Bending over, Noreen picked up one of the tree ornaments. It was a picture of her, and the frame was inscribed withBaby’s first Christmas. “I think Nick wants the child but is afraid to take the risk.”
“After the loss of his son. He told you it changed him forever.”
“Yes, it did.” She took another ornament. This was one with a picture, too, of her mother and father and her in the middle, at about four. “But he was calm about this one.” She put her hand on her stomach.
Her mother took out a purple and blue Merino glass ball she’d gotten in Venice. “Is that what you want, honey?”
“I do.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“I think so. We never exchanged those words, but we’re close, Mom.”
“That’s important. For the record, I’m thrilled by this news. I’ll help you in any way you need.”
“I knew you would.”
After a light lunch, the two of them changed into their pajamas and fixed hot chocolate. They dropped down on the couch in front of the TV. “Ready for our favorite Christmas movie before dinner?”
“I am.” The familiar song that was the opening ofLove Actuallycame on. Noreen never believed all you needed in life was love. Somehow, now, it made more sense.
* * *
“Nervous?” Noreen asked Nick as they drove on practically empty roads at seven Christmas morning.
“Yes.” He smiled over at her. “You look great in that sweater.”
“A Christmas present from Mom. She made it.” The garment was made of multi-colored yarn knitted together tightly. “I love it.”
“Tell me about your other gifts. What did you get her? What other presents did you receive?”
She recounted the way-too-many gifts her mother bought for her. She gestured to the backseat. “You got a lot of gifts for your family.”
“I hired a personal shopper. Gave her all the details. But I checked them out carefully so I won’t be surprised about any of them.”
Noreen was silent.
He asked, “You don’t approve?”
“No, it’s not that. I used a service when I was practicing medicine. It felt impersonal.”
“I guess it does. I’ll rethink that for next year.” He reached over and cupped her flat belly. “I’ll buy all her gifts.”
“Her, huh?”
“One can hope.”
“We can find out the sex in a few weeks.”
“That’s amazing.”
The roads were clear, so they made it to Pennsylvania in two hours. They chatted some, listened to Christmas carols on the radio and stopped for breakfast.
They arrived in his hometown of Preston at eleven a.m. “Mom said they’d wait for me to open presents. They exited his Lexus and grabbed the bags of gifts.
The house was a two-story colonial, gray with black shutters. Everything was well maintained. He stood on the stoop, the wind brushing his face and stared ahead. “I don’t know if I should ring the bell or not.”
“Ring just in case.”
