thanksgiving, and I wanted to include the nursery in our plans.

I glanced at the large teddy bear sitting in the corner.

Stanley bought it for the baby shortly after I got pregnant.

The addition of a big red, velvet bow will give the bear a bit of holiday flair.

The dresser already has a Christmassy look.

Mom gave us a beautiful snow globe last year, and I thought it was perfect for baby’s room.

I sometimes find myself smiling at its miniature village and the snow-dusted landscape that surrounds the globe.

As I admired it, I began to rock back and forth.

The soothing motion helped my imagination take over.

I envisioned vacationing in a snowy village in the Alps.

I’d seen pictures of such wintery places when hunting for a screensaver for my computer.

They looked just like the pretty village in the snow globe.

My sister’s voice brought me out of my musings. “Hi, anybody home?” Lolly called out from downstairs.

“Come on up, I’m in the nursery!” I called back.

My sister, Lolly, like the rest of my family, has an open invitation to let herself into our house.

When we spoke earlier that morning, she said she’d stop by.

I soon heard her footsteps on the stairs.

They were slower than usual. That’s because Lolly is pregnant, too.

We’re thrilled to think our children will be close in age and hopefully good friends growing up.

“Hi, Sis,” Lolly said as she came into the nursery.

Ben was immediately out of his bed and running over to greet her. His bright black eyes were filled with excitement as he jumped up and down on Lolly’s slacks.

“This little guy just gets cuter and cuter,” Lolly said.

I stood up and went over to rescue Lolly from Ben’s happy display.

“Yes, he’s the cutest, but I’m trying to teach him not to jump up on people.

” I scooped up my white ball of fluff and gave him some cuddles.

When he settled down, I put him back in his bed.

He seemed to get the message. After several turns round and round, he laid back down and closed his eyes.

Lolly sat down in an overstuffed chair by the window. Throughout her pregnancy, she retained a buoyant attitude and a fit body. Something had changed. Her movements were labored and her face had lost its normal glow.

I reclaimed my seat on my rocker and spoke up. “Are you okay?” I asked. As soon as I did, I felt like I was parroting Stanley’s question.

“I don’t know if I am or not,” Lolly said with a sigh.

That sigh was the fourth one I’d heard that day. Stanley’s three expressions of woe were concerning, but Lolly’s sigh of weariness was more troubling. “Have you been overdoing it?” I asked.

Lolly shook her head. “No, it’s not that. It’s Mom. I talked to her before I came here, and she sounded very upset. I think she and Adam quarreled before he left to visit his relatives in New York.”

The news made me stop rocking. I wasn’t crazy about my mom dating someone after divorcing my father, but I’d made peace with it all. As time went on, I was relieved to find out Mom had chosen well. Adam seemed like a really, good guy.

I stared at Lolly. “But they’ve been together for almost a year. They always seem so happy. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Mom wouldn’t say, but she sounded like she’s been crying.”

I frowned. “Mom is the nicest person ever. So whatever happened, it must be Adam’s fault.”

Lolly shook her head. “Gloria, please, remember how upset you were with Dad last year? You blamed him when it came to Mom and Dad splitting up. Then you found out that their divorce wasn’t all his fault. So maybe you shouldn’t assume that Adam is to blame for whatever is upsetting Mom now.”

It was my turn to sigh. “I agree. And I don’t want to keep judging people, especially now.”

“Why especially now?” Lolly asked.

I patted my belly. “I tried to explain this to Stanley, but he seemed clueless.”

“Explain what?”

“I have to keep myself calm and relaxed if I’m going to prevent this baby from coming on Christmas day.”

Lolly frowned back. “Why would the baby come on Christmas?”

“I just have this overwhelming feeling that if my emotions get out of whack, the baby will come before its due date. I’ll end up with a baby born on Christmas day, and I can’t let that happen.”

Lolly sat back and groaned. “You’re right. I had a classmate who had a Christmas birthday, and she hated it.”

I threw up my hands. “See that? You understand perfectly. So why didn’t Stanley know what the problem was?”

“Maybe Stanley has a lot on his mind,” Lolly said. “Ever since you got pregnant, he hasn’t seemed quite his usual, calm self.”

I thought about Stanley’s nightmare and what he’d told me earlier. “I’m sure you’re right. He doesn’t care if our child has a Christmas birthday. He just wants our baby to be healthy and okay.” I paused and blinked at Lolly. “He’s right, isn’t he?”

Lolly shrugged. “Of course, he is, but you can’t be hard on yourself for wanting your child to have their own special day each year.”

I nodded, feeling somewhat validated. “Anyway, we were talking about Mom. Do you think we should pop in for a visit?”

“Yes, and you’re so lucky, Gloria. Mom bought a house close to you,” Lolly said as she pushed herself out of her chair. “Let’s get some air and see what we can find out.”

With some effort, I stood up too. “Even if she doesn’t want to talk about her upset, we could discuss Thanksgiving at Dad’s house.”

Lolly’s face brightened. “I think she’s proud of him.

He really listened to her instructions when he was learning to cook for himself.

Now, after selling the condo and moving into a bigger house, he wants to host Thanksgiving for all of us.

Isn’t that an incredible surprise? I don’t think he even knew how to boil water when he and Mom got married. ”

“Thankfully, he won’t have to host Thanksgiving alone. Mom said she’ll help.”

Lolly scowled. “Yeah, Thanksgiving dinner can be quite a challenge. A while back, I made a turkey and all the fixings for Gerald’s aunt and uncle when they were in town, remember?”

My brows went up. “Oh yes, you said they were traveling out of the country during the holidays. And they told Gerald how much they missed the feast they usually had.”

Lolly started for the door. “I just wanted to do something nice for them when they came for dinner. Things didn’t work out. My timing was way off. The peas were mushy, and I overdid the turkey. No one complained, but the whole thing was a disaster.”

I thought about my first attempt at making a Thanksgiving dinner.

I’d carefully planned out the meal, but my cooking skills were almost nonexistent.

My dinner was headed for disaster too. However, that was the day I met Stanley.

He was a friend of my brother and an unexpected dinner guest. He arrived early and saved the day.

After that, he helped me through some trying, emotional times.

Without knowing it was happening, I fell in love with the guy.

Before Lolly and I could leave the room, Ben sprung out of his bed. After a good shake, he buzzed past us and headed down the stairs. I swear, he can read my mind when it comes to taking a walk.