by Debbie Mason
He motioned with his fingers for her to bring him the letter.
“Do you want to read it on your own?” she asked, handing him the envelope.
He nodded, the muscle in his jaw flexing. “I’ll come up after I’m finished.”
In the bedroom on the second floor, she lay in the dark waiting, wondering if she’d made a mistake by giving him the letter, by leaving him to read it on his own. Just as she was about to get up and go to him, the door creaked open.
The mattress depressed under his weight and then he stretched out beside her. He drew her into his arms, pressing his face against hers. His cheek was damp. “Thank you. You were right. He wasn’t a monster. I needed to read the letter. My dad and brothers do too. So do Hazel and Maggie. I forgive him.”
Her eyes filled at the thought that maybe now Josh could rest in peace. “I’d say now that’s truly a Christmas miracle.”
“You’re my miracle.”
* * *
Aidan had just about given up on Hazel answering her door when it opened an inch. He did his best to hide his surprise at what little he could see of the woman. It was three in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve, and Hazel was still in a robe, her hair unbrushed, her face pale and haggard. He hadn’t believed the gossip going around town that Hazel hadn’t been out of her house since the night at the gallery. Now he was beginning to think it was true.
“Hi, Mrs. Winters. I was hoping you had a minute.”
“Some other time perhaps. I’m not up for visitors.” She clutched her white robe at her neck, her gaze flitting to his face and then away. “I sent a note to your grandmother and father with my heartfelt apologies for what my son did to your family. I know it’s not enough, but I don’t know what else I can do.”
“I think I might be able to help you with that, Mrs. Winters.”
Her eyes widened. “Don’t sue me, please. My house is all I have now. I don’t have much in savings. My buildings down—”
“Calm down. We’re not planning to sue you, Hazel. Let me come in and talk to you for a minute. I have something you need to see.”
She glanced up at him and then nodded, opening the door. “Excuse the mess. I haven’t been myself since… Well, you know.”
“If you think this is messy,” he said as he followed her into the spotless living room, “you’ve never been to Julia’s apartment.”
Hazel made a distressed sound in her throat, and Aidan realized he’d upset her by bringing up Julia. It hadn’t been intentional. These days Julia was pretty much on his mind all the time, so it was only natural that he mentioned her. He bore no ill will toward Hazel. None of his family did, including Julia. In part, that’s why he was here.
By the time Hazel lowered herself onto a cream love seat, there was no hint of the anguish he thought he’d heard and seen moments ago. “If you’re here to ask me not to evict Julia, my attorney has already sent her a letter. She can stay in the apartment and continue running her business out of my building for as long as she wants.” Hazel played with the tie on her robe. “I…I wasn’t myself. If I had any hopes of being reelected, Delaney felt it best if Julia wasn’t in town to remind people of what my son did. I was angry too. Angry that Julia kept everything from me.”
“She did it to protect you, Hazel. You’re the closest thing to a mother she has. She didn’t want to lose you too. You do know that Josh asked her not to tell us until you had passed, right? She was fulfilling his wishes. Your son loved you.”
“Loved me? He took his own life. How is that love? Knowing how much we’d…I’d suffer… That’s not something—”
Aidan reached in the inner pocket of his jacket for Josh’s letter. His brothers and father had read it, and so had Maggie. Knowing how deeply Josh had suffered for what he’d done had made it easier for them to forgive Hazel’s son, easier for them to find closure and peace. No judge or jail time could have pronounced a stronger sentence than Josh had pronounced on himself.
“You need to read this, Hazel. Josh never wanted you to know that he’d taken his own life or that he was responsible for my mom and sister’s accident. He asked Julia to keep that from you because he loved you. You’ll see that when you read his letter. I think it’ll help you understand how much he was suffering. He couldn’t see another way to escape his pain and guilt.”
“He could have told me. He could have told Julia. She did love him, you know. Once, she’d loved him very much.” She hesitated and then took the letter from him.
Even if Josh had come forward and told Aidan’s family, Julia, and his mother, Aidan had a feeling, in the end, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different. Josh Winters would never have been able to forgive himself or live with what he’d done. “She did love him. Just like she loves you.”
The older woman nodded, ever so slightly, and then grew quiet as she began reading the letter. There were four pages from Josh trying to make them understand that it had never been his intention to hurt anyone, least of all the Gallagher family. He talked about how kind Aidan’s mom had been over the years to Josh and his mother, especially when his dad had left them. How much he liked and respected Aidan’s father. How devastated he’d been knowing Aidan and his brothers had lost their baby sister because of him.
Tears rolled down Hazel’s face, and she hiccupped a sob as she carefully refolded the letter. He stayed quiet, giving her time, hoping that, in the end, she would agree to Josh’s final request. Somewhere in the house he heard a clock ticking down the time. Ten minutes later, he looked up at the rustle of paper. “If you and your family think allowing Mothers Against Drunk Driving to publish Josh’s letter will make someone think twice before they drink and drive, then yes, I’ll agree.”
“Thank you. I know it won’t be easy having all this come out in the open, Hazel. But if Josh’s letter can save another family from going through what ours has, it’ll be worth it.”
“Yes, yes, it will.” She went to return the letter.
“No, that’s yours. I made a copy,” he said as he stood up. “If you don’t have any plans tonight, I thought you might like to join us. I have a surprise planned for Julia. I know she’d want you there.”
“Thank you, Aidan. After what…” She lifted a helpless shoulder, and her eyes filled once again. “It’s very kind of you and your family, but I’m not feeling up to it just yet. I’m happy for you and Julia though. Please tell her so for me.”
“I think she’d rather hear that from you.”
“You’re right, of course. We need to talk. I will call her.”
It wasn’t what Aidan had hoped for, but he thought knowing Hazel hadn’t cut her out of her life for good would make Julia happy. Which made him happy because he’d been working hard every night this week to give Julia a magical New Year’s Eve.
* * *
Julia stood in the study at the manor with her arms crossed. She was one ticked-off fairy. Oliva—who’d arrived home with her family yesterday morning—fastened the wings to the back of Julia’s Sugar Plum Fairy costume. “This is not how I pictured my first New Year’s Eve with Aidan,” Julia grumbled. This was the night she was supposed to lose the wings, not put them back on. She’d said no several times to her friends but couldn’t hold out against Ella Rose, George, and Mia.
“It’s really too bad he has to work tonight, but look on the bright side. You get to perform as the Sugar Plum Fairy and make everyone smile.” Olivia handed her the fake-fur cape. “Finn and Liam are probably already out front with the snowmobiles.”
The Snow Ball on Christmas Eve had been canceled due to Lenny being on the loose. As Julia understood it, the guests staying at the manor for the holidays had been disappointed, so the Gallagher women had come up with the brilliant idea—and yes, she was being sarcastic, which probably meant Aidan was rubbing off on her—of staging a performance of The Nutcracker in the woods on New Year’s Eve.
And they wouldn’t be wearing ballet slippers or boots. They would be wearing skates. Wh
ich was the real reason for her sarcasm. Apparently, the Gallagher men had spent the past week icing a path in the woods. Fireworks and a bonfire would follow. As lovely as that sounded, Julia planned to skip that part of the night and head home to tend to her bruised behind. And she had absolutely no doubt it would be bruised because she could barely skate. Something she’d repeatedly told her friends and they had repeatedly ignored.
Needless to say, all things considered, Julia was a tad grumpy tonight. The snowmobile ride did nothing to improve her mood. When they reached their destination, she could make out approximately fifty people sitting on benches around a bonfire at the outer edge of the woods.
Liam got off the snowmobile and looked down at her with a grin. “Instead of sugarplum, I think my brother should call you sourpatch.”
“Ha-ha. See how you like it when your wife forces you to perform on New Year’s Eve.”
“I can pretty much guarantee she will, and I’ll love every minute of it,” he said with a wink that told her exactly where his mind had gone.
She gave him a look. “I don’t think you’re funny.” Then she got off the snowmobile to look around. “Olivia said the other people in the play would be here, but I don’t see anyone else in costume.”
Liam offered his arm. “They’re probably waiting for you on the path.”
“Maybe we’re in the wrong place,” she said as they reached the woods. No one was there, and she could barely see a foot in front of her.
“Nope. See? There’s the sign.” He shined the light of his phone on a hand-painted sign that read SUGARPLUM WAY and then texted someone.
“But there’s… Oh,” she gasped when all the trees lit up with white fairy lights. “How did you… It’s so beautiful.” The crowd oohed and aahed along with her.
“You better take off your skate guards. Your fairy friends are coming to get you,” Liam said, once again lending her his arm.
She drew her gaze from the trees to look at the iced path through the woods. Ella Rose, Mia, and George, dressed in fairy costumes, skated toward her. “Come on, sugarplum. We’re going to take you to your prince,” Ella Rose said.
The people from the bonfire had joined them near the path, clapping and smiling. Julia spotted Olivia, Ava, Sophie, Lexi, Mackenzie, and the rest of her friends. Their sentimental smiles and shiny eyes gave it away.
“Aidan did this, didn’t he?” she asked Liam, trying not to cry.
“You’re talking about my brother Aidan, right? The hardass?” he asked, but the smile in his eyes gave him away.
She didn’t get a chance to respond. George skated over and tugged on Julia’s hand, dragging her after her.
“Just a minute, George. I haven’t been on skates in…” The blades flew out from under Julia, and she landed on her butt.
Behind her, she heard Liam say, “Hey, Prince Charming, your princess can’t skate. You better come and get her before she breaks something.”
Ella Rose, Mia, and George were trying to help her up when a familiar leather-clad arm reached past them. Julia looked up to see Aidan smiling down at her. “Up you go, sugarplum,” he said, half lifting her to her feet to the sound of cheering and clapping.
“We tried to get him to wear his costume, but he wouldn’t,” George said, clearly perturbed.
Ella Rose quickly came to her father’s defense. “That’s okay, because he bought her a castle.”
“You bought me a castle?” Julia said, her voice husky with unshed tears. She couldn’t believe Aidan had done all of this for her.
“It’s not exactly—” he began.
“It’s the old house in the woods. But everyone’s going to help fix it up. Me and—”
Aidan shook his head and yelled, “Finn, would you come and get your kid? She’s ruining my proposal.”
Everyone laughed, including George. She loved whenever anyone called her Finn’s kid. Which Aidan knew, of course. Finn skated over to them and took George’s hand. “Come on, girls. Let’s give the prince and princess some privacy. You can help your moms put on their skates.” When they left them alone on the path, Aidan took her hand. “Hang on, and I’ll drag you the rest of the way.”
She stared up at him. “Did you say ‘proposal’?”
“No, I…” He tilted his head as though thinking back to what he said, and then he blinked. “I guess I did.”
“So you weren’t actually proposing to me?”
“No, I bought the house, and I was hoping you’d move in with me…” He looked down at her and then smiled. “But you have to admit it’s the perfect setting to propose to the Sugar Plum Fairy. What do you say?” he asked as he went down on one knee. “Will you marry me, Julia?”
“I’ve been half in love with you since you kissed me under the mistletoe last Christmas, Aidan. But I don’t want you to propose just because it slipped out by accident. I’d be just as happy to accept your proposal to move in with you. Honestly, I would.”
“I don’t think it was an accident. I think it was fairy magic. Julia magic. Say yes, sugarplum.”
“Yes, Aidan, I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier than being your wife,” she said, laughing when the Gallagher family and her friends skated toward them, cheering.
Later, with Aidan’s hand in hers, Julia watched the fireworks lighting up the night sky. She reached back and touched her fairy wings with a grateful smile. The journey hadn’t been easy, but if she hadn’t accepted the role of the Gallaghers’ fairy godmother, she wouldn’t have found her own happily-ever-after.
In the spirit for another
holiday story?
’Tis the season for love in Harmony Harbor, but it’s the last place Sophie DiRossi wants to be. After fleeing many years ago, Sophie is forced to return to the town that harbors a million secrets. Firefighter Liam Gallagher still has some serious feelings for Sophie—and seeing her again sparks a desire so fierce it takes his breath away. Hoping for a little holiday magic, Liam sets out to show Sophie that they deserve a second chance at love.
Please turn the page for an excerpt from
Mistletoe Cottage.
Sirens wailed, the fire engines’ red and white lights bouncing off the clapboard Colonials on Main Street. People strolling along the tree-lined sidewalk turned to watch the rigs careen around a corner while cars veered to the side of the road. Ladder Engine 1 and Engine 6 were headed west of Harmony Harbor to Greystone Manor.
Three hours earlier, Liam Gallagher had been heading home to Boston. He’d stopped by the station to say goodbye to his father, Fire Chief Colin Gallagher, on the way out of town. But, because he loved his old man, who had put up with Liam for the past month, he’d made his first mistake. He’d let his dad convince him to stay another day. Taking his father up on his challenge had been a bigger one. Under the watchful eyes of the three men who knew him about as well as he knew himself, Liam would be battling his first fire in more than five weeks. Built in the early nineteenth century and modeled after a medieval castle, Greystone Manor was a firefighter’s worst nightmare. And over the last month, Liam had been battling one of his own.
The chief disconnected his cell phone call and shifted to face Liam and Marco DiRossi, Liam’s childhood best friend. The rest of the crew followed behind in the ladder engine. Fergus MacLeod, a burly beast of a man with russet hair and beard who’d known Liam since he was in diapers, blasted the horn at three-second intervals to clear the intersection up ahead. Liam’s father raised his voice to be heard. “Manor’s full of smoke, but the sprinklers haven’t kicked in. Lights went out, and the generator took longer than it should to come on. A couple of guests sustained minor injuries evacuating—”
“GG and Grams?” Liam asked, unable to conceal the anxiety in his voice. He wasn’t worried his father would misconstrue the reason for it or reprimand him for interrupting his brief. Liam’s great-grandmother Colleen owned and operated Greystone with the help of her daughter-in-law and Liam’s grandmother, Kitty.
H
e’d never understood what had possessed his great-grandmother to turn the manor into a hotel. If it had been up to him, she would have sold out years ago. Especially now that his grandfather Ronan was no longer there to help run the place. Liam hoped she’d be more open to the idea after tonight.
“Jasper got GG out, but your grandmother, a woman, and a young child are still inside. They can’t find the little girl. Kitty and the woman refuse to leave without her.” His father looked at Marco. “Jasper says she’s your sister, son. And the little girl is her daughter, your niece.”
Liam blew out a silent whistle. Sophie DiRossi. He hadn’t thought about her in years, and there’d been a time when she’d been all he thought about. He glanced at Marco, who sat in the jump seat across from him.
Beneath an inch of dark scruff, Marco’s jaw tightened. “Jasper’s gotta be mistaken, Chief. Sophie and her kid live in LA. She hasn’t been home since she left.”
“Just wanted to give you a heads-up in case it’s true,” his father said, then glanced at Liam and lifted his chin at Marco before facing forward.
Everyone in Harmony Harbor knew how the DiRossis felt about Sophie and her mother’s defection. Within six months of Sophie and her mother taking off, the oldest of the DiRossi siblings, Lucas, had left Harmony Harbor, and a year later, their father, Giovanni, remarried and moved to Italy.
“You okay?” Liam asked his best friend.
Marco took off his helmet to stab his fingers through his dark hair. “Jasper has to be wrong. There’s no way it’s Sophie.”
If Jasper said it was Sophie, Liam had no doubt that it was. Nothing got past the old man—a fact Liam, his brothers, and cousins could attest to. Jasper, or Jeeves as the Gallagher grandchildren referred to him, had been at Greystone for as long as any of them could remember. A tall beanpole of a man with stiff, overly proper manners, he ruled the manor and the Gallagher family with an iron fist hidden inside a velvet glove.