by Debbie Mason
She hurried from the library to see Connor coming out of the men’s room with his phone pressed to his ear, unaware of the two men conspiring against him mere yards away. Colleen followed him to the ballroom and to Arianna’s side.
His cousins waved to him from the stage. Michael held up his sax. Connor held up a finger and said something in Arianna’s ear. She laughed and shook her head, but he took her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor.
Colleen searched the crowd for Daniel.
“Play mine and Arianna’s song, and then I’ll join you,” he told his brother and his cousins. Colleen’s great-grandsons conferred and then nodded, taking their places onstage. Griffin and Finn on guitar, Aidan on the harmonica, and Michael on the piano. Liam picked up the mic. “This is for my cousin and the woman he’s loved since he’s sixteen, Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect.’”
“I thought we needed a new song,” Connor said, taking Arianna into his arms. “The lyrics of this one do a much better job of saying how I feel about you.”
She tilted her head to listen to the lads now singing onstage and smiled. “I think they do a pretty good job of capturing how I feel about you.”
“Does that mean you’ll put me out of my misery and take me out of the friend zone tonight?”
“You are persistent. I’ll give you that.” She smiled. “Sing to me, and I’ll think about it.”
The couple shared a romantic dance to the delight of the crowd, and then Connor delighted them further by taking center stage and stealing the show with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
She panicked when Arianna excused herself to use the ladies’ room. Colleen had yet to find Daniel, and Jasper was nowhere in sight. Simon would have to do. She called to him. He must have sensed trouble was afoot and appeared almost immediately at her side.
“Come. We must protect Arianna. Pray Ryan and Summers have left the premises, Simon.” And that Colleen’s abilities had returned, she thought, as they followed Arianna out of the ballroom. Sadly, Colleen wasn’t holding out much hope for either. Arianna crossed the great room and walked down the back hall to the ladies’ room. Colleen was just about to release a relieved breath when Summers appeared.
“Simon, get Connor. Get him now,” Colleen said, looking for something she could use against the man if it proved necessary.
“Arianna, just the woman I wanted to see. It seems you and I have a lot to talk about.”
She gave him a tight smile. “I don’t think we do. Have a good evening, Gary.”
He grabbed Arianna by her injured arm. “Get your hand off me,” she said, her voice tight and her face pinched.
“You unhand her now, or I’ll clock you,” Colleen said, staring at the family’s coat of arms on the wall. He didn’t release her, and Colleen focused with all her might on the coat of arms, intent on knocking him out. It rattled on the wall but didn’t fall. Which ended up being a blessing when Gary looked down at Arianna’s arm with distaste and pushed her away from him, putting her directly into harm’s way.
“You will talk to me, and you will talk to me now. Because of you, Connor Gallagher is trying to ruin me. In doing so, he will also ruin my family. But you’re going to stop him, Arianna.”
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.”
“If you don’t want him to find out you gave his son away, a little boy who is now dead because you did, I think you’d better figure out a way—”
Behind her Colleen heard a shocked gasp. She turned at the same time as Arianna to see Connor standing there. The girl’s eyes went wide, her face stricken. She pushed past Summers to reach Connor. “You have to listen to me, please. It wasn’t like that, I swear to you it wasn’t. My mother told me he died. I was barely conscious, and she had me sign papers that I thought were for cremation but were actually adoption papers.”
She clutched at Connor’s arm. “You have to believe me. I wanted him, Connor. I wanted him with all my heart, but my mother thought I was too young and gave him away. I didn’t even know about any of it until nine years ago. His grandmother, his adoptive grandmother, contacted me. She thought I knew about him, about our son. She wanted me to know he’d died in a car accident with his adoptive parents. It was an accident.” She tugged on his arm. “Please, please say something.”
“He was eleven. For eleven years he was alive, and I never knew him. He never knew me.”
“I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know.”
“You knew when you got pregnant. You knew then that he was mine.”
“Yes, but we hadn’t been together for two months, and…You don’t know what it was like in my house then, Connor.” She fisted her good hand in his sleeve. “Please don’t leave me. Please let me try to explain. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. You have no idea how sorry I am. For all of us.”
Connor looked like he’d taken a punch to the heart.
“Don’t do it, my boy. Don’t walk away from her. Rage at her, put your fist through a wall, but don’t turn away from her. She’s not like you and me. Everyone she’s ever loved has walked away from her, left her on her own. Even her grandmother and your wee son, though through no fault of their own. Stay with her. Grieve together. Otherwise I fear it is a blow she’ll not survive.”
Colleen bowed her head when Connor did exactly as she had feared. He turned and walked away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Arianna sat beside the pink Christmas tree with Comet curled in her lap and the phone cradled to her ear. Instead of sniffing back tears, she rubbed her nose on her shoulder. She wouldn’t let her grandmother hear her cry.
Gary had gotten his revenge on both her and Connor. He must have started pimping their story minutes after Connor had left Arianna devastated and sobbing her heart out in the back hall at the manor. The story appeared in a Boston online newspaper first thing this morning. Because of the Gallagher name, the story had gone viral.
But the only reason it had reached L.A. was because several of her mother’s friends in Harmony Harbor had shared the news with her this morning, which resulted in her mother canceling their trip home for Christmas.
“It’s all right, Glamma. Don’t feel bad. I won’t be alone. Comet and Connor will be here,” she lied.
“Good. I was worried he might blame you for losing out on knowing his son. I should have had more faith in him. It’s your mother who’s the unreasonable one. Though I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s always been difficult. But she knew how much I wanted to be at the town hall for the announcement and to spend the holidays with you.”
“Maybe she’ll change her mind. If you have the tickets already—”
“She won’t change her mind, darling. I’ll be lucky if she lets me come this summer.”
“Don’t even joke about that. She can’t keep you away, Glamma.”
“She holds the purse strings and the deed to the house. I won’t have her throwing you out on the street.”
“She’s threatening to throw me out of the house?”
“I’ll not allow it, so don’t worry about it. It’s just one more thing for her to threaten me with.”
“Glamma, you’d tell me if she was hurting you in any way, wouldn’t you?” She hated to think it could be true.
“Unless you count her keeping me away from you, set your mind at ease. She’s not hurting me in any other way. I’m glad you have Connor. It makes this a little easier.”
“I didn’t think you knew he was the baby’s father, Glamma. You never mentioned it to me.”
“Of course I knew. He was the only boy you ever loved. And I’ll be proud to introduce him as my grandson-in-law. But don’t tell him I’ve been singing his praises until after Hazel and the town council render their decision. I wouldn’t want him to think I’ve gone soft.”
“Glamma, I’ve decided to withdraw my name from the contest. I’m going to let Hazel know today.”
“Why? You seemed so happy lately. You had so many plans, good plans, darling. And
not just for Main Street. Irene told me about all you’re doing for the seniors and the programs at the community center.”
“Just because I won’t be mayor doesn’t mean I won’t be involved. My friend Evie, the woman I’ve been telling you about, the one who owns Holiday House, she’s done more good for this town in the past two months than the majority of elected officials have done in years.”
“But that’s not why you’re withdrawing your name, is it?”
“No. It’s because Connor has done so much for me, and I want to do this for him. I know it can never make up for not telling him about the baby, but I have to try. Besides that, he deserves the job, Glamma. You should see him. The man works practically twenty-four-seven, and he’s amazing with people. He truly cares about them and this town. He’s the best person for the job.”
“What about the office building? What about changing the face of Main Street?”
“I presented a request to the council this past Monday and asked if they would put the project on hold to allow the business community more input. They agreed.”
“It sounds like you’ve thought this through. I just worry about how you’ll earn a living. Have you given more thought to designing a line of evening wear for Merci Beaucoup?”
“I’ve had another idea, and I wanted to run it by you. I’d like to design clothing for women with disabilities, seniors too. Clothing that’s fashionable but easy to get into and comfortable to wear. I thought maybe you and I could do it together, Glamma. Our tastes and vision are so much alike, it would be easy to work together.”
“Do you think we could get your mother to agree?” Glamma asked, sounding as excited as she’d been at the thought of coming home.
“If we come up with a way to sell it to her, I think maybe,” she said, her heart twisting when she heard her mother’s voice in the background telling her grandmother to get off the phone. They said a whispered and hurried goodbye.
Now that she no longer had to put on an act for Glamma, tears rolled down Arianna’s cheeks. She didn’t know what she’d do without Connor in her life. All along she’d thought it was the campaign, the idea of being mayor that had brought her back to life, but it wasn’t. It was Connor. It had been him all along.
There was something else she’d been wrong about. She hadn’t thought her heart could take one more loss. She’d been sure it would shatter into a million pieces, leaving her empty and numb. But even now, without a single word from Connor, with it looking like they were done for good, her heart was still beating. And as big a loss as Tie the Knot and her injuries had been, losing Connor beat that times infinity and beyond.
Yet here she was, dressed and out of bed, makeup and tree lights on. She was stronger now, more resilient, and as devastating as it was for the truth to come out, it had allowed her to release the pain she’d been holding inside since the day she’d learned she’d had an eleven-year-old son who’d died.
And now she had to call Hazel with her decision. She wanted them to keep it quiet. She didn’t want anyone to know she’d withdrawn her name. She’d work up until the twenty-fourth and be there for the decision to be read.
As she reached for the phone to call Hazel, it rang. It was the Harmony Harbor clinic, reminding her of today’s appointment to check her arm. Arianna considered canceling, but she was a little concerned her arm might somehow be behind the overwhelming tiredness and queasiness she’d been feeling of late.
* * *
Arianna arrived at the clinic ten minutes before her appointment. The waiting room was packed. With Christmas only three days away, she imagined people wanted to get checked out before the clinic was closed for the holidays. She felt everyone’s eyes upon her, and she lifted her chin. She had nothing to be ashamed about. From the expressions on people’s faces, they didn’t think she did either. Though she imagined Connor and his family might disagree. Her stomach did a little wobble at the thought that Connor’s cousin and cousin-in-law worked here.
She smiled at a teenager with a baby in her arms and took the seat beside her. “What a beautiful baby,” she said. “How old is he?”
“A week,” the girl said. She glanced at the other patients nearby, then dipped her head.
“Just a checkup, I hope,” Arianna said, noting the disapproving looks being sent the teenager’s way. She wondered what it must be like for her. To be so young and to have the responsibility of a baby while also having to put up with people looking down on her. “Is your mom or partner here? I can take another seat if they are.”
“No. It’s just me,” she said, and then chewed on her bottom lip, looking so young and vulnerable that Arianna wanted to cry.
She offered her hand. “I’m Arianna Bell.”
The girl gave her a small smile, shifting the baby to shake her hand. “Dawn, and I know who you are.” She glanced around the room again, lowering her voice. “I read the story about you and Mr. Gallagher online. I’m really sorry about your little boy.”
Arianna stiffened, then forced her shoulders to relax. She’d have to get used to this. “Thank you.”
“My parents wanted me to give him up.” She nodded at her son, wrapped in the blue blanket. “But I couldn’t do it.”
“At least they gave you a choice.”
“I guess. Only I didn’t make the one they liked, and they kicked me out.”
“I’m so sorry, Dawn. What about the baby’s father? Is he helping?”
“He let me move in with him.” She shrugged. “We’re…It’s pretty hard.”
Her heart broke for the teenager. Arianna’s sister and most of her friends were so much better at this kind of thing than her, but she was desperate to say something to make Dawn feel better, or at the very least give her some hope. “In the new year, we’re starting several programs at the community center to help single mothers and families who are having a hard time. If you have any ideas what we, the town, can do to help make things easier for you and your baby, we’d love to hear them. Here.” She reached in her bag. “Here’s my card. I really would love your input. Or if you just need to talk to someone. Evie, the woman who owns Holiday House, she’d probably be better than me to talk to. Just drop into her store and tell her I sent you.”
“I’d rather talk to you, if that’s okay.” The baby started to cry, and Dawn bounced him lightly on her knee, crooning to him, her face softening as she looked down at her son.
“It’s more than okay.” Arianna smiled. “Look at that. You got him to stop fussing right away. You’re really good with him.” She lightly stroked the baby’s cheek with her fingertips. “His skin is so soft.”
“Do you want to hold him?”
“I don’t know. I’m not very good with babies.”
“I bet you are.”
“I guess you didn’t see the video of me that went viral.”
“No. I didn’t,” Dawn said with a half smile, and then lifted the baby, nudging her head for Arianna to put out her arms. Arianna looked down at the small blue bundle the young girl placed in her arms, and tears welled in her eyes. Throughout the years, she’d held the babies of her friends and members of Gary’s family, but never before had she felt this overwhelming rush of emotion. She gently rocked the baby and willed the tears away, but when he opened his blue eyes and looked up at her, she lost the battle. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” She sniffed.
An older woman Arianna didn’t recognize handed her tissues. “It’s the stupid reporters’ fault, reminding you and the Gallagher boy of all you lost. It’ll be okay, love. You’ll have more of your own one day.”
“Thank you,” Arianna said.
The older woman offered Dawn a tentative smile. “You have a beautiful baby, dear.”
Dawn returned the woman’s smile with one of her own. “Thank you.”
“Arianna.” Dorothy called her name and waved her over.
“I better go.” She shifted to give the baby back to his mother. “I forgot to ask, what’s
his name?”
“David.”
“A beautiful name for a beautiful baby. Merry Christmas to you both,” she said as she stood and then reached into her bag. “Please don’t be offended, but all the angels from the angel tree were gone by the time I remembered, and I like to give a gift at Christmas to someone in town that I don’t know.” She removed two hundred-dollar bills from her wallet and tucked them into the fold of the baby’s blanket. “Buy something special for you and David from me.” She leaned in and gave the girl a hug, then kissed the baby’s forehead. “Thank you for letting me hold him.”
“Well, it looks like you managed to make half the waiting room cry, lovey. I think that’s a record,” Dorothy said when Arianna reached her. She gave her a hug. “How are you holding up?”
“Better than I expected.”
“How’s Connor?”
“I don’t know. He’s not speaking to me,” she confided because she’d felt comfortable with Dorothy from the first time she’d met her.
The older woman patted Arianna’s arm as she held open the door to the examination room. “As I understand it, you’ve had years to live with the loss while he’s had less than twenty-four hours. Give him time, lovey. He’ll come around. It’s obvious to everyone how much that man loves you.”
“I’m afraid he might not know how much I love him.”
“Then you’ll tell him, and you’ll show him. Over and over again until he knows it right down to his soul.” She patted the examination table, giving a little cheer when Arianna hopped up on her own. “I guess I don’t have to ask how the arm is doing.”
“Actually, that’s why I came. I think I might have an infection. Lately I’ve been tired and queasy.”
Dorothy frowned. “You should have come in right away. Here. Let’s get this off of you and have a look.” She helped Arianna out of the sweater and removed the compression bandage.
“I haven’t noticed any extra redness, but I, um, don’t really like to look,” Arianna admitted.