A Beaumont Family Christmas

“Hello, Mrs. Westbury.” Mack is coming toward me. He’s the spitting image of his dad at this age.

“Hi, Mack. What are you doing outside?”

“Mr. Westbury isn’t home, and I didn’t want Paige to get into trouble for having me in the house without an adult.”

Mack looks like he needs a hug. I’m going to have to find some time later to talk with him. I want him to know he can tell me anything, or at least encourage him to call Noah if he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing with me. “That’s very respectful of you.”

“Can I help you with anything?”

I press the button on my fob, and the trunk opens. “I only have a few bags.” Mack takes them both from the trunk and heads toward the house. As I’m about to open the door, Liam’s motorcycle rumbles loudly behind us. I smile at Mack and usher him in, and then I meet Liam in the driveway.

He takes off his helmet and kisses me. “Hey, JoJo.”

Still, to this day, my knees go weak when he calls me JoJo. “Hey. Mack was on the steps when I got home.”

Liam looks toward the house and huffs. “I don’t like the idea of them alone together.”

“We’re leaving in the morning. I can’t imagine they’ll have any alone time. Did you get a chance to talk to Noah?” I ask.

He nods. “They have a couple of days off. Noah said Peyton already booked a flight for them. Either Harrison or I will pick them up at the airport when they get in. I gave them the address to ship their stuff to.”

“Perfect.” I lean into him and wrap my arms around his waist. “At least our kids will be there.”

Liam kisses me again. “I spoke to JD as well. He’s rather excited to ‘piss off in the white shit’, I think were his words.”

“Oh, boy,” I say with a laugh. “I’ll have to call Katelyn later and see if she heard from Quinn and Nola.”

“What about Elle and Ben?”

“Katelyn was pretty sure they’d be there.”

Liam rubs his hands up and down my arms. “Something on your mind?”

I nod. “Last night, as I was cleaning up at work, I found one of the old order forms with Mason’s handwriting. It just has me feeling nostalgic. I think I’m going to get a frame for it to at least preserve what’s left of it. Maybe give it to the girls.”

“I’m sure they’d like that.”

Resting my head on his chest, I sigh. I just can’t bring myself to say what’s on my mind. I hate myself for even wondering where Liam and I would be if Mason hadn’t died. “We should get inside.”

“Yes, I’m almost afraid to walk in.”

“They’ll be fine.”

Liam and I walk into the house, hand in hand. We find Mack sitting on the stairs, with his stuff in front of him, and Paige nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Paige?” I ask Mack. He points to the second floor.

“I think she’s upstairs. I put the groceries away and then sat here. I don’t want to give you a reason to be angry with me.”

My hand squeezes Liam’s. That hug I wanted to give Mack earlier is back with a vengeance. I don’t want to push him or butt into his life, but the mom in me needs Mack to know he’s not alone, especially in the Westbury house. I go over to him and hold my arms out. He falls into them immediately and starts crying.

“It’s going to be okay, Mack.” I hold him for a few minutes until Liam interrupts us.

“Mack, wanna go out back and throw the ball around?”

Mack’s eyes light up. “That would be awesome.”

My mouth drops open when I see Liam reach for Mack. He puts his arm around his shoulder and pulls him close. I follow a few steps behind them and hear Liam say, “I’m happy you’re here, but please don’t disrespect my rules.”

“Yes, sir. I promise.”7HarrisonI'm almost to the house when Katelyn's name displays on the screen. I tap the notification and listen to the artificial intelligence read Katelyn's message aloud. She wants me to meet her at one of our favorite restaurants. A little hole in the wall Mexican place, as it's often described, with the best brisket flautas I have ever tasted. The best part, the paparazzi never seems to come in, which means Katelyn and me, and sometimes JD and Jenna can enjoy a nice quiet meal without someone bothering us for a picture. Autographs are rarely asked for these days because it's all about the 'gram and how many likes you're going to get.

After turning the SUV around, it takes very little time to arrive at the restaurant. As soon as I open the door and step in, Katelyn is there. I smile at the love of my life and make my way toward her. Rosa, the third-generation owner, hollers out, "Hola, Mr. Harrison."