Chapter 6 #4
Before things could get more out of control, Joey pulled the phone from her pocket. It didn’t matter that she was shaking terribly, she still lifted her chin. “I called 911. The dispatcher has been listening all this time. Officers should be here any moment.”
Panicking, Leo aimed at Hendrix again. “Turn him loose! Right now. We’ll leave, you have my word.”
As if Leo had any honor, she thought. She knew better.
But Hendrix was as honorable as they came, and he’d already seen enough violence. She would not put him through another grizzly holiday. Not because of her. He deserved peace. He deserved joy.
He deserved a Merry Christmas, damn it, and she wanted to share it with him.
“You can’t leave,” she said, again slipping behind the trees. “I already let the air out of your tires. You’re not going anywhere.” She had no idea if they’d believe the lie, but it was worth a try.
For a single moment, Hendrix’s eyes lit with humor. That’s when she knew. The reason he’d approached Ted from the opposite direction was because he’d flattened their tires.
Enraged, Ted struggled. “You’re going to be sorry about this, Joey! You belong to me. I’m going to make you so sorry–”
In the middle of his tirade, Hendrix tightened his arm, effectively cutting him off so that Ted gasped and frantically struggled for air.
Leo dropped the shotgun to the side. Moments later, they heard the sirens. Shaking from the inside out, Joey said into the phone, “You’re still there?”
“Yes. Are you safe?”
She looked at Hendrix. “Yes.” She almost wanted to smile.
“Please tell the officers that after my ex broke a window and tried to get into my cabin, he pulled a knife on Hendrix Becker. Hendrix is the owner of the campground and a retired police detective. He’s the taller dark haired man restraining my ex with that knife.
My father-in-law is here too, and he threatened us with a shotgun.
Right now the shotgun is on the ground beside him. ”
All because Hendrix was amazing. Whether it was fair or not, he was hers and she didn’t plan to ever let him go.
For long minutes the officers sorted things out, taking the weapons and asking a lot of questions. The very second they allowed it, she threw herself into Hendrix’s arms. “I’m sorry,” she said, knowing he’d be irked that she hadn’t stayed inside with the doors locked. “I couldn’t –”
“Shh, babe. It’s okay. I understand.”
Incredulous, she pushed back to see his face. “You understand?” No way had she expected that.
His smile went crooked. “You love me.”
“Oh, God, Hendrix, I do!”
An officer standing nearby grinned.
“I know. And you had a gut feeling, right? Like you had to be here?” He cupped the side of her face. “Never ignore that. I did that once and it cost me.”
“But all this...” She glanced around at the broken glass, the blood on the small porch of the cabin and the blood on Hendrix. Thankfully not his blood, but still. “You should not have had to go through this again.”
“Totally different story this time.” He kissed her. “Your ex will be out of the picture for a good long while, no innocents were hurt, and best of all, I have you.”
Joey wrapped her arms around his neck again. “You do,” she whispered. “Now and forever.”
“Come on. We need to change clothes, and then we need to pick up our boy. Our official holiday is just about to start.”
Bright and early Christmas morning, Hendrix sat on the couch in his living room, watching as Ryder opened his gifts.
Nothing had ever given him more pleasure.
Beside him, Joey sat yoga style, that wild hair he loved so much fluffed around her face, highlighting her beautiful eyes, and occasionally hiding her magical dimples.
“Oh, my, gosh,” Joey said. “Here’s another one from Hendrix.”
Instead of ripping into the present, Ryder took it and ran over to climb onto Hendrix’s lap. He wore a blue sweatshirt, baggy sleep pants, and his feet felt like ice, but Hendrix hugged him close. “Do you mind another present?”
Laughing, lisping a little through his missing tooth, Ryder promised, “I love presents.”
Smoothing a hand over his unruly hair, Hendrix said, “I love you, bud.”
Ryder froze, his eyes going round, his face still. Then he dropped the gift and threw himself against Hendrix, his skinny arms squeezing tight around his neck. “I love you, too!”
Hendrix hugged him with one arm, and with the other he beckoned to Joey. He could see the sheen of tears in her eyes, but with that small smile and her sweet dimples, he didn’t mind. She was happy, and he wanted her to stay that way for the rest of her life.
Sitting beside him, she snuggled in. “I love you too, Hendrix. So much.”
“So much,” Ryder echoed, before he sat back. “We’re a family, huh?”
Damn, but emotion thickened Hendrix’s throat. “We are. And guess what?”
“What?”
“My mother and father are coming to visit in two days.”
Joey shot upright. “What?”
He smiled at her surprise. “So is my sister and her family. They all want to meet you.”
She blinked fast. “But...”
Forgetting his gift for the moment, Ryder slid off Hendrix’s lap then caught his hand. “Come on. Let’s show Mom her present.”
Still flustered, Joey said, “I have another gift?”
“Two more,” Hendrix said. “One from Ryder and one from me.” He’d surprised himself by going into town to shop with Joey.
It had been fun. They’d admired the various decorations, and even ducked when Edgar, a rather infamous seagull well known to the residents of Wild Rose Point, dove in to try to steal a few ornaments.
Together, he and Joey had taken turns keeping Ryder busy while the other bought him a few gifts. Joey focused on new clothes, a small toolbox that looked a lot like Hendrix’s, and more art supplies.
Hendrix had gotten a fun remote-controlled dinosaur that Ryder had admired, some superheroes – including a real Wonder Woman – and an explorer’s kit. While he was at it, he bought Joey a new sweatshirt, pearl earrings, a soft cashmere scarf...and the last gift that he had in his pocket.
Ryder dragged them to the back deck where they’d added a few more Christmas lights. A beautiful yellow sunrise sent a peach glow over the ocean with lemon-colored ribbons shimmying with each wave. It was as if the Pacific also celebrated Christmas.
Hendrix had to admit that the shell tree, centered on the wooden table, backlit by nature’s display, looked pretty damned spectacular. At about a foot tall, with tiny colored stones added as ornaments, it epitomized Ryder’s creativity.
“Wow,” Joey whispered, her tears spilling over, her lips trembling. “Oh, Ryder, it’s absolutely amazing.”
He grinned hugely. “Hendrix helped me with the gluing and stuff.”
Because Ryder was still barefoot, Hendrix lifted him up in his arms. “I was mostly your mule, carrying things for you. The design and implementation is all you.”
Joey turned and hugged them both. “I love it so much.”
“Like you love us, huh?”
She laughed softly at her son. “Yes, like I love you both.” She dried her eyes against Hendrix’s flannel shirt. “Should we move it to the house?”
“I like it out here,” Ryder said, scrambling down.
Hendrix agreed. “It does make a spectacular centerpiece for the picnic table.”
“Let’s go open the rest of the presents.” And just like that, Ryder was off again.
After he’d gone inside, Hendrix lifted Joey’s chin. “Hey.”
She smiled slowly. “This isn’t so bad, is it?”
From inside, they heard Ryder cheer, “Wonder Woman! And Batman and Superman, too!”
With mock sternness, she said, “I can see I need to work on your sense of moderation.”
“Next year,” he promised. Taking her hand, he drew her inside. “Or the year after.”
“Or the year after that?” she quietly asked.
Rather than answer, he led her to the couch. “One more gift for your mom, Ryder.”
He immediately ran over to join Joey on the couch. “What is it?”
Hendrix knelt down in front of her. “I love you, Joey.”
Covering her mouth and visibly trying not to cry again, she nodded. With a watery laugh, she said, “I knew, I really did. You show me in dozens of ways. But thank you for finally admitting it.”
Yes, she’d probably figured it out the day Ted and Leo were dragged out of the park, cursing and resisting and hopefully gaining more time behind bars.
Hendrix had hid it well, as he’d been taught so he could maintain control, but inside he’d been terrified that Leo would hurt her.
He’d also been enraged to think of Ted touching her, knowing he’d manhandled her before, frightened her.
..and worse. Damn it, he was getting furious again.
He hoped the bastard rotted in jail. To that end, he was well on his way.
So far the cops had uncovered numerous charges against him, including dealing in a controlled substance – meaning transporting and selling drugs – and assault with a deadly weapon when he’d twice robbed local establishments at gunpoint. Old Ted had been busy.
When Joey’s cool fingers drifted through Hendrix’s hair, he brought his thoughts back to this special moment.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“I love you so much, it unsettles me.” He drew a breath, took the small velvet box from his pocket, and handed it to her.
With a shuddering breath, she said, “Hendrix.”
“What is it?” Ryder asked curiously.
Joey laughed around more tears. “Let’s open it together.” With one arm she hugged Ryder, holding out the box with her free hand while he carefully lifted the lid.
The modest cushion cut diamond on a platinum band suited her, or at least Hendrix thought so. “If you don’t like it, we can look at other rings.”
Breathless, she shook her head. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I love it.”
He removed it from the box and slipped it on her finger, then turned to Ryder. “Would you mind if I married your mom?”
“Does that mean we’d stay here with you forever?”
“If your mom says yes.”
“Yes,” Joey said with a laugh. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Hendrix moved up to the couch beside her, but spoke to Ryder. “If you want it to, it could also mean that you’re my son.”
At that, Ryder forgot about opening any other presents. “So you’d be my dad?”
Again, Hendrix carefully replied, “If you want.”
Copying his mother, Ryder shouted, “Yes, yes, yes!”
It was an emotional moment for Hendrix, and also the best Christmas present a man could ever receive.
“Thank you,” he said softly, to Joey, to Ryder, and to whatever divine presence or twist of fate had brought them all together and in the process brought him back to life.
Everything in his past had played a part, and while he would always suffer regret over things that had happened, he now had gratitude as well, because it had ultimately given him a greater love than he’d ever imagined.
An hour later, all of them still in their pajamas, Joey turned on Christmas music while they cooked a big breakfast. Ryder was busy with his new presents. And Hendrix couldn’t stop smiling.
They’d snuck up on him with the accidental Christmas that had started with a card, and gradually included so much more.
“You look happy, even with Christmas.”
“Especially with Christmas,” he said. Nothing would ever be the same, not a single morning or evening, not a holiday.
Joey touched his chest. “It’s all in here.”
In his heart...a heart that Joey and Ryder had thawed. Turns out an accidental Christmas, totally unplanned, initially unwanted, was still full of magic – of the very best kind.