“We just don’t want you to overdo it, babe.” Evan kissed the top of CeCe’s head.
Mallory stifled her grin. “Although, we know you’re going to.”
CeCe shook her head and sighed. “Please don’t make any decisions now, okay? Let’s see how we’re doing when the babies arrive.”
Beckett looked to Mallory and nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.” Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he asked the question everyone wanted to know. “Have you guys picked out names yet?”
CHAPTER 3
Political and creative ambitions for the win
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“Aunt Alice, let mehelp.” Madeline snatched the suitcase from Alice’s grip and led the way to the exit. The Columbus Airport was busier than usual with the pre-Christmas rush, and James had to hold Alice’s hand so she wasn’t swallowed up by the growing crowds.
“And you drove here all by yourself?” Alice asked for the third time in as many minutes. Granted, it had been nearly three months since she’d laid eyes on her niece, but it still didn’t seem fathomable that Maddie was driving—alone.
Madeline hoisted Alice’s suitcase into the trunk of her car before turning to James and offering to help. “I’ve got it, Maddie. Thanks.” James easily lifted their last case into the trunk and closed the hatch. “We really appreciate you picking us up. It’s been a long week.”
“Happy to help. Plus, it gave me a break from Mom and Grandma’s drama.” She rolled her eyes and unlocked the car with her key fob. “Even while on a cruise, Grandma can be a pain in the butt.”
Alice gave James the passenger’s seat so he could spread out, but she sat in the middle of the back. Leaning on the edge of the seat, she asked, “And Anthony knows you’re here picking us up? Alone? During rush hour traffic in a major metropolitan area.”
Madeline let out a very unladylike snort as she put the car in reverse and headed toward the parking garage exit. “Nope. I knocked him over the head with a pipe and tied him up in the garage. He won’t know we’re gone for another twenty minutes.”
Alice huffed out a laugh at her niece’s sense of humor. “Are you sure you’re not my child?” She patted Maddie’s shoulder before finally resting back in her seat.
From the passenger’s seat, James frantically replied to texts and emails that he missed during their flight home from Canada. His most recent show was a huge hit in Toronto, so he and Alice rented an apartment downtown while his new pieces were shown. It was times like that, nestled together in an Airbnb with her husband watching the city outside drift by, that Alice was grateful for their nomadic lifestyle and careers.
She had just signed a contract for her third book of essays with her new publisher, and she had a regular by-line at a travel magazine. She wrote about their travels, the people they met, and most importantly the food they ate. While she would clack away on her laptop, James would be splattered in paint or sanding large pieces of wood. Their creative jobs were not for everyone, but they fit them both perfectly.
Madeline pulled onto the highway and turned on the radio. Taylor Swift blared around them until James tactfully turned it down and turned in his seat. “So, Maddie, how’s school? You’re a junior now, right?”
Much to Alice’s delight and relief, her niece seamlessly merged across three lanes of traffic and headed in the direction of home. After a decade, it still felt foreign for Alice to think of Buckeye Falls as home, but it truly was. Even with all their travels, she and James both craved the familiarity and comfort of their house. It was their space, and it was surrounded by their friends and family. Buckeye Falls had their hearts.
As the holidays approached, they pondered visiting his parents while they were traveling in South Korea, but the pull to a cozy midwestern Christmas was too strong. The forecast teased hints of the white stuff, and Alice relished the prospect of cozy nights at home with her husband. Plus, Max and Ginny hosting at the diner that had created some of her favorite meals was too good to be true.
