“I just think it’s funny, that’s all,” Hailey shook her head.
“He is a pretty baby…that’s all I’m sayin’!” Grant declared.
“And you don’t see the humor in that at all?” Hailey smiled at her husband.
“Humor?” Grant raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, my dear,” Hailey kissed her husband before staring back at their baby boy. “He is gorgeous…and he absolutely looks just like you.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“To your left just a tad…no, no…too much, Randy…I said a tad…just a smidge, Honey…okay…that’s too far to the right now,” Nora dictated from the sofa.
“How does it look?” Randy exhaled, making one last adjustment to the wreath above the mantel.
“Maybe you should come down and see if you think it’s straight…I can’t really tell,” Nora sighed, scribbling last minute notes in her notebook.
“What do you mean you can’t really tell? You’ve been barkin’ out directions like you have some sort of master’s degree in garland engineering, and now you’re gonna tell me you don’t even know what straight looks like?” Randy huffed, stomping down the ladder. He took one look at the wreath and curled his lip. “That’s as good as it gets, Nora,” he grumbled as he took out his tape measure and climbed the ladder once more.
“It’s perfect,” Nora declared, standing to go into the kitchen. “Zach is outside playing basketball in the driveway. Why don’t you have him help you put the toy soldiers out? I think that is the last chore on your list!”
Randy gestured with the tape measure as he followed Nora into the kitchen, offering it as proof that the wreath was indeed straight and centered above the mantel. He reached for a Christmas cookie, still on a sheet of wax paper on the counter. Nora slapped at his hand. “Randy, those are for when the kids get here!”
Randy took a deliberate bite of a gingerbread man and raised his eyebrow. “Have you given any thought to where everyone is going to sleep?”
Nora reached for a diagram that was hanging on the refrigerator. She slid a homemade, reindeer, Christmas magnet that Zach had made at school to the side and removed the single sheet of paper.
Randy glanced over Nora’s shoulder, examining the sketch with an intensity that took over his features. He pointed to a large box shape near the back of the drawing of their house. “Nora, this isn’t right; you’ve messed it up or something,” he shook his head. “You have David’s name written in the master bedroom…”
“What’s wrong with that?” Nora asked, sounding slightly miffed.
“I’m the master…that’s what,” Randy said gruffly, as he snatched the paper to examine it for other errors.
“I thought David and Melissa should take the master bedroom,” Nora said with a shrug. “They will need plenty of room with Leah and the twins, so I thought they could use our room, and we’ll sleep on the couches in the living room.”
“Why can’t David and his bunch have the living room, so I can have my bed?” Randy raised an eyebrow.
“Randy, I’ve thought this all out. That simply won’t work,” Nora said, reaching for her paper. “If the children are sleeping in the living room, how in the world are we supposed to explain Santa Claus never coming down the chimney? You and the boys are going to be busy little Santa’s helpers on Christmas Eve night, my friend. I’m giving you the entire living room to work.”
Giving up on winning that argument, Randy smiled wryly. “So have you broken the news to Grant that he and Hailey are sharing the guest room with Rachel and Wally, or do I get the pleasure of telling him?”
“What do you mean?” Nora asked, confused.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Randy shrugged. “But don’t change it…seeing Ozzy Osbourn and Harvard Law trying to survive a long weekend together could be the highlight of my holiday season!”
“Do you think Grant will complain?” Nora asked sincerely.
“I know it’s been awhile since you last saw him, Nora, but you remember Grant, right?” Randy scoffed. “Lawyer, married to a teacher, tall kid, blond hair, big mouth, easily annoyed, fiercely blunt…”
“Go,” Nora said, shooing her husband away. “Get the toy soldiers set up in the driveway! In a few hours, all the kids will be home for Christmas!”
At the airport, Patton held his mother’s hand, his blond curls sticking out around the edges of his Army green toboggan. Hailey straightened his shirt as she knelt down next to him. “Now, Patton,” she smiled, squeezing his little hands in hers, “remember what we talked about; all of your cousins are going to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s, and Mama and Daddy need you to be on your very best behavior.”
Patton nodded. “I’m only three,” he added.
“We will take that into consideration,” Grant chuckled as he eyed his mini-me.
Hailey stood and smiled at Grant. “I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be going home for Christmas this year.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you for making this happen for us. You’re the best!”
Grant kissed his wife on the lips and lifted Patton into his arms. “Patton, what’s the capital of Rhode Island?” he asked.
“Providence,” Patton said confidently, as if the question was much too easy. “Daddy, that’s only an hour from our house. Mama likes to go eat there!”
“Egypt?” Grant fired back at his son.
“Umm…Cairo,” Patton nodded.
“Gotta be ready for Grandpa,” Hailey grinned with a shake of her head.
“Let’s see…which ones do you have trouble with?” Grant thought aloud. “Michigan?”
“Lansing,” Patton said after a moment, automatically holding up his hand to high-five his father.
