“Hey.” Bran looked him dead in the eye. “Family is more than genetics. We learned that at Merrick.”
“Go Monarchs,” Cole and Jeremy said, lifting their glasses.
Jeremy settled back into his chair, while Cole signaled for another round. “Yeah, you’re right. You guys are my brothers.”
“And it’s our job to kick you when you’re being an idiot. So get yourself together and figure out how you’re going to get her back. It’s Christmas. A good present should come with the groveling.”
The next round of drinks appeared, and Jeremy perked up. He at least had to try. He’d been miserable the last few days. The apartment was cold and empty. He couldn’t focus. He stared endlessly at the ultrasound picture. He’d let the best thing in his life get away, because he couldn’t deal with his feelings.
And as Bran and Cole started to discuss ordering some snacks, Jeremy got the first inklings of a plan. Starting tomorrow, he’d have to get himself in gear in order to have it all set for Christmas.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHRISTMAS MORNING DAWNED bright and clear, with a pristine blue sky and a new dusting of snow that made everything look fresh and white but didn’t play havoc with road conditions. Tori had slept at her mom’s, and would s
top in at the Sandpiper later. They kept a very light staff on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and they had minimal bookings, too. Still, essential staff were away from their loved ones on Christmas morning, so she’d arranged for them all to have breakfast midmorning. The crew would have breakfast meats and eggs cooked by Neil and his sous chefs, and she’d brought in pastries from a local bakery. She’d even made a huge bowl of fruit salad herself and left it in the massive fridge.
Now, though, at barely eight o’clock, she sat beside her mother’s decorated spruce tree, looking at the arrangement of presents beneath it.
She had a lot to be thankful for. She was healthy, her baby was healthy, she had a job she loved and a mother who doted on her. And yet the holiday felt lusterless and underwhelming. All because she couldn’t get the father of her child off her mind.
“I made you tea,” Shelley said, coming in from the kitchen. They were both dressed in fuzzy new pajamas; getting new ones on Christmas Eve had been a tradition for her when she was a kid, and in the past few years they’d taken to buying them for each other. She handed Tori the cup and sat down on a footstool nearby, cradling her own cup of coffee. “So. Have you opened your stocking?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“Let me turn on some Christmas music first.”
With the sound of carols in the background and the lights on the tree turned on, Tori reached for her stocking. Inside was her favorite chocolate, a three-pack of maternity underwear, some soft and fuzzy socks and the usual toiletries—body wash, deodorant, shampoo. There were some treats, too, like a new kind of tea and a little box of mini-facials. “Mom, this was too much.”
“Don’t be silly.” Shelley was opening her own stocking, with her favorite treats and beauty brands, as well.
There were only a few presents under the tree. Two for each of them from each other, and there was one from the staff for Tori and one from the other nurses on Shelley’s unit. Tori oohed over a new maternity outfit in the first box, and then watched as her mom opened her new pressure cooker she’d asked for. Her second gift contained a gorgeous lemon-yellow crocheted blanket.
“Oh, Mom.”
“I haven’t crocheted in years, but I figured this was as good a time as any to get out the old hook and take it up again. Do you like it?”
Tori ran her hand over the soft, fine yarn. “I love it. The baby will love it, too, because Grandma made it.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetie.”
“Open your last one, Mom.”
She handed the gift bag to her mom. Shelley reached inside and took out a small box, then opened the box and withdrew the Christmas ornament. It was a glass ball with white and gold and the word Grandma painted on it with glitter.
“Where in the world did you find this?”
“In a little shop in New York.” She had a similar ornament still tucked away in a drawer in her room. The one she’d bought for Jeremy but had forgotten to give him. She’d grabbed it at the last minute and put it in her luggage, hoping it would make the trip without breaking.
She’d been so excited that day. And that night, she and Jeremy had slept together.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She put on a smile. “Really. We’re both fine.” She put her hand on her tummy. “And hungry.”
They’d picked up the paper from their gifts and were just heading to the kitchen when there was a knock on the door.
“You expecting someone?” Tori called, as she opened the fridge door and got out eggs and ham for omelets.