“Say love.”
“Me did.”
“Say I did,” Cory corrected.
“Me did,” Riki repeated with a puzzled look.
Pizza and a Christmas movie finished the night with another happy memory, a very happy memory.
The holidays with Cory and Riki couldn’t have been better. Never in a million years did Alexis expect this. Any of it. The tree standing in front of the bay window was the prettiest tree she’d ever seen. Even with the low ornaments clumped in one section from Riki, it was the best.
Christmas Eve was spent like any other Christmas. The decorating of the barn was first, followed by amazing food and gifts. Alexis was happy. She was so happy. Her baby was thriving inside of her, she was so in love with her family, and it was Christmas. The magic was intensified with Cory and Riki being in her house for the holidays. She wasn’t even sure the old house had ever had a tree. If it had, it was when Mr. Tate was a small boy, she never remembered one.
By the time the gift exchange ended, Alexis was anxious to get home and wrap presents with Cory. All the women bought a gift for a girl and the men bought a gift for a guy. Alexis got a candle set and some bubble bath, Cory got a bottle of Crown Royal liquor and four shot glasses. Travis looked forward to helping him drink it. Riki got a new game and The Night before Christmas book, and you would have thought she’d just hit the lottery. The connect four game was a far cry from the latest video game, but you wouldn’t have got that from her. She was ecstatic. That deepened the need to get home. Alexis could not wait to see her face when she saw all the presents. The party started to get rowdy and she took that as an opportunity to get them out of there. That and Cory had the same idea. He was excited, too.
“Hey, pretty girl. You want to blow this joint?”
Alexis smiled and leaned into his shoulder. “Do I look like that kind of girl to you?”
“I sure as hell hope so. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“What kind of fun.”
“I thought maybe we’d fuck in front of that fireplace of yours.”
Alexis’s hand slammed over his mouth while her eyes looked around for her parents. “Oh my God. Shut up, you idiot.”
Cory threw his head back and laughed. “God, I love you.”
“You’re drunk. I told you not to get drunk.”
“I’m not drunk, and it’s Travis’s fault.”
“Did you open that bottle?”
“Travis did it.”
Alexis grumbled and pulled his Christmas tree tie. “Let’s go see if we can get your daughter out of here.”
“Me want a stay wif Emwy.”
“You want Santa to come, don’t you? We need to go home and wait for him.” That did it. She was ready to go without a fight.
“We need a get a snow,” Riki decided from the backseat. “Santa comes at snow day.”
Alexis looked through the rearview mirror and turned onto their road. “He’ll come. The weather man said we might get snow, but even if we don’t, he’ll still come.”
“Taywor say no.”
“Taylor was just being silly. Santa will come, don’t worry.”
“Why you dwive?”
“Because you’re daddy decided to open his present and drink too much.”
“Daddy, you is dwunk now?”
“No, I’m not drunk. Alexis just insisted on driving. I’m fine. Don’t tell her that.”
Alexis laughed. “I didn’t tell her anything. All I said was you drank your Christmas present. She’s a smart kid. That’s not my fault.”
Cory carried Riki down the stairs in her new Christmas pajamas. Alexis already had a heavy comforter spread out on the floor in front of the fire and Christmas music playing in the background. The room was lit from the tree lights and the blazing, warm fire. Riki curled up in one arm of her dad and Alexis curled up in the other. Propped up against the couch, Cory took the book and began to read.
“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”
Alexis listened to the sound of Cory’s voice more so than the story. How did this even happen? Sometimes her life still seemed surreal.
“But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere they drove out of sight, ‘Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.’ The end.”
“She’s been out since like the third page,” Alexis assured him.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just in love. We didn’t have this growing up.”
“Carry her up to bed. I’m going to get us a glass of wine and start carrying gifts out.”
“Wine?”
“One glass.”
Alexis sipped her wine and gazed at the fire when Cory took the steps two at a time. “You don’t look like you’re carrying presents.”
“I was thinking, Cory,” Alexis spoke with her eyes fixated on the fire.
Cory took his glass of wine and wrapped her in his arm. “What were you thinking?”
“Well, since this baby is going to have your last name, I was thinking if it’s a girl that we could name her Kinley, you know, like my last name without the Mc.”
“Kinley Baker. What about a middle name?” he questioned while trying out the name.
“I thought maybe Grace, after my mom. Her middle name is Grace.”
The name rolled off his tongue like the Christmas music in the air. “Kinley Grace Baker. I love it, Lex, but what about a boy name? It could be a boy, you know.”
Alexis traced his fingers with hers and looked up to see the reaction. “Do you want it to be a boy?”
“I couldn’t care less. I can’t imagine I could love a little boy any more than that little girl upstairs. Do you want boy?”
“I feel the same way. Healthy is all that matters, but I guess we should come up with a boy name, just in case. I like the name Brady.”
“No, I don’t want Brady Baker star player of the Brady County Dragons. No.”
“Oh yeah, that’s true. What about Bane or Blane? Blane Walt Baker.”
“I like that. You can find out next appointment, you know.”
“Yeah, I know, but I would rather wait.”
Cory rose up, lifted her shirt, and kissed their baby. “We have a lot of presents to bring out here. We should get to that.”
“I was hoping you could satisfy my raging hormones first,” she countered. Alexis ran her fingers through his hair and looked down with raised eyebrows.
“I had planned on it, right here in front of this fire. But first, we have work to do, come on.”
They carried out the wrapped presents, hidden in the downstairs bedroom closet. Alexis neatly placed them under the tree, giddy as a schoolgirl. Riki would be so excited. The red tricycle got a big red bow and front row seating in front of the tree.
“I want to go wake her now,” Alexis said, excited. She couldn’t wait to see her face.
“No way. We’re not waking her now. We have raging hormones to take care of, remember?”
“Oh, I’m over that.”
Cory looked at her with a disappointed look, like a child that didn’t get any Christmas presents. “You are?”
Alexis resumed her position in front of the fire and patted the floor for Cory to join her. “I’m kidding, Doc,” she admitted with a smile, putting him out of his misery.
“This is the best Christmas I have ever had,” Cory confessed.
“What was Christmas like when you were a boy?”
“Like what you would think a rich kid’s Christmas would be. I had every gadget you could think of, but it was never a family thing. My dad was always on the phone, working on the next big case. He didn’t care if it was Christmas or two o’clock in the morning, if there was work to be done, it was getting done. My mom was busy with whatever social event was going on and trying to keep up with her charity events and her political career.
“Ellen was the one who spent Christmas with me. My parents would watch my sister and me open gifts—no, I should say they wer
e present while we opened gifts. They were too busy to actually pay attention. I don’t think they ever bought anything for us. I remember once when I was about ten, my dad was giving Ellen his credit card. I heard him tell her to make sure his kids had the latest and greatest things for Christmas. I bet they never picked out a gift for us, neither one of them.”
“That’s so sad, Cory,” Alexis said with a breaking heart, feeling bad for his un-close family. She couldn’t imagine her family not being together for Christmas. Riki and this baby would never live like that. Not as long as her lungs held air.
“I had Ellen. As soon as we were done opening presents and my parents were off doing their thing, she would play with us. She made cookies with us and tried to make us feel as normal as she could.”
“I can’t imagine not having my family at Christmas.”
“I can’t imagine not having mine, either,” Cory replied. She knew he meant her, Riki, and the new baby.
“Do you think it will ever be different? Like will they ever want anything to do with your kids, their own grandchildren?”
“No, I doubt it. They’re just not wired that way.”
Cory took her empty wine glass and set it on the stand. “You drank my wine, too?” he questioned with a stern look.
“That’s because I haven’t had an adult beverage in like three months now.”
“You had wine in Chicago last month. As soon as this baby is born, I promise to get you good and drunk.”
“Maybe not as soon as it is born, but shortly thereafter would be nice.”
Cory grew quiet and stared at her attentively. She smiled at him warmly, but didn’t speak.
“Alexis, it’s crazy how much I have fallen in love with you.”
Alexis genuinely smiled at him. “I know exactly how you feel. I never thought I would love anyone like this again. Wait, I need to rephrase that.” She stopped and corrected herself. “I have never loved anyone like this.”
“You didn’t love Mitch?”
“We were just kids. I did love him, or I thought I loved him, but what I feel with you is not even in the same ballpark.”
As promised, Cory took care of raging hormones in front of the fire with twinkling blue lights illuminating the room, not once, but three times. Cory and Riki was the best present Alexis could’ve ever asked for. The only other thing she wanted was her baby to make it nine months and come out healthy. That’s it. Nothing else.
***
For whatever reason, Alexis opened her eyes and jumped. “You scared me. What are you doing?”
“Me fink Santa comed,” Riki answered an inch from Alexis’s face.
Alexis looked at the clock. Five-thirty in the morning? No way. She lied and told her it was still nighttime, and she better get back to sleep. “Come on, get in here with me,” she coaxed, and prayed that she would fall back to sleep, at least until eight.
Riki did go back to sleep. Thank God, but Alexis still wasn’t ready to wake when Cory woke them at nine. He scared the hell out of her, too.
“Santa came! Get up! Santa came!”
Riki jumped up and shook Alexis. “Wexis, Wexis! Santa comed.”
Alexis moaned and rolled over. She wasn’t as excited as she was the night before. Just one more hour. Was that too much to ask? It wasn’t like the presents were going anywhere.
Cory sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her. “Merry Christmas, mon amour.”
“Mon amour? What does that mean?”
“It’s French for my love.”
“Oh, you speak French now, do you?”
“Just one word, I saw it on a Christmas movie.”
Alexis laughed and sat up. Riki grabbed her hand and pulled her out of bed, unable to wait a second longer. She had to see what Santa brought for her. Now.
“I have to pee. Wait for me.”
“You go too, Rik.”
“Me not have to.”
“Hurry, let’s go pee so we can go downstairs and see what Santa brought,” Alexis coaxed. Damn. She should have gone first. The sound of Riki peeing was almost too much. This baby had to be right on her bladder.
“Whoa! Look at my new tractor.” Riki ran to the new green tractor just like Papaw Kinney’s, parked right next to the tricycle that she couldn’t care less about. Alexis frowned toward Cory. She didn’t buy that.
Cory handed her coffee with a ginormous smile. “You’re dad. He was here about an hour ago. He had to go. He had another one just like it to deliver to Emily.”
Alexis sat on the floor and played Santa Clause. Riki opened the first one, a new hat and mittens. She put them on and told them she’d build a snowman when it snowed.
Cory went next and opened a dark blue satin Borrelli tie. “Borrelli, I’m impressed. I would have never guessed a country girl like you would have even heard of Borrelli,” he said, pleased with his new tie.
“I cheated. I looked at one of yours,” Alexis admitted.
Riki wanted to open another one and Cory told her it was Alexis’s turn. He handed her a small box wrapped by a professional, or Bernie. She pulled the silver ribbon, revealing a beautiful black hills gold necklace with entwined hearts.
“Open it up,” Cory persuaded, more excited than she was.
Alexis opened it to a picture of Riki in one heart and a picture of her first ultrasound in the other. You could see the head and a limb and kind of make out that it was a baby.
“Cory, I love this,” Alexis exclaimed happily, getting up to kiss him. He embraced her, only to be interrupted by little Riki, impatiently waiting for her turn.
Riki opened a new pair of snow boots and had to put those on as well.
“We did buy toys, didn’t we?” Cory asked with a frown, wondering why she had only opened clothes.
“Yes, but if we give them to her first, we’ll never keep her attention.”
“You’re a way better mom than I am.”
“I know. Here, Riki, give this one to Daddy.”
Riki had to help open it, and then sit on his lap while he looked at the leather album. My heart belongs to you, was engraved over two hearts. Cory flipped it open to a picture of Riki, sitting on Bella the horse with the happiest smile ever. The pictures were all neatly placed in special angles with captions or sayings on every page. Page after page of photos of Riki that Alexis had taken, selfies of Cory and Alexis, and even one of the white on red Riki and Mr. Dog footprints on the porch.
Alexis had to take it away from him so that Riki could open another one. “Give me that, you can look at it later,” she demanded.
“I love it, Lex. I’m taking it to work and putting it on my desk so that I can look at it every time I miss you guys.”
Alexis gave Riki a present for Mr. Dog and she opened the big bone for him. He took it and plopped down on the rug by the fireplace. Riki went next and opened a remote control car by mistake. Alexis thought it was the one with books. She was off and playing, not interested in any more presents.
Cory handed Alexis the next one. The card simply said, when you are ready. Alexis didn’t even have to open it. She knew exactly what it was. The back of her hand swiped away one runaway tear.
“Please don’t tell me I screwed this up again,” Cory said when he saw the tears.
She shook her head and kissed him. “These are happy tears, put it on me.”
“Are you saying yes?”
“I’m saying, I don’t know when I’ll be ready to say I do, but I would love to wear your ring and take it day by day.”
“I’ll take that,” Cory replied quietly and happily. He kissed her lips and slid the ring on her finger.
Cory and Alexis finished opening their gifts from each other and it took the rest of the day for Riki to keep her attention on opening her presents. She didn’t want to open another one until she had played with what she opened last. Alexis made breakfast and started to prepare for her first-ever Christmas dinner. Cory and Riki spent the morning playing with toys and Cory looked at his albu
m more than once.
“Wexis, come wook!” Riki yelled excitedly as she ran into the kitchen.
Alexis followed because Riki dragged her by the hand.
“Stay here,” Riki directed.
“Why? What are you doing?”
“It a prize,” Riki said as her little legs climbed the steps, one by one. “Are you weady?” she called down.
“Yes.”
“One…two…free,” she counted and let the two dollar slinky walk down the steps. “See, it’s magic, Wexis, it is,” she said in her cute, three-year-old voice.
“Wow, that is magic,” Alexis agreed as Riki headed back up to do it again.
“We didn’t have to spend five hundred dollars on toys, Lex. We just needed to buy a two-dollar slinky. Do you need help in there?”
“No, me fine. Me do it myself.”
“Okay, Riki, you do it all by yourself,” he teased.
“You can bring some wood in off of the porch and stoke the fire if you want.”
Riki had to help. Of course she did. She had new boots, gloves, and a hat.
They sat down around one for their first Christmas dinner as a family. Alexis had ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, sweet potatoes, and fresh rolls. Everything turned out divine, the perfect Christmas dinner. The peanut butter pie had to wait. Cory and Alexis both ate too much for that.
The rest of the day was spent in pajamas, being lazy, and watching Christmas movies with Riki. Best Christmas ever, one that would go down in history as her favorite. The thought of the next Christmas with the new baby excited her as she settled into Cory’s arms for the night. Sleep came peacefully and easily as she dozed off in Cory’s arms, twisting the engagement ring around her finger, happy in love.
Sixteen
“Am I the only one who thinks this winter is never going away?” Alexis complained from her bed.
“It’s May. Look outside. It’s supposed to be seventy-five today,” Cory called from the bathroom.
“Well, I’m freezing, it’s still winter in here. Cory come here!”
Cory sprinted from the bathroom to their room, just like he had all winter. “Is he moving?”
“Put your hand here. I think it’s a foot.”