Christmas Down Under (Single Wide Female: Happily Ever After #1) Read online

  “What?” I leaned up on my elbow and stared at him.

  “There are some moments in our lives that don’t involve our daughter.” He eyed me with waning patience. “I’m trying to create a mood here, you know.”

  “No need to create it.” I smiled. “But you’re right. I need to get better at making sure we have time to focus on us too.”

  “Yes, now you’re speaking my language.” He cupped my cheeks and kissed me again.

  It took a few more kisses, but soon I’d forgotten all about the camping trip, the zoo and anything that had to do with kindergarten. Instead, my focus was on Max and the passion between us.

  With every touch he offered and every caress I returned, I recalled that Max and I were something separate, a beautiful sensual energy that needed tending just as much as anything else, if not more. He reminded me of who I was and how he saw me, in the way that he savored my scent, my skin, the sound of my voice.

  I remembered just how much I valued him when I took the time to notice the freckles on the curve of his shoulder, the ticklish spot I always grazed on his abdomen, and the quiver of his lips just before they touched mine.

  As we fell asleep in each other’s arms, I remembered a time before co-sleeping, before little feet tiptoeing across the floor—a time when we could give in to passion at the spur of the moment. Things had changed, but our connection didn’t have to. As long as we both found a way to connect, we would never lose sight of each other.

  It seemed only a few minutes later that the alarm went off, even though it had been several hours.

  “Max! Turn that thing off! We’re on vacation.”

  “Huh? Oh, sorry.” He mumbled and swatted at his phone. “I don’t remember why I set it.” He opened his eyes and peeked at me. “Hey, you.”

  “Hm?” I turned toward him and gazed at him.

  He kissed me, then tickled the curve of my side.

  “Don’t start anything now Max, Abby, will be up soon.”

  “Abby.” His eyes narrowed. “Why isn’t she up yet? She went to bed early last night.”

  “You’re right!” I gasped and jumped out of bed.

  While I threw on some clothes Max picked up his phone.

  “Oh! I set the alarm because the tour guide is supposed to pick us up in an hour!”

  “An hour? That’s not enough time for anything!” I rushed out of the bedroom and didn’t have to look far for Abby.

  She stood on a stepstool in the middle of the kitchen.

  “I made breakfast!” She smiled with pride as she pointed to the large mess on the counter, the table, and the floor.

  “Oh wow—I can’t—and why didn’t you—Abby… oh dear.” I clamped my hand over my mouth to hold back words I knew I would regret later.

  “You don’t like it?” Abby’s eyes filled with tears. “I made it special for you and Daddy!”

  “Oh, Abby.” I sighed and was relieved to find that she hadn’t used the oven or any of the appliances. “What did you make us, sweetie?”

  “Banana peanut butter cereal!”

  That explained the puddles of milk on the floor combined with crunched-up cereal flakes and gobs of peanut butter streaked across the counter, but it didn’t yet explain the streaks of chocolate.

  “That’s very creative.”

  “What the heck happened here?” Max skidded to a stop in the middle of the kitchen. “Abby!”

  “Max, she made us breakfast.” I smiled. “Isn’t that nice?”

  “Well, it’s…” He looked at me, then the floor, then the counter, then the table, then back at me. “It’s…it’s…”

  “Creative?”

  “Oh, yes. Okay.” He rubbed his hand back through his hair. “But next time you should wake us up, Abby.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise.” She stuck out her bottom lip. “There’s chocolate milk too!”

  “Aha!” I eyed the large glasses of chocolate milk and the empty gallon on the floor beside the table.

  I had to struggle with my urge to control the situation. Yes, it was a mess. But it could be cleaned up. Abby had made an effort to create something beautiful for us and I didn’t want to break her heart. We could go over the rules about waking up before us, what she was allowed to do in the kitchen, and why it wasn’t good to waste food at another time.

  “Well, let’s eat up, because we have quite an adventure to go on.”

  “Yay!” Abby joined us at the table.

  I gulped down my cereal, which actually tasted very good and made me wonder if it might be a new flavor that my creative little girl had invented.

  Max was more timid with his own breakfast, but every time Abby looked at him he took a big bite and smiled.

  While she finished her cereal I set to cleaning up the mess.

  “Here, I’ll do this.” Max took the paper towels from me. “You make sure we have everything we need for the trip.”

  “Okay, how much time do we have left?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “And Abby needs to get dressed, I need a shower, and nothing is packed!”

  Max met my eyes. “It’s going to be fine. Right?” He kissed me, then crouched down to clean up a milk puddle.

  I rushed into the bedroom and gathered the clothes we’d need for a few days. Then I headed into Abby’s room. Once I had all of her things packed, I jumped into the shower. As soon as I was out, Max showered while I got Abby dressed and made sure the breakfast dishes were done.

  By the time Max was out of the shower, we had two minutes to spare, but I could hear a horn beep outside.

  “Okay, are we sure we have everything we’re going to need?” I asked.

  “Most of the supplies are provided by the facilitators of the tour. If we’ve forgotten anything important, we should be able to pick it up before we set out on the camping trip.”

  “Yes, that’s right.” I grabbed Abby’s backpack. “So then, we should be ready to go.”

  “Ready or not, we’re going.” Max grabbed my hand, I grabbed Abby’s, and then we headed out the door.

  Chapter 17

  The closer we got to the meet-up for the trip, the more nervous I became. I’d decided that I wanted to let Abby have an adventure and not stand in the way of her curiosity, but now that it was becoming a reality, my heart fluttered at the thought of the trek that awaited us.

  That anxiety only increased when we met our tour guide, Walt.

  “Oh, we’re going to have such an adventure! Giant spiders! Fierce birds! Lizards covered in thorns so frightening that they’re called thorny devils! Even roaming crocodiles!” He snapped his forearms together like jaws. “Okay, maybe not the crocodiles so much, but we may see a few.”

  “Mommy!” Abby jumped up into my arms. “Is there really a lizard like that?”

  “Of course not, sweetie. Walt is just trying to be funny.” I locked eyes with him and hoped he got the message that it was not funny at all.

  “I’m sorry to disagree, but there certainly are lizards just like that. In fact, I’d like you to be on the lookout for one, alright?” He smiled at Abby. “Don’t worry. It looks scary but it won’t hurt you.”

  “Are you sure?” I frowned. “What if it scratches her or something?”

  “I can assure you that you will be in no safer hands than these.” He spread his hands out before us.

  I lost count of the scars that covered them. His skin was rough and caked with dirt. I wasn’t sure if the sight of them reassured me or worried me about what was to come.

  “Are you all set to travel? The rest of the group is already here.”

  “Are there any other children?”

  “No, she’ll be the only one. But that’s a good thing. Lots of eyes to keep watch, hm?” He smiled and ruffled Abby’s hair.

  Abby grinned at him and wriggled down from my arms.

  I was uncertain what to think of Walt, but Abby appeared to adore him. She tagged right along after him as he led us to a small ring
of cabins and a group of other people.

  Right away I noticed a theme. They were all young, athletic, and each stared at me with wide eyes when they saw a little girl holding on to Walt’s hand. There it was. Judgment.

  How could she bring a child on a trip like this? What is she thinking? Doesn’t she care about her child? Won’t the child be a burden during travel?

  I forced myself to stop predicting what I imagined were other people’s thoughts. The truth was, I had no idea what they were thinking or whether they were as judgmental as I pictured.

  After we introduced ourselves, I was able to gather that there were three other couples. One couple was on their honeymoon, another was on a world tour, and the third couple was local and just wanted an adventure.

  As we gathered together around a table, I felt uncomfortable. Abby skipped, jumped, and hummed her way all around the cabin.

  Max set his hands on my shoulders and leaned close to whisper in my ear. “This is going to be great.”

  I wanted to tell him that I didn’t think it was going to be great, that I wished we hadn’t brought Abby on this tour, and that I was worried about what could go wrong.

  But the excitement in his voice silenced my concerns.

  “It should be an adventure.” I forced a smile and excused myself from the table.

  Abby didn’t need me to follow her around, but it was a good excuse for me to get away for a little while.

  “Look at these rocks, Mommy.” Abby picked up a handful of dirt and displayed the small stones in her palm. “Aren’t they nice?’

  “Yes, very nice.”

  “What’s wrong?” She looked into my eyes. “Are you sad?’

  “No, just a little nervous.”

  “About what?”

  “I guess our trip.”

  “But it’s going to be so much fun.”

  “Yes, that’s what your father said.”

  “Don’t worry, Mommy, I’ll be good.”

  “I’m not worried, Abby, I know that you’ll be good. You’re a good girl. It’s just that I always want to keep you safe.”

  “Walt will keep us safe.”

  “You think?” I smiled.

  “Sure. He’s an expert.” She waved at Walt as he walked toward us.

  He said, “We’re just about ready to start out on the first leg of our journey. Are you two ready to go?”

  “Yes, I think we are.” I smiled. “Any tips for us before we set out?”

  “Just stick together, take lots of pictures, and don’t forget to breathe.” He winked at me.

  His final words made me take a deep breath. I hadn’t even thought about how tense I was until I took that breath. Every muscle in my body ached from clenching it so tightly.

  Chapter 18

  As we began our hike, I focused on my breaths. I valued them for providing my body with the strength it needed to continue. I valued them for the calmness they created within me.

  I’d been lacking when it came to my connections lately—connections with Max, connections with Abby, connections with myself, and even connections with nature. I realized that the trip ahead of us could take care of all those issues if I just relaxed and let it happen.

  I decided to snap photographs of tiny beautiful things while I walked, so that I could add them to my blog. I was certain a description of our trip would be a great way to liven up my posts, which had as of lately been filled with musings about the purpose of life, the struggles of parenting, and whether or not I put the toilet paper on the roll correctly.

  Abby skipped along without much interest in the environment around us, but I was fascinated. Here I was, in a foreign country and too distracted by my own worries to enjoy it. I snapped a few pictures of some small flowers, then a few of the wide-open sky.

  Max fell into step beside me. “Are you getting some good shots?”

  “Yes, I think so. You’ll have to take a look and see what you think.”

  “I will.” He tipped his head toward the open trail before us. “I keep thinking that we’re going to go around a corner and see a kangaroo.”

  “I bet we will soon. What do you think of Walt?”

  “He’s a character, that’s for sure.”

  “Do you think he’s trustworthy?”

  “I’m not sure. He seems to know what he’s doing, but he is a bit of a jokester. I don’t think he’d do anything to put anyone at risk. Are you feeling uncomfortable with him?”

  “No, he seems nice. Abby likes him. I’m trying not to be nervous.”

  “What’s there to be nervous about? I’m here with you.” He slipped his arm through mine.

  I raised the camera to take a snap of the two of us together.

  As I rested my camera back against my chest I noticed that the other couples were quite a bit ahead of us. We were moving at Abby’s pace and we slowed down every time she stopped to investigate a plant or a bug that scampered across the path.

  Walt was very far ahead of us, in front of the other couples, as I could no longer see him.

  “Do you think we should catch up?” I glanced over at Max.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine. We’ve got quite awhile until the next bend and I can still see the others. Let Abby take her time. If we wear her out now, we’ll be carrying her through the rest of the hike.”

  “Yes, you’re probably right about that.”

  I joined Abby on a small offshoot of the main trail. She spotted a small lizard and chased after it a few feet.

  As I bent down to take a closer look, the bush behind me rustled. I jumped as someone popped out of it wearing a large painted mask. As I let out a scream I snatched Abby up into my arms and began to run back toward Max.

  Max raced toward us, as the person pulled off the mask.

  “Oh, you should have seen your face!” Walt chuckled as he tucked the mask under his arm. “Did you think I was some kind of monster?”

  Abby giggled against my shoulder.

  I couldn’t get my heart to stop racing long enough to take a full breath. Luckily, Max was not winded in the least.

  “What were you thinking? What kind of joke is that?” He balled his hands into fists at his side and for a moment I thought he might actually hit Walt, which I didn’t think was a terrible idea considering that I’d just about wet my pants when he’d jumped out of the bush at me.

  “I’m sorry—oh, you’re upset.” Walt continued to laugh. “I guess I should have warned you. I have a rule on these hikes. You have to keep up. If you get separated from the group, I do this as a humorous but important warning. This time it was me in a mask, but next time it could be a wild animal or an opportunistic person. It’s meant as a fun way to make it clear that the outback can be dangerous.”

  “It wasn’t fun at all.” I held Abby tight against me.

  Her laughter didn’t exactly support my statement.

  “Walt’s funny!” She pointed at him. “Can I see the mask?”

  “Sure.” He held it out to her.

  I pursed my lips as Abby took the mask.

  “Letting us know that we were too far away and to catch up would have been just as good a warning. I think this was a little over-the-top.”

  “Oh dear, you’re shaking.” Walt took my hand in both of his and rubbed his dry dirt-caked palms back and forth.

  To my surprise, it was actually very soothing.

  “I forget sometimes that people aren’t used to the outback. It can be a little overwhelming. To me, it’s just a big playground. I do apologize if I caused either of you any discomfort. There’s still time now if you’d like me to walk you back to the home camp. I can arrange for transportation to pick you up and of course a full refund of the trip.”

  “No, Mommy, I don’t want to go.”

  “What do you think, Sammy?” Max looked over at me. “I don’t blame you if you want to turn back.”

  I thought about the message I might be sending to Abby—If things were scary, to run away. If someone makes
a mistake, hold it against them. Walt was strange—eccentric, in fact—but he didn’t really cause us any harm.

  “No, we can stay. We’ll try to keep up. But if there are any other rules that we should know about please tell us now.”

  “Only rule is, I’m not going to scare you with masks anymore.” He winked at me. “You have a good attitude. Thanks for that.”

  I smiled in return. It was nice to think I had a good attitude.

  In the past, an event like that would have sent me running, but I could see the humor in it, and I could see his point as well. We had a duty to keep up with the rest of the group, even with a child in tow.

  Chapter 19

  As we walked along, I expected Abby to get cranky and tired, but instead, she was full of questions. She wanted me to see and experience everything. If I wasn’t paying close enough attention, she made sure that I heard her voice.

  Soon she had the entire group stopping to see all of the marvels she’d found. Walt took over explaining things if the piece of foliage, insect, or animal was unfamiliar to anyone else in the group.

  Thanks to Abby’s observations, my camera was nearly full by the time we reached our first rest stop. It was beside a small stream that was more mud than water.

  Abby dug her hands into the mud and pulled out an entire fistful of insects to look at.

  “She’s so curious.” Bette, one of the women in the group, watched her as she picked each bug out. “Such a smart girl.”

  “She loves to explore.” I smiled.

  “It’s more than that, you know. She has a natural instinct for learning. You’re lucky. I had the hardest time in primary school.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. All I wanted to do was play. I didn’t want to learn anything. My parents even hired tutors and took me to doctors. But I remember very clearly—I just didn’t care. I wanted to play with my toys or my friends—not to sit at a desk.”

  “She has that problem too.” I laughed. “Her teacher has already spoken to me about it.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t laugh in return. “That’s too bad.”

  “I’m sure she’ll grow out of it.”