Chapter 41
In the past sometimes Joey had had to be talked into going to Midnight Mass.
He had got to an age where Christmas was, in his opinion not about the Christen message but spending time with his family and while Kayla had to agree with him it was about the time they got to spend all together, that excuse did not often wash with her. But there were no arguments that year because due to the fact they were going with Steve and Stephanie, and meeting the rest of the clan there… it did seem as if they were going to be able to kill two birds with one stone which was something her son seemed happy to submit himself too.
He got ready with no arguments.
She had had thought she might have a bit of working getting Steve there but in the end he seemed happy to go and give thanks to the big dude as he called them and it felt cathartic to be there singing the hymns she had been taught as a child with those she loved the best.
Not only her three immediate family members but her mother, her siblings, her nieces and nephews, their dearest friends… Marcus sat with the four of them when he arrived and they heard mass together.
And to be in the building too. She had had so many happy memories here – weddings and christening. Sadly it was the last place she had said goodbye to her father as well, but that made her feel close to him.
She did like Christmas mass. Somehow it did really did feel a celebration to her and that year was no different. It was a celebration of all the family and herself had got through the year to this point.
The Virgin Mary had had her troubles as she herself had– they both survived them. She drew strength from her faith and from the hand which held her own. Steve's thumb stroked the back of her hand, once more speaking to her through the silence.
This was the start of the holidays – and she had no intentions to let the struggles of the year spoil them. She sang her hopes out, said her prayed and hoped for a better year to come.
X x x
Kayla did not think it had been since Joey was a tiny baby that she had woken up on Christmas day morning to find she had all three of her people under her roof.
They had had his first Christmas together as a family but then they had begun to splinter of. Of course given Stephanie's age that was not surprise. She was always going to want to go and fly the nest.
Steve, on the other hand, had been a surprise and that had hurt a whole lot more.
But Kayla banished those thoughts from her mind as soon as they entered. She had said to herself that was in the past and she meant it.
She was not going to let them go back she mused and she rolled over to Steve's side of the bed.
He had his eyes open and was smiling at her.
"How's my Christmas sweetness?" he asked as he leant over to steal his first kiss of the day.
"Good," she said with a smile but felt her heart sink a little as there was something in his eyes which was not utterly convinced of that even when she said it.
Still, that was just Steve being Steve and loving her.
But that was not what Christmas was about.
She put one of her hand in his and put the other on the soft skin on his chest.
"You know this is Christmas day so I want us to take a break from all of that stuff."
She didn't have to say what stuff she was speaking of for him to understand and she did not know how realistic it was but what she did know she was that ultimately she just so sick of it hanging over them all the time like a bad cloud. She wanted them to have fun.
And this was Christmas Day. It was time to give thanks which was just what they had done when they had gone to Midnight Mass the night before and day was about spending time with the family that they loved
"Well if that is what you want that is just what we are going to do," he said as he rolled over in bed and put a hand on her hip.
She could not help but think that when it was just the two of them, it was already becoming a lot easier to put the past year behind them.
It was not as if he was walking on egg shells round her.
She nodded and leant over to kiss him.
If she got nothing else that day but the joy of waking up to his face then she had a feeling she was still going to go down as the best Christmas which she had got in a long time.
"Good. Merry Christmas," she murmured softly.
"Merry Christmas, my sweetness."
He could not wait to spend the day with their kids but much as she felt the same - that there was something about having a moment just for the two of them.
She moved over closer to him so they were lying skin on skin and he happily, gratefully even took her in his arms.
A sudden remembrance of being on that plane came back to him. Of flying home in uncertainty not knowing if she was even going to still be – there when he arrived home. He held her tighter.
How different this year might have been.
But he was not going to begin Christmas sadly. He was home where he belonged and now he was always going to be.
And she was alive and safe with him nothing else mattered.
X x x
In spite of the fact it had been so long since they had got to spend it together, if the Johnson's did one thing and one thing only that day it was to prove to themselves they were quite good at family Christmases.
They spent the morning round the tree on their own in the apartment. Steve, Kayla, Joey and Stephanie exchanged the gifts which they had got one another and had breakfast on their own.
After church it felt as if this was not the beginning of Christmas but a wonderful interlude where they got to spend a little time on their own before the rest of the family came and they spent time with them as well. It was the calm before the storm…
Marcus was the first one to come in to their little circle and once he had settled, he seemed to have as much fun as any of them. Stephanie did not know how much she had missed her uncle until he had turned up back in their lives but it was no good denying he was a good guy who was a huge help to both her mother and father.
He was a huge part of their family life in fact and his turning up felt like no intrusion on the family Christmas. In fact with him there it felt as if there family was more complete. After all, he was a Johnson in all but name.
They spent a couple of hours holed up in the flat together before they headed over to the pub where there was the promise of Kayla's siblings and their families all being there, thus a lot of laughter and of course a good drop of Irish whiskey.
Nothing could be better as far as Stephanie was concerned as she put on her coat to keep out the cold.
"Are you having a good day dolly?" her mother asked as she gave her a kiss as they passed each other while they got ready.
"Oh yes," she answered as she picked up some presents and made her way out to the car. She was great and having a good day indeed.
And she had a feeling it was only going to get better.
X x x
Joey felt as if he was at peace with the world that Christmas.
A lot of his family had not been for a lot of the year and he had a feeling they were right not to but just then, when they were counted in all safely together at the pub it was hard for him to feel anything except that things were beginning to come about for them. He did not think he had seen his Grandma Caroline look as happy as she did right then for a long time. She was laughing and joking, holding court as her family around the table teasing and having fun with one another.
His own mother looked very like herself.
His dad was by her side, laughing with his Uncle Bo and his sister was cradling little Tate, looking at the little one with love in her eyes.
To him right then, that was the main thing. His family was all good and having a great time.
His attention turned when he noticed his cousin plonk herself down next to him and give him a smile. He was sitting at the bar and thus Ciara and Joey had a good view of the family from where they were sitting.
It was clear she was having very similar thoughts to the ones he had been having himself.
"It has been a bit of a crazy year right?" said Ciara to Joe.
It had been a day for being in the moment for nearly all the family.
But it was the end of the year so there was always going to be a bit of reflection going on.
It was only natural.
Joey agreed with that entirely - all of them were in such a different place to where they started. They had their dads and against the odds theirs fathers had managed to get the women who they loved back. No formal announcement had been made by Bo and Hope but they all had eyes and it was not going to be long now.
And with Steve and Kayla getting back on track it seemed as if it would be ok.
"I am not going to be sorry to see the back of it if I am honest," admitted Joey.
"No I do not think I can blame you for that – " she replied.
It was not so very long ago that they had had one of their chats and he had been the one trying to talk her through it not the other way round.
"How is your mother?"
"She is a lot better than she was." Ever since they had gone to the police she had had a bit more confidence then she had done before hand.
In the New Year with any luck it would be over.
"We are going to get through the rest of it as we have got this far." Ciara nodded and hoped that was the truth, hoping her own confidence would be installed in Joe. She did not like to see any of them sad.
He changed the subject.
"How are your mum and dad?"
She had tried not to let her hopes up or to believe it was going to happen but when she looked at them she was now unable to see a difference between how they were now and how they had been when she was young.
"Good," she said as they shared a smile – "really good."
X x x
On the other side of the pub, Shane and Kim's daughter knew it was now or never.
Having already given her father a nice bottle of red wine and her mother some perfume, she knew it was time…
"Mum I have got one more Christmas present for you if you want it – though how much of a present you and dad are going to see it as is any ones guess." said Theresa as she approached her mother in the pub.
She thought Kim had to be expecting this.
It had been a long road to get to this point where she was not so proud that she was not going to ask this but now she had to come to it she found she was oddly at peace with her decision.
"I am sure if it is something you are giving me then I am going to love it dearly."
Screw going carefully about her that day thought Kim. Her daughter did not want her to shower her with affection but it was Christmas and that was what she wanted to do so her baby girl was just going to have to suck it up.
"I want to come home. And I want Tate and I to live with you and daddy."
It was not going to be forever she said as she tried to reassure herself. As soon as she had got a job and she had some money together she was going to get a placed for her son on her own and they were going to be the only ones living there.
But it was going to such an improvement on the Kiriakis mansion.
When she had talked to Brady about it he had been in complete agreement. As it was right then, there was far too much arguing going on about their boy and if they were not careful then it was going to be unsettling for Tate.
So oddly enough for the two of them they had come to an agreement quite easily and naturally.
They would give co-parenting in separate houses a try – and Theresa let go of a dream which she should have done long ago.
"Oh I love you! Of course, you can both stay for as long as you want – forever, as long as I am concerned – that's the best present I have had this year!"
"Mom!" Theresa protested as Kim threw her arms about her but she did not much care much for that then.
She was going to get her little Jeanie back!
It was as she held her daughter in her arms that Kim noticed her sister and felt the familiar stab of guilt.
Kayla looked good that day and it was clear she was happy but Kim could not help but still feel in agony about what Kayla had had to go through of late.
She was her big sister. She should have been there for her and she should have known what had gone on. What good was she at her job if she had not been able to work it out from her sister's behaviour? As the question rushed round her head, she was sure that was why she was so desperate to gather her baby in tight to her.
It was as these thoughts crossed her mind, she saw her sister was looking at her, knowing something was wrong. Kim looked away, but knew she had given herself away and it was too late.
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