Chapter 33
STORM
My life seemed to exist in a blur of static background noise since Serena cut me loose. I went through the motions of meeting with clients and working on cases, hoping that throwing myself into work would ease the sting and fill the void.
It didn’t. Everything I tried to do took me five times longer than it should.
I was also ten times grumpier.
I couldn’t blame people for keeping their distance. Even my siblings refrained from making snide comments and gave me a wide berth. Couldn’t blame them. I didn’t want to be around me either.
This was exactly why I avoided relationships. They all eventually reach this same outcome—heartbreak. This one failed before it even got going, which only reinforced my belief that I wasn’t marriage material. And relationships weren’t worth the hassle.
As much as I hated to admit it, this breakup was probably for the best. Growing my practice needed to be my priority. I didn’t want or have time for a relationship. Besides, Serena was just my client, and her case was closed. Time to move on.
Send that memo to my heart—it hadn’t caught on yet.
If there was a way to avoid the holiday, and just flip my calendar to January, I’d have done it in a heartbeat. I didn’t really want to miss being with my family, though. It was the whole reason I moved back to town. But I wasn’t in the mood for being social. Not even with those closest to me.
Tonight was our family Christmas Eve dinner. Everyone would be home, including Rowan and Elle, who flew in from New York this afternoon. I couldn’t skip. Besides, what else would I do if I stayed home alone—wallow? I’d already done enough of that.
I pulled into the driveway at the farm, and sat for a moment, trying to muster enough energy to go inside. Lulu nudged her head against my shoulder, pushing me toward my door.
“Alright, Lu. Better go in.” I opened the door and Lulu leapt over me to get out. I grabbed the bag of gifts from the backseat and headed for the front door. The sounds of laughter and voices lured me inside.
“Stormy, you’re here.” Skye gave me a big hug. We hadn’t seen each other in person for a couple of months, even though we talked regularly on the phone. “We were beginning to wonder if you were going to stand us up. Where’s their rest of your family?”
“This is it. Just me and Lulu.”
Skye got the message and didn’t say another word, just put her arm through mine and led me to the kitchen where most of the women were gathered. My three sisters, along with Mom, AJ, and Elle, were busy putting food on the grazing table, as we called it.
As soon as Mom saw me, she wiped her hands on a towel and rushed over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Storm. Would you like an appetizer? I made some fried ravioli, artichoke dip, and baked brie. Help yourself.”
I just shrugged. “I don’t have much of an appetite lately.”
Raven studied me with her brows pinched and her hand on her hip. “Who peed in your eggnog? You look like a walking nightmare before Christmas.”
“Gee, thanks. Merry Christmas to you, too.” I flipped her the bird and went to the fridge for a beer.
“That’s it? No explanation or witty remark? What is wrong with you, Storm?”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Rave, but I’m not in the mood for your nonsense.” I left them and went in search of the guys. They were downstairs in the family room, playing a game of darts.
“Hey, Storm. We just started this round, if you want in,” Rowan said, as he slapped me on the back.
I returned his slap. “Hey, Rowan.” I took a swig of my beer. I really should ask him about his flight, or how New York was. But I had no energy for small talk. It was hard enough just being here. I leaned against a wall and watched Rowan, Nash, Jasper and my dad playing and teasing each other. Longing to join in. But I just didn’t have it in me.
Pretty soon, the women came down carrying trays of food. They set them on a long table against the wall. Tillie was with them this time, not surprising, as she always spent the holidays with us. Mom turned on some Christmas music playing through a bluetooth speaker.
AJ dipped a piece of ravioli and brought it to Jasper, feeding it to him with a saucy grin on her face. “We figured you guys were playing so hard down here, you’d need some snacks to keep you going. Dinner will be ready in about an hour.”
Jasper ate the ravioli from her fingertips and finished it off with a kiss. “I’ll take whatever snacks you’re passing out.”
I had to look away. Their displays of affection weren’t uncommon, but today it felt like a slap in the face. Shifting my gaze around the room, my chest tightened. The majority of my family was coupled off. Only me, Skye and Junie left.
Raven was perched on Nash’s lap on a bar stool, whispering into his ear and laughing. Rowan and Elle couldn’t keep their hands off each other. And while Mom and Dad had always been openly affectionate with one another, they’d become more so as they got older. Dad pulled Mom under the mistletoe and dipped her for a kiss.
There was waaay too much kissing going on here for my liking.
My chest tightened as I hunched over in my chair. I closed my eyes, and rested my forehead on my hand, unable to look at them anymore. It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy to see my family, or that I didn’t enjoy our time together. It had been about six months since we’d all been together, now that Rowan and Elle lived in New York. I was happy to see them, but… I wanted what those couples had. Desperately.
And I missed Serena and Sadie. They should be here with us.
Raven stood and pulled Nash up with her. He placed his hand on her opposite hip. She raised her hand and waved for attention. “Hey everyone. We have an announcement.” She and Nash exchanged looks that had my stomach lurching again. Then she held up her left hand. “We got hitched.”
The room erupted with screams and cheers. Everyone clamored to give hugs and congratulations.
As soon as the hugging was done, Junie asked, “When did this happen? Tell us everything.”
Raven beamed, happier than I’d ever seen her. “I’ll save the details for later, but when we were away last weekend, an opportunity presented itself, and we decided, What the heck? Let’s do it . So we did. It was completely spur of the moment and unplanned. But it was perfect.” She reached up and kissed Nash. “We couldn’t be happier.”
“Congratulations!” Mom hugged both Raven and Nash. “I’m so happy for you both. I’m hope we’ll get to have a reception for you to celebrate.”
Nash pulled Raven tight to his side and kissed the top of her head. “We figured you’d want to do that. We’ll have to sit down and figure out a date and place for that.”
Rowan draped his arm across Elle’s shoulders and looked at her with heart-eyes. “Just don’t plan it for the end of March. That’s when our wedding will be. We call dibs.”
The room erupted in another round of cheers and hugs. Rowan and Elle got engaged last summer but moved to New York right away and hadn’t said anything about setting a date.
“Does this mean you’re moving back here this spring?” Dad asked. I’m sure he’d be grateful to have Rowan back running the farm.
“Looks like it. The rebuilding of Elle’s shop is coming along and should be done by then. We’ll take a week to go on a honeymoon, and then she’ll start getting her inventory and everything in order for a grand re-opening.”
“That’s so exciting for you both.” Mom clapped her hands and clasped them at her chest. “It’ll be so nice to have you both back here. What about your job in New York, Elle? How do you feel about giving that up?”
Elle smiled up at Rowan. “The job was great, and I’m grateful for all I learned and all the contacts I made. But it wasn’t as fulfilling as I thought it would be. I missed being here, with all of you, and this community. I think moving away helped us both to see that this is where we belong. I’m excited about coming back. And can’t wait to finally marry this guy.” She pressed her lips to Rowan’s in a kiss that had us all covering our eyes.
Dad finally cleared his throat to get them to stop.
“Uh, this is a family show. Remember?” Junie held up her hand to block her view of them and then looked over at me. “What about you, Storm? Why didn’t you bring Serena and Sadie?”
I’m sure she already heard about our breakup, so her question was one to stir the pot.
I hit her with a glare. “It didn’t work out.”
My baby sis was the biggest romantic of us all, and wasn’t going to let this go. “But you three made such a cute family. And they fit right in here on the farm, like they’d always been with us.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“Come on, Storm”—Junie gestured in a sweeping motion up and down my front—“you look like crap—like you haven’t eaten or slept in weeks. When was the last time you showered and shaved? The caveman look is so last century. Am I right, Elle?”
She nodded solemnly.
Skye stood up for me. “Guys, give him a break. Can’t you see he’s lovesick?”
“Oh, come on.” I didn’t have to stay and listen to this abuse; I got up to leave.
Skye stepped in front of me. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not in love with Serena.”
I glared then looked away. As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t lie.
“Come on, Stormy. Admit it,” Skye pushed.
“Fine. I’m in love with Serena. But she doesn’t want anything to do with me. Are you happy now?”
Tillie appeared at my side and placed a hand on my back. “Did you tell her how you feel? Does she know you love her?”
“I, uh, no, not exactly. But that should have been clear.”
All the women shook their heads.
“This should be the first lesson in any relationship 101 class. If there was such a class. Maybe I should create one.” Tillie set her intense gaze on me, making me squirm in my chair. “Never assume that the other person knows what you think or what you feel. That goes for both genders.”
Raven nodded. “So true. Nash and I wasted so many years by misunderstanding each other and not communicating. Don’t do what we did.”
“Same with me and Elle,” Rowan said. “If we had communicated better the first time around, we might not have lost those fourteen years we were apart.”
Elle snuggled into Rowan. “While that is true, we needed that time to grow and mature, so we could have the relationship we do now. Nothing was wasted.”
Tillie lifted her finger to make her point. “You’re exactly right, Elle. Everything happens for a reason. So there’s no need to regret the decisions you made in the past. But in the present moment, you have a choice. You can fight for the love you want. Or let it pass you by. Storm, you never seemed like the kind of guy to shy away from a fight. Yet here you are.”
“Yeah, Stormy.” Skye nudged me with her shoulder. “You love a challenge. So what are you gonna do to get her back?”
Tillie leaned over as if she was telling me something in confidence, yet spoke in her normal volume. “I happen to have confidential knowledge of what a certain little girl asked Santa for this year.”
“What was it?” I asked. “She wouldn’t tell us when Serena asked.”
“A dad and a dog.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. I shook my head. That girl was something else. And I couldn’t love her more if she were my flesh and blood. “But that’s not what Serena wants. She said this was all too much. I need to respect her need for space. Don’t I?”
Mom took a long, slow sip of her cocoa before answering. “Serena has been on her own for a long time, with nobody she could really count on or lean on. Show her that you are there for here. Keep showing up on the good days and the bad days. Be the one that supports her and lightens her load. Share the burden with her. Show her what a good partnership would be like.”
Skye pointed a finger at me. “Make yourself indispensable to her, and unforgettable. Always there for her whenever she needs something.”
“That’s it!” Jasper lit up with an idea of his own. “You can be her coffeepot.”
I groaned and shook my head at my ridiculous little brother, who never failed to provide comic relief.
Tillie sat in the chair next to me. Suddenly, this felt more like an intervention than a holiday gathering. “Serena’s life experience has taught here that the people she loves always leave her. You need to prove that wrong. That the right person will stick around.”
Everything they said rang true. I just didn’t know how to do it without Serena shutting the door in my face and filing a restraining order.
This was going to be tricky, and I didn’t know if I could handle it on my own. “Alright, then. I might need your help. All of you. Wanna help me create a Christmas miracle?”