His Christmas Redemption

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Snowballs went sailing at the same time and while Erin’s hit him square in the chest, his missed.

“You still want to mess with me?” she asked.

“Uncle Lance!” Dylan came running to him. “When we were in the house getting ready, you said we couldn’t get Aunt Erin. The snow will hurt her cast.”

Ryan followed his brother. “You can’t get Auntie!”

The boys both picked up snow and made snowballs that they tossed directly at Lance.

The snow hit Lance with a resounding thud. Erin laughed. “That’s what you get for breaking the rules.”

Lance shook his head as he brushed the snow off. “I can definitely see where I didn’t think that idea through well enough.”

“You should say you’re sorry and give her a hug,” Dylan said, looking at him sternly.

When he looked at Erin, she was still wiping tears of mirth from her eyes and Lance didn’t think she’d heard the little boy.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, buddy,” Lance said.

Innocent eyes looked up at him. “Why not? Mom says hugs are always a good idea,” Dylan said. Then Dylan frowned. “Unless the person doesn’t want a hug, and then you should respect their wishes. But auntie loves hugs.”

As if his lecture settled the matter, both Dylan and Ryan ran to Erin and hugged her. Erin smiled as she looked over their heads at him. “I do love hugs,” she said. “But we don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable. At least now you know that we take our rules very seriously here, and you shouldn’t even think about messing with me.”

Her tone was light and there was understanding in her eyes. He’d been trying to have fun, they both had, but it was amazing how even the smallest things became difficult reminders of their complicated past. Maybe, even though it seemed like they were both trying to move forward, making peace wasn’t as easy as his therapist had led him to believe.

So what did peace look like? What did it mean to come to terms with both their daughter’s death and their divorce?

Maybe, as the boys ran back to their sled, it wasn’t a question they needed to settle right this very minute.

Lance grinned at Erin. “I will be expecting a rematch once you’re healed.”

“You’re on,” she said, laughing.

That was the other thing he’d loved, and missed, about Erin. Her laugh. She had one of the most beautiful, most contagious, laughs of anyone he’d ever met. The kind that made you feel absolutely comfortable and at ease because you knew she was laughing with you, not at you.

“Uncle Lance!” Dylan held up the sled.

“Go,” Erin said. “The boys have been really excited about today. I’ve been promising them for weeks that as soon as we got a good snow, we’d go sledding.”

And every day since her accident, she’d put them off. Or rather, he’d put them off. As he jogged over to the boys, he realized he’d been working hard at keeping his distance, trying not to let how they had so easily taken to calling him “Uncle Lance” or how they automatically included him in everything, be caught in his heart.

Was there a way for him to maintain a relationship with them once he left? He took the sled from Dylan and carried it the rest of the way up the hill. It wasn’t much of a hill, just a gentle, sloping space that would allow the boys the enjoyment of sledding but not the high-speed thrills he and Erin used to chase after.

They’d had a lot of fun together. Funny how it had taken being apart almost two years to remember it.

The boys got on the sled and Lance gave them a small push to send them sailing down the hill. He ran after them, letting their laughter warm his heart.

It was going to be impossible not to find himself attached. It hadn’t hurt as much leaving the boys behind the first time; he’d been too deep in his own grief to understand how big a part of his life they were.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, the edge of the sled hit a tiny bump and sent the boys flying. Even though they were laughing, Lance ran over to make sure they were okay.

“Again!” Ryan chortled, jumping up and running toward him.

Dylan picked up the sled and followed his brother. “That was awesome. We probably flew a hundred feet in the air.”

They hadn’t flown at all, but the boys’ excitement made him smile. After losing Lily and Erin, Lance had vowed not to remarry or have children. He’d jokingly told people that he was married to his company and that it was enough. But as the snowy boys rushed at him with open arms, he thought that perhaps he might have been too hasty. He found his work rewarding, but no one from the office ever ran around giving him hugs. Not only would it be inappropriate, as much as he liked the people he worked with, he hadn’t ever felt like hugging any of them.

He looked up from the boys and over at Erin as she watched. She set the camera down and waved at him. Lance waved back, feeling like a schoolboy as he noticed her shining eyes. She might not have been able to join in on the fun, but she was clearly enjoying herself.

“Come on, Uncle Lance.” Dylan tugged on his pants, so he grabbed the sled and they made the trek back up the hill. He used to laugh at all the people who talked about living for the moment; he’d never understood why they weren’t planning for their futures. But now he almost understood. He should have kept his distance, knowing that the inevitable goodbye was coming. As he got the boys situated on the sled for another trip down the hill, he pushed aside his worries for the future and sent the boys sailing again.

Maybe he’d lost his chance to be a dad, and he wouldn’t remain an uncle much longer, but for now it was enough. He’d find a way to deal with the inevitable pain later.

Even though Erin hadn’t been able to do any sledding, she’d had enough fun just watching everyone. It had been a long time since she’d seen Lance let loose like that. Everything since Lily had been born was about being responsible and doing the right thing. It was funny how he liked to mock her lists, but he had a similar need for organization and control.

When they’d met, Lance had been one of the most fun people she’d ever been around besides her sisters. They used to have wild adventures together—not the crazy college-party thing, but things like hiking and camping or sledding. She didn’t think Lance had been sledding since before Lily was born. He hadn’t wanted to go without her and he’d always been so busy at work. He used to tell her that he was working hard for Lily’s future. But what good was the future if you didn’t take the time to enjoy the present? Did he regret all the time he’d spent at work instead of with their family?

The sun was getting low in the sky, which meant they only had a little bit of daylight left to feed the horses and take care of the other chores. Shane had brought his horses over while they were on their honeymoon so Erin wouldn’t have to go back and forth. At the time she’d thought it was a needless effort. But now she was glad.

“Time to come in,” she called when Lance and the boys got to the bottom of the hill for what had to be the thousandth time.

They came to her, disappointment overshadowing their laughter.

“Do you think we can do it again tomorrow?” Dylan asked.

“We’ll see,” she said. “Right now, we need to feed the animals.”

The trouble with having broken limbs was that the animals didn’t know any differently. They still had to be cared for. One more thing Erin had to give credit to Lance for. Despite his lack of experience, he’d still jumped in to do everything that was needed. The boys ran past her to the barn, already knowing their jobs. They would get out the hose and refill the water while Lance took care of the hay.

Lance stayed behind, walking alongside her. “You’re not too tired, are you? I didn’t mean for us to stay out so long. I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun.”

She turned and smiled at him. “I’m glad. I was just thinking that it must’ve been a long time since you’ve been sledding.”

He nodded slowly. “Not since that last time before Lily was born.”

He stopped, holding her back slightly. “What went wrong with us? I keep thinking about that day and how much in love we were, and I don’t understand how we lost it so easily. What happened to all those plans of forever?”

A lot of things. But when she’d pointed them out to him in counseling, he’d bristled, telling her it wasn’t fair to blame him for her decision to leave. When she’d pushed too hard, he’d ended the conversation. So what could she say now? He’d come here, looking for peace after their divorce. Even though she had her own part in their relationship breakdown, she knew that until he accepted what he’d done wrong in the marriage, he wouldn’t be able to find that peace.

“Sometimes having fun and being in love isn’t enough to make a marriage work,” she said finally.

He gave her the same confused look he’d given her when she’d asked for the divorce. “Then what? What else does a marriage need?”

The boys couldn’t be left unattended in the barn for too long. Nicole’s horse, Snookie, while much better trained than she’d been when they’d first gotten her, was still uncomfortable around children. The boys knew not to go near her, but that didn’t mean they always listened.

Erin took another step toward the barn. “Every marriage is different. And I know, after everything you’ve done to help me the past few days, I owe you a better explanation. But I need to make sure the boys are safe. So I’ll tell you what. One of these nights, when the boys are in bed, you and I can have some hot chocolate and we’ll talk. I may not totally have the answers you’re looking for, but I can at least tell you what else I needed, if that’s something you’re open to hearing.”

He started for the barn. “You’re right. I wasn’t even thinking about the boys.”

He shook his head slowly then stopped again. “This is why I don’t do emotions. You used to always get on me about that, wanting to know how I felt. But here I am, feeling things I don’t understand, and I’ve already lost sight of what’s important.” Not waiting for an answer, he continued toward the barn.