Chapter 6 #2
“You are always welcome here, Nellie. And thank you so much, it looks and smells delicious!”
Before I could respond, Emelia was wrapping her arms around me in a hug. For a moment, I didn’t know what to do with my arms.
My mother wasn’t a hugger, neither was my father. Emelia, however, was a hugger, and she had the strange ability to make me feel comfortable. I found myself hugging her back.
“We are so glad you moved to Hartwood Creek, Nellie. How are you liking it so far?” Em asked, pulling back to study me.
“I’m loving it. My apartment is so quiet, it’s a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the city. Plus, the town is so charming in the winter, with the snow blanketing everything. It’s like the set for a Hallmark movie.”
“Actually, it’s been used as the filming location for a few of those,” one of Sage’s cousins said from the other side of the counter. She had dark hair and a smile as welcoming as her mother’s.
“That’s Cate, she works in film and has directed a few of those movies,” Sage explained.
“That’s so neat!” I exclaimed. “I always thought working in film would be a fun career.”
“It really is, I love it,” Cate replied.
“Our resident celebrity,” one of her sister’s said, putting her arms around Cate in a hug.
“Oh, stop, Livia,” Cate huffed, rolling her eyes. Another Alcott sister leaned against the opposite counter, her hand massaging her protruding belly.
“You’re too humble, Cate. Brag a little,” she said, her hand still on her stomach.
All three women looked like their mother, with their dark hair, bone structure, and sparkling light eyes.
Madeline’s hair was in a trendy bob while Livia and Cate wore their hair longer.
Livia’s hair was curly, like Emelia’s, while Cate’s hair was straight like Ed’s and Madeline’s.
“What are we bragging about?!” A tall blond said, entering the room with a dazzling smile and an air of chaos. She had the same bone structure as the other women in the room, so I pegged her as the last Alcott sister.
“Jo-Anna, you’re finally here!” Madeline grinned as the blond, Jo-Anna, hugged Cate, then crossed over to hug her and greet the belly.
“Yes, your favourite auntie is here, and I brought all kinds of gifts for my new little niece,” Jo-Anna cooed, rubbing her hands on Madeline’s belly. “Ooh! She kicked!”
“She’s been doing that a lot lately,” Madeline chuckled.
My throat felt a little tight with the sisterly display of love and affection. Sage wordlessly put her arm around my shoulders, smiling at her cousins while giving me a comforting squeeze.
Sage could relate. Her mother wasn’t very maternal, either. We’d bonded over that fact, relating to each other on a deeper level. In Sage, I found the family connection I’d been missing with my own parents.
But Sage had gotten to grow up visiting the Alcott’s, so she’d had more exposure to this familial affection. Not to mention, Nix’s family was very involved. I swallowed, wondering about that pesky little thing called the future.
“Who wants wine?” Livia asked, holding up two bottles of wine, one white and one red.
“Oh, me. You know I need to drink away the traffic,” Jo-Anna chuckled as Livia set to pouring glasses.
“None for me, thanks. I’m off drinking for a bit.” I said quickly when Livia went to offer me a glass.
“It’s good to do a detox every now and then. I’ll join you in not drinking,” Sage added.
“You’re both braver than me. I cannot face the holidays without a cup of good cheer, if you know what I mean,” Jo-Anna said, lifting her wine glass up and taking a generous sip.
“Jo-Anna! Are you insinuating you need to drink to be around your family?” Auntie Em asked, sounding more than a little hurt.
“Of course not, Mom,” Jo-Anna answered, putting her glass down and wrapping her arms around her mother. “But it helps!”
Auntie Em smacked Jo-Anna with the dishtowel she was holding.
“What! I’m just saying, it’s not always the easiest being around lovey-dovey couples on the holidays,” Jo-Anna pouted.
“Hey, I’m single,” Cate pointed out, accepting a top up from Livia.
“Yeah, but you’re also a fancy film director,” Jo-Anna rolled her eyes. “It’s not the same as holding a deadend up that’s going nowhere.” She seemed to look at Sage and me for reinforcement.
“You’re not wrong there,” I sighed.
“You’re both single by choice,” Sage pointed out with a laugh. “Jo-Anna, because she’s the pickiest human being I’ve ever met, and Nellie because—” Sage hesitated, her cheeks colouring.
“No, go on. I want to hear this. Why is Nellie single?” Jo-Anna demanded, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
“I’m picky, too,” I replied quickly.
“Sure, we’ll call it pickiness,” Sage rolled her eyes with a smirk. “You’re guarded.”
“I am not!” I sent her an affronted look.
“It’s not a dig, Nell,” Sage assured me. “Lots of people are guarded. Jo-Anna’s guarded too; she hides it behind pickiness.”
“This is true,” Jo-Anna confirmed with a nod. “And I’m not ashamed, either. I’m holding out for that one-of-a-kind love, the kind that Mom and Dad have.”
“Aww,” Auntie Em put her hand over her heart, noticeably surprised and softened by Jo-Anna’s comment.
“Anyway, enough about that,” Livia waved her hand, as if warding off the heavy direction the conversation had gone in.
As I sat with the Alcott’s around their formal dining room table later that evening, I allowed myself to settle into the auras around me.
With Em and Ed’s girls home for the holidays, the atmosphere was joyous and welcoming.
Conversation flowed easily while everyone shared about their lives and the things they were thankful for, or discussed shared memories while talking over each other.
The laughter was so frequent, I couldn’t help but smile, even if it made me a little homesick for something I’d never experienced before.
My parents didn’t have relatives outside of a few distant cousins, so holiday dinners were never spent around a huge table with extended family when I was a kid. The house wasn’t full of joy as people exchanged gifts and jabs.
On Christmas morning, I would quietly open my perfectly wrapped presents while my parents watched from the couch, sipping their coffees and basking in the knowledge that they’d gotten me everything on my wish list. I would thank them after each gift, and after I’d finished opening them all, I’d give them quick hugs that I always wished lasted longer than a second, and they’d wish me a Merry Christmas then go back to bed for a couple hours while the turkey cooked.
I’d play with my new gifts, alone in the living room, secretly wishing I’d gotten the one thing I’d only ever asked Santa for: a sibling, so I wouldn’t feel so alone all the time.
“Just think, this time next year we’ll have another new addition at our table,” Em declared after feeling the baby kick in Madeline’s stomach during dessert.
“I can’t wait, there needs to be more kids,” Daphne piped up from beside Sage. Everyone chuckled, and Nix ruffled her hair. “It’s boring being the only kid.”
My heart went out at that statement: didn’t I know it well.
Daphne knew it, too. Before moving to Hartwood Creek and gaining cousins through Nix’s side, she’d been the only child.
Sage had made a lot of effort hosting slumber parties with Daphne’s old school friends, but I knew it wasn’t easy for her, that she’d struggled being the younger mom in the group.
I made a promise to myself: that my baby would never know that kind of loneliness I’d grown up with. Even if I didn’t have a close bond with family through blood, I’d made my bonds with family by choice strong enough that my baby would never know the difference.