I hesitated, but figured what the hell. “My mom left when my brother and I were young. Dad was in and out of the picture for a while, but eventually decided out suited him better.”
“Ah.” She shut the dishwasher door and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “Did you grow up around here?”
“Not far.”
“Where’s your brother now?”
“That’s a good question.”
She faced me with the towel still in her hands, a quizzical look on her face.
Shit. I shouldn’t have said that. Now what? “Like my father,” I said carefully, “my brother struggles to stay put.”
“You said you’re a drifter, too,” she pointed out.
I gritted my teeth. “I don’t have a wife and three kids, with a fourth on the way.”
Claire’s jaw dropped. “Wow. Those are the nieces you mentioned?”
I nodded.
“And his wife is pregnant?”
My hands clenched into fists beneath my arms. Every time I thought about Josie and those girls, I wanted to punch something. But Claire didn’t need to hear about it. “Yes. But she’s fine. They’re all gonna be fine.” I said it with much more conviction than I felt.
Claire folded the towel and left it on the counter. “I bet you’re a fun uncle.”
“I am pretty awesome at tea parties.”
“You play tea party with them?” She put a hand on her heart. “That’s so cute. Do you get to see them much?”
When I paused, she went on quickly.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I’m just…curious.”
“It’s OK.” Again, I spoke carefully, keeping emotion out of it. “I don’t see them as often as I’d like.”
She nodded slowly. “I hope their dad comes back.”
“Me too. You close to your folks?” I asked, veering the conversation away from the dysfunctional MacLeods.
A huge sigh escaped her. “Yes. Too close. They only live like a mile away, and my mother loves to drop in.”
“Should I be nervous?” I glanced over my shoulder, which made her laugh.
“No. She’s in bed by now, I’m sure. She goes bananas at Christmas, and tomorrow starts the three-day countdown.” She shook her head. “She drives me crazy this time of year.”
“Must have been nice when you were a kid. Before I moved in with my grandmother, we never even had a tree.”
Her face fell. “That’s terrible. God, I’m sorry. I’m such a brat to complain about anything. I have great parents.”
I grimaced. What the hell was I doing? Not only was I telling her private stuff, I was being depressing as fuck. “Don’t be sorry. That’s my fault for saying that, and it really wasn’t that big a deal. We had nice Christmases later on. My grandmother didn’t have a lot of money, but she made up for it in other ways. I think she always felt she’d fucked up with my dad, so I felt like a second chance for her.”
“What about your grandfather?”
“I don’t really know. He was in the military, I think, but he was long gone by the time Aaron and I moved up here, and she never talked about him.” I shrugged. “Another drifter, I guess.” She nodded slowly, and I could see her processing things. Like how fucked up my family is compared to hers. I bet her parents adore her. I bet they all have matching pajamas they wear on Christmas morning, and they sit around watching each other open gifts and sipping hot chocolate from matching mugs that say Proud to be French.
“Think your brother will come home in time for Christmas?” Claire asked.
“I fucking hope so, but I’m not sure. I want to bring a tree over there for them tomorrow.”
She perked up. “That’s a great idea! Can I—”
The oven timer went off, and I was glad for the distraction. I had the feeling she’d been about to ask if she could meet the girls or help with the tree, and I had to stick to my one night only rule. I had to.
For her sake.
Claire had the kind of heart that was big enough to let anybody in, even me. I couldn’t let her do it.
“Oooooh!” Claire squealed as she took the rolls from the oven. “They look so good! And no explosions. The magic is safely contained.”
“Good.”
She set the pan on the table. “Do we need plates?”
“Nah. Let’s just eat them right from the pan. That’s what I used to do.” I dropped into one of four chairs around the table and pulled her onto my lap. “Come here.”
Laughing, she sat across my legs. “Can I try one now?”
“No. They have to cool a little. Learned that lesson the hard way. Scorched the fuck out of my tongue.”
“Want me to kiss it better?”
“Actually, yes.”
Her mouth on mine, her hands in my hair, her ass in my lap, the scent of magic in the air…there was nothing about this moment that wasn’t perfection.
She pulled away and inhaled deeply. “Oh my God. They smell so good. Now can I try, please?”
“Yes.” I grabbed one and took a bite, and the taste turned back the clock twenty years. “Oh man. That’s like heaven.”
She took a bite and moaned. “It is,” she said, her mouth full. “Oh my God.”
“Told you.” I finished mine in two more bites and reached for another.