Hot for the Holidays (21 Holiday Short Stories): A Collection of Naughty and Nice Holiday Romances

by Anthology

  I never thought it would hurt so much to lose something I never knew I wanted.

  Annie had a child with someone else.

  I’m not sure what kills most—the loss of Luna or Annie. Yeah, sure, I lost Annie five years ago, but the scar ripped open, fresh and gaping, at the sight of her. The sound of her voice, the warmth of her gaze, served as a seance to my old heartbreak, one I thought I buried long ago.

  Anger, confusion, and a tremendous sense of loss course through me, each vying for the top spot. I don’t know what to think, what to feel, or if I even have a right to have an opinion at all. The only thing I know for sure is I need more answers.

  And there’s only one person who can give them to me.

  Annie

  I don’t even look up when the knocking starts. I keep right on scrubbing the kitchen floor like Queen Elizabeth herself is coming for dinner. No need to answer, I know exactly who it is. Since the whole town is frozen over, no one else could get here, even if they wanted to.

  "Annie, you might as well invite me in. You know I won’t leave until you open up," he calls out from the other side of the door. "The longer you make me wait, the better the chance I’ll try to snuggle with you for warmth. I’m fucking freezing, woman."

  "Then go home!" I holler at the top of my lungs, getting right back to scrubbing.

  "Now, you know I can’t do that, sweet Annie." I can almost hear the chuckle in his voice. Asshole. "Besides, I come bearing gifts."

  Gifts?

  Now he’s got my attention. What can I say? I like surprises. I lift my head and stare at the door, silently wishing for x-ray vision.

  "What is it?"

  "You know me better than that. Open the door and find out. And who knows, maybe I have a possible solution to your problem."

  I rise from the floor and take my sweet ass time washing my hands, drying them thoroughly, in between each and every single finger. I shuffle my way to the door and peek through the diamond glass. All I see are bright blue eyes and Emmett’s mischievous grin. No matter how I crane my neck, I can’t get a look at the surprise. With a resigned huff, I swing open the door and rest my hands on my hips.

  "Solution first. Surprise second," I say, all attitude and sass.

  Emmett ups the wattage on his grin, and his eyes crinkle with victory. "Can a freezing man come in from the cold?"

  I roll my eyes and sigh, finally swinging the door open for him to enter. He passes me, too close for comfort, and places a covered plate on the foyer table. He turns to me as I shut the door. He rubs his hands together and blows in them for warmth, watching me the entire time.

  "Okay, so I can’t figure out a way to get Luna home … exactly." I turn around, ready to swing the door open and throw him out when he grabs my arm. "But maybe we can use my computer for a video chat. I know it’s not the same thing, but at least you’ll get to see her, right?"

  I give him a half smile and nod my head. "We do that sometimes when she spends the night with her dad. I guess you’re right; it’s better than nothing. I’ll need to check and see if they’ve got wi-fi at his parents’ house." He looks at me expectantly, and I laugh at his very male need for praise. "Good idea, Emmett. You’re so smart. I wish I would have thought of that. How have I lived all these years without you?"

  "No idea," he whispers, his laughter replaced with something else. Something I can’t quite put my finger on, but it jolts me. We stand in silence, the connection between us bathed in familiarity, and I wonder if that lock was better left bolted. As always, Emmett Fontaine makes me feel dangerous things, fuels a fire in me that refuses to die, and hope for more than I will ever deserve.

  He grabs the plate off the table and shoves it into my arms. "Here, my peace offering."

  I accept the plate and carefully remove the foil on top, and my lips curl when the smell hits my nose. "Ugh, Emmett! What the hell? Are those Vienna sausages?"

  "Yup," he admits with a grin. He crosses his arms across his chest, looking way too satisfied with himself.

  "What did you pour over the top of them?"

  "Grape jelly."

  My stomach rolls, and I suppress my gag reflex, just barely. I turn my head away and shove the plate in his direction. "Just … take it. Get rid of it. Am I supposed to thank you now?"

  "Well, yeah," he says in an incredulous tone. He pushes the plate to the side and leans in close. "It’s slim pickings in the pantry next door, but there’s my cocktail weenies for Christmas Eve dinner. You’ll get my meatballs another day."

  I throw my head back in laughter, and if only for a minute, I think maybe this Christmas Eve won’t totally suck after all.

  Chapter Eight

  Present Day

  Emmett

  "Mommy, look what Lolly got me for Chwistmas!" Luna shrieks as she vibrates with excitement. She’s so pumped, I’m waiting for her to explode into a puff of glitter and rainbow-tinted smoke. She dances back and forth across the screen as she holds up a package of jelly beans. Her blonde curls fall past her shoulders and bounce right along with her. She’s a can of soda, shaken up, and waiting impatiently to be opened.

  "Oh no, Lou Lou, is that what I think it is?" Annie asks as she backs away from the screen, shaking her head in denial.

  I stay off to the side of the computer, so I can get a peek at her without being seen. I know she’s not my daughter, but that fact doesn’t quell my curiosity in the least. Maybe it’s because I haven’t let go of the fantasy. Or maybe it’s because she’s a part of Annie. Whatever the reason, I want to know everything about her.

  "Yep!" She grins like a ham and a giggle escapes. "Daddy ate a bugga jelly bean. He almost frew up!"

  Both of them burst into laughter, Annie with her head thrown back and Luna clutching her belly as she folds over. A hand passes over Luna’s head and tousles her hair.

  I want to knock it away, push it out of the vision I’ve formulated in my head. Jealousy simmers just below the surface, unfamiliar and confusing.

  "Very funny, you two. Just wait, Annie, you’re her next victim. Vomit flavored jelly beans are on their way," he chuckles as he leans into the camera. Luna’s dad, I assume … looks like a supreme douchebag, if you ask me. I search his face for familiarity, but come up empty. Is he the reason she left me? Was he her choice?

  Before I think twice, or take a moment to analyze my intentions, I lean into Annie just a fraction. Just enough for the camera to make Luna’s father aware of my presence. Oddly enough, his expression doesn’t register the intrusion at all. Luna, on the other hand, is all over it. Her brow furrows, and she leans into the camera, eyes filled with curiosity.

  "Who’s that, Mommy?"

  Annie turns to me with an irritated glance, obviously hoping to skip this conversation. I should feel bad for forcing her hand, but for some unknown reason, I want this little girl to know me.

  Annie’s all smiles when she turns back to the camera. She shrugs. "That’s our next door neighbor, Emmett. Since he can’t make it to his family’s house either, I figured he could help me ice Santa’s cookies. Ice storms don’t stop Santa from passing, you know. We have to be ready for him if we want him to leave your presents."

  "But you said he was a doofus, Mommy. You said that he—"

  "That’s enough, Luna," Annie says with a raised voice, essentially cutting off Luna’s explanation as her eyes cut to me. She looks sheepish, but she’s so damn cute, I don’t even pretend to be angry.

  "Nah, I wanna hear more," I call out with a chuckle. "What else did Mommy say about me?"

  Annie turns to me with pink cheeks and a gentle smile. I can’t be sure, but I think calling her Mommy affected her the same way it affected me.

  She’s not my daughter.

  "She said only a fool fowgets his shirt when it’s fweezing outside. You can’t even wememba to dwess yowself. Ha ha ha!" She giggles uncontrollably while pointing her wand at me.

  I can’t help it. I laugh, too, and Annie joins in once I nudge her side.
Luna’s dad disappeared from the screen almost immediately, and I’m not exactly broken up about it.

  Good riddance, daddy douchebag.

  "I may be a doofus, Luna, but I promise you, I can ice a mean cookie. Santa will leave you extra presents when he see my cookies."

  "He betta," she warns as she waves her wand in my direction.

  "I miss your face, Lou Lou," Annie whispers, her voice wistful and watery.

  Luna giggles as she reaches for the screen. "I’m wight hea, silly Mommy. See my face?"

  "Yes, baby. I see you." Annie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Now you be good for Daddy and Lolly, and I’ll see you the second the ice melts, okay?"

  "We’ll keep in touch, Annie Mae," Luna’s dad calls out from the background.

  Annie Mae? What the hell kind of nickname is that? I think it’s obvious who the real doofus is …

  "Ready, Mommy?" Luna asks as she sits up straight and readies her wand. She waves the tip in tiny circles, then points to the camera. "Expelawmous!" she yells at the top of her little lungs.

  She remains still for a moment and then her shoulders sink in defeat. "Mommy! You aw supposed to hang up when I cast the spell."

  This time, Annie reaches for the screen and runs a finger over Luna’s hair and cheek before landing on her lips. "I know, Lou Lou. I just need a little minute to look at you, okay?"

  "Okay, Mommy."

  As Annie whispers softly to Luna, I rise off the couch and step out into the bitter cold, a reminder of my reality. A reality that suited me just fine only a day ago. Annie’s not the only one who needs a little minute …

  Annie

  After hanging up with Luna, I hide in the bathroom with a cold rag to my hot, chapped face. Between the tears and the bitter winter wind, I look like death warmed over. Once presentable, I walk into an empty living room, wondering if Emmett returned to his apartment. The thought hurts more than it should—more than I should allow.

  Careful, Annie.

  Tight jeans and a tighter ass greet me when I open the front door as Emmett leans his elbows on the porch railing, lost in thought. He doesn’t make a move when I walk onto the porch, so I place a cautious hand to his lower back. His jaw clenches as he stares into the darkness.

  "She has trouble with her r’s," I offer, trying to fill the silence, wanting to tell him everything about us. My need to fill in those years he’s missed overwhelms and frightens the hell out of me in equal measure. "The school says to give her time. They say it’ll work itself out. Now, her obsession with Harry Potter? I don’t think that’s going anywhere, anytime soon. That’s what I get for naming her Luna, I guess."

  He cocks his head in question, remaining silent.

  "Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter," I explain.

  "Loony Lovegood?" His mouth tips into a smile, but his eyes don’t follow suit.

  "Yep," I giggle.

  He nods slowly, rocking into the porch railing. I can’t put my finger on his mood, but I know it’s changed drastically.

  "I wish she were mine," he whispers softly, almost to himself. He looks away and scoffs. "I guess I really am a doofus."

  A hundred guesses. Hell, even a thousand. In my lifetime, I never imagined those words leaving Emmett Fontaine’s lips. Vulnerability swirls around him. I swipe the falling tear off my cheek but not before he notices.

  "Hey?" He pulls my hand away and faces me with apologetic eyes. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to upset you."

  I shake my head to stop him, another tear breaking free. I feel my inner faucet cranking up to full speed with every passing second. "You didn’t upset me. Please … just please don’t take it back, okay?" I cover my face with my hands, doing my best to hide my full on meltdown.

  He pulls me close, wrapping me in a warm embrace, and I burrow into his chest. As the tears flow out of my eyes, I’m filled with tremendous relief. Knowing he wishes for Luna … it changes everything about the last five years.

  "You don’t know how many times I’ve wished the very same thing." The words tumble out of my mouth without thought, but it doesn’t make them any less true. I shake my head into his sweater and sigh. "I don’t mean to say Henry is a bad father, because he’s great with Luna. He loves her so much and treats her like a princess. But is it so wrong to want it all? To want a man who loves us both?"

  He crushes his lips to my forehead and releases a stuttering breath. The faint tap of falling sleet hitting frozen ice fills the silence, but I haven’t felt this warm in years. How many nights did I dream of him?

  And why did I ever walk away from this man?

  Chapter Nine

  Present Day

  Emmett

  "You really are freakishly good at this cookie decorating thing," she says with a laugh. "I’m ashamed to put my Christmas trees next to yours. Are those lightning bolts?"

  I point to my expertly decorated tree cookie. "For Luna, those are lightning bolts and golden snitches." Then I point to my second cookie. "For Santa, candy canes and poinsettias."

  Annie looks at me like I just sprouted three heads. "You’re a cookie decorating savant. Luna may try to adopt you," she admits with a laugh.

  "Definitely not a savant. Just a persistent mother who expected full participation from Alex and me in every church bazaar and bake off. Cookies for Christmas, eggs for Easter, lawn flags for the Fourth of July. The woman is tireless, and I’m surprised she didn’t rope my father in, too. With Alex and I gone, she probably does." I shrug and smile at her as she drops ill-shaped ornaments onto her cookie.

  I should stop right here. I should shut my big mouth and be thankful for this time with her. Yeah, I’m not going to do that. Why? Because I want it all. I want answers … Luna … her … all of it. "As far as Luna adopting me … I sure hope so."

  A messy blob of red icing drops onto her cookie, rendering it a disaster. She stares at her mess like it holds the key to the Seven Wonders of the World. One thing she refuses to do is look at me.

  I swipe a finger through the red wreckage and run the icing along the curve of her neck. My steady finger traces along her pulse, drawing a cluster of berries as she sucks in shallow breaths.

  "Annie?"

  "Y-yes?"

  "Tell me who Luna’s father is?"

  Her breaths go from shallow to non-existent as she turns to me with hurt swirling in her eyes. I smile and shake my head, willing her to stay with me, to see this conversation through. I switch to green icing, gently tilt her head to the side, and continue painting.

  "Did you meet him before or after me, Annie?"

  She sighs and closes her eyes. "There was no one after you. How could there be?"

  God, that feels good.

  "So … before?" I ask in a casual tone, trying to keep my skittish girl from running.

  "Henry and I dated for most of college. It ended about a month before I met you, when he placed an engagement ring on the table and said, ‘Whatdya say? It’s the next logical step, isn’t it?’ Because that’s what every girl dreams of. Engagements based on logic." She huffs and rolls her eyes. "It’s not his fault, really. What did I expect after years of nothing but lukewarm? It was the wake up call I needed."

  "So you ended it then?"

  "Yes. I’d rather be alone than settle for nothing special. I wanted to burn for someone … for them to burn for me," she admits, meeting my eyes with a nostalgic smile. "Then I met you."

  I tap my green finger to her bottom lip, and she opens, sucking the sweet while peering at me through hooded lashes.

  "The way I remember it, there were flames between us. There was burning, wouldn’t you agree?"

  She releases my finger with a pop and holds my gaze. "There was more burning than I’ve ever experienced in my entire life," she whispers. I drop my forehead to hers, overcome with the memories, the feelings, the fire. "I’ve never wanted someone as much as I wanted you … us. How could things escalate so quickly, Emmett? Three days. You turned my l
ife upside down in three days."

  "I would’ve done anything for you. I would’ve made it work." It’s the truth. Even years later, I know it with complete certainty.

  She clutches my shirt, squeezing me closer. "I couldn’t wait to get back to you that morning. I prayed you wanted the same thing as me—to be together, in whatever way we could manage," she admits, and it feels like vindication, albeit way overdue. "Then I laid on a exam table in my doctor’s office, completely alone. I watched the tiniest little sweet pea bounce around in my belly, and my world shifted underneath me. What I wanted couldn’t matter any more."

  Her world may have shifted all those years ago, but I’ve only had seconds to digest what she’s known all this time. Her admission causes the ever steady ground beneath me to quake. What I know, what I believe, changes in an instant, cracks and gaping holes emerging where resentment and anger used to reside.

  "I was eight weeks pregnant that day," she sobs. "And I love Luna with all my heart. I loved her from the very second I heard the whooshing of her heartbeat, but I always wished it was you. I wanted it to be you so badly."

  I grip her neck and force her eyes to mine. "Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you tell me? It wouldn’t have mattered."

  She scoffs and rolls her eyes. "You? I believe that, I do. But everyone else? Hi Mr. and Mrs. Fontaine, I’m Annie, your son’s fling turned girlfriend. What’s that bump? Oh, that’s just the baby I’m carrying … for another man. More tea?"

  I chuckle despite myself. "You make it sound so ludicrous."

  "Because it is!" She throws up her hands and looks up in frustration.

  I feel her pulling away. Instead of feeling what pulses between us, she’s dwelling on the situation. I don’t give a fuck about semantics. I don’t care now, and I wouldn’t have cared then. I need her to plug back into us—I need her to feel what I already know.