Page 101 of Ho Ho Oh No
An uninvited thought hits me, inciting the familiar twinge of anger under my ribs. I never had a chance to hear Lettie’s cries. Were they tiny like this, or did she come out wailing? Was she this size? Bigger? Smaller? Did she smell this sweet?
My mood sours instantly. Once again, I’m lost in the void. A space barren of memories that Ishouldhave but never will.
Because they were stolen from me.
The laughter and well-wishes quickly pull me from the dark abyss.
When I blink free of the fog, Lettie’s standing directly in front of me, tears spilling down her cheeks. It dawns on me she didn’t meet the babies when the others did. Tomer didn’t either.
I tip my head to beckon her close. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m looking into the future, seeing how you’ll look holding yournextgrandbaby in a few months. And then again a few months after that when this one makes its debut.” She pats her belly.
Her meaning hits me in the chest like a ton of bricks.
Son of a bitch. Now I’m a second away from crying too.
And when she strides up to me, rises to her tiptoes, and places a tender kiss on my cheek, the second is up.
Lettie pulls away, using the pad of her thumb to wipe it away. “There. Can’t have anyone know the head of Redleg has a soft side, now can we?”
“The bag!” a feminine voice rings out. “The bag. It’s time!”
My eyes track the source to find Mama Klein clapping and bouncing over with joy.
“That woman is a peach.” Lettie scrunches her shoulders up by her ears. “Itistime.”
“For what?” I ask.
Lettie’s megawatt smile shines and sparkles.“Santa has some presents to deliver, doesn’t he?”
“Oh, shit. Everything’s back at Redleg.”
“Nope. That’s why I said Mama Klein’s a peach.”
I quirk my head to the side. “Huh?”
“When you all tore out of the party, she flipped out ’cause Santa left without his bag. So we brought it.” She points toward an unstaffed reception area. “It’s hiding behind the desk, waiting for you to do the honors. As soon as your hands are free.”
“These little angels need to go back to their parents, anyhow,” Maddie says.
As much as I’d love to pass out the gifts and end the night on the highest of notes, I won’t do it without everyone here. “We can’t do presents without Sawyer and Sammy.”
Lettie lets her eyes drift to the ceiling, twists her neck to the side, and pats her lips with a red-tipped fingernail. “Hmm. If only someone had already thought of that.” She balls her fists by her face, then flutters her fingers to mime a firework explosion. “Oh wait. I already did. I sent John McClane to get them.”
On cue, Sawyer’s voice echoes around the room. “Where are the fruits of my loins?”
Groans flow around the room in waves, accompanied by a few shudders.
Sue speaks for everyone when she exclaims, “For the love of St. Paddy,nevercall them that again.”
Sawyer laughs it off. Once again, wearing the Buddy the Elf hat, he pushes Sammy in a wheelchair. Both of them beam like the sun. With her fingers pressed tightly together and her hand cupped, Sammy demurely waves with tiny flicks of her wrist. She’s working overtime to earn the princess moniker.
As soon as she spies us, she thrusts stiff arms out. “Gimme my babies!”
We quickly get Sammy and Sawyer settled into chairs with their twins. Instead of rushing off, I back away slowly, eating up the sight of the four of them all cozy together.
Not to be the big softy I was accused of being, but the freaking love flowing around them is palpable.