Chapter 25
DARCY
The next week and a half passes so swiftly it nearly takes my breath away.
Derek has been laser-focused on getting his grandfather lined up for surgery. I can tell by his furious determination to make every single detail perfect that he’s terrified.
I think we all are.
I put my nervous energy into clearing his schedule for the rest of the month. I try not to think about it, but he’ll need time off whether the surgery goes well or not.
And J.B. has spent most of her time working on a plan for her own next steps.
Derek asked her to describe her perfect school to him, and she took the assignment seriously. She has been obsessively banging away at her laptop, taking virtual campus tours, reading about specialized labs and student exchange programs, and then adding them to her wish list.
I’m not sure if Derek will ever find a place with all the things that get her excited, but I love him for trying.
My only hope is that the school they settle on will be a day school in easy commuting distance so she can live at home.
The night before the surgery finally arrives, and we all leave Angel Mountain and head back to the city for now. As soon as we get to Derek’s penthouse we hurriedly do what we can to make Michael comfortable and prepare the space for him and J.B. to be here for a few days.
Within an hour or two it’s feeling more comfortable, even if it’s kind of surreal and stressful—a lot more like life was back when we were only working together.
Did we really go to Angel Mountain?
Are Derek and I really in love?
I stay until almost two in the morning, doing a little cleanup and laundry while Derek sits with Michael, who is too keyed up to sleep.
Just as I’m about to sneak to the door to head back to my own apartment, I hear the door to the guest room open and Derek comes out.
“Where are you going?” he whispers, his brow furrowed.
“I should head home and get some rest,” I tell him. “I’ll be back in the morning to go with you all. Unless you’d rather it just be family?”
“What?” he asks.
But I’m pretty sure he heard me.
“I…” I trail off.
“First of all,” he says, “you’re taking my room. The sofa folds out, so I’ll be out here.”
“No, you don’t have to—” I begin.
“Like fun I don’t,” he retorts. “Unless you want some company in my bed?”
My entire body feels like it just caught on fire and I can feel my face turn beet red.
“That’s what I thought,” he chuckles. “Secondly, of course you’re coming with us tomorrow. I do want it to be just family, but you’re part of that now.”
Family…
“Are you sure?” I hear myself whisper, the idea of being a part of this family still not seeming totally real to me.
“Does it feel different being back here?” he asks me gently, stepping closer very slowly, like he thinks I might bolt.
Part of me wants to. It’s all so much to take in. But most of me wants to never leave his side again.
“I guess,” I say. “The only times I’ve been here before it was for work.”
“It’s going to be different now,” he says, taking my hand. “If you still want it to be.”
“Of course I want that,” I tell him, a happy little zing shooting through me like it does every time he touches me.
“Then go to bed,” he says firmly, giving my hand a squeeze. “Before I change my mind about following you in there.”
He winks so I’ll know he’s just teasing, and I feel a wave of gratitude that he understands me, and doesn’t hold it against me that I want to wait.
“Darcy,” he says softly as I’m headed for the bedroom.
I turn back to him and the look on his face is pure love. Suddenly, it all falls into place for me. No matter where we go, city penthouse or country cabin, the bottom of the ocean or the craters of the moon, as long as we’re together, that will be home.
“Thank you,” he says simply. “I’m so glad you’re here with us.”
Michael is a real trooper the next day. All the nurses fawn over him and Dr. Nasar talks with him patiently before the surgery.
Once Michael goes back, Derek and I focus our efforts on keeping J.B. distracted. I have a set of UNO cards in my bag and Derek gets juice and crackers from the vending machine so we can have a little feast while J.B. absolutely trounces us at the classic game.
Another family comes in a while later, and J.B. immediately invites their little boy to play, leaving Derek and me to chat quietly for a few minutes.
“He was in good spirits,” Derek says.
I can tell that he’s thinking it might be the last time he’ll ever see the man who has been so important to him all his life.
“I’m so glad he’s doing this,” I tell him. “I love that he’s fighting so hard to stay with you.”
He nods and takes my hand and we watch J.B. and the little boy laugh and play, as we wait for what feels like a lifetime.
When Dr. Nasar comes out to greet us with a big smile on his face, my heart soars.
J.B. is blinking away tears, so I go to her while Derek greets the surgeon.
After they talk, he comes over to share the wonderful news.
The surgery went very well, much better than planned, and Michael is recovering now.
There are still some risks post-surgery, and he’ll continue to have follow-ups, but his prognosis now is so different from before that it doesn’t even compare.
“He’s going to be okay,” J.B. cries out happily.
Derek’s eyes find mine and I give him a slight nod. He should go with his instinct, which I know is to be truthful with his daughter.
“No one can tell the future,” he tells her carefully. “But he’ll be spending Christmas with us, and the surgery was a success. We should all be very happy and grateful today.”
Michael comes back to the penthouse in high spirits.
He’s got some recovering to do, but he already seems like a new man to me.
We’re planning on spending the holidays in the city, but I can already tell that Michael is feeling a little cooped up and he keeps mentioning his friends back at the lodge.
When Dr. Nasar stops by personally to do a follow-up on Christmas Eve morning he’s happy with how Michael is doing. Derek puts him on the phone with Old Doc Waterson back in Angel Mountain.
The two of them talk for a while, and Dr. Nasar is chuckling when he hands the phone back to Derek.
“Fine,” he says to Michael. “You win. You can go home. But you have to promise to take it easy and your old friend Dr. Waterson will be stopping by to check on you every day. Do we have a deal?”
Michael’s eyes are shining as he shakes the good doctor’s hand.
“Thank you,” he tells him, his voice breaking. “Thank you for everything.”
“If I’m ever in the mountains I’ll look you up,” Dr. Nasar tells him, smiling. “We can go snowboarding.”
That makes Michael laugh and I think all of us feel a sense that things are going to be just fine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real Christmas miracle before, but I think this definitely qualifies.
We pack quickly and manage to make it back to Angel Mountain that night. Derek drives as slowly as if he were transporting a carload of wedding cakes, and Michael teases him about it mercilessly, but he never once speeds up.
By the time we get Michael settled at the lodge I’m pretty sure it’s too late for anyone to be up.
We’re all surprised and moved when the employees who live in staff housing come tiptoeing in wearing their pajamas to greet him and wish us all a Merry Christmas.
“Best present I could ever have,” he tells each of them as he shakes hands and winks. “Coming home like this.”
I can see that he’s tired, but also truly happy.
Derek stays with him in a cot that Margo has brought in, and J.B. and I head back to the cabin for the night.
“It’s weird to be here without Dad,” she tells me as we settle in.
“I know,” I say. “Should we eat all the snacks?”
She laughs her head off at first, but then agrees in a very serious way, like it’s our duty. We make popcorn and put peanut M&Ms in it and she’s right—it’s so good.
We decide on a snack fest and movie marathon, but then we both fall asleep on the sofa with While You Were Sleeping playing on the little TV.
I wake up the next morning to the sound of someone walking around in the living room.
“Merry Christmas,” Derek whispers.
He looks so handsome in the morning light, back in a flannel and jeans like it’s his Angel Mountain uniform. My heart throbs helplessly at the sight of him.
“Merry Christmas,” I whisper back.
“You guys didn’t even make it to bed,” he says, his eyes flickering to J.B. who is still curled up beside me with her head in my lap and a fuzzy blanket over her.
“We wanted to watch a movie and have a snack,” I tell him, feeling a little guilty.
“She needs more nights like that,” he says, coming over to me.
He presses his lips to the crown of my head and I feel so happy I could burst.
“How’s Michael?” I ask.
“Oh, he’s holding court over there,” Derek says, looking pleased. “Doc Waterson came by with his wife a few minutes ago and told me to come back here and have Christmas morning with the family. The two of them are staying with him until lunchtime at least.”
“Wow,” I murmur. Though I shouldn’t be surprised. That act of kindness has Angel Mountain written all over it.
I feel a little burst of hometown pride that hits me hard, since this isn’t even my hometown.
J.B. wakes up from all the commotion, so we shower and get dressed and then come back out to sit by the tree and open a few presents.
“We’ll have a big breakfast up at the lodge,” Derek says.
“Christmas crêpes,” J.B. says happily.
She makes her dad open his gift from us first and when he sees the ingredients for s’mores he laughs out loud.
“You know these are my weakness,” he says to me.
“Your daughter knows you well,” I tell him.
Derek and J.B. have more gifts for each other, but they’re super excited to give me mine.
“J.B. picked this out herself,” Derek says.
She gets a panicked look on her face and elbows him.
“I’m sure I’ll love it,” I tell her, making sure to catch her eyes. “Because it’s from you.”