Coming Home for Christmas

by RaeAnne Thayne

  “It’s really you. It has to be, if you remember those things. And Luke wouldn’t play a cruel trick like that. I don’t know what to say. After all these years, it’s really you! I don’t quite know whether to call you Elizabeth or Sonia.”

  “Either one works.”

  McKenzie gazed at her, shaking her head in disbelief. Then, before Elizabeth could react, she reached out and folded her into a hug. The contact soaked through her, warming another frozen little corner of her heart.

  “I don’t know where you’ve been or why you were using another name. It doesn’t really matter. I’m just so glad to have you back. I imagine Luke and the children are thrilled, too.”

  Elizabeth wouldn’t go that far. “I’m here to prove to people...once and for all that Luke had absolutely nothing to do with my disappearance. I left of my own free...will and stayed away by my own...choice.”

  “That’s going to be a hard sell around here to some people.”

  “I know. I would love it if you could...help me.”

  McKenzie looked thoughtful. “Are you planning to go to Megan’s fund-raiser this weekend?”

  Elizabeth tried not to break out in a cold sweat at the idea. “Yes.”

  “That will be the perfect place. Part business, part social. We can take you around to talk to everyone, those you might have known here before and those you don’t.”

  She did not want to become the center of attention at Megan’s event, though she could not deny it would be an efficient way to speak with many people in town who might want to hear her story. What better place to reach many of the movers and shakers around town? Everyone would want to hear her story and she couldn’t deny it would be easier to do it all at once, rather than in steady drips for days, when the Haven Point grapevine was sure to spread the news with plenty of distortions.

  “We can talk strategy later. I’m just so happy that you’re here. I’ve missed you!”

  McKenzie gave her another hug, which left her feeling guilty and weird.

  Since her memories started to come back, she had spent so much time thinking about how very much she missed Luke and the children that she hadn’t given enough room in her memories for everyone else who had once been important to her.

  She had friends here. People who had cared about her, people she had loved, though she had pushed many of them away in the dark time after her parents died.

  Her friends shouldn’t have had to wonder what had happened to her all this time. She should have somehow found the courage to come back. The shame she felt at her own choices seemed a poor reason to put them through years of uncertainty.

  She had no idea how she could make it up to everyone, especially Luke and their children.

  “How did McKenzie take it?” Luke asked when she left the Kilpatricks and returned to her own family.

  “Better than I...feared. She’s not happy I didn’t tell her the other day but she says she’ll help me spread the word at the...fund-raiser on Sunday.”

  “She does love a project,” he said as the server delivered their food.

  She couldn’t have said it was the most enjoyable dinner of her life. While the food was better than she remembered, she felt as if everyone was staring at her, wondering about her.

  The children didn’t make things easier. While Bridger seemed to warm up a little throughout the meal, Cassie basically ignored her. She quite deliberately offered tastes of her tiny spicy chicken to everyone except Elizabeth and seemed to find great delight in her fortune cookie message, You should avoid untrustworthy strangers today.

  “That’s good advice, isn’t it? We should all follow it,” she said to the table at large, with no subtlety whatsoever.

  “Huh. Mine says, ‘You will make a new friend in an unexpected place,’” Bridger said. Elizabeth sensed he was torn between supporting his sister and his natural inclination toward kindness and also a certain curiosity about the mother he didn’t remember.

  “What does yours say, Dad?” Cassie asked.

  This was obviously a thing they did, comparing fortunes. Yet another tradition she hadn’t shared with her family.

  “Mine says, ‘Be open to new opportunities.’ That’s a good one.”

  “Kind of boring, though,” Cassie said. “I mean, why can’t they ever be more specific in fortunes?”

  “Sometimes they are,” Bridger said. “Remember that time we got lottery numbers, only Dad wouldn’t let us buy a ticket?”

  “I guess they’re vague because one fortune can mean a hundred different things depending on who opens it.” Luke turned to her. “How about yours, Lizzie? What did you get?”

  The familiar nickname seemed to send a flood of memories through her. When he kissed her for the first time, on a date when they’d gone hiking in the hills overlooking the lake. On their wedding day, when he had seemed to glow with joy. The day Cassie had been born, when he had laid their wriggling baby on her chest, tears streaming down his face.

  She had loved every time he said her name with that low, sexy voice.

  She pushed away the memories and the tangle of emotion. “I haven’t opened it yet.”

  “Can I do it?” Bridger asked.

  His features looked so eager, she couldn’t resist passing the fortune cookie to him. “You can have it, if you want.”

  “Thanks. But even if I eat the cookie, the fortune is still yours. That’s our rule.”

  He opened it and pulled out the little slip of paper. “It says, ‘You are a product of your past mistakes but need not be a prisoner to them.’ What the heck does that mean? It’s not even a fortune.”

  “That’s dumb,” Cassie said as her brother popped the cookie in his mouth.

  Luke cleared his throat. His gaze locked with Elizabeth’s. “I disagree. I think it’s pretty good advice for all of us.”

  “Yes,” she managed, snatching up the fortune and holding it tightly between her fingers, as if she could absorb the message through her skin.

  She had let herself become a prisoner, trapped inside this body that no longer worked the way she wanted and the face that wasn’t her own. Was it possible that coming back here might help her break out?

  “That was good,” Bridger said with a satisfied sigh. “I’m glad we came here. We haven’t had Chinese in forever.”

  “It was delicious,” Elizabeth agreed.

  “You hardly ate any,” Luke answered with a look of concern.

  It was a little difficult to use chopsticks when one felt like an animal in a zoo, with everyone in the restaurant watching to see what strange things she might do next.

  She had signed up for this, Elizabeth reminded herself. If it restored Luke’s reputation, all the discomfort would be worth it.

  “I can take the leftovers home and have them for lunch tomorrow.”

  “Since we’re done, can we leave now?” Cassie asked, not bothering to conceal her impatience. “I’m ready to go home.”

  She directed the question exclusively to her father, not even looking at Elizabeth at his side. She was not making much progress finding peace with her child.

  “I’m finished, too.” Bridger was quick to back up his sister, as if they had a pact.

  “I’ll call the server over.”

  After they had packed up the leftovers and settled the bill, they rose to leave. The area where patrons waited to be seated was packed with people. Luke had been right—Mandarin House was crowded on weeknights.

  She thought she recognized a few people but was grateful he didn’t stop to talk to anyone. Just before they reached the door, another couple came in and Elizabeth gave an internal groan as she recognized Billy Sparks.

  The man had never liked Luke, in one of those completely ridiculous and one-sided feuds that went back to something that happened in high school. She didn’t even know the details. She on
ly knew Luke had beat him out for some position on a sports team and Billy had held a grudge all those years.

  “New girlfriend, Hamilton?” He leered at her, making Elizabeth feel as if he could see beneath her clothing.

  Too bad for him, he would get an eyeful of scars.

  “No, actually. An old one. The one I made my wife. Elizabeth, you remember Billy Sparks.”

  “Yes.” Unfortunately. “Hello.”

  “This is his wife, Tammy.”

  The woman looked tired, hardened by life. She nodded politely but Billy only stared at Elizabeth with the befuddled look that was becoming entirely too familiar.

  “That’s not Elizabeth. You’re just trying to get some other bitch to pretend to be your wife. I heard rumors you’re finally heading to the slammer, right where you belong.”

  Luke straightened, looking big and dangerous. “First, watch your language around my family. Second, you heard wrong. The district attorney and I have come to an arrangement and no charges will be filed, ever. So you can cancel whatever party you might have been planning. Third, this is indeed Elizabeth.”

  “You’re a damned liar.”

  Beside her, she could feel the tension radiating off of Bridger and Cassie. They didn’t need to be here for this.

  “Really, Billy?” Elizabeth’s heart was pounding. She hated confrontations, but she hated bullies more, and she couldn’t stand by and let this little rodent of a man malign her husband. “He’s the liar? Luke isn’t the one who told everyone at school they had three...scholarship offers to play football at...division one schools but turned them all down to stay here and work in his dad’s...auto shop.”

  The words escaped in a rush, tripping over each other, but she got them all out anyway.

  Billy glared at her. “I did have scholarships! Maybe I didn’t want to go to any of those stupid schools.”

  “My point isn’t about the...schools, Billy. I don’t care whether you had a dozen football scholarships. But I was...here when you were telling everyone about them. Some woman Luke hired off the street to...pretend to be his wife wouldn’t have known that, would she?”

  “He could have told you.”

  “You’re right. He also could have...told me about the time my dad hired you to mow the lawn at his office and you ended up breaking the...mower the first day, pocketing the money and never coming back.”

  Billy looked befuddled. She grew aware of others in the crowded waiting area paying careful attention to the conversation.

  Elizabeth wanted to slip out the door and let it go at that. Her job here was to defend her husband against years of accusation and somehow she sensed Billy Sparks may have been one of those whispering loudest against Luke.

  “It’s me, Bill. I might not...look the same, but it’s still me. Listen closely. I’ll say it...slowly.”

  He didn’t need to know that wasn’t a dig against him, more necessity because the words weren’t coming as eloquently as she wanted. Never had she regretted her fumbling speech more than she did in this moment, when she wanted to be smooth and precise and determined.

  “I am...Elizabeth Hamilton. I left town on my own. People walk away from their...lives all the time. Luke had...nothing to do with it. He never hurt me, ever, and has been unfairly convicted by...small-minded people ever since. Any rumors or...or gossip to the contrary is dead wrong. Is that...clear?”

  Billy’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth as if to answer, but Elizabeth didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. She made her way through the crowd, hoping Luke and the children were following her and that she could make it outside without tripping on her legs that suddenly felt weak and trembling.

  Chapter Sixteen

  As they walked outside Mandarin House into soft snowfall, Luke’s head was spinning.

  She had been amazing.

  His wife had just put Billy Sparks in his place with a few emphatic words.

  It was about damned time. For seven years, the man had made Luke’s life a misery and had passed that legacy on to his children, Jedediah and Rosie, who in turn had tormented Bridger and Cassie.

  He hated bullies more than anything, no doubt because he had lived with one his entire childhood, until his father died.

  “Thank you,” he said gruffly when they reached his pickup truck.

  She flushed under the lights in the parking lot and he fought the urge to wrap his arms around her and kiss that soft, sweet mouth, right here in front of the kids and anybody looking out the windows of the restaurant.

  “I didn’t do anything,” she said. “I can’t believe Billy is still such a...jerk.”

  “I guess some people never change.”

  That wasn’t precisely true. Elizabeth had changed—on the outside, anyway. Inside, he was beginning to discover traces of that woman he had fallen in love with, who had always stood up to champion those in need.

  With her generous heart and her unfailing love, she had healed so many of the scars left by his father. He knew that was why the years after her parents died had been so difficult, because he ached to know he hadn’t been able to help her heal in return.

  She said little as they drove through the night, back to the house on Riverbend Road. The kids didn’t seem to be in very talkative moods either.

  Luke was strangely reluctant for the evening to end, but it was a school night and he needed to take Bridger and Cassie home.

  “I’ve got to work at a job site in Shelter Springs tomorrow. Will you be all right here? Have enough food?”

  She held up the cartons of Chinese food. “Yes. No problem.”

  “Would you be willing to help us decorate the Christmas tree tomorrow evening? I could grill those steaks we talked about earlier.”

  “You want her to help us?”

  Cassie looked obviously outraged at the very idea, but Luke cut her off. “Yes. Why not?”

  “We don’t want her there,” Cassie said, her voice furious. “She’s ruining everything! Why did she have to come back? We were doing fine without her.”

  They hadn’t been, though. He’d barely been keeping his head above water. His business was doing well, keeping him busy, but he knew he wasn’t doing his best when it came to the children.

  They pulled into the driveway of the little house on the river. “It’s all right,” she said softly. “I’m sure you can...handle the tree trimming without me.”

  Maybe, but he didn’t want to.

  “We need to clear the air here. Cassie, Elizabeth is your mother. I know you’re angry that she hasn’t been in your life all this time. That’s completely understandable. Not having your mom here all those years hurt. But we talked about this. Some of those reasons she was gone weren’t her fault. You can decide you don’t want to forgive her. I won’t argue with you about that or lecture you about the reasons I think you should. You have the right to your feelings. But you don’t have the right to take your hurt and anger out on other people. Got it?”

  She mumbled something in the back seat he didn’t hear, crossed her arms and sank back.

  With a sigh, he climbed out and walked around to open the door for Elizabeth and help her out. “I’ll walk you up,” he said.

  “You don’t have to. I’m...okay.”

  “It might be slick.”

  He lent her an arm and walked with her up to the front door.

  Christmas lights from her tree and from the neighbors’ houses twinkled merrily. It made a charming scene on this little street beside the river.

  When she unlocked the door and opened it, cinnamon-scented warmth reached out and tugged at him, drawing him inside with her.

  “I don’t want to cause more...trouble with Cassie,” she said, her features tight with worry. “She’s struggling enough. I don’t have to...make things worse.”

  “You’re not causing trouble. I w
ould like you to be there, helping with the tree. I think Bridger would, too.”

  “Cassie’s feelings...matter. This is a hard situation. We can’t expect her to just shove down her anger and pretend we’re one big happy family.”

  “I’m not asking her to do that. I’m only asking her to be polite.”

  “She’s a...child. She doesn’t have your years of experience, learning to...conquer every strong emotion.”

  He snorted. “Conquer? Is that what you’d call it?”

  “What else? You never crack and lose it like the rest of us, no matter how...upset you might be at a...situation.”

  She was so wrong. He had cracked apart in a thousand different pieces after she left.

  “Controlling one’s temper is a mark of inner strength.” He sounded like a pompous ass but couldn’t seem to help it.

  “I agree. And...sometimes giving in to it is a mark of...humanity.” She shrugged out of her coat. “We need to give Cassie time to come to terms with everything that’s happened. I think if we...push her too hard, she’s only going to retreat into herself and let her anger continue to boil.”

  She was probably right. He sighed. “All right. Maybe we’ll hang a few ornaments by ourselves tomorrow night, just so they’ll stop nagging me about it, and then you can help us finish it over the weekend.”

  “That sounds like a...good plan.”

  “Of course, that means we won’t be able to hit the town again tomorrow. Do you mind?”

  “I’m sure I’ll manage to live with my...disappointment,” she said dryly, which made him smile a little.

  He liked Elizabeth. In the midst of his own anger and pain over the years, he’d forgotten how much. Yes, he had deeply loved his wife. But he had liked her, too. She was funny, kind, compassionate. All the things he knew he wasn’t.

  “Good night, then. I’ll be in touch about where we go from here.”

  “Good night.” She smiled that soft, sweet smile he loved so much. Though the children were still out in the car waiting for him, Luke couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing the corner of her mouth.