Dashing mr snow, p.11
Dashing Mr. Snow,
p.11
“You love her.”
He nodded. “I do. And I’m sorry I hurt you so badly. I should have ended our marriage before starting anything with Jennifer. I’ll feel bad about that for the rest of my life.”
“That makes me feel marginally better.” Her lips lifted. “You’re right that you should have done it sooner. We both should have ended things sooner. We knew where our marriage stood—or how it wasn’t standing. We were in trouble even before Jennifer. It’s not her fault.”
He let out a sigh. “You’re right, but I’m so damn sorry for hurting you, for the way I just blurted out about her being pregnant and asking for the divorce. It was insensitive and unfair.”
She nodded. “At the time it hurt. I won’t deny, it hurt for a long time. But now? It doesn’t hurt anymore, so quit holding on to that guilt. You’ve built something wonderful here and you should celebrate that.”
“Thank you.”
“Now we can both concentrate on being good parents—good people—and not make those mistakes in the future.”
“I’m really trying, Claire. I realized the mistakes I made, and I’m sorry I made them with you. But I learned from them, and I’m trying to be more present with Brooke and with George. And also with Jennifer, so I don’t end up where I started. I’m determined not to screw up again.”
She smiled, happy to hear that he had worked on himself, that he was trying to do it right this time.
“I’m really glad to hear this. I’m trying to do the same. I’m working on grabbing some of that happiness you’ve been talking about.”
“I hope you get it, Claire. I really do. I want nothing more than you for to be happy. Because if you’re happy, then Brooke will be, too.”
“And we both want Brooke to be happy.”
“Exactly.”
By the time she left, she felt as if this great weight had been lifted, as if those boulders that had been set on her shoulders were gone. Maybe those boulders had been sitting there for years, cemented by her bitterness over the divorce.
But now? She was free and ready to move forward with her life and her future.
And she knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Chapter Twelve
It had snowed overnight—almost half a foot. It was a good thing that Sullivan’s ex had flown in just before the snowstorm hit, otherwise she might have had her flight diverted. Maddy would have been so disappointed to miss seeing her mom, especially at Christmas.
Since the roads were bad, he’d driven Maddy over to Victoria’s condo last night and dropped her off. And since school was on holiday break now, the two of them could spend a couple of days together, including Christmas Eve. He’d pick her up on Christmas morning.
He had just finished shoveling his walk and Claire’s when Claire opened the front door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He looked up at her. “Working on my tan.”
“You’re funny. You didn’t have to do my walk, but I appreciate it. I just made some coffee. You want some?”
“Sure.” He walked up the steps, shook the snow off his boots, and laid the shovel on the porch before coming inside.
He’d worked up a sweat out there, so he shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the hook, kicked off his snow boots, then rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen.
“Something smells good in here.”
“I just baked some cookies. Would you like some with your coffee?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
She got out a plate and put two on his plate. They weren’t just basic cookies either but twisted and decorated with icing and plops of red berries in the middle.
Claire had made Christmas cookies. Now that was a huge shift in a positive direction.
He picked one up and took a bite, the warm, melty sweetness exactly what he needed.
“Mmm,” was all he could manage as a compliment before he stuffed the rest of it in his mouth.
Claire gave him an amused smile then added two more to his plate. “Let’s sit in the living room.”
He grabbed his plate and coffee and followed her, sitting next to her on the sofa.
“Where’s Brooke?” he asked.
“Her dad picked her up last night. She’ll be there until Christmas Day.”
He nodded. “Victoria flew in last night, so Maddy’s with her.”
“Oh, really? I’m glad she made it in before the storm hit.”
“Me, too.”
Claire set her coffee down. “I went to see my ex the other day.”
“You did?” He laid his plate down. “How did that go?”
“Better than I expected, actually. I had never wanted to talk to him or to his wife. I had all this pent-up anger inside of me that I held on to all these years. I’ve finally let it all go.”
“That’s good. I mean, is it good? How do you feel about it?”
“I feel great, actually. He apologized for the way he handled everything with me and said if he could do it over again, he’d do it all differently. And I realized that our marriage was over long before the whole infidelity thing came about. We both made mistakes.”
“Him more than you.”
“True. But at some point, if you don’t move past it, you end up like me—bitter and unable to be happy.”
“That’s true. And are you happy now?”
She reached over and grasped his hand. “I am, and I have you to thank for that.”
“Me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Actually, you did, Sullivan. You helped me to realize that my dislike of Christmas was stalling me. Not just for the holiday, but in a lot of aspects of my life. I had taken that one incident and let it define me. Focusing on the good memories made me see there was so much more to be happy about. Thank you for that again.”
He squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome. But I didn’t really do anything. You have moved on with your life. You’ve built a successful career. Your daughter is thriving. And I’m happy you’ve put the past to rest.”
“I’m falling in love with you, Sullivan.”
He blinked, not sure he heard her right. “What?”
“I know it seems fast, and you don’t have to say anything in reply. But since the first day I met you, you’ve been here for me in every way I needed you. You’re kind, thoughtful, generous, and fun. I love the way you look at me, the way you touch me, the way you touch my heart, and I can’t imagine you not being in my life. And you brought Christmas back to me. In all its bright lights and decorations and Christmas trees. You’ve made my daughter happy. How can I thank you enough for that? How can I resist falling in love with someone who brings such joy and warmth to my life?”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. And he was damn glad, too. He inched closer so he could take both her hands. “I feel the same way, Claire. Every day I’m with you, I fall a little bit more in love. It’s like I was meant to move next door to this feisty, independent, beautiful, strong woman who has such a huge heart, who gives so much of herself, who cares so deeply. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“And our girls don’t even know what’s going on with us, yet.”
He shrugged then drew her against him. “They’ll be fine with it.”
And then he kissed her, and she knew this would be the best Christmas she’d ever had.
Chapter Thirteen
For the past few years, Claire had woken up on Christmas morning with equal parts dread and exhilaration. Dread because she hated all things Christmas, and to have a day dedicated to it meant the longest day of her life. And exhilaration because soon it would be over.
But this year was different. This year she was excited and couldn’t wait to start the day.
Ed dropped Brooke off midmorning. Instead of ignoring him completely, she walked outside and waved to him from the porch. He waved back, and they both smiled, making her heart feel lighter.
Brooke came in nearly vibrating with excitement.
“I got the best perfume, Mom,” Brooke said as she nibbled on a cinnamon roll that Claire had made that morning. “Oh, and Dad and Jennifer said we’re going skiing over spring break, provided it’s okay with you.”
Normally she’d grumble and say she’d text with Ed about it. But not anymore. “That sounds great.”
They ate their cinnamon rolls, made hot chocolate, then sat together and opened their gifts, just as they always did on Christmas morning. Brooke gave her a beautiful knitted scarf.
“I love this, Brooke,” Claire said as she examined it.
“Thanks. I made it.”
She looked up. “You did? When did you learn to knit?”
Brooke shrugged. “Last month. On YouTube. Maddy and I both made scarves for our moms.”
Teenagers. Were. Amazing.
She hugged her daughter, and then the doorbell rang, so Brooke went to answer it.
It was Sullivan and Maddy. Brooke and Maddy exchanged squeals and hugs because, after all, it had been three whole days since they’d seen each other.
“Merry Christmas,” Sullivan said to her.
“Merry Christmas.” She ached to walk into his arms, to kiss him, but they wanted to talk to the girls first, so she waited. But she could tell from the longing look in Sullivan’s eyes that he felt the same way.
Every day that she was with him, she fell more and more and more in love. And having these past couple of days alone with him, to sit by the fire at night, their legs tangled together as they talked, read, or watched tv gave her a glimpse of what life might be together.
It was perfect.
The girls opened their gifts to each other, and Sullivan handed her a package.
She opened it, surprised to find those boots she’d tried on at the store that she’d loved but couldn’t afford.
She looked up at him. “Thank you. I love these so much.”
“And they’ll look amazing on you.”
“They sure will, Mom,” Brooke said.
Claire pulled a package from behind the tree and handed it to Sullivan. “This is for you.”
He ripped the paper open and his eyes widened. It was a framed copy of his first graphic novel. He ran his fingers over the glass and said, “Wow. I never thought to do this.”
“I noticed you don’t have any of your novels on display, and you should. They’re wonderful.”
Maddy came over and laid her hands on his shoulders. “Aww, Dad, that’s awesome. And so sweet, Claire.”
Sullivan gave her a warm smile. “Thank you.”
The tension between them was palpable. She wanted to kiss him, to tell him right there how much she loved him.
“Oh, my God, you two, kiss already,” Maddy said.
Claire’s head shot up. “What?”
“You think we don’t know you two have been sneaking around together?” Brooke asked, rolling her eyes. “What are we, children?”
“Really,” Maddy said. “We’re practically adults and you both suck at hiding your feelings.”
Sullivan laughed. “In that case…” He wrapped his hand around Claire’s neck and gave her one hell of a kiss.
“Ugh,” Brooke said. “I do not need to see this.”
“Same. Let’s go up to your room and you can show me your Christmas presents.”
The girls left and Sullivan smiled at her. “So I guess our big announcement wasn’t so big after all, huh?”
“I guess not. I should have known we couldn’t hide anything from those two. They’re just too smart.”
He sat back on the sofa and Claire leaned against him. Now this felt right, the two of them out on the open, celebrating their love. He smoothed his hand over her cheek. “Because we both have exceptionally bright daughters.”
“This is true. So now what?”
“Now we take it day by day and enjoy the hell out of each other. And our exceptionally bright daughters.”
“And soon you’ll take those ridiculous blow-up decorations off your lawn, right?”
His lips curved. “Is this always going to be an argument?”
“Probably.”
“Good. I’d hate to think we’d agree on everything.”
She tilted her head back to look at him. “How boring would that be?”
“Never a dull moment with you, Claire.”
“I hope not. But always a happily ever after.”
“If I have anything to say about it, there will be.”
She was already looking forward to next Christmas.
I hope you enjoyed Dashing Mr. Snow!
If you would like to read another Holiday story, check out Love Me By Christmas. Ellie Washington lost her husband in a tragedy five years ago at Christmas. She wouldn’t have made it through her grief if not for her husband’s brother, Nick, who helped her pick up the pieces of her shattered life. And with every year, her feelings for Nick have grown. Now she realizes she might be in love with him, but that’s not fair, because Nick deserves a life that isn’t about his brother’s widow and son.
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About the Author
Jaci Burton is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author who lives in Oklahoma with her husband and dogs. She has three grown children who are all scattered around the country having lives of their own. A lover of sports, Jaci can often tell what season it is by what sport is being played. She watches entirely too much television, including an unhealthy amount of HGTV, which has given her the ‘lets remodel every room in the house’ bug. When she isn’t on deadline, Jaci can be found at her local casino, trying to become a millionaire (so far, no luck). She’s a total romantic and loves a story with a happily ever after, which you’ll find in all her books.
Connect with Jaci online to learn more about her upcoming titles.
www.jaciburton.com
Jaci Burton, Dashing Mr. Snow
