“Mostly,” Claire corrected.
Nichol blew kisses at Emily. “Bye-bye, Aunt Em. See you later. Momma, I’m cold,” Nichol whined as she rushed toward Phil and the warm, waiting car.
“How about you?” Emily asked as the two women approached the cars. “Are you all right, being home? I know you don’t like winter much.”
Taking in the accumulating snow, Claire watched as white flakes melted upon the heads of Tony, Brent, and John as the three men shook hands and bid each other goodbye. Although the time away had been good for all of them, Claire was ready to be back to her intimate family. Two weeks in the presence of everyone had been a long time. Contemplating her sister’s question, Claire replied, “I am. We’ve enjoyed being with everyone; however, I’m happy to be home with Tony and Nichol.”
Emily smiled. “I understand. I’m ready for a little quiet time myself.”
Just then, Michael ran toward his mom, sliding his tiny feet upon the snow-covered runway. “Wheeee!” he yelled, as he held on to Emily’s leg for dear life.
Laughing, Claire said, “Good luck with that quiet time. You better enjoy it now. Once my little niece arrives, you’ll be pulled in every direction.”
“Two children aren’t that difficult,” Emily replied wistfully, peering toward Nichol. “I miss having two.”
The lump in Claire’s throat made its presence known once again. Unsure how to respond, Claire was saved by the sound of Phil’s voice.
“Claire, the car’s ready.”
Looking in his direction, she saw Tony sitting in the backseat, already talking on his phone, and Nichol beside him, her little booted feet swinging as she tended to the needs of her new doll. With full concentration she worked to wrap her prized possession in a blanket, protecting it from the frigid temperatures. Earlier, Nichol proclaimed that the doll was her favorite Christmas gift. Obviously she was concerned about its well-being. Claire had ordered the doll specially: the tiny replica looked identical to Nichol.
Turning back toward Emily, Claire gave her sister a parting hug, and, changing the subject, she said, “See, we’ve barely touched down and Tony’s already back to work. I think I’ll have plenty of that quiet time.”
“I’m sure John’s doing the same thing. His phone started vibrating the second he took it out of airplane mode.”
“Thank you, Emily. I hope we can do more things together.”
Emily nodded. “Me too.”
“Mommy, we go home!” Michael proclaimed, as he tugged at Emily’s hand. “Bye-bye, Aunt Care.”
They said their goodbyes and moments later, Claire settled in the warmth of the waiting car and snuggled close to her daughter. “Are you cold, sweetie? Do you wish you were back on the island?”
Looking up to Tony and back to Claire, Nichol shook her head. “Uh-uh. The island doesn’t have pretty snowflakes, and I wanna be with you and Daddy.”
The car eased forward with Eric driving and Phil riding shotgun. Claire glanced toward Tony, expecting to see his concentration on the phone call at hand. Instead, at their daughter’s comment, their eyes met and he winked. Smiling, Claire helped Nichol with her doll’s blanket and replied, “We like that too, sweetheart.”
Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love.
—Billy Graham