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With the pastries filled to the brim with cream, the gingerbread men decorated in their best attire, and a crackling fire in the fireplace, it was game time. I was foolish to think Twister was the most competitive game this family had played; getting through Charades was a completely different ballpark.
With Jax out to get the ice, I took his spot on Bonnie’s team with Ava, while Theo and Luke took Kane, and Tabitha was the game master. From movies to TV shows, time fled from our minds as I acted out a very dramatic rendition of Finding Nemo, guessed by Bonnie much to her delight. We laughed until our ribs ached and lungs cried for air at Theo’s awful attempt at showing us Lady and the Tramp, and true to his love, Kane aced Batman. As the game wore on, we remained neck and neck until it was Bonnie’s turn.
One movement and Ava screamed “Frozen!” at the top of her lungs, winning us the game. I scooped both girls up in my arms with a yell, and we had a celebratory dance while Theo, Luke, and Kane all dramatically complained about their loss.
Then it was time for their annual game of hide-and-seek. Luke quickly reeled off the rules; you could only hide on the first floor, no hiding inside anything with locks, and when the word ‘oranges’ was yelled, they had to reveal themselves. Then it was hiding time. As the winners, my team was seeking first, and we huddled around the fireplace carefully melting some marshmallows while the boys hid. Then Tabitha called time and the seeking began.
To my utter surprise, everything soft and gentle about Bonnie fell away when it came to hide-and-seek. She moved like a bloodhound, and when she found Theo hiding behind a curtain in the lounge, there was absolutely no sympathy in her voice when she pulled it back and told him to hide better next time. I laughed so hard I almost choked, and Theo’s shocked face would forever be locked in my mind.
By the time the buzzer dinged for dinner, Kane was declared the winner after remaining unfindable for two rounds—one hiding spot was under the desk in the study and the winning spot was hiding under the growing pile of presents under the tree right in the lounge.
Very Batman-esque.
Jax however, had still not returned with the ice.
Luke and Theo exchanged a few silent glances, and as Tabitha and I served the roast, I spotted Theo in the lounge on the phone. When he returned to the dinner table, there was too much excited noise about the food for me to ask anything so I stayed by Bonnie’s side and helped fill her plate with everything she desired. Theo and Luke tended to Ava and Kane, then Luke served Tabitha and lightly scolded her when she tried to serve herself.
“You made this,” Luke scolded softly. “So let me serve.”
Tabitha had rolled her eyes but agreed and bundled up in her cardigan. I could see the happy sparkle in her eyes.
The ham roast itself wasamazing. Tender meat that fell apart to the touch and a crackling skin that had snaps echoing around the table. The meal was rounded out with a vegetable medley—complete with my badly chopped parsnips and peppers—two types of mash, chicken fillets, and even a pot of spaghetti for Ava; it was the biggest meal I had ever seen in my life and I couldn’t imagine how Christmas dinner would compare.
Jokes were shared, laughter flowed, and everyone ate happily—but Jax’s chair remained empty. It was difficult not to focus on it in the midst of everything, and a tight sensation began to build in my chest. I wanted to ask where he was, if something had happened, or if there was something I should know, but I couldn’t get Theo or Kane alone long enough to ask.
Until Bonnie did.
“Where’s Daddy?” Bonnie asked finally, licking cream off her fingers while clutching a half-eaten gingerbread man in her other fist.
“He’s busy with Santa,” Theo answered immediately. “Getting things ready for tomorrow.”
Bonnie accepted that without another word and she never mentioned him again, not through the after-dinner movie, bath time, or when I was tucking her up into bed. I kissed her curls and started to read the children a story, but the good food and warmth of the bath had them all falling asleep halfway through the first page.
I closed the door, and the warmth of the family dinner left me abruptly.
Where the fuck was Jax?
Taking the stairs two at a time, I hurried downstairs and found Theo and Luke near the fireplace mid-conversation.
“—he wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t,” Theo sighed, pain licking around his words.
“He’s been going through a lot, maybe it just got to be too much?” Luke asked. “With Marina constantly on him… maybe we missed it.”
“No—” Theo turned and stopped the moment he saw me. “Summer.”
“What is it?” I asked breathlessly. “What’s happened? Where’s Jax?”
They exchanged a glance.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Theo said, his voice strained. “I’ve been calling and calling. He hasn’t picked up, he hasn’t answered any of our texts. Security hasn’t seen him and it’s taking all my influence to stop them from sending out a search party because…”
“Marina,” I finished for him.
“Exactly. If she got wind of him vanishing, even for a second, then she would twist it, regardless of why,” said Theo.
“We just don’t know why,” said Luke, starting to pace. “Unless everything with her is getting to him. She never cared, not really. He was literally just a sexy bad boy she could use to make her parents mad when she was feeling rebellious. She never cared about the man underneath, never cared about Bonnie until her parents recognized it would make them look bad if she lost custody of her child.”
“She wasn’t even supposed to be here. He did everything right; he took all the correct legal routes to bring Bonnie here like he does every year, and this year she just…” One hand curled into a tight fist and Theo’s words trailed off into a growl.
