Romancing the Holidays Bundle 2009

by Susan Wiggs et al

  “Damn straight,” he agreed without apology.

  Amy didn’t waste another second arguing. She made her way through the mobbed store till she was right beside Josh. For a second she simply stood there, drinking in the precious sight of him. Finally she spoke.

  “Young man, you are in so much trouble,” she said, hunkering down to draw him into her arms in a fierce embrace. She was so relieved, she wanted to never let go.

  “Mom!” he protested, pulling away. “You’re not supposed to see me.”

  She shook her head. He was oblivious to her distress and to the relief that was now spilling through her.

  “And why shouldn’t I see you?”

  “’Cause I’m buying your present,” he said reasonably. “It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

  As desperately as she wanted to hug him and hold on forever, she had to make him understand that what he’d done was not acceptable.

  Keeping her expression stern, she demanded, “Present or no present, Joshua Riley, did you stop to think for one second that you might scare the living daylights out of me by running off to go shopping?”

  He blinked hard. “You were scared?”

  “Well, of course, I was,” she said, giving him a gentle shake. “When have I ever let you go off shopping all by yourself? More than that, you’ve never been to this mall before. When you let go of my hand, I thought you were going straight to see Santa, but you never showed up. I had no idea where you were. You’ve been missing for a very long time.”

  He regarded her earnestly. “I did go to see Santa, but the line was really, really long and I wanted to get you a surprise, you know, something like Dad would get you so you wouldn’t be sad.”

  Touched more than she wanted to admit, she asked, “How did you know where to look?”

  “I knew the kind of store, ’cause I went with Dad last year,” he explained. “First I had to find the directory thing, because I knew you’d be mad if I asked a stranger. I looked and looked, but I couldn’t find one, so I just kept looking for the store. There are lots of stores and it’s hard to move ’cause there are so many people. It took a really long time, but this is just like the one where Dad used to shop.”

  He sounded so proud of himself, it made Amy want to cry. She blinked back tears. “Oh, sweetie, I don’t need a present like that. Besides, where did you get that kind of money? Even on sale, these things are expensive.”

  “I saved the money Dad gave me before we left Michigan.” He held out the red thong panties. “Do you like these?”

  In Amy’s opinion they looked uncomfortable, just as the ones Ned had given her through the years had been. Those had stayed tucked in her lingerie drawer most of the time. She was not letting her son waste money on another pair that would be consigned to the bottom of her dresser.

  “What I think is that you are an amazing boy to want to buy me a present like that, but I want you to save that money for something special for you, just like your dad intended.” She regarded him seriously. “Though, it will be a very long time before you get to spend it, because after this stunt you’re going to be grounded till you’re thirty.”

  His expression faltered. “But, Mom, I just went shopping for you,” he protested. “I thought you’d be happy.”

  “While buying a present is a thoughtful thing to do, running away to do it is not. A policeman and an entire mall security team have been searching for you for more than an hour,” she responded.

  For the first time, Josh seemed to grasp the magnitude of what he’d done. “Uh-oh,” he whispered. “Are they gonna be mad at me?”

  “I think they’re going to be relieved that you’re okay,” she said. “And I know they’ll appreciate it when you apologize to each and every one of them.”

  “Okay,” he said meekly. “I’ll tell ’em I’m really sorry. Maybe we could go home and get some Christmas cookies for them.”

  Her point seemed to have sunk in, at least enough for now. She’d spend the next ten years driving it home. With a boy this precocious, she was sure she’d have lots of opportunities.

  “Now that you understand that what you did was wrong, I think there’s somebody here you might want to meet. He needs to see for himself that you’re safe and then let everyone know we’ve found you. Put those panties back, and let’s go.”

  Josh parted with the panties reluctantly, then dutifully took the hand she held out.

  “Who is it?” he asked as they walked through the store. “Who wants to see me?” His eyes widened. “Is it Dad? Did Dad come for Christmas?”

  She was seized by momentary anger at her ex, who hadn’t even made a phone call to Josh for over a week now. But what was the point? Ned was Ned. She was tired of covering for his lack of consideration.

  “No, sweetie,” she consoled Josh, biting back the desire to make excuses. “It’s not your father.”

  “Oh,” he said, his tone flat with disappointment.

  “Come on now. I think this will be just as good,” she told him.

  “Grandma and Grandpa?” he asked, but without as much enthusiasm.

  Before Amy could reply, Josh spotted Santa holding Emma. His cheeks turned pink and his eyes lit up. Whatever disappointment he’d felt that it wasn’t his dad vanished in a split second of recognition.

  “Santa!” he shouted, clearly thrilled. “You brought me Santa!”

  For the second time that day he jerked free of Amy’s grip and made a dash for it, but this time Santa was right there to scoop him close in a hug.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  NICK’S GAZE HAD LOCKED on Amy as she’d traveled through the store and reunited with her son. Emma had laughed and pointed, clearly recognizing her big brother and delighted to see him. Something inside Nick melted as he watched the reunion.

  This was what should have happened with Tyler Hamilton. His mom should have had a joyous moment just like this, but she hadn’t. Instead, there had been only the awful news that her boy was dead, news Nick had insisted on delivering himself. He had to stand by helplessly as the color had drained from her face. He’d caught her as her knees gave way and she’d been racked by grief-stricken sobs. He couldn’t imagine that memory ever fading, not even with this far happier memory to replace it.

  When Josh spotted him, whooped joyously, and let loose of Amy’s hand, Nick dropped to his knees so he could catch the boy as he barreled straight into his knees. For at least a fraction of a second, all he felt was relief. This search had ended well. This boy was back with his mother and Nick had played at least a small part in making it happen.

  His gaze stayed on Amy’s. She looked as if she’d been given the very best Christmas present ever.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  Before Nick could respond, Josh wiggled free and studied him intently. “I met Santa last year,” he said. “You don’t look like him.”

  Nick bit back a smile. “Santa had a rough year. I’m older.”

  Josh didn’t look convinced. “You don’t sound like him, either. You sound funny, like you live around here instead of at the North Pole.”

  “Well, you see, Josh, that’s the thing. Santa has to adapt to his environment,” Nick improvised as Amy chuckled. “I’ve been here at this mall for a while now and everyone talks like this. They expect me to sound just like them.”

  “I guess,” Josh said doubtfully. Then his expression brightened. “Can I tell you what I want for Christmas right now? That way I won’t have to wait forever in line. That’s how come I got lost, ’cause the line was too long and I didn’t want to wait in it.”

  Nick exchanged a glance with Amy, who looked as if she’d give the boy the sun, moon and stars now that he was safely back with her. He wasn’t inclined to be as lenient.

  “Let’s talk about this,” he suggested to Josh. “Man to man.”

  “Okay,” Josh said eagerly.

  Nick barely contained a grin. “I’m not so sure little boys who run away and scare their moms ought to be g
etting presents from Santa,” he said. “What do you think?”

  “You’re asking me to decide if I should get presents?” Josh asked incredulously.

  “Yep.”

  Josh’s expression turned serious as he pondered Nick’s—Santa’s—question. “Okay, here’s what I think,” he told Nick earnestly. “I didn’t mean to scare Mom. And I only went to buy her a present. That’s a good thing, right? Mad as she was, even Mom said I was amazing.”

  Nick swallowed a laugh. Amy must have her hands full with this one. He had well-developed reasoning powers for a boy his age, or else it was just a strong sense of self-preservation. Nick had been very much like that as a kid, able to fast-talk himself out of most trouble. And his mother had been every bit as tolerant as Amy. His father had been the disciplinarian. Josh didn’t have anyone around to fill that role. For today, at least, maybe Nick could do it.

  He looked Josh in the eye. “It was a very unselfish thing to want to do,” he agreed. “So, yes, that does count as a good thing. But running away, even with the best intentions, is never good. Lots of people have been very worried about you.”

  The boy regarded him with genuine dismay. “I know. Mom said.” Then his expression brightened with hope. “But I’m going to apologize, so it’ll be okay.”

  Nick glanced up at Amy. “I’m sure an apology will be appreciated, but I want to be sure you understand why what you did was wrong.”

  “Because I scared Mom,” Josh said at once.

  “That’s one reason,” Nick confirmed.

  He tried to find a way to drive his point home without scaring Josh and robbing him of his astonishing fearlessness. It would be a good trait later in life, though in the meantime it was likely to give Amy frequent anxiety attacks.

  He regarded Josh with a somber expression. “But there’s another one and it’s just as important. It’s very dangerous for someone your age to be alone in a crowd like this. All sorts of things can happen to children when there’s not an adult around to keep an eye on them.”

  Josh studied him intently, absorbing his words, but clearly not ready to take them at face value. “Like what?”

  Nick debated how specific to get, then decided on another tack. “You believe in Santa, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Well, Santa sees a lot of things, like when boys and girls are good and bad.”

  Josh nodded. “That’s why I’m really, really good.” He glanced at his mom, then amended, “Well, most of the time, anyway. Until today.”

  Nick hid a grin. “Okay, then, if you understand that Santa knows a lot about what happens all over the world, then could you just take my word for it that it’s dangerous for you not to be with an adult in a busy mall like this?”

  Josh still looked vaguely skeptical. “But nothing bad happened,” he protested.

  “This time,” Nick emphasized. “You were very lucky today, Josh, but it’s not a chance you should ever take again. Do you understand that?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Then here’s the deal. If you want Santa to reconsider discussing presents with you, you have to promise never to do anything like this again.”

  With presents on the line, Josh nodded solemnly. “Okay. I promise.” He turned to his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “Santa will know if you go back on your word,” Nick warned him. “So you have to keep that promise forever.”

  Josh gazed at him with dismay. “Like, till I’m a teenager or something?”

  “No, forever is even longer than that. It’s till you’re all grown-up and even then you should never do anything that might make your mom worry. Okay?”

  “I guess,” Josh said. “I’ll try, but that sounds like a long time to be good.” He studied Nick closely. “Do you have a mom?”

  Nick nodded.

  “Does she still worry about you?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Nick said fervently. And unfortunately he worried her all the time, though he wasn’t about to tell Josh that.

  “But you’re Santa!”

  “Moms never stop worrying, no matter who you are or how old you get,” Nick told him. “I know forever seems like way too long, but I think you can do it.”

  “Maybe,” Josh said, his voice filled with doubt.

  “Why don’t you think about it for a while and we’ll talk about it again when you come through the line to tell me what you want for Christmas?”

  Josh started to break away. “I’ll get in line right now,” he said, clearly about to make a dash for Santa’s village.

  Nick snagged his hand. “Hey there, what did we just talk about?”

  Josh winced. “Oh, yeah. Mom, can we get in line now?”

  Before Amy could reply, Nick glanced at the endless line. He figured if he was going to have to deal with all these kids who’d been waiting patiently to see him for more than an hour, there should be a reward for him at the end of it. Besides, something compelled him to make sure he had a chance to spend more time with this family. He wanted time to persuade Amy to go to church with his family this evening. He sensed that with them beside him tonight, he might start down the path to something special.

  “Tell you what,” he said to Josh. “Since the line’s so long, why don’t you, your mom and Emma here, go grab a snack and then come back? Then you can tell me what you want for Christmas.”

  “Will there still be time?” Josh asked worriedly.

  “I won’t leave till you’ve come back,” Nick promised. He glanced at Amy. “Is that okay with you? You look as if you could use something to eat. The food court’s right across the way. I highly recommend the pizza.”

  She seemed uncertain for a moment, then her expression brightened. “Actually I’m starving. I had a touch of the flu earlier, but it seems to be gone. To my amazement, pizza sounds great. Can we bring you anything?”

  Nick shook his head.

  “Then we’ll see you in a little while,” Amy concluded.

  She started away with Emma in one arm and Josh holding her other hand, then turned and came back. Before Nick realized her intention, she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

  “Thank you for helping me find Josh,” she whispered, her eyes damp with tears. “You have no idea…” Her voice broke.

  He touched a finger to her cheek, wiped away a single tear. “I think I do,” he responded. “And I’m glad I was able to help.”

  Her gaze locked with his. “I’ll never forget what you did for us.” Then her lips slowly curved. “Or all the unanswered questions I asked you.”

  Nick knew she’d meant it as a mild threat, but he couldn’t help chuckling. “You may be the most persistent person I know.”

  She grinned. “Remember that. Now, are you sure you don’t want me to bring something back for you? A soda? A slice of pizza?”

  “Nothing,” he said again.

  Not until she was moving through the crowd did he murmur, “Just yourselves.”

  He uttered the telling words just in time for Trish to overhear them.

  “Find something more than a lost boy, big brother?” she taunted.

  “Who knows?” he said, sounding only slightly defensive. “I might have.”

  “I saw the kiss, by the way. And I couldn’t miss the thunderstruck expression on your face.” She smiled. “Apparently, it’s a season for miracles, after all.”

  Just then their mother, Laura DiCaprio, rushed through the crowd and joined them. “There you are,” she said, sounding slightly winded as if she’d run through the mall. She looked Nick over from head to toe. “Nicky, you make a wonderful Santa,” she said approvingly.

  His mother’s arrival was not a development he’d anticipated. Nor was he particularly overjoyed to see her. He couldn’t help wondering what had brought her here, especially since she looked as if she’d interrupted her Christmas baking to come. He frowned at his sister, convinced she was somehow behind this, but Trish merely shrugged.

  “Don’t look a
t me,” she said. “I haven’t spoken to her all day.”

  He turned back to his mother. “What are you doing here, Mom? Don’t tell me it’s a coincidence, because I know you finished your Christmas shopping a month ago.”

  “I finished in September, as a matter of fact,” she informed him.

  “Not a direct answer,” he accused.

  “And I’m not some suspect,” she retorted.

  “Mother!”

  “Okay, if you must know, Maylene Kinney called me. She told me about the missing boy…” Her voice trailed off as she studied him intently. “Well, I’m sure you understand why I had to come, Nicky. I wanted to see for myself that you’re okay. Your father’s outside cruising around looking for a parking place. I imagine he’ll be in here eventually.” She regarded him hesitantly. “Is it over? Is the boy okay?”

  “He’s fine,” Nick said tersely.

  None of this was good, Nick thought wearily. If news of another missing boy, even one that had been found already, got out, the mall was going to be crawling with reporters. He pinned his sister with a look. “If any of the media show up, keep them away from me, okay? Tell them it was a false alarm. Or tell them the truth, that Josh is back with his mom and it’s all over, but leave me out of it.”

  Trish regarded him with dismay. “I’ll do my best, but Nicky, there’s a reporter here already, doing a story about the last-minute holiday shoppers. I’ll talk to her, but you know she may not give up easily. It’s a great story. Family reunited by Santa on Christmas Eve.”

  “If that’s all there was to it, it would be one thing, but we both know better,” he said.

  “But Nicky you’ll be a hero,” his mom spoke. “Wouldn’t that be a good thing after…well, after what happened before?”

  “I don’t want to be a hero and it would take more than this to turn me into one. Hell, I don’t even want to be Santa.” He shook his head. “I never should have answered my phone this morning.”

  Then he thought of meeting Amy and that precocious boy of hers. He remembered how it felt to have sweet Emma in his arms. He wouldn’t have missed that for anything.