Another Chance at Happiness

Chapter Twenty-five

"Shitty. Colin and T were picking at each other. Colin said some hateful things to the both of us." He squinted at his reflection in the mirror.

"Oh boy." She went to him and put her arms around his waist.

He continued. "I told him we're going to talk about his behavior in our next session with the therapist."

Still holding on to him, she moved to his side and gazed at his reflection. "What did he say?"

"He said..."—his voice wavered—"he said he hated living apart from both me and his mom, and he hated seeing me with you." He hung his head, his hands in fists on the countertop.

She sighed sadly and stroked his back with her left hand. "How is Trevayne?"

He lifted his head to look at her. "He's trying his best to be brave for his brother and me, but I can tell he's devastated, like we all are, I suppose."

"What do you need from me? How can I help?" She dabbed at a stray tear on his cheek.

"I just... I don't know what to do, myself. I guess I need time to figure this all out."

"You don't have to figure it all out on your own, sweet man, I'm here."

* * *

Christmas was her favorite holiday, and Lela was so excited to share it with Nathan and his boys this year. She decorated the inn in tasteful evergreen and cherry-red plaids with complimentary cream- and gold-colored decorations. The bungalow was decked out with precious family heirlooms and live garland, and the Christmas tree, which glowed with white lights, stood proudly by her front window. All of her children's ornaments were lovingly hung on the tree. She added a new ornament every year, and this year she'd even bought special ornaments for Nathan's boys. Christmas music played loudly throughout the house, and she was just starting to hang the rest of the ornaments on the tree when Nathan and the boys arrived.

"Hey, you've got the tree up!" Trevayne yelled excitedly. He ran over and hugged her.

"Hey there, T. I do have the tree up. Do you want to help me finish decorating it?"

"Yeah!"

She laughed at his exuberance. "Okay, put your clothes and things away in your room, and then we'll get started. Oh! And I have a surprise for you, but you have to get everything put away first."

"K!" He was gone in a flash.

Her Superman smiled as his youngest blurred past. He kissed Lela softly on the lips. "Hey, baby."

"Hi, sweet man. Where's Colin?" she asked, looking around.

His smile fell. "He snuck past and went into their bedroom. He's in a bad mood. This pre-teen thing is total bullshit."

Lela cracked a half smile, familiar with the drama of almost-teenage boys. "Ah yes. I remember it well. Is he still upset about Thanksgiving? I thought you two talked it out with the therapist?"

"I thought so too, but he's still not handling things very well. He's been journaling his thoughts and sharing them in our sessions. The therapist says it's going to take a while to get through everyone's issues..." he replied, his eyes darting away from her.

She frowned. Nathan was stewing on something. She decided to leave it alone, he would tell her when he was ready. "Are you hungry?"

"Maybe in a little while. I'm going out to the barn to check on things. Hopefully the plumbing and electrical are done so they can hang the drywall next week."

"I expect a full report when you get back," she joked, slapping him on the butt before he could walk away. He didn't even crack a smile. It had been a while since he needed to escape to the barn to get his mind straight. Don't start freaking out, Lela, he just needs time.