However, in two weeks, her fiancé would have been missing in action for three years. Most people thought it was time for her, and everyone else to accept that Corey was now dead.
She shivered.
“Let Grandpa give you a bath and I’ll be up to read you a story. On Saturday, we’ll go see Santa.”
Shane cupped her face. “And Santa will give us our Christmas miracle this year. I know it. I can feel it.”
She kissed her son. “Your daddy would be so proud of you.” She held back her tears until she heard the water rattle the pipes in the walls. She gripped the counter and stared out the window above the kitchen sink and gasped, staring at a shadow under the trees. “Corey?” She blinked and the silhouette was gone.
“It can’t be,” she whispered. Her heart beat so fast she could barely breathe. She raced out the back door. “Corey,” she called feeling like an utter fool. “Is that you?” She stepped to the edge of her property and peered through the palm trees.
Nothing.
No one was there.
She glanced toward the dark sky filled with a million bright dots and a white moon. A shooting star sailed in front of her eyes. “Please be a sign that my son will get his Christmas miracle.”
Chapter Seven
Saturday, Christmas Eve
Ruby fiddled with her engagement ring. She started doing that the day Corey went missing, exactly three years ago tomorrow.
A bittersweet day.
She glanced down at her son, who squeezed her other hand while he did his best to be patient in the long line to see Santa.
Shane raised up on tiptoe and tried to look around all the people.
“It’s going to be a while,” she said.
“I know, Mommy,” Shane said. “I’ll be good. I promise. I have to be. I need Santa to grant my wish.”
“You know he can’t always bring you exactly what you want,” she said, hoping to soften the blow. She knelt and held Shane by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “I know this is hard, but Daddy might not come home.” She’d finally broken down and told him some truths last night and she needed to continue with the new rhetoric. Not harshly.
“I’ve been asking Santa for the wrong thing,” Shane said with a smile.
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t tell you.” He leaned in. “That’s part of the problem,” he whispered. “I have to keep it secret between me and Santa.”
“I see,” she said. “Just remember that sometimes Santa has better ideas for us.”
He nodded. “Don’t worry, Mommy. I know what I’m doing.”
Like father, like son.
She stood and smoothed down the front of her dress. A single tear burned a path down her cheek. She wore this dress every year. She didn’t care that she was slightly over dressed to take her son to see Chris Kringle, this was the dress she wore the day she met the man who changed her life.
God, how she missed him.
As the line moved closer a tightness filled her gut. She flattened her hand over her stomach. She had no idea why a wave of nerves tickled her senses.
She took another step forward. “We’re next,” she whispered.
“Santa is going to take a short break,” one of the elves said.
Wonderful. She let out a long breath. “It’s okay, buddy. It won’t be too long.” She squeezed Shane’s hand.
“I can wait,” Shane said with a tremble in his voice.
What a trooper.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Decker asked.
Corey adjusted the Santa hat and stared in the mirror. “Yes,” he said.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this. You’ve been home for two days.” Decker let out a long breath. “The government is going to want to know too.”
“My family is going to find out first. But I don’t feel like I can just go bang on the door or use my key and walk back into their lives after three years.”
“She hasn’t moved on,” Decker said.
Corey turned and faced his longtime friend. “I can’t thank you enough for taking care of them.” He swallowed. Hard. “Or for never forgetting about me and sending a rescue team to get me.”
“You’re family. And we never leave anyone behind.” Corey slapped him on the back. “Now, it’s time to go play Santa.”
“I guess so.”
Corey had never been so nervous in his life. He was about to meet his son for the first time. As he strolled down the corridor, waving to all the kids and their families passing by, he caught the little boy jumping up and down at the front of the line with his mother.
Ruby.
Wearing that dress.
Corey paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath.
His entire life flashed in a mirage of images. She’d been the woman who made him break all his rules and stole his heart.
She was the woman who kept him alive for three long, lonely years.
All he wanted was to scoop her into his arms and twirl her around and in a few minutes, that’s exactly what he intended to do.
He took his seat in Santa’s throne and waved to his son—Shane—to come and join him.
Shane climbed up in his lap and Corey nearly lost it. It was looking into his past. He wished he could see more of Ruby in Shane, but instead he had a little mini-me for a kid.
“Hi Santa.”
“Hi Shane,” he said with a thick lump in his throat. “Have you been a good boy this year?”
“You’re Santa. You should know that,” Shane said with a wiggle of his right brow.
Something Corey’s mother said he always did as a kid.
“That’s true. But what do you think?”
Shane blew out a puff of air. “I got into a fight at pre-school, so that part was bad, but my mommy said my daddy would have pushed that boy too.”
Corey shouldn’t ask, but he had to know. “And why is that?”
“He was picking on a little girl and he made her cry.”
“I see.” Corey bit back a laugh. “But fighting still isn’t the way to solve problems.”
“That’s what my mommy said.”
“So, Shane. What is it that you want for Christmas?”
He leaned forward and covered his face. “I don’t want anything for myself. You can give all my toys to a little girl or boy who has less than me. But I do want to ask for something for my mommy.”
Corey leaned back and stared into Shane’s dark little eyes. “What’s that?”
Shane pressed his finger to his lips. “Shhhhh.”
Corey turned his head so Shane could continue to whisper.
“I want to give my mommy my daddy back for Christmas. I want that to be my present to my mommy.”
Every muscle in Corey’s body froze. He swallowed a guttural sob. “That’s a tall order.”
“It’s all I want.” Shane jumped from Corey’s lap. “Thank you, Santa.” He waved as he raced off to his mother, who bent over and gave the boy a big hug. He was tall for his age. And he spoke incredibly well.
He suspected that was because of Ruby.
Well, he’d give Shane his Christmas wish.
Chapter Eight
“Mommy!”
Ruby rubbed her temples as she stared at her swollen, puffy eyes from another night of tears.
After three years, she thought that maybe she could get through the night without making it a cry fest.
But that proved to be impossible.
First Christmas presents.
Then birthday celebration.
All wrapped up in the shadow of disappointment and grief. The latter she needed to accept.
Corey was never coming home. A simple fact she needed to accept.
“Mommy!”
“I’m coming.”
The bedroom door crashed into the wall. “Something weird is going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are no presents under the tree.”
“What
?” Her heart sank. She knew she’d snuck downstairs at three in the morning and set up all the gifts and filled Shane’s stocking.
“There’s just a note from Santa.” Shane jumped up and down as if this was the best thing in the world. “Mommy, my wish might be coming true.”
“You wished for no presents?” Only her kid would do that, but how on earth would it actually happen? She took Shane by the hand, and headed for the stairs, with her cell in hand and ready to hit 9-1-1 if necessary. “Stay behind me.”
“Why?”
“Just because.” She eased into the family room. Nothing was out of order, except for the fact that every single present was gone. Even the ones that were for her parents. With a shaky finger, she took the note.
“Ruby and Shane.”
“Open it, Mommy.”
“Okay.” She sat down on the sofa and Shane snuggled up next to her, with his elbows on her thighs and his hands holding up his head.
“Dear Ruby and Shane,
Shane, your unique request is something that I know your father would be proud of. It is very selfless of you to give up your toys to those in need. It is also noble to want to take care of your mother.
There are so many things we don’t have any control of, and I know you’ve been asking to have your father return. It must be so hard for you and your mom to not know. I can tell you that the only thing that kept your dad going was—”
Ruby gasped and covered her mouth. She blinked out a dozen more tears. The room spun. Wrapping her arm around Shane she pulled him close.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?”
Her heart pounded like wild beasts on the hunt. She couldn’t fill her lungs.
“Let me finish the note.” She swiped at her face.
“. . . your love and knowing you’d be there when he returned. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it was that he couldn’t.
Until now.”
“Oh, my God.” Her hand shook so bad she wasn’t sure she could continue.
“Mommy?” Shane glanced up at her. “You’re hurting me.”
“Sorry.” She released her death grip.
“Is Daddy coming home?”
She blinked. This better not be some cruel joke. “There’s a little more left to read.”
“Ruby, I know you’re confused. Shane asked me to give you one very special gift.”
Shane jumped off the sofa and started dancing around the room with his little fists in the air. “I can’t believe it. Daddy is finally coming home. It worked. I did it.”
She’d deal with Shane in a second.
“I’d wanted to do this yesterday, but I couldn’t refuse our son.”
“He’s alive,” she whispered, glancing around the room. “And he’s here. Somewhere.”
“Daddy?” Shane stopped dancing. “He’s here?”
“I think so.” God, she hoped so. “That’s what this letter says.”
“His wish was to give you me and I want him to be able to do that. Go to the backyard. Tell Shane his gift to you is there.”
Shane took her by the hand and tugged. “Come on, Mommy.”
She tugged at her robe and swiped at her cheeks. This was not how she wanted to see Corey for the first . . . Santa.
No.
Couldn’t be.
She paused in the hallway and glanced at the piece of paper in her hand. “Holy shit.”
“Mommy. You said a bad word.”
“You might hear a few more, sweetie. Sometimes your father does things that Mommy doesn’t like and he just did one of them.” Only, what a sweet gift to give their child. She pulled open the back door and in the middle of the patio was a huge box with a big red bow. Written on the box in big red letters was the words: To: Mommy, Love, Shane and Daddy.
“Open it, Mommy!” Shane jumped up and down. “Now.”
“I think it can open itself.” She couldn’t stop the tears if she tried. Nor could she stop the smile that grew wider and wider. She raised up on tiptoe and unfolded the cardboard.
Slowly, Corey stood up.
He looked different. His hair had grown past his shoulders and he had a few scars on his face that hadn’t been there before.
But this was her Corey.
“Hey, babe,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”
Her muscles trembled. Her skin ignited into flames. She opened her mouth, but no words formed. She just stood there like a doe in headlights.
Corey climbed out of the box and scooped up Shane. “Hey, little man. I’m your daddy.”
Shane hugged his father and cried.
Corey cried.
And Ruby couldn’t move. She was like stone. Frozen in time.
A warm hand touched her cheek.
She blinked.
“Corey,” she whispered. “What happened to you?”
“That’s a story for another day. Right now, let’s focus on the fact that I’m home. Where I belong. With my family.”
She wrapped her arms around him and Shane. “It’s a Christmas miracle,” she whispered.
BRAND NEW SERIES!
With Me In Seattle
INVESTIGATE WITH ME
SAIL WITH ME
The Monroes
COLOR ME YOURS
COLOR ME SMART
COLOR ME FREE
COLOR ME LUCKY
COLOR ME ICE
It’s all in the Whiskey
JOHNNIE WALKER
GEORGIA MOON
JACK DANIELS
JIM BEAM
WHISKEY SOUR
WHISKEY COBBLER
Search and Rescue
PROTECTING AINSLEY
PROTECTING CLOVER
PROTECTING OLYMPIA
PROTECTING PRINCESS (November 2020)
NY State Trooper Series
IN TWO WEEKS
DARK WATER
DEADLY SECRETS
MURDER IN PARADISE BAY
TO PROTECT HIS OWN
DEADLY SEDUCTION
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS
NY State Trooper Novella
HIS DEADLY PAST
THE CORKSCREW KILLER
Brand New Novella for the First Responders series
A spin off from the NY State Troopers series
PLAYING WITH FIRE
PRIVATE CONVERSATION
THE RIGHT GROOM
AFTER THE FIRE
The Men of Thief Lake
REKINDLED
DESTINY’S DREAM
Federal Investigators
JANE DOE’S RETURN
THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS
The Aegis Network
THE LIGHTHOUSE
HER LAST HOPE
THE LAST FLIGHT
THE RETURN HOME
THE MATRIARCH
The Collective Order
THE LOST SISTER
THE LOST SOLDIER
THE LOST SOUL
THE LOST CONNECTION
A Spin-Off Series: Witches Academy Series
THE NEW ORDER
Special Forces Operation Alpha
BURNING DESIRE
BURNING KISS
BURNING SKIES
BURNING LIES
BURNING HEART
BURNING BED
REMEMBER ME ALWAYS
The Brotherhood Protectors
Out of the Wild
ROUGH JUSTICE
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
ROUGH RIDE
ROUGH EDGE
ROUGH BEAUTY
The Brotherhood Protectors
The Saving Series
SAVING LOVE
SAVING MAGNOLIA
Holiday Romances
A CHRISTMAS GETAWAY
ALASKAN CHRISTMAS
WHISPERS
Heroes & Heroines on the Field
TAKING A RISK
TEE TIME
The Twilight Crossing Series
THE BLIND DATE
SPRING FLING
SUMMER’S GONE
WINTER WEDDING
&
nbsp; Witches and Werewolves
LADY SASS
ALL THAT SASS
About Jen Talty
Jen Talty is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Paranormal Romance. In the fall of 2020, a short story of hers was selected and featured in a 1001 Dark Nights Anthology. She is currently contracted to write in the With Me In Seattle series by Kristen Proby with Lady Boss Press as well as Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha and Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors. Find out more about Jen Talty at her website.
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Mistletoe Kisses
Lizzie James
Chapter One
Faith
“Hello?!” Emma waved her hand in my face, clicking her fingers impatiently at me. “You’re not even listening to me, are you?” She rolled her eyes at me.
“I’m sorry. I was just thinking . . .” I turned my gaze to her, instead of on the very good-looking barman at the bar pulling pints.
“Thinking. Right,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “Perving, you mean.” She turned in her seat to look at where I was pointing. “What is your obsession with him?” She cocked her head to the side before she turned back to face me. “I just don’t get it.”
“I’m not obsessed,” I quickly defended. “He interests me.”
“How?” She stirred the straw in her daiquiri cocktail before she looked back up at me. “You do know that he’s a manwhore, don’t you?” She cocked an elegant eyebrow at me before she went off on another tangent. Her watch beeped a reminder at her, alerting her attention down to her wrist. “Oh, I have to go but I left your outfit on the end of your bed for you. We didn’t have many spots left open but I really appreciate it.” She stood up and grabbed her handbag before leaning down and kissing my cheek. “See you later! Be there by 6:00 p.m.”
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