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“Okay, so let me get this right. You believe Charlie was abandoned, and that Zach is the bad guy here?”
“What? No!” he exclaimed.
“Exactly.” I was firm. “You feel that Zach had reasons, and that Charlie is safe and will be happy with you for however long it takes for Zach to come home. You said so yourself. And your parents are good people who believe the best in everyone.”
“I know, but what if this time…”
“They won’t change who they are for no reason.”
Jax relaxed a little, and I took a quick moment to reach over and squeeze his hand, which he squeezed back. “It will all be okay,” I reassured him. I never wanted to let go of his hand. I wanted to be next to him, able to reassure him all the time.
I wanted to make things easier just by being there for him.
He laced his fingers with mine, then settled in his seat, the tension easing, and we were quiet again. In my heart, I knew there was nothing that would make Mama and Papa Byrne feel less than empathy for the stranger who’d had no choice but to leave his child. They’d been nothing but kind to me since I’d started working for Jax, and maybe he needed reminding. He was so quiet, and I decided I was changing the subject.
“Hey, do you remember the Rowan kitchen project we did, way back?”
“The oak one? Yeah? Why?”
“It was maybe the second project I worked for you on, and I remember your mama turned up at the worksite with cannoli, and she told you off for not bringing me over to introduce me.”
Jax chuckled. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Nothing stops Mama Byrne, and I was mid-cannoli, mouth full of crunch and cream, and she said she expected to see me at the annual Byrne family tree-trimming. I was trying to chew, think, and speak all at the same time, and she just patted my chest and told me to bring my family.”
“That’s what she does,” Jax murmured.
“Trace was in college, so it was just Sutton and me.”
“I remember.”
Jax’s mama, the matriarch of the Byrne family, was the heart and soul of the festivities. Her warmth radiated through every corner of the house, making it impossible not to feel part of the vibrant world of Jax’s Italian-American family.
The food, oh God, the food. Plates upon plate of delicious homemade dishes covered every available surface, along with a huge dish of poutine, which was a nod to the fact that Jax was born in Canada before being adopted in Cali. It had been amazing what I’d found out about Jax from spending those hours at his parents’ house, given that at work he was all focus and didn’t talk much. I found out lasagna was his favorite, but cannoli came a close second, and it was probably the day I’d started seeing my boss in a different light.
I’d never experienced a holiday feast as big as that, and the tree-trimming itself was what I could only describe as organized chaos. The main decorating was undertaken by the kids of the family—the brothers, Jax, Reid, and Leo, all had kids—but then, it was about the four Byrne siblings, with Lorna there as well, adding the angel to the top of the tree in some elaborate ceremony that they all took seriously.
It involved a dramatic passing of the angel from Leo, who’d been the first adopted, to Reid, then Jax, and last of all Lorna, whom Leo hoisted up to position the crystal and silk angel at the top. Then, all four of them hugged, and pulled me and Sutton in, and the kids, and the spouses and finally Mama and Papa Byrne.
“The moment we walked through their front door, it was laughter and, hugs, and your papa handed me a drink, and your mama kept welcoming me to the family, even though Sutton and I were strangers. So why would it be any different for Charlie?”
I’d fallen in love with Jax’s family that day. It was the day I’d seen Jax as different to the man who was my boss—as he bickered with Reid, and roughhoused with his daughters and their cousins, and showed me a side I hadn’t seen on a construction site—open, happy, not stressed over deadlines, not worrying about profit margins or deliveries.
I’d already respected him for his dedication to work, but that day was the day I’d started to fall for him hard.
And his family.
“I know. I just don’t want anyone to think anything bad about Zach, but then, I don’t know my own twin, so how can I say they’d be wrong if they thought bad of him? How can I defend him?” His fingers flexed in my hold, but I didn’t want to let him tug free.
“That Christmas, your mama knew Sutt and I were overwhelmed by all of you, and when we went quiet, and sad…”
“I know.” Now it was his turn to reassure me with a squeeze, then, he untangled our fingers and placed his hand on my knee, where it rested warm and heavy. I cleared my throat, and mourned the loss of the heat when he moved his hand back in his lap.
“She took us into her kitchen to help with desserts, and she sat us on stools, then left us alone. She’d given us space to chat about our parents, and Christmases past, and I loved her for it. She’d known just what I needed, hadn’t reassured us that grief had a time limit, hadn’t pushed for us to be anything different than what we were. There’s a lot of love in your childhood home, and it won’t be any different for Charlie.”
What had struck me most in the Byrne house was the love between Jax’s parents, reminding me of the depth of love between my own mom and dad.
They moved together in a well-choreographed dance, and I guess that was a testament to the years they’d spent building a life. Mama Byrne was in charge, but Papa Byrne was the oil that kept the family working, intervening in squabbles, and his huge belly laugh when he told stupid jokes was a sight to see. They’d glanced at each other across the room, sharing secret smiles and unspoken understanding, and just loving every part of their kids and their grandchildren.
