Treading Water: Coming Home Part 41

"G.o.d, you're just like Mom," Maggie grumbled as she returned to her seat and put her seat belt on.

"Thank you."

"I'm buckled, Mom, now tell me your news."

When Jill hesitated, Kate filled in the gap. "She's doing the horizontal bop with Reid's son, Ashton."

"Kate!"

"What? It's true!"

"Shut the front door!" Maggie said. "A father and son? What about me? Is there one left for me?"

Jill and Kate laughed. "We've got them all," Kate said. "Sorry."

"You two were never very good at sharing."

"Don't pout, Maggie," Jill said. "There's a whole crop of Southern boys waiting to meet you."

"Except Dad is going to be here, and he loves to ruin my fun."

"Mine, too," Kate said, wondering if he was going to ruin her fun this weekend. She sure hoped not. They'd spoken a few times in the last few weeks, sticking to neutral, nonconfrontational subjects. He'd agreed to spend the holiday in Nashville and attend the wedding. Kate was trying to be satisfied with the partial victory but hadn't dared broach the subject of him giving her away.

"When can I see my dress?" Maggie asked.

"As soon as we get to my place," Jill said.

"And when do I get to meet my future brother-in-law?"

"In the morning," Kate said. "We're having a girls' night tonight while he puts the finis.h.i.+ng touches on the Bunkhouse."

"What the heck is the Bunkhouse?" Maggie asked.

"Just you wait and see," Jill said.

With the help of Ashton, Buddy and Buddy's eighteen-year-old son Harry, Reid got the furniture distributed in the Bunkhouse. When Buddy decided the place needed a woman's touch, he called Taylor, who promised to be right over with Ms. Martha and the girls.

They arrived a short time later with pizza, beer and soda, and Reid had to admit they truly saved the day. They'd taken all the items Reid and Kate had bought in a shopping frenzy and put them together to make a warm, cozy, inviting s.p.a.ce for Kate's family.

"It looks awesome," Harry declared over pizza when the work was finished.

"I can't believe how fast you built this place," Buddy said.

"That's what he does," Ashley reminded her father.

"Thank you, Ash," Reid said, thankful that Buddy and his family had been frequent visitors in St. Kitts. He would've hated to be a stranger to his best friend's kids.

"Are you nervous?" Taylor asked Reid. "With all the in-laws coming and the holiday and the wedding?"

"Not really. I'm looking forward to finally being settled with Kate."

"Been a long time coming," Buddy said, holding up a beer bottle.

Reid clinked his bottle against his friend's, sharing a smile. "Yes, it has."

"I'm so very happy for you and Kate, Reid," Martha said. "I know I wasn't always happy for you two, but she's a grown woman now who clearly knows her own heart."

"Thank you, Martha. It means a lot to me that you approve."

"All my friends think it's really cool that I get to be a junior bridesmaid in Kate Harrington's wedding," Georgia said.

"Don't they know who Mom and Dad are?" Harry asked his youngest sister.

"Sure, but they're nowhere near as cool as Kate is," Georgia said with a sly glance at her parents, who were, as always, sitting close together on the sofa.

They also spoke as one in protesting. "Hey!"

Georgia laughed at the faces they made at her. "Well, it's true."

"Sheesh," Buddy said. "You give these kids your heart and soul, and they grow up to be rotten brats."

"Yes, they do," Martha said with a pointed look at her son.

"Wow," Ashton said, laughing. "Rough crowd."

"You know it," Buddy grumbled. "I'm abused in my own home."

"Not by everybody, baby," Taylor cooed at him.

"Thank G.o.d for you," Buddy said, kissing her right on the lips in front of their four disgusted children.

Reid laughed, amused as always by the Longstreets.

"We'd better get home," Taylor said. "One more day of school before vacation."

The girls let out enormous groans.

"Not for me," Harry said, grinning from ear to ear and looking more like his father with every pa.s.sing day. "Yet another benefit of college life. A whole month off at Christmas."

"Shut up, Harry," Chloe said in a sinister tone that shocked Reid. He wouldn't have thought sweet Chloe was capable.

"All right, citizens," Taylor said in the no-nonsense mom voice that worked every time. Reid was never quite sure how she managed to pull that off. "Let's go before this descends into all-out Longstreet warfare."

Reid walked them to their cars, where Harry wisely chose to ride with his dad while the girls and Martha went with Taylor. "Thanks a million for all the help."

Taylor gave him a big hug. "We're so thrilled for you and Kate. We can't wait until the wedding."

"Thanks, Tay. Love you guys."

"Love you, too." She kissed him full on the lips, patted his face and got into her car.

"I saw that," Buddy grumbled.

"She kissed me."

"Uh-huh." Buddy surprised the h.e.l.l out of Reid with a hug. "Enjoy all this, brother. Don't let the haters get you down."

Leave it to Buddy to say what everyone else was thinking. "I won't."

"Anything I can do-you know where I am."

"There is one thing..."

"What's that?"

"Well, I know Kate asked you to walk her downstairs to the wedding, but if you could maybe be my best man, too, I'd be mighty grateful."

Buddy glanced at the Bunkhouse and then at Reid. "I thought you'd ask Ashton to do that."

Reid would never admit to how much it pained him that he didn't feel comfortable asking his son to stand up for him. "Don't want to push my luck."

"Right. Yeah, probably wise. Of course I'll do it."

"Thanks-for that and everything."

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you guys back together and happy as h.e.l.l. I beat myself up for a long time over what happened the first time around."

"You shouldn't have. It was all our doing. You got caught in the crossfire."

"Still... Feels like we're righting a wrong or something, you know?"

"I sure do, and I'm so glad you and your family will be a part of it."

"So are we. We'll see you for Christmas."

Reid was incredibly thankful that his "family" would be present for the holiday. He needed all the friends he could get with Jack Harrington and Jamie Booth coming to town. "See you then."

He went back inside where Ashton was cleaning up the beer bottles, soda cans and pizza boxes. "Thanks for the help tonight, son."

"Sure, no problem."

They'd been cautiously polite to each other in the weeks since he and Kate had been back in town. Neither he nor Ashton had any appet.i.te for trouble in their relations.h.i.+p, and for that Reid was profoundly grateful. But he would give almost everything he had to feel that his son was even slightly happy for him and Kate. He wanted that more than he'd realized, until it became clear that Ashton wasn't going to say the words he longed to hear.

It was enough, Reid told himself, that his son was partic.i.p.ating, that he'd come to help with the Bunkhouse when Reid asked him to. Except it wasn't enough. It wasn't anywhere near enough. At some point, Reid needed to tell him about the baby that was on the way, but he'd yet to find the right time to broach a subject that might upset his son.

"Are you going to head home?" Reid asked when all the work was done and the living room had been straightened after the impromptu gathering.

"I was thinking about cras.h.i.+ng the hen party," Ashton said with a devilish gleam in his eyes. "Want to come along?"

"Kate was pretty adamant about wanting some time with her sisters."

"So was Jill."

Their eyes met in a moment of lighthearted unity that made Reid feel like there might be hope after all.

"Are you in?" Ashton asked.

"Sure, why not? But if it goes bad, it was your idea."

Ashton laughed as Reid locked up the Bunkhouse and they headed for the well-worn path that led to Jill's place.

Reid felt like a kid sneaking out to perpetrate a prank with his favorite partner in crime. The air was brisk and cold. Snow flurries danced in the air, a promise of things to come over the next few days. Kate had refused to get too hopeful about a white Christmas, but all reports indicated snow on Christmas Eve.

"Colder than a well-digger's a.s.s," Ashton muttered.

"Sure is."

The lights were on at Jill's, and an inviting wisp of smoke curled from the chimney.

Ashton marched right up the front stairs as if he had every right to be there and rapped on the door.

Jill answered a minute later, surprise registering on her face. "What're you doing here?"

"My dad wanted to see Kate." He stepped aside so she could see that Reid was with him.

Reid let out a bark of laughter. "He lies. This was all his idea."

"We're freezing our agates off," Ashton said. "Are you going to let us in?" When Jill hesitated, he said, "Pretty please?"

"Oh, all right."

"She can't resist me," Ashton said to his father as they went inside.

"Don't push your luck," Jill said, even though Reid could tell she was delighted to see his son.

Ashton truly pushed his luck by stealing a kiss from her.

Wanting to give them a minute alone and hungry for a glimpse of his fiancee, Reid looked around the family room, which was empty. He followed voices to the kitchen, where he found Kate with Maggie.

Kate's eyes lit up with delight when he walked into the room. He hoped she would always be that happy to see him.

"What're you doing here?" she asked.

"Ashton wanted to see Jill and dragged me along."

"I'm so glad he did." Kate came over to hug and kiss him. Over her shoulder, he noticed Maggie watching them. With an interesting combination of their features, she was as gorgeous as her sisters.

He pulled back from Kate's embrace but kept his arm around her. "You must be the mysterious third Harrington sister."