Ginger straightened, holding a velvet bag in her hands. "Here we go." She sat on the edge of the sofa and began withdrawing the wrapped pieces. "Matthew and Kyle used to argue every year over where to put the Wise Men. Matthew is such a traditionalist like his father. He wanted them right there in the manger. Kyle, however, pointed out that the Wise Men really didn't show up until two years later, so they should be positioned somewhere outside the manger."
Phoebe rocked Nina, eyeing the trio of porcelain figures and envisioning a young Kyle dreaming of the Wise Men's world travels. The reproduction of the antique crèche still looked vintage, with an Old World style to the rich-hued paints.
Ginger cupped a camel in her hand. "Every year, my little smart-aleck son would cradle those three porcelain antiques and shake his head, saying, 'Two years, for Pete's sake. That makes 'em the three wise slackers, if you ask me.'"
"That certainly sounds like Kyle." At least the Kyle she'd known a week ago. Would Nina have his sense of humor, as well as his smile? Would they see that humor again?
Ginger placed the camel behind the three kings. "He always has joked to cover when he's uncomfortable with emotions. His father being gone so much bothered him deeply, but Kyle always shrugged it off as if it didn't matter."
Could he be shutting down as a different defense mechanism against uncomfortable-hell, painful-emotions? He was all action, without a doubt, and she'd learned long ago men sometimes overcompensate with actions at the expense of words and feelings. "Kyle turned down the job with Landis International."
Ginger didn't look up, just continued to arrange the figures on the coffee table even though it was weeks too early for Christmas decorations. "I was disappointed to hear that. I take it he seems to think he can't be a good father and travel the way he wants."
"He even hinted that leaving would be the same as what Bianca did." She thought back to the time she'd expressed her fears about attachment disorder and how that must have fueled Kyle's concerns. "Have you ever talked with Kyle about this? Maybe he'll listen to you."
Laughing lightly, her mother-in-law shook her head. "If I've learned anything in all my years parenting and in politics, it's that you can't tell people anything and have them accept it as truth. They have to come to the conclusion on their own."
"But you told me."
"You were almost there on your own and you already had all the pieces in place."
Phoebe tried to understand where Ginger was going with her trip down memory lane, but the way she saw it, things looked so damn bleak. "Are you telling me this so I can give up on Kyle?"
Ginger leaned back on the sofa, her blue eyes wise but kind. "I'm helping you so you can show him the pieces he needs to put it together." She gave the camel a final nudge so it lined up alongside the magi. "It may take a while, even a long while, but don't give up. Some people see the pieces differently, but as long as you're both talking about how to work it out, you'll find the answers that are just right for you."
Phoebe looked at the porcelain set resting on the coffee table. She could almost see the four Landis siblings taking turns arranging the figurines, the brothers so alike in looks, but different in many ways now that she knew them better.
And what about her? How would she have displayed the scene? No matter how many times she jostled it around in her head, she couldn't recreate what she'd put together before. Her mind kept envisioning things differently, from the perspective of a mother, with Kyle's quirky, slacker Wise Men off to the side.
Slowly her vision cleared and the image of how her life should be came together again, differently than before, with Roger, but no less wonderful. She wanted a future with Kyle, a unique life together that they built, not some attempt to recreate the past. Something was going on with Kyle, but not for a moment did she believe he didn't care.
The time had come to truly take command of her life and be the wife and partner Kyle deserved.
Kyle sensed a new determination in Phoebe as they sat around the table in the courthouse mediation room to discuss the first round of custody specifics with Bianca. Kyle had buried himself in paperwork in the hopes that he could make this right.
He'd vowed he would do anything to make Phoebe happy and look toward the future rather than the past. Keeping Nina absolutely topped the list of securing everyone's happiness. After they'd crossed that hurdle, he would do everything in his power to be the best husband and father possible-even if that meant nailing his ass to a desk in Hilton Head.
He just hoped the evidence they'd found about how Bianca had spent the past months would turn the tide in their favor. So much depended on the judge's final verdict, and Sebastian had told him that could swing either way. Still Phoebe sat next to him exuding quiet confidence, her chin high and shoulders square.
Bianca huffed a ragged strand of hair off her brow, thumbing through the stack of documents in front of her. "This is all so complicated and official."
Phoebe leaned closer to Bianca. "You have to understand we only want to keep Nina safe."
"That's what I want, too," Bianca rushed to answer. "I just want to play with her."
Kyle started to reach for the file of damning photos. Phoebe placed a hand on his arm. "Wait a moment." She leaned on her elbow. "Bianca, do you truly want custody of Nina?"
The confidential tone in her voice was soft. Non-accusatory. And completely caught him off guard. What the hell was she doing? Even ever-stoic Sebastian tensed in the leather seat.
Bianca scratched mascara from the corner of her eye, her gaze darting around nervously. "What kind of mother doesn't want custody? Even you want her and you're not her mom."
"No one here is judging you, Bianca," Phoebe continued with admirable calm. "We all want what's best for Nina and best for all of us, including you. Why not let go of who you think you should be. Be who you are and let's work from there."
Kyle's neck started to itch. Phoebe had said much the same thing to him when he'd told her about turning down the job with Landis International.
Phoebe reached across the table to Nina's biological mother with an openness Kyle didn't think he could have scavenged.
"Bianca," she pressed gently. "What's really going on?"
Bottom lip quivering, Bianca squeezed Phoebe's hand. "You're going to think I'm an awful person. All of you." She looked around the table. "Nina's sweet and I do want to see her. But I want to be an actress. That's all I've ever wanted." She blurted, "I need money."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed.
Anger gelled inside Kyle as what he'd feared and expected played out. "You want a payoff."
Phoebe touched his leg lightly under the mahogany table, patting his knee reassuringly to quiet the storm brewing inside him.
"No, no." Bianca raised both her hands defensively, her long, manicured nails reflecting the halogen bulbs overhead. "I'm not bribing you. I wouldn't do that. I may have flaws, but I would never sell my baby. I just want a decent shot at being an actress. I've got an audition in Bollywood and I can't afford the plane ticket. All I want is a plane ticket."
Bollywood? In India?
Kyle stared at her in shock. She was already making plans to jet? To leave their daughter all over again? But on the plus side, all she wanted was a damn plane ticket. Less than a thousand dollars. If Bianca was interested in bribing them, she would have asked for a hell of a lot more than that.
Bianca twisted her hands in front of her, a blur of fuchsia nails and silver rings. "I realize you're pissed because I didn't tell you about Nina, but I knew if I came to you, you would get all wrapped up in making a family. I mean, God, all you talk about is family, family, family." She glanced up quickly. "No offense meant to any of you."