Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,44
relationships that were kept separate from her life with Hunter. The guys never met him and weren’t to let him know they even knew his mom. Jasper had violated those rules when they’d been together, and she’d ended things without a backward glance.
It was the guilt, she told herself. Because of her past and what she’d done. After all these years, she was finally ready to let it go, but did that mean she was open to having more children?
“I want to say I’m too old,” she said slowly. “But I’m not.”
“You’re what? Thirty-four?” Renee waved her glass. “Lots of women have kids in their thirties. Some don’t even start until their forties. You two should both have more kids.”
“You’re very free with the advice,” Silver teased.
“I know. My turn is coming. I just want a little more time with Jasper.”
Hunter walked into the kitchen, Koda at his heels. “Mom, where’s Joylyn? I thought she was going to be here.”
“Her dad said she didn’t want to come.”
Hunter shook his head. “That’s not right. It’s Thanksgiving. She shouldn’t be alone. I’m going to talk to her.”
He started for the front door. Koda watched him go, then hurried over to Renee and lay down at her feet.
Wynn hoped her son wasn’t setting himself up for disappointment. She knew his heart was in the right place, but Joylyn didn’t make things easy on anyone around her.
* * *
JOYLYN SAT AT the kitchen table, her paper supplies spread out around her. Even as she brushed away tears, she folded and glued the paper to make snowmen. So what if her life was falling apart—at least when Chandler got home she would have money in her savings account for them and the baby.
On the tablet screen, she saw Chandler holding out his hand to her, then pulling her close for their first dance together. Everything about the image was perfect—Chandler so tall and handsome, how her dress swayed, the happiness on both their faces.
She missed him so much. Missed them. She was lonely and scared and uncomfortable. Thoughts swirled and crashed together, making her more miserable by the second. Tears fell faster as emotions overwhelmed her. She crushed the small snowman in her hand and threw it onto the floor.
“I hate this!”
There was no one to respond because she was by herself. No one to—
The front door opened.
“Joylyn? It’s Hunter.”
She quickly brushed the moisture from her face. “In here,” she called.
He walked into the kitchen. “Whatcha doing?”
“Just making snowmen.”
“But it’s Thanksgiving. Why would you want to stay here by yourself instead of being with us?”
A very good question, and one she could no longer answer. “I just do.”
He sat across from her. “I don’t believe you. Why are you crying?”
“I’m not.”
“You were.”
She sniffed. “It’s just everything. My mom called for maybe two seconds. She’s so busy with her dinner and stuff. I talked to Chandler, but he’s far away and I miss him. Everything is awful.”
Hunter’s mouth twitched. “You mean awesome.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not funny. My life is horrible, and I hate that it’s the holidays.”
Hunter stared at her for a long time. “I don’t get it,” he said at last. “Why do you always look at the bad side of stuff? You never see what’s good.”
“That’s not true.” Only she knew it was.
“You miss Chandler, but he’s not in a war zone and he’ll be home in less than a month. You have a lot of family. You have your mom and your dad. I never had a dad. He died and I never knew him. Mom’s shown me some pictures, but they don’t mean anything. We don’t have any other family. It’s just the two of us. I’d never want to be mad at her the way you’re mad at your dad. I’d never want to hurt her feelings or make her sad. I don’t know how you can stand it.”
His unexpected confession and his very accurate assessment of her life made her feel ashamed. “It’s different for me. You’re too young to understand.”
“You’re hiding because you’re scared. That never works out.” He stood. “Come to dinner. You know you want to. Being by yourself only makes you feel worse. Jasper and Renee brought their dog. Koda’s a great guy. Someone abandoned him at an RV park in Texas. Jasper found him and brought him home. Now he’s happy. There’s a lesson there.”
Joylyn looked at the teen and saw the man he would be one day. He had a solid character