A Beaumont Family Christmas (The Beaumont Series) Read online

  The Beaumont Series

  THE BEAUMONT SERIES

  Forever My Girl – Beaumont Series #1

  My Everything – Beaumont Series #1.5

  My Unexpected Forever – Beaumont Series #2

  Finding My Forever – Beaumont Series #3

  Finding My Way – Beaumont Series #4

  12 Days of Forever – Beaumont Series #4.5

  My Kind of Forever – Beaumont Series #5

  Forever Our Boys - Beaumont Series #5.5

  A Beaumont Family Christmas

  The Beaumont Boxed Set - #1

  THE BEAUMONT SERIES: NEXT GENERATION

  Holding Onto Forever

  My Unexpected Love

  Chasing My Forever

  Peyton & Noah

  Fighting For Our Forever

  A BEAUMONT FAMILY CHRISTMAS

  THE BEAUMONT SERIES

  Copyright © 2020

  Heidi McLaughlin

  All rights reserved.

  The right of Heidi McLaughlin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  COVER DESIGN: Okay Creations

  EDITING: Briggs Consulting

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Jenna

  2. Jimmy

  3. Jenna

  4. Josie

  5. Liam

  6. Josie

  7. Harrison

  8. Katelyn

  9. Harrison

  10. Katelyn

  11. Harrison

  12. Jenna

  13. Jimmy

  14. Josie

  15. Liam

  Also by Heidi McLaughlin

  About Heidi McLaughlin

  1

  Jenna

  My phone rings, pulling me away from the novel I picked up the other day at the secondhand bookstore. I set it down and glance at the screen, expecting it to be Jimmy or Eden, but I am pleasantly surprised to see two tiny pictures staring back at me. Pressing the answer button, I pick my phone up and bring it eye level. The grin on my face is cheek to cheek as I stare at my two best friends. I love technology.

  “Okay,” Josie says, without saying hi. She’s a right to the point type of person, which I enjoy. No beating around the bush from her. “Here’s the deal. I rented this massive house for Christmas in Stowe, Vermont, and I want us all to be together. I know I’m demanding a lot here, especially since we’re all so spread out, but I thought it would be nice if we could spend the holiday together.”

  Katelyn’s eyes go wide, and I’m instantly curious what she’s thinking. On the other hand, Josie is sitting as close to her phone as she can, probably trying to decipher what Katelyn and I are thinking.

  What am I thinking?

  “I love this idea,” I say excitedly.

  “We’re in,” Katelyn adds.

  Josie dances around as best she can while holding her phone. “You have no idea how thrilled I am. Liam will be happy too. I think he misses Harrison and Jimmy but won’t say anything.”

  “I don’t know why you don’t just move to California,” I say. At first, when Jimmy proposed we move, I was hesitant. I love Beaumont, and Josie is there. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else or leaving her after she had done so much for me. But after spending time in Los Angeles and being on the beach, I knew I could easily live here. It was the sun and access to the beach that sold me. Plus, Jimmy wanted to be here. Even though he’s not extremely close to his dad, he wanted to be around him. They have an odd relationship, and it’s very strained, mostly because James refuses to be a part of his youngest child’s life. Chelsea finally gave up harassing us on James’s whereabouts once the court ordered him to pay child support. It was about this time that James reached out to Jimmy, groveling for forgiveness. Forgive, but never forget, is how Jimmy approaches his father, which is more than I would be able to do. Despite all of this, James is a good grandfather to Eden, and that’s all that matters to me.

  Josie sighs. “I don’t know. I’ve thought about it. I know Liam would be happier there, but Beaumont is home. I have the shop, and Paige is still in school.”

  “And there is no way she’d let you take her away from Mack,” Katelyn interjects.

  Katelyn and I laugh, and Josie’s eyes go wide. She looks over her shoulder before coming closer to the camera. “Liam is going to kill that boy, I swear. Or I might kill Nick for moving back to Beaumont to begin with.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Just teenage drama. One week they like each other, the next week they’re dating. And then the next week, Paige never wants to speak to him as long as she lives. Rinse and repeat.”

  “Sounds like Eden,” I tell them. “Every other month it’s a new surfer or a guy from her school. I can’t keep track. She’s such a heartbreaker. Secretly, though, I’m happy she’s not in a committed relationship. I want her to focus on school.”

  “I’m sure Jimmy is more than happy,” Katelyn adds.

  “You have no idea. Okay, enough about the teens, tell us about this fabulous house you’ve rented, Josie!”

  “It’s seven bedrooms and sits at the base of a ski lodge. Everyone but Eden and Betty Paige will have their own rooms. Each room has a view of either the lodge, the mountain, or the forest. Tons to do there. We can ski during the day, relax, and drink in the hot tub at night. It’ll likely snow and will definitely be cold.”

  Eden is going to throw a fit, but some family time away will be worth it.

  “Oh, and the best part—cell service is questionable. Everyone can unplug while we’re there.”

  “I love the sound of this, Josie,” Katelyn says. “Count me in. I’ll talk to Quinn and see if he and Nola have plans. I don’t know if they’re heading to her family’s plantation or what for the holidays, and I’ll call Elle and see if she and Ben want to come.”

  “And I’ll take care of Noah and Peyton. He doesn’t have a game, but Peyton might have to work,” Josie says.

  “Well, the Jameses are in. Eden will have to survive a real winter instead of begging her dad to take her to Hawaii to surf.”

  Josie claps her hands together. “You have no idea how happy this makes me. Even if the kids can’t come, the six of us . . . well, eight with Eden and Paige…will be together again.”

  Before we hang up, Josie gives us the dates she’s booked the house for, what airports we can fly into, and car rental services. She also tells us she will email all of the info, so we don’t have to remember everything or decipher our own chicken scratch handwriting later.

  After we hang up, I open the internet on my phone and look up the house. My mouth drops open at the majestic beauty of it all. I can easily see Jimmy and I standing on the deck, sharing a glass of wine, or sitting in the hot tub while snow is falling.

  I continue to scroll through the photos, wondering when the last time was that I saw snowfall. Sure, it snowed in Beaumont a couple of times, but mostly flurries. Nothing substantial or anything. We had a blizzard once, but that was so long ago, I think Noah was about nine, which put the twins at four. Since moving to California, we just have hot weather and hotter we
ather. When it does rain, we rejoice and often stand outside in it, soaking up the drops. I used to do this with Eden when she was little. We’d dance in the backyard and just enjoy the showers. Now she spends so much time in the ocean, when the weather is crappy, she’s moody.

  The front door slams. I close my app and wait for whoever just arrived home to come into the kitchen, where I spend most of the time unless I’m volunteering or driving Eden to her events. She’s old enough to drive and does drive herself to school, but Jimmy and I decided we’d always drive her to her competitions. We still want Eden to know how much we support her.

  “Hi, Mum.” Eden comes in and kisses me on my cheek.

  “How was school?”

  Eden goes to the refrigerator and opens it. “Boring, lame. You know, the same.”

  “Mhmm.” I keep my eye on her, watching to see what she’ll pull out. Lately, she’s been snacking after school and not hungry at dinnertime. For some, this isn’t an issue, but Eden would rather be in her room or down at the beach instead of sitting around the dinner table. Neither Jimmy nor I are fans of this kind of behavior.

  I smile but duck my head so Eden can’t see that I’m pleased with her smoothie choice. She comes over to where I’m sitting, pulls the barstool out, and sits with a heavy sigh.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask as my hand brushes over her long, chestnut hair.

  Eden sighs again dramatically and slouches. I gently push on her back to remind her to sit up straight. For the past couple of years, she’s been working with Xander, Harrison’s brother-in-law, to build a stronger core. You would think with all the surfing she does, she wouldn’t need a trainer, but apparently, to get to the next level, she needs one.

  “Stupid girl drama. You know my friend, Zyan?”

  Zyan Morgan is Eden’s recent crush, and by recent, I mean for the past six to eight months. They met on the circuit when he came here for a couple competitions. He lives in Hawaii with his dad, which is perfect according to Jimmy.

  “I remember Zyan,” I tell Eden.

  “Well, he’s moved here.”

  My insides twist. I can hear Jimmy already, swearing up a storm about that boy coming to the house, especially when we aren’t home. “He did?”

  Eden nods. “And he didn’t even tell me, ya know?”

  No, I really don’t.

  “I’m walking to class and all these girls are giggling by the lockers, so I go see what’s so funny. Well it’s Zyan and he’s just eating up the attention. I call his name and he looks at me like he doesn’t remember me and then it hits him and he goes, ‘Oh hey, Eden’ like we aren’t friends and didn’t make out all summer long.”

  “You made out with Zyan all summer long?”

  Eden rolls her eyes. “Not the point, Mum.”

  “Oh,” is all I can say.

  “Anyway, of course Bentlee and Harmonee were standing there and they knew all about Zyan and me, but today they’re all ‘So, did you make it up or what?’ and they know I didn’t, but now they’re going around saying Zyan is only an acquaintance.”

  “I see.” I really don’t, but for the sake of not going into details with her or asking more about these make out sessions with Zyan, I’m going to just accept I’m out of the loop.

  “Yeah, so whatever. And while all this is going on, Rusty asks me out.”

  I mentally go through the class list from Eden’s school, trying to place a young man named Rusty.

  “Kira’s brother.”

  “Oh, he’s younger, right?”

  Eden nods while she takes a drink from her smoothie. “Only by a year, but he’s on the varsity baseball team. He plays first base.”

  “Well, it’s nice to be asked out.”

  She shrugs. “Yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see.”

  I wish Katelyn and Josie were here to offer me all the safe advice. Sometimes, I feel like I’m treading water where Eden is concerned or battling Jimmy over what I think she should be allowed to do and not do. I think she should date. She’s old enough and definitely mature. She has a good head on her shoulders and is on track to go pro with her surfing. I want her to go to college, and I’m hoping she will, but the circuit can be time consuming and grueling.

  “Well, let me know about Rusty, and if you want to talk about Zyan. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

  “Thanks, Mum. I’m just mad because I thought we had something going on. I guess I was wrong.”

  Jimmy is going to murder this boy.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “He’s at the tattoo parlor.”

  “What’s he getting this time?”

  I laugh because the man is almost out of space. “I don’t know, he said it was a surprise.”

  “Think you can come down to the beach with me for a bit?”

  I nod and slide off the barstool. That is another rule we enforce—no surfing by yourself. There have been far too many accidents where someone has gotten hurt and there wasn’t anyone around to help them. I don’t want Eden in that position—ever.

  “I’ll go change and meet you downstairs in a few minutes.” Again, I brush my hand down the length of her hair. I kiss the side of her head and retreat toward my bedroom. Eden is hot on my heels, only she goes to the right when we get to the top of the stairs and I turn left.

  2

  Jimmy

  Harrison drops me off at the end of my driveway. He doesn’t offer to give me a goodbye kiss or tell me he’ll call me. To be honest, I’m a little pissed off at how cold and unaffectionate he is. I turn slightly to look at him, and flutter my eyelashes. “When will I see you again?”

  He slowly looks my way. I smile and tilt my head to the side. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  I scoff. “We just had an amazing time, and you’re dumping me on the side of the road like yesterday’s rubbish.”

  Harrison chuckles. “I don’t know how Jenna puts up with you. Get out of my car before I remove you.”

  “What an arse,” I mutter as I open the door. After I get out, I shut it but keep my hand on the door, bending down a little so I can see him. “Seriously, though, thanks for going with me.”

  “You said tattoo,” Harrison quips. “I’m always up for some ink.”

  “And yet you didn’t get any,” I point out.

  He shrugs. “But I have an idea for one, so there’s that.”

  I knock my hand on the door and tell him I’ll see him later. We’re planning to go shopping for the wives and kids later in the week, hoping that we can come up with some inspiration for presents because neither of us have a bloody clue what to get for anyone. It’s hard when the people you love have everything they could every want. I turn towards my home. It’s a two-story house with a wooden door and a two-car garage. It’s nothing flashy by any means, which was precisely what Jenna wanted. She didn’t want a house with a fence or gate where the paparazzi could hang around at all hours of the day or night. She wanted to feel as normal as possible. This house gives my wife what she wants. The best part is the view of the Pacific Ocean at our back door. By all accounts, according to entertainment industry standards, our house would be classed as small, but I don’t care. It’s perfect for the three of us, and it allows Eden to surf whenever she wants. You’ll never see our house in one of those celebrity magazines or on some ridiculous TV show though, and I’m absolutely okay with that. The only thing it does lack is privacy with the neighbors being almost on top of us, but they’re cool. Every now and again, Jenna has them over for dinner or cocktail parties where I get to play bartender, which I find amusing. I’ve even started creating my own drinks, although Jenna doesn’t really like them. I should probably take that as a sign that I’m not quite an expert yet.

  Inside, the house is quiet, except for the sound of the sea lapping against the shore. Usually there’s music playing, the TV is on, or dishes are rattling around, but not today. I walk to the back of the house which is my favourite. There’s a wall of bifolding doors which open
completely and stay that way most of the year. I do make sure to close them at night or when there’s a storm, but it’s one of the best parts of our house.

  I step out onto the veranda and rest my hands on the railing. Even though it’s December, the temperature is higher than normal, but there’s a nice breeze, making the day almost perfect. I stand for a minute and watch Eden as she rides a wave back to shore. It’s not the best time to surf, but keeping Eden out of the water is not a fight that Jenna nor I are willing to put up with. Eden needs to practice and has the determination to be the best. I can’t fault her for trying to achieve her goal.

  I’m not sure how long I stand there, but the desire to be with my wife and daughter is far too much to bear. I make my way back through the house and down the steps which lead down to the beach. Luckily, I’m still wearing my combat boots and they easily trudge through the sand.

  “Hey, Sweet Lips,” I say as I approach Jenna. She turns around and smiles, either because I’ve used my favourite term of endearment for her, or simply because she’s happy to see me. Or maybe it’s both, sometimes I can never be too sure. I lean down and place my lips to hers, in need of a kiss.

  “What did you get?” she asks when we part. Jenna pats the spot next to her on the blanket, and I happily sit down. I shrug out of my jacket and roll up the cap sleeve of my shirt to show my wife the sugar skull I had inked on my shoulder. It hurt like a bitch, but I’m a man. I can deal with it.

  “Wow, white gauze and tape. Very original,” Jenna says, laughing.

  I roll my eyes and start to peel away the medical tape. I purposely didn’t tell her what I was going to have done because I wanted it to be a surprise. Having said that, I probably should’ve taken care of this in the house and cleaned my arm ahead of time, so she could see what it was. Too late now. After the gauze is off, I turn ever so slightly so she can see my arm.