Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
SCORCHED EARTH
WESTON
The doorbell rings and I open the door wide, grinning when I see my parents and Sadie’s parents. Clara pops her head around my dad.
“Got room for some stragglers?” my dad asks.
“Clara! I was hoping you’d make it. So happy you’re all here. Come on in.” I hug everyone and Caleb toddles his way toward his grandparents, laughing when he’s scooped up. “Happy Thanksgiving!”
Caleb repeats his version of it in gibberish and we all go on over him like he’s really said it. Everyone carries the dishes they brought into the kitchen and then hugs Sadie. She’s been cooking for days and keeps adding one more item to the menu. It’ll be our parents and Olivia for the main meal, and then later, Felicity, Sutton, and Owen will come, and Penn, Rhodes and Levi, Bowie and Becca, and I think even Henley and the girls might stop by.
Olivia arrives a few minutes later and when Caleb sees her, he runs over and hugs her legs. She looks down in surprise and then bends down and hugs him.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi,” he says back.
She looks up at me in delight, and I don’t remember ever seeing that expression on my sister’s face.
“I heard he was running all over the place at the game on Sunday,” she says. “Sorry, I didn’t make it.” She looks at Caleb again. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me.”
He smiles at her and does a long string of jabbering that cracks us all up. When she stands, he holds his arms out for her to pick him up, and I watch her physically melt. It makes me so fucking happy. I chuckle under my breath and she gives me a withering look. My sister is still in there, but when it comes to Caleb, she’s whipped.
He points at something on the counter and Olivia walks over there. When he sees the jar of his cubed peaches, he starts bouncing.
“Is this what you want?” Olivia asks, holding up the little jar.
He can only use one hand since he’s holding onto Olivia, but he does the sign for want with his free hand.
“He’s doing sign language for want ,” I tell Olivia when he does it again.
Her eyes widen. “Why is he learning sign language?”
“It helps babies communicate before they can speak. He only knows a few words. Please, more, want.”
“Hungry,” Sadie adds. “Most are all related to food when he uses them.” She laughs.
“Impressive,” Olivia says. “Can I give him these peaches?”
“Sure,” Sadie says. “We’re eating soon, but he’s probably so hungry by now…so yes, if you don’t mind.” She looks at me. “I think we’re ready for you to cut the turkey.”
“Let me at that thing.” I get out the new electric knife we bought for the occasion and start slicing. “I’ve never felt more domestic than I do right now.” I laugh.
Olivia yelps and I turn to see Caleb holding the now empty jar of peaches, a few peaches stuck to his soaking wet shirt. Olivia looks mortified.
“I’m so sorry. He grabbed it before I could—” she starts.
“It’s fine,” Sadie and I both tell her.
“He’s handsy when we’re trying to feed him. Quick as lightning,” I say in the voice I use with Caleb. He smiles like he’s being praised.
“I’ll go change him,” Olivia says, still looking uncertain, but everyone else is busy with something, so she nods like she’s convincing herself.
I laugh. “Thanks. I don’t think you’ve been up there since I moved in. His room is next to ours, and his closet is full of clothes, so take your pick.”
She nods and carries him upstairs, holding him out so he doesn’t get her wet. He laughs like they’re playing a game together and I shake my head as I get back to the turkey. Once everything is ready, Sadie moves next to me and I put my arm around her.
“We thought everyone could fill their plates here,” Sadie motions to the island, “and then we’ll take it to the dining room. The drinks are set up in there.”
“This looks incredible, you guys,” my mom says. She reaches up and pats my face. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see you so happy.” She looks at the ceiling. “I am not gonna cry,” she says, laughing. “My boy is all grown up and entertaining us in his beautiful home with his beautiful family.” She waves her face. “Okay, I am gonna cry.” She looks at Sadie. “Thank you. Thank you for having us today. Thank you for loving our son and grandson the way you do. I don’t know what we did before you came into our lives.”
Sadie’s eyes are glossy as she hugs my mom and they both sniffle afterwards. I smile when she walks back toward me and I tuck her back against my chest.
“We’re so glad you’re with us today,” I say. “I’m beyond thankful for my family and the way my family has expanded this year.” I shake my head. “Jeez, there’s something in the air. Where are the waterworks coming from? My heart is full.” I take a deep breath. “Everyone help yourself. Let’s eat !”
I’m moderate with my plate. It’s full of things I wouldn’t normally be eating, but in smaller portions, and I avoid the food that triggers me to eat too much. My mom’s broccoli rice casserole, for example—I can’t just have a little and be satisfied. I’ll still be sluggish in my workouts later, but nothing I’m eating should affect the game on Sunday.
I’m getting ready to sit at the table when I realize I haven’t seen Olivia in a while. I go into the kitchen expecting to see her there, and when I don’t, I ask, “Have Olivia and Caleb come back yet?”
“I haven’t seen them,” Sadie says.
“I’ll go check on them.”
I take the stairs two at a time and when I reach Caleb’s room, I find Caleb dressed and pulling out all his books from the shelves, and Olivia is sitting in the chair where we read to him.
“What’s going on in here?” I ask and Caleb jumps. I try to give him a stern look, but he holds out a book like he’s excited for me to see it, and I can’t resist. I’ll work on getting firmer pretty soon, but so far nothing he does seems too naughty.
“Clean up, clean up,” I sing.
He bobs his head back and forth with the song and tries to put the books back. I help him and turn, grinning at Olivia, but when I get a good look at her face, I’m in front of her in seconds.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” I bend down until we’re at eye level, and when her eyes meet mine, I’m shocked to see them full of tears.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Olivia cry in my whole life.
“Olivia, what is it?”
She points to the picture of Sasha and Caleb hanging on the wall next to us.
“This is his mother?” she asks, her voice breaking.
I nod once. “Yes, that’s Sasha.”
She closes her eyes and the tears spill over. “Weston, I have something to tell you and I don’t think you’ll ever forgive me for it. I can’t forgive myself for it.”
I clasp her hand and look at her for a second, and then the realization hits me like a huge, hard stone.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one who saw her?”
Her eyes flicker back to the picture and she nods reluctantly.
“She showed up at the other house and I thought it was just another crazed fan coming to tell you she was having your baby. You had just had that other woman who wouldn’t stop stalking you, so I guess I went into big sister protective mode. I didn’t even buy that there really was a baby.” She lets out a choked sound. “How did you know?”
“Sadie read about it in Sasha’s journals.”
“I was so rude to her.” Her face crumbles and she starts crying harder. “Weston, I’m so sorry. If it hadn’t been for me, everything would be so different. You would’ve known your son from the very beginning. I can’t—you must hate me.”
I put my arms around her and hug her. I shed a few tears, but not many. I don’t want to spend this day looking backward. When Olivia stills, I pull back and get a tissue from the side table, handing it to her. She blows her nose and gets another tissue to work on her eye makeup. Caleb barrels over to us when he sees that Olivia’s crying and stares at her in concern. I pat his back and he comes over and leans on me.
“I don’t hate you, Olivia,” I say. “It’s time to put this to rest. There’s a lot that could’ve been handled differently. I’d give anything to have been there when Caleb was born, but I’m just so grateful he’s in my life now. I can’t be angry at anyone anymore because I’m living this beautiful life with my son and Sadie.”
“That’s a generous way of looking at everything. You and Felicity have always been so much better than me,” she snorts.
“Not true.”
She gives me a pointed look. “So true. If this had happened to me, I would have scorched the earth to make everyone pay.”
I chuckle. “This would’ve never happened to you. It’s not part of your life plan.”
She rolls her eyes. “Damn straight, it wouldn’t.”
Her expression softens when I laugh.
“Can we not tell Sadie about this?” she asks.
I give her a pointed look. “I’m going to tell Sadie. We don’t keep secrets, and she’ll work through any feelings she has about it. We’ve both learned to do that this year.”
“Thanks for not tossing me out of your house forever,” she says.
I stand and hold out my hand and she takes it, standing up. “You’re welcome. Thanks for coming today and for changing your nephew into a cute outfit after he demolished his other one.”
“You’re welcome,” she says, her smile growing. “Thanks for not forcing me to make anything for Thanksgiving.”
“We all thank you for not making anything for Thanksgiving,” I snark.
She whacks me across the chest, and I laugh, lifting my shoulders.
“I’ll never live down that Jell-O mold,” she says.
“It was lime and had chunks of carrots inside.”
Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
She laughs. “It was supposed to be Thanksgiving-y.”
“More like Thanks-go-away.”
She rolls her eyes again. “ Oh-kay , Weston,” she says in the snide tone that I’m far more used to than the teary one from a few minutes ago.
I pick up Caleb and grin at my sister.
“Come on, let’s go eat.”
The party is in full swing when we get downstairs. I put Caleb in his high chair and sit down to the feast. Sadie glances at me and I squeeze her thigh under the table, as we share a smile.
Life is so sweet, and it goes by in a flash. We never know what a day will bring.
I don’t want to waste another minute regretting anything.