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“Had a name. You know she passed away, right?”
“Obviously,” Faith said. “You wouldn’t be living here otherwise. But yes, I was still in town when that happened. A bunch of people went to her funeral. I heard her kids had to do a lot of work on the house.”
“She kept so much of it closed off.” He shook his head. “Not just the area where you’re living now. All but her bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen. She just closed the vents and the doors and kept it all cooped up. She didn’t want to spend the money on electricity, I assume. Everything smelled kind of stale.”
“I’m sure the décor was pretty outdated too,” she said.
“I guess that’s why it sat on the market a while before the kids finally figured out they needed to make some changes.”
“And that was when you spotted it,” she guessed.
“I would have bought it as it was.” He pulled into the driveway and pressed the button on his rearview mirror to activate the garage door. “I just wanted a nice place to raise my daughter. We found it.”
Faith looked over at him, and even though he wasn’t watching, she gave her most compassionate smile. “You don’t need blood relatives to have help raising your daughter, you know. In Misty Mountain, we look out for each other. You’d have support from people all around you here, including from me and my family. Even after I’m no longer working for you.”
It was painful to even say those words. She didn’t want to think about a time when she wouldn’t be a daily part of this man’s life. But she wanted him to know from the start that she was here for him. She already cared about him and his daughter more than she wanted to, and she could only imagine those feelings would get stronger as time went on.
He looked over at her then, and she swore there was a tear in one of his eyes. “That means a lot,” he said. “More than you’ll ever know.” And then he took a deep breath, turned back to face front, and pulled his SUV into the garage. “Now, I’m going to make you a New York breakfast.”
11
As Holden sat on his living room rug, plate on the coffee table in front of him, he was having a hard time remembering what he normally did on Christmas night. They didn’t have a tradition, J.J. and him. Things had been so topsy-turvy for most of her life, he’d failed to establish a routine. That was something that needed to change.
“Maybe this should become our Christmas tradition,” Holden said, thinking out loud.
He was at the end of the coffee table, while Faith sat catty-corner from him, her back against the couch, staring at the Christmas tree. She’d finished her breakfast sandwich—eggs, bacon, and sharp cheddar on a poppy seed bun.
“What’s that?” she asked. “Breakfast for dinner?”
“Eating at the coffee table,” he said. “Sounds as good as any other Christmas tradition, right? What does your family normally do on Christmas night?”
She didn’t answer right away, making it clear they didn’t have a tradition either. Finally, she said, “When we were kids, we’d go to the square like we did tonight. Even if there wasn’t something going on, we’d just walk around and look at the tree one last time. Now that we’re all grown, I don’t know…”
“Last year, J.J. and I watchedPolar Express,” he said. “It’s one of her favorites.”
“I’ve never seen it.” Faith looked over at him. “Is it good?”
He shrugged. “J.J. liked it, but to be honest, I’d rather spend time hanging out.”
“You were hanging out,” she said. “You just watched a movie while you hung out.”
He made a face at her. “You know what I mean. This is a great tradition.” He gestured toward the table. “Home-cooked food, sitting on the floor in front of the tree, just talking like people used to do before there were phones and so many distractions.”
Faith laughed. “Don’t talk like we didn’t grow up with distractions. My mom had to make us get off our handheld gaming consoles and turn off the TV at Christmas time. But I get what you’re saying.”
“The simple art of conversation,” he said. “People talking to each other rather than being entertained all the time.”
Not that being entertained was all that bad. He was still reeling from what it felt like to have his arms around Faith, holding her close while they watched the performance. He might have claimed it was for warmth, but in truth, those moments with his arms around her had fed his soul like nothing had in a long time.
“I never imagined I’d have to bear the load for two parents,” Holden said. “I make an effort every night to have a good conversation with J.J., but half the time I have no idea if what I’m doing is good parenting.”
“It seems like you’re doing a great job to me. She’s an amazing person.”
“She is, isn’t she?”
The compliment warmed him more than she could ever know. In fact, it was the nicest thing someone could say about him these days. Being a good parent was his biggest goal in life.
“Christmas is especially challenging,” he admitted. “The worst part is, she always tries to seem strong. She never wants me to see that it bothers her that her mom’s no longer around.”
