* * * *
Nevvie left all her boys at the house and went shopping in Savannah with Peggy and Karen. It was fun having a day out with “the girls,” something she had rarely experienced in her life before Tyler and Thomas. While they ate lunch in a small sandwich shop, Nevvie looked out on the quaint street with a little melancholy.
“What’s the matter, sugar?” Peggy asked.
“I wish we lived closer. I love Florida, but it’d be nice being closer to you guys.”
Karen grinned. “What, now that I’m taken you think it’s safe to let Tyler be closer to me?” She’d introduced her new boyfriend to the family and they all adored him.
Nevvie laughed. “You know what I mean. I want the boys to know their aunts and their grandma, not just see everyone at the holidays.”
“Well,” snarked Karen, “most of their aunts.” She took a sip of her coffee to hide her evil glare.
Peggy let out an exasperated sigh. “Come on, girls. Let’s not ruin our afternoon talking about Emily, all right? That’s in the past. She’s not gonna be at dinner, so why let her mess up things when she’s not even here?”
Nevvie nodded. “Agreed.” Emily was the last person she wanted to give thought to.
Unless that thought was of giving her a good, hard slap across her face.
When they returned later that afternoon, everyone had gathered out back to play touch football. Tyler sat on the sidelines, watching Adam, Mikey, and two of the younger kids.
Nevvie winced as Tommy went down while leaping for a pass. She breathed a sigh of relief when he stood and walked without more than his normal limp.
“Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it love?” Tyler murmured, slipping his arm around her waist.
“You did it again, Evil Genius.”
His spooky blue eyes turned on her. “We’ll always have that as our special thing, I should think.”
Nevvie nodded and let him pull her tightly against his side. “I hope to hell so.”
They watched for a few more minutes, then Tyler helped her get the boys inside and put down for a nap. Adam didn’t go willingly, kicking and complaining that he wanted to watch a little longer. When Nevvie pointed out he could sit in the window seat in his room and watch, he sullenly agreed.
Twenty minutes later, when she went to check on him, he was sound asleep.
Nevvie was closing the kids’ room door behind her when Tyler walked up, a grim look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He shook his head and motioned her to follow him onto the front porch. Emily’s husband, Clay, stepped out of his truck. He looked damned uncomfortable and hesitated before walking up to the porch steps.
“Hi Tyler. Nevvie.”
Nevvie forced her voice to stay calm. She didn’t have anything personal against her brother-in-law, he was just another of Emily’s casualties.
But he slept with the enemy, so to speak.
“Hello, Clay.”
Tyler didn’t speak.
Their chilly silence forced Clay to forge ahead. “Look, Emily doesn’t know I’m here. I’d like to spend Christmas with my kids, not with my bitchy, hard-headed wife.”
Tyler snorted and tightened his grip around Nevvie’s waist, but said nothing.
Nevvie paused before responding, drawing out Clay’s wait. “Why don’t you talk to your kids, then? Why are you talking to us?”
“Because they won’t come home for Christmas. They’ve refused to speak to their mom since she pulled that stupid stunt of hers. I’d like to know if I could spend the day here. With all of y’all.”
Nevvie exchanged a brief glance with Tyler, who shrugged. She turned back to Clay. “You’ll have to talk to Tommy and Peggy. Frankly, I don’t want to see your wife’s face anywhere around here. I especially don’t want her around my children.”
“I understand that. I couldn’t believe it when she told me what she did. Look, I’m really sorry—”
“Don’t you dare apologize for her.” The hard edge in Nevvie’s voice surprised even her.
“I’m not, Nevvie. I’m apologizing…well, for being her husband, I guess.”
Nevvie walked down the steps and motioned Clay to follow her around back where the others still played. When Thomas saw him, he immediately left the game and angrily strode over.
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
Tyler stepped in front of him, his hands raised to ward him off. “Hear him out, love.”
“Why should I?”
Nevvie met his angry eyes. “Because you should.”
Thomas set his jaw but stepped back.
Clay repeated his apology. The twins weren’t there, they’d gone into town with two other cousins, but they were due back at any moment.
Thomas turned and took a few steps away from them. Nevvie knew from the set of his shoulders that he needed a few minutes alone. Then he finally turned back. “Okay. If it’s all right with Momma.”
Peggy and most of the others had gathered around by this time. Peggy also nodded. “I don’t want Emily here.”
Clay shook his head. “I have a feeling I might be getting a divorce for Christmas, but I want to see my kids.”
* * * *
On Christmas morning, Nevvie left her men in bed and arose early to help Peggy with preparations. Predictably, Tyler joined them in the kitchen a few minutes later. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck.
“You’re sneaky, love.”
She patted his hands. “Thought you needed a little rest.”
He gave Peggy a peck on the cheek and poured himself coffee. “Do we make wagers on whether or not Emily tries to make an appearance?”
Peggy shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. She’s not setting foot in my house.” She was about to say something else when Danielle walked in, looking like she just woke up.
For the first time since her first visit to Peggy’s home, Nevvie felt nervous. The twins knew their dad was coming for dinner, but the unknown factor was Emily.
Thomas and the boys awoke a little later. Adam ran into the living room and screamed, “Santa came! Mommy, Daddy, Poppa, Gwamma!”
Peggy laughed. “Let the games begin.”
Thomas changed and dressed Mikey. The three of them, with Adam’s assistance, helped Mikey with his presents while the twins and Peggy took turns with the video and digital cameras.
Nevvie had walked into the kitchen to refill her coffee when she looked out the window and saw Clay’s truck pull into the yard. She intercepted him at the front porch. He carried a few shopping bags full of presents.
“Thank you, Nevvie. I really appreciate this.”
“She’s not showing up here, is she?”
“She doesn’t know I’m here. She went to church this morning. I left her a note that I’d be back later today, that I went fishing.”
Nevvie stepped aside and let him pass. Thomas frowned, but after a few minutes he relaxed. They had a good morning. Clay had even brought presents for Adam and Mikey, boy toys she suspected he’d shopped for and wrapped in secret judging by his handwriting on the gift tags.
Once presents were opened, Nevvie and Peggy returned to the kitchen. Nevvie noticed the older woman wiping her eyes.
“You know,” Peggy softly said, “Adam—my Adam, Tommy’s dad—probably wouldn’t have agreed with Tommy’s choice in Tyler.” She shook her head. “But he would have supported him and loved him, and he would have welcomed Tyler into our home. He would have loved you, and he would have adored those two babies.”
Peggy sniffled and turned to the kitchen window, removed her glasses to wipe her eyes again. “And he would have snatched Emily bald for what she tried. It would have broke his heart that one of the girls turned on Tommy like that.
“I thought my world ended when Adam died. There’s days I wanted to walk down to the road and step out in front of a truck myself just to be with him. It took me a long time to want
to live again.” She turned back to Nevvie. “Not once,” she whispered, “not one single pea-pickin’ time in all these years since he died have I ever even thought the phrase, ‘Thank God your father wasn’t alive to see this,’ because the first thing I do every morning is wake up talking to him, and the last thing I do every night before I go to bed is say good night to him. Even this many years later.
“Until she did that to y’all. Until all of that happened. I never thought I’d live to see the day one of my children would do something like that. Thank God Adam wasn’t alive to see it. It would have just plumb broke his heart.”
Nevvie hugged her. “This is going to be a good day today, Mom.”
Peggy patted Nevvie’s hands. “I know, sugar.” She sighed.
* * * *
The other sisters all nervously queried Nevvie and Peggy in the kitchen when they arrived and saw Clay in the living room with the others. They had all cut Emily out of their lives after she’d turned on Tommy. Nevvie assured them they were okay with Clay being there as long as Emily wasn’t.
They had a good meal together as a family. After, they spent time looking through photo albums, showing Adam pictures of his Grandpa Adam and his father and aunts, and even a few of Tyler in earlier years before Nevvie was a part of their lives.
Adam sat in Nevvie’s lap, paging through an album, pointing at people and asking who they were. Tyler had walked into the kitchen to fix Mikey a bottle.
“Momma?”
“What, baby?”
“Where’s Daddy’s daddy?”
She immediately glanced at Thomas, who shook his head. Her mind raced. “Well, honey, Daddy isn’t close to his father.”
“Why?”
She glanced at Thomas again. He shrugged. Great, no help there. “I don’t know, baby. It makes Daddy sad to talk about it, so we don’t.”
He sat quietly for a moment, then turned to look at her, his big blue eyes piercing through her. “Did he do somefing like Aunt Emiwy?”
Thomas snorted in amusement. Adam didn’t know all the details, but in typical precocious toddler fashion, Adam had picked up enough bits and pieces to know the whole family was mad at her.
“No, baby,” Nevvie said. “I don’t know why Daddy’s upset at his father. Please don’t ask him about it, okay? We don’t want Daddy to feel sad today.”
“Izit a secret?”
“No, but sometimes people don’t like to talk about things that make them sad. Today’s a happy day.”
He looked at Thomas. “Does talkin’ bout Gwampa Adam make you sad, Poppa?”
Thomas smiled. “The kind of sad you feel when someone dies is a different kind of sad. I like talking about Grandpa Adam. It makes me feel happy remembering him.”
Adam chewed that one over for a moment. Then he dropped his voice to what he thought was a whisper. “I don want Daddy sad. We should keep dis a secret today.”
Nevvie and Thomas looked at his serious expression, then at each other, and burst into laughter.
* * * *
Later, once the guests had left and Nevvie had a few moments to herself, she stared out at the backyard and thought about the discussion with Adam. Between Tommy’s rocky start on his recovery and then getting pregnant with Mikey, she’d put a few things on the back burner.
Her theory about Delores’ version of events was one of those things.
She knew Tyler’s publicist was scheduling a series of interviews in London for Tyler’s latest book. He had called the week before and asked about open blocks of time so he could make the arrangements. He would most likely be getting back to her in a week or two, after New Year’s.
Nevvie pulled her BlackBerry from its holster, looked up Elliot’s private email address, the one she and a few other privileged people had access to, and sent him her request.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nevvie welcomed Elliot’s call the second week of January. “Tyler’s booked for four days in London, and I padded an extra couple of days in for R&R like you asked,” he said.
She glanced toward Tyler’s closed study door. “Fantastic. I’m going with him, but Tommy’s staying home. We’ll need tickets and hotel for me and Tyler.”
“Done, kiddo. You guys leave in three weeks.”
“Oh, can you arrange me a rental car?”
“Well, sure. Why?”
“Because I want to do a little exploring while I’m there.”
After her call she nervously killed an hour of time then grabbed her purse. She stuck her head in Tyler’s office. Tommy was napping, the babies asleep. “I’m running out to the store, Ty. Do you need anything?”
He sat back from his computer and studied her face. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
He crossed his arms. “Love—”
“Elliot’s got you a week in London. I need to go shopping.”
He smiled. “Why didn’t you simply say so?”
“Because sometimes a girl’s got to have a few secrets.”
He laughed as she closed his study door and walked out to her car.
When she turned out of their subdivision, she pulled into a parking lot and called Bob’s private number. Fortunately, he answered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. We’ve got the London trip booked.”
“Good. I’ve got your info.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t tell the boys.”
“I told you I won’t.”
“Will you be in the office for a while?”
“Yeah. Are you coming right now?”
“I’ll be there in a half-hour.” She made it to his office in twenty-five minutes and studied the papers Bob handed her. “And this is it? You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
She tucked the papers into her purse. “I really appreciate this.”
He laughed. “Hey, it’s just billable hours.”
* * * *
Tyler protested her going off on her own. “Love, you’re not used to driving here. And it’s winter.”
“Neither are you. We don’t get snow in Florida.”
“I was raised here. It’s a little different.”
“You’ve got a full day of interviews. I want to explore.” She prayed he didn’t pull out his secret weapon blue-eyed stare or she’d never be able to stand up to him. “Please, Ty? It’s not like it’s a third-world country. It’s London.” And an invisible clock ticked in her head. She was losing driving time.
He finally sighed. “All right. You have your phone?”
She nodded. They’d bought two cell phones upon arrival in London. Their U.S. phones didn’t work here.
“Be safe, love,” he said.
“Thank you!” She grabbed the tourist books and maps she’d randomly purchased and had yet to open before bolting out the hotel room door.
In the car she tried to calm herself. She took a folded piece of paper from her purse, hidden in the inside zipper pocket where she normally stashed her tampons, and looked at the highlighted route. Before they’d left home she’d used the Internet to find her destination.
It felt weird driving with the steering wheel in what was, to her, the passenger side, but she quickly adapted and took her time.
An hour later she pulled up in front of a line of older two-story row houses. Not too crappy, but certainly not the richest neighborhood.
She took a deep breath. The thought of calling ahead had crossed her mind, but might have caused problems.
She could do this.
Nevvie stepped out of the car and locked it, then walked up to the front door and knocked.
She held her breath. Inside, finally, she heard a man’s voice. “All right. Just a moment.”
The small window in the front door didn’t allow a good view, but Nevvie saw someone coming. When the front door opened, Nevvie felt the breath sucked out of her lungs.
A brilliant blue pair of eyes, Tyler’s blue eyes—Adam’s blue
eyes—stared at her.
“Can I help you, miss?” Here was her preview of Tyler in about twenty years, except she suspected the deep worry lines etched in this man’s face wouldn’t plague her husband. He was approximately Tyler’s height and build, his hair grey but not thinning.
“Andrew Paulson?” she whispered, because it was all she could do to speak.
He frowned. “Yes? Are you all right, miss? You look a little ill, quite frankly.”
“May I please come in? I need to speak with you.”
He cautiously studied her. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound rude, but what is this about?”
Nevvie reached into her purse, took out her wallet, and opened it. With trembling fingers, she removed a picture, of her, Tyler, Thomas, and the boys. She handed it to him.
She heard his shocked gasp as he stared at the picture. After a long moment he looked at her. His eyes brimmed with tears.
“Please, come in,” he softly said, stepping out of her way.
The small home looked neat and tidy, but not overly decorated and definitely not richly furnished. No sign of a woman anywhere. She noted he didn’t wear any rings.
There was a small sitting room at the back of the house with a couch and chair, two full walls of bookshelves. Something familiar caught her eye and when she stepped over for a closer look, she was the one crying.
Every book. On one dedicated shelf, he had every one of Tyler’s books, various English editions—hard cover, trade paperback, mass-market paperback, even different covers depending on whether it was a U.K. or U.S. release.
He had them all.
“Is…is he all right?” Andrew asked. “Is he happy?”
She turned, nodded. “He has interviews this morning. I wanted to meet you.”
He still stared at the picture. As she looked around, she realized there were other things, framed newspaper and magazine articles about Tyler, the good ones. Copies of his book reviews, interviews. A framed movie poster from one of the film adaptations.
The man collapsed into the chair and finally looked up at her. “Does he know you’re here?”