“They’re mine.” I headed out the room and made it to the stairs.
Kevin’s voice came. “Hey, I heard something about waffles!”
I shook my head.
Kevin had slept pretty much all of yesterday. His neighbors were watching his apartment to see, if anyone came by. So far the place remained quiet. Eventually, I would have to do some digging and check things out. But something deep inside told me that the worst of it all had passed.
Chapter 29
Holiday Spirit
Ebony
The day passed. Only Christmas cheer filled it. All morning, we wrapped presents. The kids took a few gifts into their rooms and secretly wrapped theirs. By the evening, gifts piled under and all around our huge decorated tree. Even Kevin as well as Salt and Pepa had presents.
The kids and I headed out to the grocery store to shop for food. It has been a while since it was just us four. I might’ve looked over my shoulder a few times, wondering about a phantom Wyatt or possibly his agency monitoring us. No enemies came.
When Kia and I were walking down the aisle, she whispered, “Mommy?”
“Yes.”
“I had a nightmare about Daddy last night.”
“What happened?”
“He crawled into the window and tried to hit me. Then, I woke up.”
I paused in the aisle.
She smiled. “But then. . .I remembered that he was gone and that would never happen.”
“That’s right.”
“I hope I don’t have that nightmare anymore.”
“If you do, come to me. And if you ever need to talk, come to me.”
“I will.”
“How do you think Jalen is doing?”
“I think he wet the bed last night, because he rushed down early to wash his sheets.”
I frowned. “I’ll talk to him too.”
“We’ll be fine, Mommy.”
“We will, but I have to help you all heal.”
“You have to heal too.”
The rest of the shopping trip went with no problem.
We piled up two grocery carts. I grabbed a huge turkey and a duck for the meal’s centerpieces. Jalen reminded us to get several pieces of chicken to fry for Yoshiro. Then there were the vegetables to be roasted—Brussel sprouts, carrots, etc. Plus, I would make mashed potatoes. Jalen would help me with the stuffing and macaroni and cheese. Kia would do gingerbread cookies. She’d found a recipe the night before and was beyond excited. Poppy volunteered to do fluffy biscuits. She’d designated Pepa as her official taste tester. There was alcohol for the adults. I had the fun idea for Christmas cocktails—Santa’s elixir, Rudolph’s rum punch, and drunken eggnog. It was the biggest bill I’d paid for Christmas, but I was drowning in celebration. I ignored the money and swam in the joy bubbling over in my chest.
At least I didn’t have to get stuff for other desserts. Kevin claimed he made the best pumpkin pie in American history. I was excited to try it. Yoshiro wanted to do the Japanese Christmas cake.
Jalen raised his hands in the car and yelled, “This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”
“You’re right, baby.” I started the SUV. “But, calm down.”
“Just a little.” Kia rolled her eyes. “I lost an ear drum.”
Jalen pointed at her. “You had no ear drums. So there.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense.”
“It does to me.”
“Relax, guys.” I drove us out of the parking lot.
Poppy laughed at her siblings.
We headed back with all ear drums intact. By the time we arrived at the house, Kevin and Yoshiro was gone.
A note lay on the table.
Dear Ebony,
I just wanted to tie up any loose ends. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.
Yoshiro.
I scrunched up the note and threw it in the trash, pissed and nervous all at the same time. Any loose ends would deal with Wyatt and his bullshit. That was the last thing I wanted Yoshiro to be involved with today.
Can we just enjoy the holidays, guys? Let’s save the dangerous missions for next year.
My nerves flared on edge for the rest of the evening. I kept myself busy with the kids doing Christmas dinner preparation that I’d learned from my mother. I mixed together the stuffing for the turkey and duck and then stored it in a sealed container in the fridge. Jalen helped me put together sauces, stocks, and marinades. When we finished, Kia poured them into airtight jars and popped them into the fridge.
We checked the attic and discovered a box of table decorations. I knew the owner had a restaurant. Surely, she would’ve had nice cloth napkins and other things. We found gorgeous tablecloths, large silver candelabras, small Christmas wreaths to be used as centerpieces, and big Santa Claus with his hands out to hold trays. It took us an hour to wash and clean everything. We put the table together, even though we had two days before Christmas.
Later, I talked to Jalen one-on-one about the bed wetting. He admitted he’d had a nightmare too. We prayed together and hugged for the longest time.