Tanya Michaels - Mistletoe Mommy

A lump rose in Brenna’s throat when Geoff, somehow looking years older than when she’d last seen him, moved closer to his father, laying a hand on his arm. An unmistakable sign of solidarity and support.

“Morgan,” Geoff began kindly, “why don’t you tell everyone you’re sorry? Especially Maggie. She was nice enough to bring us to the festival, then you scared her to death.”

“D-didn’t m-mean to.” Morgan hiccupped. “P-please don’t f-fight.”

“Nobody’s fighting,” Adam promised her. He shot a pointed glance at his other daughter.

Eliza nodded.

Brenna took that as her cue. “I’m so glad everyone’s okay. Why don’t you stick together for the rest of the day? I want you guys to have fun with your dad today at the festival.” She retreated a step.

Adam raised his gaze to her, looking miserable but grateful. They both knew there was no way he could go back to helping her with pet assignments now, and she was officially behind schedule. The way things stood, it was better that she didn’t intrude by joining them for fireworks.

She turned to Maggie, who was wringing her hands. “Adam and I both appreciate your doing us the favor. I’m sure the kids were having a great time earlier. I’ll see you for Sunday dinner?”

Her stepmother nodded, and Brenna kissed her on the cheek.

“And I’ll see you,” Brenna told the Varners, not quite meeting Adam’s eyes, “the day after tomorrow. You can stop by and pick up Ellie on your way out of town.” It was hard to get those words past the growing lump.

“Brenna.” The way he said her name was an ache.

She refuted him with a quick toss of her head. She wouldn’t, couldn’t, do the painfully drawn-out, emotional goodbye. That’s why Mom left the way she did, she realized suddenly. In retrospect, it had probably been better for both of them. If Brenna had known what her mother was planning to do, there would have been tears. She would have clung to her, begged her not to go.

Deep down, part of Brenna was having that same reaction to Adam now. Don’t go. Which was stupid, of course, but she couldn’t completely silence the inner plea.

Brenna opened her front door when she heard the tires in the driveway, resolved to be strong. Adam had called her last night to make sure she wouldn’t be flitting off to her first morning assignments before they got there.

“You will be there, right?”

Was it her imagination, or had there been an implied threat in his tone-as if he contemplated hunting her down if she tried to duck out of the farewell? He’d immediately seized the advantage when she hesitated, claiming that the kids deserved the chance for a face-to-face goodbye and that she should understand that better than anyone. Dirty pool, in Brenna’s opinion.

But despite the attractive draw of the coward’s way out, Brenna couldn’t do it. Not only did she owe the kids a goodbye, she owed it to herself.

Well, here’s your chance.

Her eyes burned but remained dry as she watched the Varners file out of the SUV. At dinner last night, Maggie had confided that Adam had called her yesterday, asking if he and the kids could buy the Pierces lunch at the Diner. It was clear he wanted to make amends for what had happened and demonstrate that he didn’t blame Maggie in the least.

“We actually had a pretty good time,” Maggie said sorrowfully. “They’re a really nice family. Even that Eliza, when you get beneath the anger and pubescent mood swings. She’ll grow out of that.”

As usual, Brenna’s stepmom was right. They were a great family, and Brenna would miss each and every one of them. Even Eliza.

“Brenna!” Morgan squealed, restored to her usual exuberance since the last time they’d seen each other.

Brenna came down the porch steps to hug her. “Ready to take Ellie home and show her Tennessee?”

“Yep! Dad says we can pick out more stuff for her once we get her to his place. I made you a thank-you card for taking care of her.” Morgan handed her a folded piece of paper with crayon renditions of herself, Brenna and the cat.

“Thank you. This means a lot to me.” I am not going to cry.

Geoff was next. “It was nice to meet you. We had a great vacation.”

But now it was time for all of them to return to the real world.

She squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks for your help with my taxes.”

He winked at her, and she had a premonition of him as a grown man. “Try not to get audited.”

Adam cleared his throat. “Geoff and I are going to get Ellie’s stuff and load it into the car. If that’s okay?”

Brenna nodded, choking on everything she wanted to say to him. Even though no part of him brushed her as he passed-he gave her an unnecessarily wide berth-she felt his nearness as tangibly as a touch. The boys went inside, and Morgan asked permission to go pet Zoe and River one last time.

“Yes,” Brenna said, “but you have to promise me you’ll never follow another animal away from your parents or brother or sister or caregiver. It’s not safe. People need to know where you are, and you shouldn’t approach strange animals, anyway.”

Morgan hung her head. “I know. I told everyone I was really, really sorry.” Suitably reprimanded, she slunk into the house.

Leaving only Eliza, who sat on the hood of the car, picking at her nails. She’d chipped the hell out of her manicure.

Brenna sat next to her. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, but humor me. One last girl-to-girl.” First their chat about boys on the sunporch, then the crash course on pads, tampons and the most effective way to treat menstrual cramps. I’m having quite the Dear Abby summer.

Would the third time be the charm? She hoped that the girl was open-minded enough to truly hear what Brenna had to say. Since Brenna would probably never see the Varners again, she stood to gain nothing by this, but if a brief chat could make any improvement in Eliza’s life or Adam’s…

“I get why you were mad at your father the other day, but try to cut him some slack. When you guys get back home to Knoxville, don’t bust his chops every time he asks out a woman.”

Eliza remained mutinously silent.

“Seriously, you stand to benefit from your dad finding romance. Love isn’t finite. That’s something I didn’t realize at your age.” She recalled how worried she’d been that Fred and Maggie might not have enough parental affection to go around for their natural child and Brenna.

“Loving someone teaches you to have a bigger heart, makes you more likely to be patient and demonstrative with everyone else in your life. I know I’m better off for having fallen in love with-” She stopped abruptly, appalled at what she’d been about to say. “I’m better off.” Best to leave it at that.

Eliza finally looked up. “You don’t hate me?”

“Oh, honey.” If Brenna couldn’t understand a kid bitter about potentially losing a parent, who could? Just because Eliza was dead wrong about Adam-he would never willingly leave these kids-didn’t make her pain any less real. “I don’t hate you.”

“I know I’ve been a little…grumpy.”

Brenna managed a grin. “We’ve all been there. Let she who is without PMS cast the first stone.”

Eliza laughed. On the steps to the house, Geoff and Adam both froze at the musical sound.

“Whoa,” Geoff said to his father. “How did Brenna do that?”

Adam shrugged, but the ghost of a smile played about his lips. “She must have mad skills.”

Geoff groaned. “Don’t say stuff like that, Dad, I beg you.”

Though Eliza could no doubt hear them just as well as Brenna could, she ignored them. Instead, she frowned thoughtfully at Brenna. “You know, I think my mom would really like you.”

Once the kids and cat were packed into the car, Adam came toward her. Her heart hammered in her chest. She felt like she was dying for him to kiss her goodbye but risked dying a little inside if he did. Better to keep a safe distance, she told herself. Then she gave herself a shake. Her entire life, she’d subconsciously tried to keep people at a safe distance.

Until Adam and his kids.

Even with as much pain as she felt now, she was glad she’d met them, glad she’d been with him. In that spirit, she marched forward and clutched his shirtfront as she rose on her toes and planted one last kiss on his lips.

He clearly hadn’t expected that. His eyes were wide when she backed away. “I won’t ever meet another woman quite like you.”

“Safe journeys, Adam. Take care of your kids.”

“Take care of yourself,” he told her.

Those damn tears tried to rise again. “I always do.”

He got in the car and after one final, lingering look, gunned the engine and backed out of the driveway. She shaded her eyes against the sun and watched the SUV’s progress up and over the hill. Adam Varner was gone from her life just as he’d driven into it.

THE TRIP TO Knoxville wasn’t bad as far as road trips with three kids went. There was minimal yowling from a crated Ellie, punctuated by isolated squabbles. But none of that was as bad as Adam’s hollow feeling, as if he’d left part of himself in Mistletoe. Namely, his heart.

Luckily the kids all seemed to be in high spirits, excited to tell their mom and friends all about their vacation, so he tried to use that to bolster his own mood. It worked mostly, right up until the time they passed the Welcome to Tennessee sign and Eliza burst into tears.

“What now,” Geoff muttered, rolling his eyes in the front seat.

Eliza didn’t seem to notice. “You were right, Dad. I am a selfish brat!”

“Uh…” Adam searched his memory bank. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t say that.” Had he? Sara would kill him. He was pretty sure name-calling fell under the heading of Bad Parenting.