Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
The shock running through him was sickeningly familiar.
The replay of his past played in his mind.
Hey, you. Get back here.
Show me your backpack. Go on, open it.
We need you to come with us.
You son of a bitch.
Jude turned to find an old man stalking toward him.
“Jason.” His wife caught hold of his arm. “Don’t do this.”
“Like hell I won’t.” The man shrugged out of her hold and moved closer. Addressing Finlay, the man pointed at Jude. “Do you know who he is? Because I don’t think you’d have a child with him if you did.”
Whatever shit he’d done in the past, Finlay O’Neill would not be paying the price. Jude blocked the man from her and the boy. “Not in front of my family.”
“Well, look at that.” The man seethed. “Now that you have a wife and kid, you care. Funny how that works. Well, let me tell you something, you piece of shit. I’m not rich like some of the people in this town.
I saved my entire life for that car. I had it three days before you and your loser friends crashed it.
And don’t tell me you were too young to know what you were doing.
You were eighteen. That’s old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. ”
“Jason, you’re upsetting the boy,” his wife said.
His eyes gleamed with anger, and it was clear he wasn’t backing down. “That was an original ’65 Mustang. My dad and I worked on it every weekend for fifteen years. And in one joyride from a bunch of punk-ass kids, it was gone. Totaled.”
“That’s enough.” Jude would not tolerate upsetting Cody.
But before he could shut the man down, Finlay stepped in front of him. “Sir? With all due respect, that night he was on his way to me. To take me to the prom. He had no part in the situation—”
“You’re going to stand up for this piece of shit?” The man reached for her arm.
Rage set his skin on fire. Before the old man could make contact, Jude stepped in front of her.
“Keep your hands off my wife.” His voice was so hard, so cold, the farm went dead quiet around them.
But Cody was watching, and he planned on staying in town, so it was time to take a stand.
“I’m sorry for what happened to your car.
I’d be upset if some stupid kids destroyed a project I worked on with my dad, but I didn’t steal it, and I didn’t drive it, so you’re not going to talk to me like this. ”
“You’re a goddamn liar, and the judge kicking you out of town is proof of that.”
“Hey.” The cocoa and doughnut woman stormed up in a beanie lit up with LED Christmas lights.
“Unless you want nothing but coal in your stocking,” she said to the man, “it’s time for you to head on out.
This is a Christmas tree farm. There are children here, and Santa’s very disappointed in your behavior.
Now, I’m going to ask you nicely to leave the premises.
You’ll be awfully embarrassed if a bunch of elves have to escort you off the property. ”
“I can’t believe you,” his wife snapped, clearly mortified. “Let’s go.”
“He crashed my car,” the man whined as his wife led him away.
After they left, the woman with the twinkling hat waved them aside, out of the line. “Hi, I’m so sorry about that. I’m Molly Bright.” She gestured at the nearest sign that read Merry Bright’s Christmas Tree Farm.
“It’s not your fault.” Finlay shook her hand. “But thank you for stepping in like that. I’m Finlay, and this is Jude, my fiancé, and Cody, our boy. So you own the farm?”
Adrenaline still coursed through him, and he held Cody’s shoulders, pulling him close. He hated that his past ruined a fun family event, but he was glad he’d stood up for himself. It felt good.
“Technically, my aunt does,” the woman said. “But I grew up here. We moved when I was a kid. I’m sure you’ve heard all about it. Never mind.” She rolled her eyes. “Big scandal.”
“With the Bright family?” Finlay asked. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never heard anything negative about you guys. Everyone loves the Brights.”
“Ah, well. That’s because I’m actually Molly Winters.”
“Oh, the Winters.” Finlay nodded. “Yes, I remember them.”
“Right, so, since my parents kept up their antics wherever we moved, I decided to cut ties and legally change my last name to my mom’s maiden name.
But I love my aunt and the farm, so I come for a visit whenever I can.
” She turned to Jude. “I’ve been yelled at before, so I get it.
You’d think after all these years, people would forget.
Or at least not associate me with their crimes, but… small towns, short memories.”
“Jude says the same thing. Do you still have friends here?” Finlay asked. “Anyone you hang out with when you come to town?”
Of course, she would ask that. She knew what it was like to be excluded.
“Oh, gosh no. I’ll be forever associated with what my parents did. But it’s fine. I’m here to help my aunt and spend the holiday with her. It’s all good.”
“Well, my friends and I are going to Wild Billy’s tonight if you want to join us.”
He wanted to pinch her ass for lying. She had no such plans. But it was such a sweet gesture, he could only keep his mouth shut and admire the hell out of her.
“Yeah, I’d love that.” She pressed her lips together and drew in a breath. “Thank you.”
“Awesome.” Finlay pulled out her phone. “Here. Text yourself, and then I’ll let you know what time we’ll be there.”
Molly’s teeth sank into the tips of her glove as she pulled it off to type. “I can’t wait. Thank you.”
Finlay slid the phone back into her pocket. “We’ll talk soon. And thank you for stepping in back there.” After Molly took off, Finlay slid her arm through his. “You okay?”
They’d missed one ride, so they had to wait for the next wagon. “Sure.” To be honest, he wanted to get the hell out of there. Ride the Gallatin Road all the way to Yellowstone. Fuck the cold. Fuck the snow. Just leave this town in his rearview mirror.
But the little boy looking up at him with worry in his eyes was his reason to fight against the impulse. He lifted him into his arms, and Cody clutched Jude’s leather jacket. “Sorry about that.”
“That man was mad at you.”
“Yeah.” Jude exhaled, calming down for the boy’s sake. “He was.”
“What’d you do?”
“He actually didn’t do anything wrong,” Finlay said, always his protector. “His friends did it. Unfortunately, that man took it out on Jude, which wasn’t very nice.”
“That man was mean.” There was a question in Cody’s eyes, as if he wanted more of an explanation.
Well, he wouldn’t lie to this kid. “He was upset, and I understand that. I may not have crashed his car, but my friends did. I shouldn’t have hung out with kids who did bad things. That’s my fault, and I learned my lesson.”
“That’s okay.” Cody patted his shoulder. “You’re all right.”
Maybe it was the crash of adrenaline, but his heart swelled so quickly it didn’t fit in his chest. This pure-hearted boy, so filled with compassion at five years old… I’m supposed to take care of him, not the other way around. He cleared his throat and looked away. “Thanks.”
An engine sputtered, and the next tractor pulled up and came to a stop.
In the time it took to board and find their seats on the hay-strewn bench, Jude managed to calm down.
He’d never seen the point in correcting people’s assumptions about him, and he still didn’t know if it would work.
But Finlay was right that his Fuck you and the horse you rode in on attitude wasn’t doing anything but cementing their impressions of him.
So he could stay away and continue to haul the chip on his shoulder, or he could be the man Finlay and Cody needed him to be. Because the idea of walking away from her was unthinkable, and he sure as hell wouldn’t give up his boy.
Over the piped-in Christmas carols, Finlay kept up a conversation with Cody.
It was clear she was trying to cheer him up as she pointed out the cute hand-painted wooden signs lining the path and the playful animated elves peering out through the trees.
It was all festive and fun, and he appreciated her effort to get him back in the spirit of the occasion.
Which was interesting, considering how important this day was to her.
And maybe that was the answer right there. Being in a relationship, taking care of this boy… Jude’s feelings, his needs, took a back seat to theirs. They came first, no matter what.
When the bumpy ride came to a stop, he got up. “Ready to pick our tree?” The boy nodded, and Jude carried him off the wagon. “Let’s do this.”
Several people gathered around a map of the forest and the various types of trees.
“Douglas fir are that way,” Jude said, and they headed off, their boots crunching in the snow.
Rays of sunlight streaked through thick cloud cover, and pine and woodsmoke scented the air.
“You get to choose any tree you want, okay?”
“I do?” When Jude nodded, Cody wriggled free and took off into the woods.
“Stay close, buddy,” Jude called as they trudged along.
“That night when your friends called you, did you know what they’d done?” Finlay asked.
“No, I didn’t ask. All I knew was they needed a ride, and the police were after them.” He watched Cody dart from one row to another and then back, never quite running out of sight.
“Would you make a different choice today?” she asked.
“Probably.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But back then, I felt I owed it to them.”
“I get it. They were your friends when no one else would be.” She reached for his hand. “Well, that’s two down.”
“Two what?”
“Of the ten people who remember what you did as a child.”
Only Finlay could pull him out of his dark headspace. “Yeah? So I only have to go through this shit eight more times?”
“Exactly. But it’ll be worth it.” She tipped her chin to the little boy who was gazing up at a tree as if it were Santa himself.
“Is that the one?” Jude called, but the boy shook his head and moved on. “What’s he looking for?”
“I don’t know,” Finlay said. “But you have to admire his determination.”
“Yeah, he’s a good kid.” He watched the boy gazing up at the treetops. “Doesn’t seem like the old man ruined his day.”
“I think that’s because of the way you handled it. It was a scary encounter, but you didn’t get aggressive or physical, so it showed him he was safe. That you’re safe. You kept your cool, and you stated your truth.”
“This one,” Cody called, standing before a giant Nordic fir.
Somehow, they’d wound up in a whole other field. “You good with that?” he asked Finlay.
“I love it. But will it fit in my living room?”
“We’ll make it fit.” He dropped to his knees in the crunchy snow. “You ready to help me cut it down?” he asked Cody.
Finlay parted the branches at the base, and the two of them crawled under the tree. Jude did the initial sawing while Cody watched intently. When the cut was deep enough, he gave Cody a turn. Covering the little boy’s hands with his own, they sawed the rest of the way.
“Good job.” They scrambled out and stood. “Now, we push it over. On the count of three, we’re all going to say, Timber. You ready?”
Cody nodded enthusiastically as all three of them reached for the trunk.
“One, two, three…” he said, and they all gave it a shove. “Timber.”
With a crack, the tree crashed to the ground, landing with a bounce.
“Is it mine?” Cody asked. “Is this my Christmas tree?”
“It sure is,” Finlay said.
With his gloved hands, Jude lifted it by the freshly cut base and dragged it back to the road. “Let’s take it home.”
As they waited for the tractor, Finlay reached into the white wax bag and pulled out a doughnut for each of them. “We need sustenance after all that work.”
Together, they waited, breathing in the cold air and chewing on their apple cider snacks.
“What are we gonna put on the tree?” Cody asked.
“Grampa got us lights and decorations,” Finlay said. “We could make our own decorations. Would you like that?”
He nodded, with white sugar around his mouth and on his dark blue parka. “At school, we painted these little balls and popsicle sticks. Can I put them on the tree?”
“Yeah, of course,” Jude said. “We’ll do that when we get home.”
Once they loaded their tree onto the wagon, they settled onto the bench seat. Cody climbed onto his lap, and Finlay sat right next to him. He wrapped an arm around her.
She leaned up and whispered in his ear, “Your wife, huh?”
I did say that, didn’t I?
He grinned.
He liked the sound of it a whole hell of a lot.