Page 89 of A Newport Christmess

The three siblings sent each other proud, knowing glances but didn’t budge.

“Who wants hot chocolate?” Sandra called, sticking her head around the corner. “I have whipped cream and sprinkles for the top.”

The kids relinquished their hold on me and took off running without a backward glance. That woman was a saint. I lay back down on the carpet, turning onto my back and tossing my arms to the side. “I don’t know how you do it, Josh.”

Josh stood in the doorway, bouncing Reid in his arms. “My wrestling matches rarely go sixteen rounds.”

“Touché.” I closed my eyes, wondering how likely it was that one of the boys wouldn’t do a cannon ball onto my stomach in the next ten seconds. It was a risky choice to stay, but I was too worn out to move. “Chloe sure is getting big.”

“And sassy.” Josh laughed. “I used to wish I could have seen Julie as a little girl, but now that I face the sheer determination and stubbornness of her nine-year-old self daily, I’m wondering if the universe didn’t play a trick on me.”

I chuckled. “If she turns out half as great as Julie, you’ll be alright.”

“That’s what I keep telling myself in the hard moments—which are often.”

“Is Reid asleep?” I asked, opening my eyes again. “I need a form of protection from getting mauled when those kids come back in.”

“Almost.” Josh walked over and placed a heavy-lidded Reid on my chest.

I cradled one arm over him and patted at his back until his eyes closed. “Thanks. I could use a good oxytocin dose right now.”

Josh sat on the couch. “Things not going well with Quinn?”

I drew in a deep breath, and Reid moved up and down with it. “She got divorced about a year ago. It’s not been easy on her. I think a part of her is ready to move on, but the other part of her is stuck in regrets and insecurity.”

“Do you know what happened in her first marriage? Why it went south?”

“I don’t even think she knows. But she, of course, blames herself.”

“Sounds like someone I know.”

I rested my hand on Reid’s back, but he squirmed, so I started patting again. “Divorce can really shatter a person’s self-confidence. That’s why I’m trying to be patient and understanding, because I get it. I was just there. I still am, in some ways. Though seeing Eliza the other day was liberating for me.”

“You saw Eliza?”

I glanced over at him. “Quinn and I were on the Cliff Walk, and we ran into her.”

“And?”

“I realized how lucky I was, standing there with Quinn instead of Eliza. I mean, maybe it took me a minute to get all the way there in my thought process, but I eventually got there.” I paused, smiling at the memory of how unexpectedly freeing the whole conversation had been. “She thought Eliza’s new husband was her dad.”

“She didn’t say it to them, did she?” Josh’s tone was hopeful.

“Oh yeah.” I laughed at the memory, which sent Reid’s arms flailing out. “Sorry, buddy.”

“I like her even more now.”

Dad walked into the room. “Who are you two talking about?”

“Quinn,” Josh said without a moment’s pause.

Dad took a seat next to Josh on the couch. “She seems like a real special girl.”

I nodded. “She is.”

“And there might be a lot I’m missing, but I honestly don’t remember you looking at Eliza like that.”

“Like what?”