Chapter 6
Rita opened the door and waved Gillian inside.
"Here, take Ethan, please," Gillian pleaded, thrusting the baby into Rita's arms.
The fox wagged her tail and took the bundle, holding it in one arm and wiggling her finger over the baby's muzzle with the other. "Hi, Ethan! Are you fussing? Are you driving Mommy crazy?" The baby cooed and laughed and waved at Rita's finger.
"No," Gillian said, "I just have to go to the bathroom."
"Where's Brian?" Rita called after her retreating tail.
"Parking. He dropped me off."
Rita grinned and bounced the baby as the bathroom door slammed.
When Gillian came out of the bathroom, she said, "Thanks again for letting us stay here."
"No problem," Rita said. "It's Christmas now. We should have some kind of family around."
Gillian started to say something, but the door opened and Brian walked in, hefting a big bag over his shoulder. "Ho, ho, ho!" he called. "Merry Christmas!"
Rita and Gillian both laughed as the dog closed the door and joined them. "Hi, sweetie," he said, tapping the baby on the nose. Ethan laughed and grabbed his paw.
"He's gotten big since the last time we saw him," Rita said.
"Sure has," Brian said, leaning down to nuzzle Rita. "And he's cute, too! I'm sorry I'm not the father."
"He'd be even cuter then," Rita said.
Brian laughed, leaning down to kiss her. "You like holding him? You wanna look around for a baby for us to adopt?"
Rita kissed the dog, then grinned. "Nah, I'm okay just being an aunt for now." She handed the baby back to Gillian and settled into a warmer hug from Brian, her back to the dog's chest. "So what happened with Jake this time?"
"Oh, same old, same old," Gillian said. "I'll call him after Christmas and we'll get back together."
"Well, you can always stay here," Brian said. "Happy to pick you up at the bus station anytime."
Rita nodded her head in agreement.
"So it's been a few months now," Gillian said, rocking the baby and looking back and forth at the two of them. "Working out okay?"
"Yeah," Rita said, squeezing the dog's paw. "I think so. Brian found a baseball team around here to play with."
"And Rita's learning how to relax and doing better in school." Brian nuzzled the fox's ears.
Gillian grinned. "Good. I'm gonna go feed Ethan."
"I'll get your room set up," Brian said. He released Rita with a nuzzle to the ears and Rita snuck in a grope between the dog's legs once Gillian had her back turned. Brian's tail wagged as he walked into the spare room.
"I heard from Mark and Alice," Rita said, standing by Gillian as she rummaged through the bag. "They're spending Christmas with Aunt Peggy and Uncle Hal before going to Brian's family's place. They're as happy as, well, Christmas elves."
"I knew he wasn't really into you," Gillian said.
"Oh, he's into me," Rita said. "Trust me."
"Well, maybe." She found Ethan's formula and headed for the kitchen. Rita grabbed the bag and followed her. "When's Richie getting here?"
"Tomorrow. He couldn't get a flight from New York 'til then."
"Funny that he came back from Amsterdam this year."
Rita laughed. "He didn't tell you? He told me last month. He was only in Amsterdam that first year. After that, he just stayed at college and said he was in Amsterdam. The family he stayed with there liked him a lot and sent his mail on."
Gillian stared at her, bouncing Ethan while she waited for the formula to heat. "That's insane. I wish I'd thought of that."
Rita chuckled. "I know. And now he's coming here. Funny, we had to leave home to be a family."
"That's pretty," Gillian said. "You read that in one of your classes?"
Rita laughed and took Ethan while she got the bottle ready. "I practiced it."
"Well, it sounds nice." She looked at Rita. "Thanks, again for letting us stay."
"Hey," Rita said, "you introduced me to Mark. I owe you. You sure it's okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine," she said. "I'm not mad at you anymore. I'm glad you and Brian are happy. It gives me something to torment Mom and Dad about when I talk to them."
"They know he's not Ethan's father, right?"
"Oh, yeah. They're glad I'm trying to make it work with Jake."
"Are you?"
Gillian shrugged, taking Ethan back and bouncing him while he slurped from the bottle. "Not really. Just 'til something better comes along. He's a spineless wimp who lets anyone older than him tell him what to do."
"Hope you find something soon." Rita saw movement outside the kitchen and followed Brian into the living room, where the dog was putting some Christmas carols on their little boombox. "Howl to the Star" came over the speakers and Rita wagged her tail as Brian turned around. "You're under the mistletoe."
Brian looked around. "I thought you said you weren't going to get any."
"I didn't. But it casts a wide shadow." They hugged, touched noses, and Rita smiled. "Merry Christmas."
