December 24th - Bryan

Bryan didn't know what the boys said to each other, but he felt like it was climate change in the Arctic. There was just enough thawing to set dangerous icebergs a drift akin to landmines. He asked Sam when they were alone in their room, getting ready to go to Alison's parent's house.

Sam just shrugged. "Do I have to like him?"

"I can't make you, but I hope you will."

Bryan answered honestly. If Sam liked Alison and Keira would it be enough? Could he and Alison navigate the icebergs together for the next four or five years until they turned eighteen and went off to college? It was a lot to ask of Sam to uproot his life to live in a house he didn't feel wanted by one of the inhabitants.

Bryan loved Keira already. She had a big heart and wasn't bogged down with the same baggage as the boys. She had just accepted him with open arms. As if reading his mind, Sam said, "You have a new best friend."

"She's sweet. Put Cole aside. Can you please give Alison a chance? She's not suddenly going to act like your mother. I bet Auntie is like ten times worse than Al would ever be."

"Do you really want to move here?"

Bryan answered honestly. "Yeah, I do. Al makes me happier than I've been in a long time. You may not think so, but we both need a change. Turner is suffocating us."

"Would we live here?"

"We would and this would be your room."

"So you'd get married?"

"It's what we want, but I don't want you miserable. Please keep an open mind. Sammy, I want us to make this change together." They were a team and had been for a long time. He was fourteen and Bryan was still young and had a full life ahead of him. He didn't want to spend it alone. "You know before long you'll be leaving me and I'll be alone."

"Is this emotional blackmail?"

"It's true. I could find a woman with little ones like..."

"You're not funny. Where are we going?"

"To Alison's family. I need to make a good impression. I think we're stopping at a neighbor's too. Just grin and bear it. Tomorrow will be quiet."

"It's Christmas."

"And Alison is cooking us dinner."

"I'll try, but if that kid insults you."

"I think Cole is sorry."

"Yeah right."

"Sam, please just give everyone a chance. For me?"

Sam looked at him with a sad face. Bryan knew he was conflicted. When he replied he sighed. "Whatever, Dad."

Alison was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She wore a black dress which hugged her in the right places - the ones Bryan had been longing to run his hands along since he arrived. She wore leather boots that went to her knees and had pinned her hair up. Normally she wore her shoulder-length hair down. He loved the way the light made it look as if the red and gold were laced between her light brown thick waves of curls. He felt under-dressed in his tan khakis and sweater. Sam wore a black button-down shirt. Bryan didn't even try to get him to tuck his shirt in. Apparently, the two boys had something in common because Cole hadn't tucked his shirt in either.

Bryan smiled at Alison and as she reached for her coat, he took it from her and held it as she slipped her arms in. As he lifted it on her shoulders, he said, "You look beautiful."

She smiled at him. "You look handsome, in fact, all three of you do." She looked from him to Sam and then to Cole.

"What about me?" Keira asked.

Her dress looked like they bought it, especially for Christmas.

"You look very pretty." Alison assured her daughter.

She was looking at Bryan. "Amazing K!" The little girl beamed.

Cole muttered under his breath. "She has a crush."

Bryan's heart skipped a beat when Sam had a small smirk.

Alison grew up in South Portland, which she explained was a separate city from Portland. Her childhood house was old in a neighborhood with other well-kept older homes. The first thing Bryan noticed when he entered was the aroma of food and pine.

Alison's sister, Andrea, greeted them at the door. "Come in, come in. You must be Sam. You're as handsome as your father, I see. Keira where's my hug. Cole have you grown since last week."

She didn't bother for anyone to respond. Meeting Alison's parents weren't nearly as bad as he imagined. Both seemed pleasantly happy their daughter had found 'a good man,' as her father referred to him. Bryan selfishly hoped Cole was hearing it.

Sam sat slightly removed from the crowd until Andrea's husband sat next to him. Bryan watched out of the corner of his eye as Sam's limited responses grew into a full-fledged conversation. He wanted to move closer to hear what they were talking about, but Alison's arm was around his waist and he was discussing his job with her father, Jim.

"We have four fire stations. Are all firemen EMTs?" Jim asked.

"Not all, but I am. We can't afford to pay to have resources sitting around when most of our calls are medical."

The conversation continued, and Jim enjoyed his stories. He tried to avoid any mention of danger since Alison was right there. Ironically, it was Linda who had feared she'd lose him in a fire. Alison hadn't been a worrier, but would it change if he went to work here?

Alison left his side to help her mother and sister in the kitchen. They'd be talking about him and the teenage cold war. Glancing around the room, Sam was still content with Mark, Keira hovered nearby listening and Cole had disappeared. He didn't think it was overly exciting for them since they were the only children in the family.

By the time they sat down to dinner, Jim was ready to welcome Bryan into the family. Alison's mother, Jackie, kept smiling at him, so he figured she had also accepted him. During dinner, Andrea began sharing antics from when she and Alison were younger. The kids loved it, even Sam smiled a time or two. He squeezed Al's hand under the table.

Jackie said, "Look at them, they'll make a beautiful baby!"

Both he and Alison reacted at the same time. He said, "Oh no, we're not going there."

Alison said, "You're looking at the wrong daughter, if you want more grandchildren."

Both Cole and Sam relaxed and he chastised himself for not expecting a baby would have been a big worry for both of them.

Andrea teased. "How did I get dragged into this?"

Her mother said, "Because you've been married for over a year and you aren't getting any younger."

It secretly thrilled Bryan the focus had moved away from him. Following dinner, they gathered around the tree to open gifts. Cole and Keira tore into their packages as the focus was on them and not the adults. Alison received a sweater from her mother and something from her sister she kept to herself. Bryan noticed her blush as his own heart sped up just thinking about what must be in the box. Alison's parents had given him a very nice flannel shirt from LL Bean and Sam a Maine t-shirt. Bryan wasn't sure Sam would ever wear it, but his son was polite and thanked them.

Sam's gift from Andrea and Mark was a promised from Mark, an avid snowmobiler, to take Sam riding. That must have been what Sam and Mark had been talking about.

Sam said, "But there isn't any snow."

Mark smiled. "There is if you know where to look."

Sam smiled which caused Bryan to smile too. After the dessert including a delicious cheesecake, a Christmas tradition, they said their goodbyes. It relieved Bryan to have his first meeting with his potential in-laws behind him. Mark patted Sam on the back as he said goodbye and Bryan thanked him.

Mark shrugged. "He's a good kid." It filled Bryan with pride.

Once in the car, Alison turned to him. "They loved you."

Alison parked in front of a large house along the river. They stepped inside Bryan another well kept, old home. A woman close to his and Al's age immediately greeted them. She introduced herself as Maddie, but her attention quickly turned to Keira. Keira smiled and talked to her like she was an old friend. As they moved into the room, Sam followed behind them, but Cole disappeared into the crowd. Alison introduced Bryan to so many people his head was spinning. Keira was in the corner with friends and he found himself next to a man named Steve.

"Do you live here?" Steve asked.

"Not yet. You?"

"Nah, Maddie over there is my girlfriend. Is that your wife?"

"Girlfriend. For now."

"So you're planning to take the plunge? Not me, I did it once. Never again, my ex is a real piece of work. Do you have an ex?" Bryan not wanting to explain just shook his head.

After hearing Bryan was from Ohio, Steve went into a monologue about John Glenn and Neil Armstrong and NASA. Bryan imagined he was an avid fan of the history and science channels on cable television. He attempted to leave. Sam had disappeared and he thought about telling him he needed to find his son, but he didn't want to explain how he had a son without being divorced. It was Keira that eventually came to his rescue.

"Hey B, come and see my friends." He mumbled excuse me and followed Keira to another little girl. "This is my mother's boyfriend."

Bryan was happy to talk to eight-year-old girls over the successes and failures of the space program. Alison approached and whispered in his ear. "Do you need rescuing?"

"Keira already did. I met a guy named Steve who likes to talk."

Maddie came by and Bryan mentioned he had talked to Steve. "Are you sure you talked?"

Bryan smiled and shook his head. He watched as Maddie handed each girl a wrapped gift. They opened their packages to find books. They thanked her with a hug.

"She's our children's librarian. Every kid on The Point loves her."

Maddie turned to Bryan. "I had a nice talk with Sam. I gave him a book I thought he might enjoy."

Bryan nodded, Sam wasn't averse to reading, but it was far from his favorite activity. He had certain books that he read and loved. At about Keira's age, it was Diary of a Wimpy Kid, then he started on Harry Potter and later Percy Jackson. It had taken him a long time to exhaust each series.

Sam appeared. "Dad, look it's a new series."

He was excited about a new book by one of his favorite authors. He liked Maddie even if he didn't think much of her boyfriend. Thankfully Alison suggested heading home and Bryan happily followed along. It wasn't until they reached the outside, he noticed Cole wasn't with them.

"He ran off with some other kids. There is a family with two boys who have a winter rental. Cottages are very affordable for families just scraping by. They'll have to move before summer though."

"Where to?" Sam asked.

"It varies, some can afford another place and some move to a campground for the summer. We have our share of struggling families. They're good kids, but sometimes I think he's more interested in their sister."

"He's only thirteen!" Bryan said.

"I know, but he always has girls fawning over him. It used to be cute, but it isn't so much anymore."

Bryan thought that was one more reason he was glad he wasn't sharing Al's room.