His Last-Chance Christmas Family

by Michelle Major

  “It’s part of the science curriculum he teaches,” Brynn explained. “And he’s kind of obsessed. Parasites don’t do it for me, so I’m not sure we’re a good match.”

  Her friends stared wide-eyed a moment longer, then both of them dissolved into fits of laughter.

  “Gross,” Mara said, shaking her head.

  “You should add no parasites to your online dating profile,” Kaitlin advised.

  “I don’t have a profile,” Brynn reminded her. “If you’ll remember, I think this whole dating thing is a waste of time.”

  Kaitlin grew serious as she touched the diamond engagement ring that graced the third finger of her left hand. “Love is never a waste of time.”

  “She’s right,” Mara confirmed. “And sometimes you find it in the unlikeliest place. You can’t give up. We’re committed to this quest.”

  Brynn’s cheeks ached with the effort of keeping her smile steady. She appreciated her friends and had been glad to watch them find love in Starlight. First Kaitlin with Finn and then Mara and Parker, an unlikely match in so many ways, particularly because he’d represented Mara’s ex-husband in their divorce.

  Both couples had overcome plenty of difficulties on the road to their happily-ever-after. Brynn wasn’t convinced she was on the same path.

  “Being set up makes me feel more like a charity case,” she admitted.

  “Don’t say that.” Mara reached for her hand, squeezing gently. “Everyone agrees you deserve a great man in your life.”

  “I have one in Tyler,” she replied automatically.

  “A man other than your son,” Kaitlin clarified.

  Brynn groaned. “When you put it like that, it sounds even more desperate than I feel.”

  “You aren’t desperate. You’re willing.”

  “Which makes it seem like I’ve scrawled my contact info on every bathroom stall this side of the Cascade Mountains.”

  “Don’t be silly. Also, Finn met with the new owner of the hardware store yesterday. He came in to talk about an expansion loan. He’s pretty cute and single.”

  Finn’s family owned First Trust, the longest-running local bank in Starlight, since the institution’s founding. Finn had returned to Starlight to help his ailing father with the bank this past summer, and although he and Kaitlin had started off more as enemies than friends, they’d quickly discovered love.

  Brynn was happy for both of her friends and tried to ignore the sliver of envy that ran through her. “Did he put single on his application?” she asked with a raised brow. “Or did you interrogate him?”

  Kaitlin headed up customer relations at the bank. The slim blonde sniffed. “Interrogate is such a harsh word. We talked and I mentioned I have a gorgeous friend who knows the best places to eat in Starlight.”

  “There are three restaurants in this town, if you don’t count the food trucks at the mill.” She nodded. “The food truck variety is awesome, if I do say so myself.”

  “Then you can take him on a date to the mill.”

  “I work there. That’s weird.” Brynn’s pregnancy had changed so many things about her future. She’d planned to start her freshman year at Washington State University the fall after graduating high school, but instead had been dealing with swollen ankles and adjusting to marriage with a boy she barely knew. Over the years, she’d worked odd jobs around town, cleaning office buildings at night and doing filing for the local attorney and accountant’s office—things that allowed her flexible hours so she didn’t have to put her son in day care or rely on anyone to help.

  No one had expected Brynn to handle motherhood well, so she’d been determined to prove everyone wrong. Once Tyler started elementary school, she’d worked in the front office and as a substitute teacher. She’d also volunteered for the PTO and in the classroom, her quest to demonstrate her worth never ending.

  More recently, Parker and Josh Johnson had redeveloped the Dennison Mill, the town’s deserted lumber mill, into a smorgasbord of adaptive-reuse space. There were retail stores, a second location for Main Street Perk, as well as community events. Somehow, Brynn had found the nerve to convince the brothers to hire her as their marketing and events manager. She’d planned to study advertising in college, and although she didn’t have a degree, she loved the challenge of coming up with a plan for the mill.

  “The mill is awesome,” Mara said, “and so is your work there.” She turned to Kaitlin. “What’s number two’s name anyway?”

  “Number two?” Brynn questioned.

  “Will MacFarlane,” Kaitlin answered, then winked at Brynn. “Date number two of twelve.”

  “Oh, lord. That sounds bad.”

  “You’re getting into the holiday spirit.”

  “I’m going to need heavy spirits to get through all these dates.”

  “Not if number two becomes your number one,” Mara said with a cheeky grin. “Then you can have the rest of the dates with him. Mr. Right.”

  “I don’t believe in Mr. Right,” Brynn said, even as an image of Nick flitted across her mind.

  “At least be open to Mr. Right Now,” Mara urged. “We hung mistletoe at both locations of Perk.”

  Brynn stumbled a step as Tyler’s thin arms wrapped around her legs. “Mom, I almost lost you.”

  “You didn’t lose me, sweetie.” She ruffled his hair. “I was waiting for you right here.”

  “I can’t see the tree,” he complained, craning his neck to see around the people who surrounded them. “I want to see.”

  Brynn’s heart pinched, knowing that this year was different since her son wouldn’t be higher than everyone else on his father’s shoulders.

  “Then let’s go to where you can,” Mara told him without missing a beat and led the way toward the front of the crowd.

  “You’ll have the best view ever,” Brynn promised, taking his smaller hand in hers. As she followed her two friends, she vowed that no matter how hard she had to work, this Christmas was going to be the most magical she could make it.

  Chapter Three

  “Stop lying to yourself,” Finn counseled a few nights later over a round of beers at Trophy Room, Starlight’s most popular bar.

  “And to Brynn,” Parker added for good measure.

  “Whose side are the two of you on?” Nick demanded, his voice pitched to almost a growl. He was sick of being lectured by his two closest friends. Drinking alone at home was starting to seem like a way better option.

  “Hers,” Parker said at the same time as Finn’s emphatic, “Yours.”

  Finn immediately swatted Parker on the arm. “Dude.”

  “Both of yours.”

  “Said like a true attorney,” Nick mumbled.

  Parker flashed an unapologetic grin. “I take that as a compliment.”

  Nick grunted. “Don’t.” He held up a hand when Finn would have spoken again, took a moment to drain his beer, then returned the empty pilsner glass to the scuffed tabletop with a thud. “I’ve told you guys a hundred times now. Brynn and I are friends. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

  “Then you’re going to lose her,” Parker answered.

  “Again,” Finn added. “I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn about this.”

  “I hurt her,” Nick said as if it explained everything. “I won’t take the chance of repeating that.”

  “You were an idiot.” Finn grabbed a chip from the heaping pile of nachos in the middle of the table.

  It was a Monday night, and a crowd had gathered in the bar’s wood-paneled interior for food, drinks and football. The atmosphere was downright festive, even though neither of the teams playing tonight were located within a thousand miles of Washington State. Ever since he’d joined the force, Nick had gotten into the habit of assessing any space he entered, and he detected only camaraderie in the bar tonight.

  �
��We all did plenty of stupid things back in high school,” Parker added before digging into the nachos.

  “Like the pact we made,” Finn said.

  Parker nodded as he shoved a loaded chip into his mouth. “Incredibly stupid.”

  “You only think that because you’re in love.” Nick didn’t bother to hide the derision in his tone as he emphasized the final two words with air quotes.

  “Don’t air quote at me,” Finn told him. “That vow was made out of fear and immaturity.”

  Parker nodded. “Apparently some of us haven’t grown up.”

  Nick drew in a deep breath and forced himself not to push back from the table and stalk away from his friends. It annoyed the hell out of him that just because they’d both jumped on the truelove bandwagon he was automatically expected to hitch a ride.

  He didn’t need or want love in his life, no matter how his body reacted to Brynn. Maybe he couldn’t control the beating of his heart, but he damn well had control over whether he gave it away.

  Back in high school, Finn and Parker had felt the same. They’d all been hurting in different ways, but one thing the three of them had agreed on was that love wasn’t worth the pain it could cause. The night of their high school graduation, after too many swigs of cheap liquor, they’d taken an oath not to fall in love. It might sound silly and they’d been more than a little drunk, but on that night, Finn, Parker and Nick had been serious about honoring the promise they made to each other.

  Nick had woken up the next morning, his head pounding under the bright morning sun. Parker and Finn had still been asleep a few feet from him, both of them snoring loud enough to rival a freight train. He’d felt sick and cotton-mouthed but his heart, for the first time since he’d seen Brynn dancing with Daniel Hale at prom, had been light.

  The friends had rarely talked about that oath over the years. All of them had been eager to leave their hometown behind and set out to make their way in the world. Nick had been the first one to return when his mom’s health declined after his brother’s death in Afghanistan and the subsequent fatal heart attack his father suffered.

  In Starlight, people settled down. Plenty of women he’d known growing up—and some new to town—had been interested in enticing him to settle down.

  He’d never been the least bit tempted.

  The vow, he’d told himself. It was because of the vow.

  It had been a shock when Finn and then Parker had thrown aside their oath and fallen in love. He didn’t want to resent them for their choices. Hell, Kaitlin and Mara were awesome.

  But when Nick made a vow, he kept it. Even if he was the only one. Not that he’d had a reason to break the vow since that night, or a woman who made him want to give up on the promise he’d made.

  “Nothing is going to happen between Brynn and me.”

  “Fine.” Finn gave a disgusted sigh. “It’s probably better anyway. She needs someone steady in her life. A man she can count on.”

  “I’m steady as a ro—” Nick clamped shut his mouth. Without a doubt, his friend was trying to bait him. He wouldn’t fall for it.

  “I met the new owner of the hardware supply company Kaitlin wants to introduce her to,” Parker offered. “Seems like a decent guy. Maybe they’ll hit it off.”

  “What’s the damn obsession with finding Brynn a boyfriend?” Nick demanded. “Can’t you keep your women occupied?”

  Finn and Parker stared at him with twin expressions of horror on their faces. “You better not let Mara hear you talk like that,” Parker warned.

  “Kaitlin would skin you alive for that comment,” Finn agreed.

  “I know. I know.” Nick held up his hands. “I realize I sound like an oaf. It’s a new habit.”

  “Oaf is one word for it.” Finn pushed the plate of nachos toward him.

  “Need anything, fellas?” They all turned as Jordan Schaeffer, the former NFL tight end who’d moved to Starlight after a career-ending injury, approached the table. “Damn, Chief, you look like someone peed in your Wheaties.”

  “We’re talking about the quest to find a guy for Brynn Hale,” Finn explained. “It’s making him grumpy as hell.”

  Nick sighed. “Do you really think she’d want us discussing her love life in the middle of a bar?”

  “I know all about it.” Jordan flipped a towel over one beefy shoulder. “Mara brought me a plate of cinnamon rolls the other day and asked what my idea of a perfect first date would be. Brynn is sure pretty and sweet as can be...”

  Nick’s gut clenched as he glared at Jordan.

  “But not my type,” Jordan finished quickly. “Another round?”

  “No.” Unable to endure this topic any longer, Nick straightened from his chair. “In case any of you are wondering, Brynn’s perfect first date would be a hike in the woods, followed by a quiet dinner and watching some late-nineties rom-com to end the evening.”

  “Not that you’re going to do anything with that bit of insider knowledge,” Finn said, shaking his head.

  “I’m going to go home and take Teddy for a walk.” Nick thought of his dopey black Lab and smiled. “He’s way better company than any of you.”

  A chorus of chuckles followed him away from the table, but he ignored his friends. It didn’t matter what anyone thought he should do with Brynn. She was strictly relegated to the friend zone.

  He walked out into the clear evening and took a breath so deep the cold air burned his lungs. He welcomed the pain, something to focus on other than the ache in his heart. Just as he got to his truck, a woman climbed out of a small hatchback parked behind him at the curb.

  “Nick Dunlap?” she asked, voice trembling. “Are you Chief Dunlap?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His law-enforcement spidey sense went on high alert. “How can I help you?”

  The woman took a step closer and then glanced toward her vehicle. In the glow of the streetlight above it, Nick could see the outline of a baby’s car seat in the back.

  “Is everything okay, ma’am?”

  “Daniel always said good things about you,” she said, her hands clenched in front of her. “He said you took care of people.”

  Nick went still, although a thousand warning bells clanged inside his brain. “How did you know Daniel?”

  “I need to talk to his wife,” she continued, ignoring his question. “Brynn. Can you take me to Brynn? She’ll be more comfortable if you’re there. Daniel said you and Brynn were friends. He said you’d look out for her after...”

  Her voice trailed off and her thin chest expanded with what looked like a painful breath. She had long brown hair and thin features, pretty in an unconventional way.

  “After what?”

  “He was going to leave her,” she whispered, almost more to herself than him. “For me.” Her eyes darted to the car’s darkened interior again. “And the baby.”

  * * *

  Brynn rubbed absently at her chest as she sat at the dining room table two hours later. Just when she thought her life couldn’t turn any further in circles, there it went, spinning and tumbling like an avalanche. She expected to feel more.

  She should feel something after receiving the news that her late husband hadn’t only had one mistress at the end of his life, the woman who’d died in the accident with him. Apparently, if her late-night visitor was to be believed—and Brynn had no reason not to—Daniel had been planning to divorce Brynn and move on with another girlfriend, the one who had been nine-months pregnant with his baby at the time of his death.

  She could feel the steady beat of her heart under her rib cage. Thump, thump, thump. Nothing else. From the moment Nick had called earlier, his voice low and apologetic as he explained the story of the woman who’d approached him in town, Brynn had gone numb. She’d put her son to bed with the same routine they had every night. Tyler had only recently started sleeping in his own
bed again. The night his father died, he’d crawled under the covers with Brynn, and she’d allowed him to sleep there until he finally told her he was ready to return to his room.

  “Would you like more tea?” she asked the woman sitting across from her.

  “If you don’t mind,” Francesca answered, biting down on her lower lip. “The heat in my car hasn’t been working, and it was a slow drive from Seattle. I can’t seem to get warm.”

  Brynn could relate.

  “I’ll help,” Nick offered, pushing back from the table at the same time Brynn straightened. She didn’t need assistance pouring hot water from the teakettle but understood that wasn’t why Nick wanted time with her in the kitchen alone.

  “It’s freaking me out how well you’re handling this,” he told her, as she turned on the gas stove’s front burner.

  “Would it make you feel better if I burst into tears or threw some plates against the wall?”

  “Maybe.” He ran a hand through his hair, which was already standing on end in messy tufts. “Hell, Brynn. I’m about to lose my mind over all of this. The woman who’d been with him in the car was bad enough.”

  “Katie,” Brynn murmured, unable to help herself. “Her name was Katie.”

  She’d met the parents of the woman who had died along with her husband, about a week after Daniel’s funeral, for coffee at Main Street Perk. They’d been a regular middle-aged couple, heartbroken over the loss of their only daughter. It had been a strange and surreal conversation. Katie, who lived in a town about thirty minutes from Starlight, had talked to her parents about her new boyfriend, but they hadn’t met Daniel.

  As far as the couple knew, Katie had been unaware the new man in her life was already married. They’d wanted Brynn to know that. To understand their daughter hadn’t been a home-wrecker.

  But even with the loss of Daniel so fresh and raw, blame hadn’t been important to Brynn. Moving forward and helping Tyler move forward was her focus.

  “We don’t even know for sure the baby is Daniel’s,” Nick said, and Brynn could hear the desperation in his voice. The hope that her late husband had been someone different than the serial cheater they all knew him to be.