She raised the piece of cardboard holding the fudge. A beautiful gold chain nestled on the paper beneath with a little gold snowman charm. With a little gasp of surprise, of delight, Lexi looked up into Kyle’s eyes.
A satisfied smile rested on his face. “I was hoping you’d like it.”
“Like it?” she repeated. She loved it. But it was such an expensive gift, and she didn’t know if that meant only that he could afford expensive gifts...or if it meant much more. “But--“
”No buts,” Kyle’s father said. “Young lady, didn’t anyone ever tell you how to accept expensive gifts?”
She grinned. “I guess not.”
Kenneth rolled out of his chair and onto his knees beside her. “May I?” he asked as he delicately lifted the chain, and said, in a falsetto, “Oh, Kyle, this is absolutely be-OOO-tiful. I’d like more of these. Lots more, please.”
Everyone laughed.
With the chain again in her hands, Lexi mouthed ‘thank you’ to Kyle.
He mouthed ‘you’re welcome’ back.
And she thought her heart had never been so full.
Keefe’s wife opened her gift, and teased. “Thank you, Kyle. This is be-OOO-tiful, too.” Alyssa held up a rose-colored sweater with embroidered pastel flowers. “This color reminds me of Mama.”
And with that one mention of the woman Lexi would never meet, a heavy feeling settled over Kyle’s family.
And over the happiness in Lexi’s heart.
Chapter Eleven
Disappointed, Kyle realized the Christmas Eve curse was still here. He, his brothers, and his father all tried to pretend nothing had happened to ruin their holidays twenty-two years ago. And they always ended up ruining their current holidays.
Even Lexi’s presence couldn’t keep that particularly ugly holiday tradition at bay, the same one Alyssa had been fighting for years.
Sadness crept into his heart. He could tell his whole family was feeling it. He sat on the floor and leaned between the edges of Kenneth’s chair and Lexi’s couch.
Alyssa said, “I want to sing Mama’s favorite song.”
“Not yet.” His father’s voice cracked a little, and that brought the sadness even heavier into the room.
Kyle glanced up at Lexi and watched her look around at each of them. When he caught her eye, he attempted a smile, but was sure it didn’t work well. She leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
Alyssa persisted. “I think we’ve gone too long putting these things off. That’s part of the problem. We need to look at it. We need to feel it. And then we can remember Mama with happiness.”
His father shook his head.
After a brief hesitation, Alyssa bucked the tradition and started to sing. “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright.”
For long moments, Alyssa’s soprano voice carried the melody alone. Then Lexi joined in with a lovely alto harmony line, followed by her slightly out-of-key kids. Then Justin and Jill.
Keefe took his wife’s hand and choked out, “Silent night, holy night. Shepherds quake at the sight.”
Finally, even Kenneth joined in.
Tears ran down his father’s cheeks. And down Kyle’s own. And then, Kyle found himself singing the last few words. “Christ, the Savior is born.”
He hadn’t seen his father cry for years. But his father was crying now.
“Silent night, holy night, Son of God, Love’s pure light.”
Kyle wiped the tears from his own cheeks.
As the last strains of the song--Jesus, Lord at thy birth--faded, Kyle had a sudden desire to talk about Mama. A deep need. But he wasn’t sure how his father would take it. His big tough Irish father, who still missed his mother so much he never spoke of her.
His father stood. “I can’t do this. I’m going up to bed.”
Suddenly Lexi spoke, her voice quiet but piercing in its emotion. “Mr. Miller, this is perhaps not my place to say, but sometimes you need to go back to that painful place before you can go past the pain and find any joy.”
His father stared at her. “You are so young and so happy. What can you know of my pain at losing my wife?”
She smiled sadly. “I will share my own pain with you, if you will do me the honor of listening.”
His father looked at her for a long moment, finally nodded, and sank back into his chair. He did not recline this time. “All right. Yes, I will listen.”
She looked at Kyle as she took a deep, shuddering breath.
He reached over and took her hand in support of whatever she was going to share that raised such strong emotions in her, surprised at the strength of the protectiveness he felt toward her.