Chapter 20 #2
As the float made its slow way past us, I was so focused on my adorable, amazing son that I almost missed the banner below him that said, Overall Winner, Individual Category.
“They won!” I yelled. “Xavier, you won!”
The yelling and cheering in our area tripled in volume as everyone else noticed the banner.
I didn’t know if Xavier heard me, but he looked down at us, yelled, “We did it!” and swung his head in a joyful victory dance.
I raised my hands and clapped as I cheered for him and Ben. Incredible, generous Ben.
I dragged my gaze from my son, sought out Ben, and found him watching me with the happiest, sexiest expression on his handsome face. As our gazes met, I felt it down to my toes.
“Thank you,” I mouthed to him. He winked, and that little gesture melted me.
“Mommy, does Xavier get a prize?” Skyler asked.
“I imagine he gets something,” I answered, remembering when he’d first seen the parade info at Henry’s, “but I don’t know what.” I hadn’t paid attention because it’d been so far out of the realm of possibility in my mind.
“That float is unbelievable,” Berty said, still staring after it with awe.
I was staring after it too, but my attention was locked on the big, sexy elf who’d taken my boy under his wing as if he were his own child. That was even hotter than the fit of the costume or the handsome crinkle at the outer corners of his eyes.
There were only a few more floats and entries after Ben and Xavier’s. A police car pulled up the rear. After it drove past, the crowd spilled into the streets, meeting up with friends and making their way to shops or restaurants or heading home.
Berty sat back in her chair and bent over to collect her blankets. Her grandson’s float had gotten her so excited she’d stood for the rest of the parade, and so had I.
“Best parade ever!” Evelyn declared as the girls showed off how full their bags were. There was enough candy to keep Joella Livingston, the town dentist, in business for the next fifty years.
As we mixed with the masses, I texted Ben to find out if we could meet up with him and Xavier and Betty and Esmerelda. I couldn’t wait to hug my boy and congratulate him. I was dying to know how much of it had been his idea and how much Ben’s.
And Ben… He was getting a special, private thank-you tonight.
“They’re back at the staging area at the high school,” I told Berty and the girls.
“Let’s go see them!” Skyler said.
“I want to go on the float,” Ruby said.
“I’ll walk with you as far as my house,” Berty said. She lived two blocks this side of the high school. We’d parked in her driveway, knowing public parking would be at a premium throughout town.
On the other side of the square, we found the mitten float doing a brisk business.
The girls chose their mittens, and Skyler picked out a pair for her brother as well.
Then we continued to the residential area that led to the high school.
At Berty’s house, we hugged her goodbye and promised to pick up our vehicle later.
The school parking lot was a madhouse, overflowing with people, floats, animals, and vehicles.
We easily found Xavier, Ben, and the llamas, the animals still on the float, still chomping.
The float, Knox’s SUV, and the llamamobile were parked on the street about a half block down, out of the fray, probably for the sake of Betty and Esmerelda.
“Daddy!” Ruby yelled when we were a few hundred feet away.
“Xavier!” Skyler hollered.
“Esmerelda! Betty!” Evelyn called out.
“Girls, we need calm down and not run up to them. We don’t want to startle the llamas any more than they’re already startled,” I told them.
I was bursting with as much energy and enthusiasm as they were, itching to run into Ben’s arms to show him my gratitude, but I did my best to act like an adult, held Skyler’s and Ruby’s hands, and Evelyn held her sister’s as we approached.
“Mom!” Xavier ran toward us, his face lit with pure joy and pride. “Did you see we won? We won! The biggest prize ever!”
He landed in my arms in a giant hug, and I soaked up all his seven-year-old excitement, so absolutely happy for him.
Ben’s girls ran to him for hugs, and Skyler hopped from foot to foot next to us until we pulled her into our hug.
Xavier was too revved up to be hugged for long.
“I’m so proud of you, Xavier! This float is incredible! You absolutely deserved to win,” I told him as Ben and his daughters walked toward us.
“Did you tell them our prize?” Ben asked my son.
“We won a family boating afternoon on a pontoon from McNamara Marina and a two-person kayak and a gift certificate to Henry’s and one for Lake Girl. That’s for you, Mom.” He looked to Ben. “And…what was the other thing?”
“A picnic lunch from Country Market,” Ben said. “We got the grand prize basket, didn’t we, buddy?”
“A boat ride, Mom!” Xavier said. “Can you believe it? We get to take our whole family!”
“Can we go too, Dad?” Evelyn asked.
“You’re our family, silly,” Xavier said.
“Close enough to go on the boat ride, anyway,” I said, laughing, not letting myself think about how much our group of six could easily feel like a family.
The girls asked to sit in the sleigh, so Ben lifted each of them, plus Xavier, up on the float, telling them to stay at the back, away from the llamas.
Soon all four kids were settled into Santa’s sleigh, showing off candy and sharing it with Xavier.
Skyler presented him with the mittens she’d chosen.
My attention went to Ben. Our gazes met.
“Can you believe it?” he asked as I went toward him.
There were people around, tons of them, but that wasn’t going to stop me from hugging him. It would prevent me from kissing him till he forgot his name. I stretched to my toes and put my arms around him.
“I can’t believe any of it,” I said. “Never in a thousand years did I think you’d come up with that.” I gestured with one hand to the float behind him but couldn’t quite pull myself away from him yet.
“It was mostly your son,” he said, pulling me in tight. “He had the idea for the sleigh and the llamas.”
“And you made it happen.” My eyes teared up. “Thank you.”
We managed to come out of the hug, conscious of the kids a few feet away and the rest of the world in view.
“We had so much fun, Ems. He has an incredible imagination. Plus I got to teach him to use power tools.
“He’s on top of the world. And that prize… A kayak, really?”
“A big, nice one from Lake Life Outfitters.”
“I guess I’m going kayaking next summer,” I said.
“And boating.”
“And boating,” I repeated.
The kids had found a fourth plastic bag, and the girls were absorbed in giving Xavier candy, piece by piece. I couldn’t help myself. I hugged Ben again.
“You get a special thank-you later tonight,” I whispered in his ear.
He growled low in his throat, which made me want to race home and thank him appropriately and privately right now. Unfortunately we had llamas and kids to see to.
I ended the hug long before I wanted to, still conscious of where we were.
“Working with Xav was sincerely my pleasure,” he said. “A complete joy. And today was a blast. Happy early Christmas to all of us.”
“Happy early Christmas,” I returned, unable to get the smile off my face.
“Now…we need to get these ladies home before they make an escape.” He gestured to the llamas.
I laughed and looped my arm with his in a friendly way as we went to coordinate llama transport with Knox.
This Christmas was looking like it could be the best ever.