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“I do. I’m going to give it to Lawson,” murmured Nora in reply.
Mitzi froze for a second, peering through her lashes up at her friend before shifting her gaze toward the couch where Lawson was reclined. He was asleep and had been since a few minutes into the first quarter. But that wasn’t the reason Mitzi’s gaze lingered. Nora stared for a moment, too. Seeing her man stretched out on the couch, asleep with a napping Evie reclined on top of him was better than any Christmas gift imaginable.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” asked Mitzi.
Nora looked back at her friend, her lips curling into a closed-mouth smile as their eyes met.
“I hesitated because of Evie. He’d have moved in days ago. But—after today, who am I kiddin’?”
“From the looks of things, Evie is going to adjust in no time. Just like her mama…” Mitzi began softly as she continued to rummage through her bag. “…she knows a good man when she sees him.” Upon extracting her keys, Mitzi was quick to slip Nora’s from off her ring. Holding it out to her, she spoke through a smile as she said, “Merry Christmas.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” asked Nora for the sixth time as she slid on her jacket. She freed her hair from underneath the collar, staring at Lawson while she waited for his reassuring response.
He was dressed in a gray t-shirt and jeans, his hair still damp from his earlier shower. He was halfway finished with the mug of coffee in front of him on the kitchen table, and he had his phone in his hands, as if she’d interrupted him mid-text.
“Songbird—if you ask me one more time, I might have to start ignorin’ you.”
She smiled in spite of herself and then reached for her purse.
“For the hundredth time, go. Have fun. Evelyn and I are right behind you.”
“And your mom, she—”
“Baby, go. Now. I mean it.”
Nora pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, willing herself to keep her mouth shut and take him at his word. She offered him a nod then turned on her heel to face the living room. Evie was fully dressed as well, completely oblivious to their conversation as she scribbled chalk on the black side of her easel, still situated by the tree.
“Evie-B, mommy’s leavin’.”
“Okay.” She stopped what she was doing and, chalk in hand, ran over for a kiss. The second Nora’s lips lifted from hers, she was racing back to the living room. “Bye, mommy.”
“Bye, baby.”
She hardly got the words out before she felt Lawson’s hand smack against her backside. Given the casual dress code for her outing, Nora-Jean wore a denim button up under her jacket, and a pair of black, floral-print leggings which did little to dampen the sting of his swat. She sucked in a sharp breath as she twisted her neck only to see Lawson smirking proudly behind her.
“Love you. We’ll see you later.”
She stared at him longer than the moment warranted, but she didn’t care. He was her man, she had the right, andthatfelt good.
“I love you, too. Call me if you need anything.”
“We won’t,” he stated before planting a hard kiss against her lips. “Bye.”
Nora finally took her leave, walking slowly down the hallway that led to the stairwell. It felt strange leaving the two of them together. Obviously, it wasn’t that they’d never been alone together, but they had plans without her and that was new. It was one thing to leave her daughter with Mitzi or her Aunt Darlene—women who had signed on to support Nora when she needed the extra help. It was another thing entirely for Lawson to insist that if Nora had plans, he’d work his schedule around Evie.
It felt so…normalfor a couple with a child. It was strange, but she liked it. A lot.
A couple minutes after ten o’clock, she found herself knocking on Billie’s door, excited for Boxing Day Brunch with the girls. It felt like it had beenweekssince they’d last gotten together. Moreover, it felt like ayear’sworth of events had happened in such a short span of time. Nora was looking forward to gossip, croissants, and mimosas.
Jay was the one to open the door, a mischievous grin curling her lips when she saw who was on the doorstep. “Come on in. You’re just in time. We’re takin’ bets.”
“Bets on what?”
Jay only chuckled in reply as she turned and headed into the townhouse. Nora could hear the other women in the kitchen, her curiosity beckoning her over the threshold. As she followed after Jay, she shed her jacket and discarded it along with her purse on the coat rack by the door. She smelled something delicious and knewWillamenah Holthad come through yet again.
Billie was, by far, the most gracious host in their friend group. Her home was gorgeous, welcoming and warm. Her décor was farm-house chic, and she somehow made it look anything but predictable or stereotypical. Her Christmas decorations were subtle and simple, which elevated the beauty of her home even more. On the outside, Billie was all rock and roll. On the inside, she was the type of southern belle who wouldn’t hear of you bringing a thing to girls’ brunch because she had it covered.
“I mean, isn’t it a no-brainer? Definitely Nora and then Mitzi,” Nora heard Billie say.
