by Tori Scott
“Ah, but you gave me control, remember?”
“Any chance I can take it back now?” He set his drink aside and took her outstretched hand.
“Possibly. But first, we dance.”
He pulled her into his arms and she settled easily into the embrace. She followed his lead perfectly, though he was pretty sure she didn’t have a lot of experience with dancing.
“I wanted to dance with you on the cruise, you know. But you were too busy avoiding me.”
“Didn’t stop you from flirting with Reggie, though. You know, I never did understand that.”
He looked into her eyes. “We were only trying to make you and Sam jealous. Did it work?”
She shook her head. “It only made me want to scratch Reggie’s eyes out.”
“That’s jealousy. You never let on, though.”
“No, it wasn’t jealousy. It was pure…oh hell, you’re right. I was jealous.” She laid her head against his shoulder. “I was just too scared of feeling anything, and I hated that you’d made me feel something. I kept building up my walls, and you kept knocking them down.”
“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” He pulled her in closer. “Like a snow queen. All you need is a tiara, though the ear muffs were a nice touch.”
“Your eyes told me, though it’s nice to hear the words.”
The dance ended and, though he hated to let her go, she had pictures to take. But he stayed close by, helping her with the lighting or toting her tripod around the room. The more he watched her work, the more she impressed him. She had a knack for getting exactly the expression she wanted. She was good with both adults and children, more at ease behind the camera than she was without it.
He supposed it gave her a degree of separation between herself and others. But he could see how far she’d come over the last few months. She no longer twisted her hands together whenever the attention shifted her way. She no longer looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. And best of all, she no longer scowled when she looked his way.
She chose that moment to catch his eye, giving him a brilliant smile, followed by a wink full of promise for the night to come.
Oh, yeah. You’ve come a long way, baby.
EPILOGUE
The sound of small feet barreling down the hall gave Angel just enough time to brace herself before her daughter’s small body landed in the middle of the bed.
Mitch rolled over and opened one eye. “Is it morning already?”
“It’s Christmas, Daddy! And it’s snowing! Come see!”
Christmas. Suddenly, Angel was nervous. Though she hadn’t had a panic attack in nearly five years, she could feel the familiar signs.
And then she was in Mitch’s arms. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Don’t think about what might go wrong. Think about how right this is.”
“I know. I’m trying.” His arms tightened, giving her strength.
“You’ve waited half your life for this day, Angel. It’s natural to be nervous. Just don’t let it overwhelm you. I’m here with you. Mia and I are both here.”
She kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Yes, you are. Okay, let’s get this show on the road. I wonder what Santa Claus brought?”
Her daughter’s eyes rounded and she bounded off the bed. “Hurry. We have to go see.”
“Hey, you have to wait for us!” Angel laughed when Mia’s face twisted into a pout. “We just need a few minutes to get dressed. Go sit by the window and watch for Gramma, okay?”
With an exaggerated sigh, Mia did as she was told. Mitch showered first, then distracted Mia with Christmas songs while Angel took her shower and put on her makeup. She wouldn’t normally bother with makeup on Christmas, but today was special.
Today she got to meet her son.
Though she’d hoped he would be ready when he turned eighteen, he’d decided to wait until he was twenty-one. They’d corresponded by email, he’d sent her pictures, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him in person, holding him in her arms. He’d grown up so much just in the three years they’d been in touch. But now he was only a few months away from graduating from college, and he’d already been accepted to graduate school. He wanted his entire family there for his graduation, and she desperately wanted to be there, to cheer from the sidelines.
“Angel,” Mitch called from the bedroom. “They’re here.”
She laid a hand over her quivering stomach and looked in the mirror. “You can do this. If he can do this, so can you.” Then she took a deep breath, walked into the bedroom, and took her husband’s hand in hers.
“Let’s do this.”
Table of Contents
Chapter One
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
EPILOGUE