Page 104 of Mr. Naughty List
“Aaron, wake up.”
“Mmm?”
“I had a thought. If we leave now, I could still get home in time to see the kids come down for their gifts. Be there on Christmas. Like I promised.” He winced. Unless the little ones really did wake hours before dawn like his mom said they might. “Maybe.”
Aaron wiped at his sleepy eyes. “But the snow…”
“Gone.”
Aaron held very still and quiet for a moment, but then he sighed and sat up. He stretched and made a few morning snuffling sounds before announcing, “Okay, yes. We should try.”
“Thank you.”
Aaron kissed his cheek and said nothing more.
They scrubbed up quickly in the hallway bathroom, using guest toothbrushes and razors that Rutty kept in there. Then they put on the same clothes they’d had on the day before. Heading downstairs, they were met in the front hall by Rutty, who was just coming in from the barn.
“I didn’t disturb your sleep now, did I?” he asked, tugging a stocking hat off his head, exposing his reddened ears and cheeks. He sat on a bench in the entryway to pull off his boots and put them aside in a box that caught the dirt.
“Clucky woke RJ,” Aaron said with another yawn and a wide stretch of his arms. He looked adorable and delicious with his soft smile and his dimples on display. “He’s not used to the sounds of the countryside.”
RJ snorted. “It sounded like someone screaming.”
Rutty laughed. “Old Clucky has a unique crow, I’ll give him that. Heading out so early?”
“Yeah,” Aaron said, reaching out to help tug his dad up off the bench in an unnecessary but affectionate way.
RJ said, “I’m so sorry to leave this early, but I promised my little brother and sister that I’d be there on Christmas morning when they came down for presents. I’d hate to disappoint them.”
“I can understand that. Good thing the snow melted. There’ll probably be a few icy spots left. So be careful anyhow.” Rutty nodded down the hall toward the kitchen. “Spare a minute and I’ll brew you some coffee for the road.”
They followed Rutty to the toasty-warm kitchen. The woodstove was burning already. The final dishes from the party yesterday were dried in the rack. The view out the back windows showed a long field that ended with the silver stripe of the Holston river, lit up with the still visible white light of the low-hanging moon. RJ wanted to be welcomed back to Rutty’s home again and again. He hoped Aaron was still committed to their promise the night before to try. Toreallytry.
“It was right nice having you here for Christmas Eve,” Rutty said to RJ after brewing a fresh pot of coffee and handing him a steaming travel mug. “I hope you’ll be back before too long?”
Aaron eagerly took his own travel mug and moaned at his first sip, clearly comforted by the heat and caffeine.
“I hope so, sir,” RJ said, taking Rutty’s hand in a firm shake. “I wish we could stay longer this morning. Spend some of Christmas Day with you.”
“That’d be nice, but Aaron has always been with his mother on this day.” He looked to Aaron now and cocked his head. “And this year, I assume it’s the same? You’re welcome to stay with me, son. I can carry you on home later.”
“No, I plan to go to Mom’s,” Aaron said quietly, his contented, sweet expression completely dropping away and dimples disappearing. “I have some things I need to discuss with her.”
“All right.” Rutty looked worried but didn’t argue. “If you change your mind, I can break away from the family to come pick you up again.” He put his arm around Aaron’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze.
RJ’s heart ached to see Aaron snuggle in closer, taking his father’s offered affection so easily, obviously needing the reassurance. When they broke away from each other, RJ shook Rutty’s hand again and they were off.
On the way back to Knoxville, the empty roads sang with the slushy wetness beneath the wheels of the SUV. RJ put his hand on Aaron’s knee and held it there, letting the pink glow of a raw, new Christmas morning open up behind them and do all the speaking. Some sunrises were like that. Full of meaning.
Eventually, he broke the silence. “Do you want to come to my house with me? Watch the kids do their thing?”
Aaron smiled and wiped at his still-tired eyes. “I think I’d love to see that some year, in that future we promised to try for. But I need to get ready to face my mom.”
“All right.” RJ didn’t like the thought of Aaron dealing with his mother alone. “I could come with you to your Mom’s place? Meet her. Maybe I could help put her mind at ease about us and you and Carter?”
Aaron shook his head. “No. This is something I have to do on my own.”
“On Christmas Day?”