Chapter 17:Extra presents at Christmas
We made love once more before showering together and then getting dressed. We were expected for breakfast and Nicole warned me that her mother would probably put on an old-style breakfast: oatmeal, eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, fried tomatoes, and toast.
When we arrived at the Carlisle home we were greeted by Mary, who immediately gave both Nicole and me a hug and a kiss. There was no pretense about that woman and it made me feel both relieved and welcome. Jimmy was just getting out of bed, so he likely wouldn't have known his mother wasn't in her own bed last night. He wandered into the living room and saw me.
"How come you're here so early," he said, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, I just wanted to spend the whole day with you and your Mom. She's been away for a long time."
He nodded and shrugged, heading for the kitchen as Mary poured him a glass of apple juice. Mom was home now and it was nothing to get excited about.
"When you finish that, go get washed and dressed, Jimmy," Nicole said.
"Okay." Simple instructions, simple answer.
I was offered a coffee by Angus and I accepted.
"Can I have a moment with you, Angus?" I asked.
He nodded with a knowing look. He was pretty sure what this was about.
"Last night I proposed to Nicole. Before we did anything, I wanted your permission to marry your daughter. I love her and Jimmy very much and I will look after them with my life."
He smiled. "It might be that the tradition is for you to ask me first before asking my daughter, but I'll give you thanks for your courtesy and gladly grant you her hand."
"Thank you, Angus. You and Mary have been wonderful to me and I will make you proud that you gave your blessing."
"I know you will, Lad," he smiled.
"I'm going to ask Jimmy too," I told him.
"Good lad. He's going to be as happy as his mother. You've already won his heart. It makes my old ticker race with joy to see this family whole at last."
Nicole hadn't been kidding about her mother's breakfast. There was enough food for twice the people and I pushed myself back before I was tempted to eat any more.
"That was wonderful, Mary, but I couldn't handle another like that for a couple of months."
"It's a special occasion, is it not?"
"It is. I suppose Nicole has told you?"
"Yes, but she really didn't need to. I knew the moment I saw both of you this morning."
"Told you what?" Jimmy asked, confused by the conversation.
"Uhhm, Jimmy, can you and I go to the living room and have a talk?"
"I guess so. Is it okay, Mom?"
"Of course," she said with a smile.
He followed me into the living room and moved to the sofa where he usually sat.
"Jimmy, you know I like your Mom, right?"
"Sure."
"And you and I are good pals, right?"
He nodded agreement.
"Uhhm ... Jimmy, I'm in love with your Mom and I want to marry her. Would that be okay with you?"
"Sure," he said immediately without thinking.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I think that was harder than asking Nicole or Angus.
"Does that mean you'd be my dad?"
This time I nodded. "Yes, I'd be your dad. You okay with that too?"
"Sure. Can I have a bike? Most of the kids at school have a bike."
"Yes, I think you can have a bike if it's okay with your mother."
"Cool. Do I get to go to the place where you get married?"
"Yes, of course. You and Nana and Grandad and my mom and dad will all be there."
"When?"
"Well, we haven't decided yet. Nana and your mom are going to work on that. You know your mom has to go away again for a couple of weeks, don't you?"
"Yeah. But she said this is the last time. Are you going to live here?"
"Well, I think your mom and I will look for a place all our own."
"Does that mean I won't see Nana and Grandad again?" he asked, looking worried.
"Oh no, we'd never do that. In fact, if we're lucky, we might find a place not far away so you can still go to the same school."
"Yeah. That would be good. I have lots of friends at school. I'm in grade one, you know."
"Yes, I do know, and I'm glad you like school. That's important."
"Do your mom and dad live here?" he asked.
"Not too far away. I'm going to take you and your mom to meet them. I'm pretty sure they're going to really like you. They'll be your new Grampa and Grandma."
"Yaay! Extra presents at Christmas."
"I guess so," I laughed. Kids boiled things down to the essentials I remembered.
I followed Jimmy back to the kitchen and gave the "OK" sign to everyone, unbeknownst to the boy.
"So, he was fine with it?" Nicole asked quietly when Jimmy had gone off to watch TV.
"Yeah, he was fine. It only cost me a bicycle."
"What?" Nicole reacted.
"He horse-traded you for a bicycle," I chuckled.
Angus broke out into laughter and Mary was suppressing her mirth as well. Nicole was shaking her head, but smiling. Everything was fine and Jimmy would get his bicycle while I got his mother. Not a bad trade at all.