The Accidental Christmas

Four: Talon

That evening, with the taxi service canceled, they sat around the tree with its broken branches facing the wall. Talon and Cameron watched as Jeremy excitedly opened his presents, forgoing the cookies-and-milk routine, for as far as Jeremy was concerned, Santa had already arrived in the form of a new friend.

There were presents from the shelter where she and Jeremy stayed when they first arrived in Atlantic City and a few from the nearby church that included two gift cards. Cameron had bought him a Lego set he'd put down on his Christmas list, and the moment Jeremy tore open the wrapper, he excused himself and went into his room to start building it, leaving them alone in the living room.

From the folded-up futon couch, Talon watched her put away the discarded wrapping paper in the recycling bin. He would have helped, but Cameron had ordered him to stay where he was, and he wasn't about to argue with her. He was happy being around her and his son. Besides, what could he say that would tell her how he was feeling, that after so many years spent in the darkness of the wars he fought, mired in questions about decisions one made when one was too young to know better, his world had grown brighter in a matter of minutes?

"Thank you for staying," Cameron said as she squeezed his hand. Her fingers felt soft and warm against his callused palm, and as she brought his hand to her lips, Talon caught his breath. "I'm glad I wasn't dreaming when I thought I heard you call my name tonight. You've made Jeremy and me so happy, more than you'll ever know."

Her voice faded, and she took a deep breath and sighed, lowering his hand back on his thigh.

"Why did you come back here?" he asked. "I would never have thought to look for you right under my nose."

"I wanted to show Jeremy the place where I'd been happiest... before I made that terrible decision–"

"Please don't blame yourself, Cam." Talon stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "If anyone should be blaming someone, it's me. Instead of staying one more day to learn that you'd chosen me over Edgar, I ran away to a life that I thought would help me forget you. Only I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. And then Adele told me about how Jeremy looked like me when I was his age, only I couldn't do anything, not when anything I'd say would have humiliated you. Certainly, not in the middle of Edgar's campaign for Treasurer, while he was busy flaunting his perfect family." Talon paused, deciding then not to tell her about the restraining orders. One day he'd tell her but not yet. "And so, I told myself I was fighting for a bigger cause–for my country–when all I was doing was running away from the truth until I couldn't run anymore, not even from myself."

"Neither of us is running now," she whispered. "We're both where we're supposed to be."

Talon nodded. "I guess you could say that."

They didn't speak for a few moments, the feel of Cameron's soft fingers tracing the line of his jaw soothing him.

"Kiss me, Talon," she whispered, and that was all he needed to hear.

He pulled her to him and kissed her, the feel of her body filling him with a warm and heady sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. It told him that she was in his arms and that she was real, just like the little converted garage with its drab beige walls was real. She tasted of laughter and smiles, of a love lost but now found again. She tasted of family... and home.

Talon pulled away a few moments later and gazed at her. "I want us to start over, but I can't guarantee you the same things Edwin gave you–"

Cameron placed her finger against his lips and smiled. "The only life I ever want is with you. We'll have to take things one day at a time. It won't be easy, not when we've got eight years of catching up to do and... and there's Edwin, too. If he's caught and brought back to face trial, it'll be a nightmare."

Talon caught her hand and brought it to his lips. "A nightmare we'll both face together. I promise. For now, one day at a time sounds good."

They both leaned back on the couch, and for the next few minutes, Talon held her in his arms in silence. What else was there to say that their hearts hadn't already said without the need for words?

Minutes later, Jeremy emerged from his bedroom to show them what he'd built with his brand-new Lego set. Cameron and Talon scooted away from each other, beckoning for him to sit between them.

So, what did you build, young man? She asked as Jeremy proudly held up his latest creation before he handed it to Talon.

I built us a house. It's small, like this one, and it only has two rooms because that's all I had to make it with, he signed, beaming as he gazed at his Lego house and then at both of them.

But it's a home, he added, beaming—our home.

* * *

Later that evening, after Talon read Jeremy The Christmas Story using sign language, the little boy fell asleep with a smile on his face. Talon tucked the blankets around his son before stepping out of the bedroom to join Cameron on the futon sofa.

She'd watched father and son from the doorway at first before giving them time alone and Talon appreciated that. But now that they were alone, he knew they had so much to say to each other, so much to catch up on. But there was also no rush.

From this moment forward, they had all the time in the world.

He'd missed so much of his son's growing years but that was because he'd made the choice to go to war. Now that he'd left that behind, it was time for him to live—truly live—and this time, surrounded by family.