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Share Us
“Sawyer,” James warned and this time Billie grinned.
“It’s okay, I was just a bit … overwhelmed. Can I share it?” she asked and I nodded, choked because I knew it was my turn to keep my shit together because the key held a minute of sound of our unborn babies heartbeats. I had asked the sonographer to record it for me when we had attended her last utrasound scan. I then took the soundbite to a producer friend of mine and had the soundwave screenshot. Afterward I had a local artist replicate and make the wall art for us.
“You’re a genius,” Billie gushed. Tricia and James sat silent and stunned, and both looked as choked up as we had been when we’d heard it for the first time. When it was finished they had both looked a little uncomfortable, like this was a private thing between Billie and me, like they had intruded on our moment. So I quickly lifted another box and shoved it at my wife to move things along.
We continued sharing gifts such as small personalized baubles and other quirky shit for the tree until the buzzer went and Billie almost jumped out of her skin. “Whoa. Take a breath. I get this is a little daunting, darlin’, but we’re all here to see this goes well. I sincerely doubt Logan is going to pull his shit while we are all around you. Smile and be happy, that’s all I want. Leave the rest up to me.”
Walking over to the intercom in the hallway I buzzed him up. He arrived at the door a couple of minutes later carrying a bag of gifts for Colby. “Welcome,” I said, not really feeling that sentiment inside.
Looking somewhat deflated, he stepped inside the apartment and immediately cast his eyes over our hallway. I watched as he took in our white marble floors and the Persian rug my mother gifted us as a housewarming gift, and it dawned on me that although he had likely knew the building we lived in was exclusive, he probably had no idea ours was one of the penthouse apartments.
The loft feeling vaulted ceilings and long windows to the rear couldn’t be seen from the street, and I wondered if he was mentally comparing his first impression of me with what he saw in our living conditions now. The luxury fixtures and fittings were evident in the finest details and I noted his eyes soaking them in.
“I think you may have seen Tricia before, but you won’t know James, Logan, this is my brother,” I said and saw him check James out, then me, when his eyes flitted back and forth.
“Hey,” James said, and stared down at Logan’s outstretched hand before he finally took it.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, none of it good, but I’m Tricia,” she said. “Are you going to be a dick today?” she asked, pointedly, and the moment she said it I thought Logan may have whiplash from the way his head recoiled inward on his neck.
“I just want my son to have a good day,” he muttered, looking more than uncomfortable at Tricia’s challenge and I stepped in to help him.
“Can I take your coat, Logan? Coffee, soda, water?” I offered, being careful because he’d at least had the balls to turn up and forego his arrangement for Colby’s sake.
“Colby, your dad’s here,” Billie called down the hallway and pushed herself up off her chair. Her hands landed on her lower back and she groaned as she rubbed it gently. When she straightened up she began to walk and made her way to the kitchen to check on the roasting vegetables in the oven as Colby came rushing past.
“Walk, Colby, we don’t want any accidents,” I admonished gently and nodded toward his mom.
“Sorry,” he said, looking worried and sounded as if he was before he walked more slowly to where his father was seated and he sat down beside him.
“Quite the place you’ve got here,” he advised Colby, and for some reason I felt a tad embarrassed by my wealth. Shaking off the feeling, I nodded to James and he stood, Tricia taking the hint and following him as well, and for the next fifteen minutes we left Colby and his father to have some short private time.
It felt good to see James and Tricia comfortable in each other’s company, it made my job easier at least, but Billie was tense when she began to put the food out on the table and I picked up on her quiet, matter-of-fact demeanor.
Nodding to Tricia to take over placing the food out on the table in preparation for lunch, I caught my wife gently by the wrist. Walking her slowly to our bedroom, I closed the door and turned to give her a moment of calm in which to catch her breath.
“Billie Wild, I want you to breathe, darlin’.”
Inhaling a long deep breath she blew it out and cracked her neck from side to side. The move reminded me of James doing that when he used to do his kickboxing matches.
“You’re doing great. Now I know this must be so fucking weird, but you’ve got us and he’s only got Colby. We’re going to go out there and everyone’s going to behave like we’re old friends. Seven hours and he’ll be gone and we’ll have moved a mountain for Colby. You got me?” she nodded. “Good, because I got you too. Now another deep breath and let’s do this.”
As Billie went to take a breath I crashed my mouth down on hers and kissed her so passionately her knees buckled, but before we got carried away I pushed her gently back and slipped my hand into hers. “There. Now your panties are wet and you’ve got another distraction to think about.” Thankfully she chuckled and I tugged her by the hand and led her back to the dining room.
Lunch tasted amazing, which was no surprise as I knew from the dishes Billie had made before that she was an excellent cook. Logan piled his plate twice, and from the way he groaned and rubbed his stomach, he’d found his Christmas lunch bliss.
“Billie, that was incredible. I don’t know what you did with that stuffing, but I could eat it until the cows came home.” Tricia smirked when she glanced at me and a small grin threatened because of how frustrated Billie was about Logan when she’d stuffed it up the turkey’s ass.
Giving Logan his due he made small talk, and although a lot of it centered upon himself, he had asked Tricia and James about their jobs and found a few threads of common ground to keep the conversation flowing quite smoothly through lunch. Colby looked pleased sitting between his mom and dad, with Billie next to me as I sat at the head of the table and James at the other end next to Tricia.
After dessert, I noticed Billie looked tired and wondered if all the strain had caught up with her. Tricia noticed this too and kept everything moving by working her magic on Logan and engaging them all in a game of Charades. My wife almost wet herself watching her ex act out the book title Wuthering Heights. Trust him to pick an English literary classic.
Afterward Tricia did have us all play Pie Face, and Logan got slapped in the face with cream twice, much to Colby’s delight … and if I’m honest mine, although I hid this well and passed him some spare napkins to wipe his face with a small smile.
We were playing another game called, “Tis the Season,” which was a trivia game when Billie looked exhausted and I suggested she lie down for a while. Her eyes looked nervously from me to Logan and back to me, as if to say she was worried if she removed herself from the mix Logan or I may not behave ourselves.
“Lie down, grab forty winks,” Tricia told her. “No one is going to get bent out of shape while you’re gone. If they do, they’ll have me to deal with,” she offered straight up with no messing around or thought for anyone else’s feelings but my wife’s. I figured at that moment we all needed a Tricia for Christmas at least once in our lives.
Doing as suggested Billie took herself off to our room and ten minutes later Colby confessed he’d had enough interaction with the adults and was dying to go to his room and play with his Christmas gifts. Nodding, I excused him as did his dad and I felt triumphant he’d had what must have looked to him like a near perfect day.
