'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set

by Maggie Dallen

  He and Regina were standing together for all of two minutes before she ran away.

  Well, she went off to find her friend Leah, but Tyler had a hunch that she was trying her best to avoid him.

  Not that he could really blame her. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he thought about his bungled attempts to make things right with Regina.

  Had he really thought that nearly a decade of contentious history could be erased in one day?

  “If this is your version of Christmas cheer, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to call you Scrooge from here on out.” Callie’s voice was filled with laughter as she reached his side by the dining room table where he’d been nursing a mug of hot cocoa while he watched Callie and Cole’s friends, family, and neighbors laugh and talk amongst themselves.

  He grinned down at his friend. “Scrooge might be a step up from some of the names you’ve called me in the past.”

  Callie’s laugh was loud and infectious. Ever the tomboy, her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her Christmas attire consisted of baggy jeans and an oversized ugly Christmas sweater.

  At least, he hoped she was going for the ugly sweater vibe or else her sense of style was even worse than he’d feared. She nudged him with her elbow. “You won me over quickly.”

  He gave her a wink that made her laugh all over again.

  The start of their friendship was an odd one since she’d been one of the stars of his reality show about newlyweds and home renovations.

  The problem had been—she wasn’t exactly a willing participant. At least not at first. Luckily for everyone involved, Cole had stepped up and offered to play the part of her fiancé since her real fiancé had walked out on her.

  He watched Cole walking toward them now, his gaze warming at the sight of Callie and a goofy grin spreading across his face as she looked over at him with a beaming smile.

  Tyler just barely bit back a groan as he took a sip of his drink. He loved these two but at this particular moment, watching their happily-ever-after love affair from a few inches away felt like torture.

  Cole seemed to pick up on it because he turned to Tyler with a funny look. “What’s going on with you, man?”

  Tyler forced a smile. “What do you mean?”

  Neither Callie nor Cole looked convinced. Cole patted his shoulder. “Piece of advice? Leave the acting for the ones who work in front of the camera.”

  Tyler let out a rueful laugh. “Fair enough.”

  Callie nudged him again. “Come on, tell us what’s up.”

  When he didn’t immediately answer, she continued, “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you showed up with Friar Hollow’s favorite veterinary assistant, now would it?”

  He dipped his head with a laugh as his shoulders sank with resignation. There was no avoiding their good intentions or their curiosity. “How much do you know about me and Reggie?”

  They wore matching shocked expressions and then Cole said, “Just that you know her well enough to call her Reggie.” He glanced over at Callie. “I’ve never heard anyone refer to her as anything other than Regina.”

  Callie nodded. “She’s been warming up to me and my friends, but even so, she comes across really…” She bit her lip as she looked for the word.

  “Standoffish,” Cole supplied.

  Callie nodded. “Exactly.” Then she hurried to add, “Nice, though.”

  “Oh yeah, she seems like a genuine, kind person once you get to know her,” Cole added.

  Tyler nodded. ‘Genuine’ was the best way to describe her and he knew it was the best compliment Cole could give. It meant everything to him and Callie to have someone real like that in their lives. Someone who knew how to make a commitment and keep it.

  The thought made him sigh. She’d deserved that same thing from him. Maybe it was asking too much to hope that she could give him another chance.

  “Ty, if you don’t lighten up, you’re going to scare off Callie’s nieces and nephews in the other room.” Cole gave him a little smirk. “Please try not to terrify our guests.”

  Tyler laughed. “I’m that bad, huh?”

  “Honestly?” Callie said. “You’re making me nervous, Tyler. I’ve never seen you like this.”

  That was because he’d gotten so good at playing the role he’d created when he’d first moved to Hollywood. A devil-may-care charmer. A playboy. A guy who didn’t commit and never needed anything more stable than a roof over his head.

  He’d known something was missing for a while now. Heck, maybe he’d been aware of this hole in his life from the very day he’d broken off their engagement. But seeing her again, it was impossible to ignore.

  The thought of going another decade without her in his life every single day was more than he could bear. The thought of spending the rest of his life without the one woman who owned his heart?

  He couldn’t let that happen.

  “Wanna tell us what’s going on with you and Regina?” Callie asked softly.

  He shook his head. “Honestly, trying to fill you both in on all our history would take all day and you two have a party to host.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Cole said with the sort of grim expression Tyler knew well from the set. Cole meant business.

  So did Callie if her furrowed brow was anything to go by. Their concern was sweet, but it wouldn’t do him any good. “Thanks, guys, but I’m pretty sure it’s hopeless.”

  This, it turned out, was the exact wrong thing to say to a romantic like Callie. Even Cole grew more serious with that statement. “It’s never too late. Not if you really have feelings for this woman.” He arched his brows. “Do you?”

  Tyler stared back at him. The question seemed too ludicrous to answer. Did he have feelings for Regina? ‘Yes’ seemed like the understatement of the century. Instead he blurted out words he never thought he’d say. “Do you guys believe in fate?”

  They stared at him for so long, he started to grow uncomfortable.

  “Of course we do,” Cole finally said. He gestured between himself and Callie. “Something like this...it’s not just an accident. I mean, if her fiancé hadn’t been such a jerk or if my ex hadn’t hurt me so badly or if the higher-ups at the network hadn’t insisted on making Callie be a part of the show…” He trailed off with a shake of his head. “There were so many things that had to happen for us to find love. If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is.”

  Callie shot him a loving look as Tyler nodded. “Yeah, but...what if I missed my chance? What if I had...fate.” He couldn’t bring himself to say the word ‘love,’ not when he had yet to tell Regina that he still loved her. It felt wrong. “What if I had fate and walked away from it.”

  Callie’s frown was so intense for a second there he thought she might agree. Like maybe he’d said something so accurate she couldn’t argue.

  “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” she said.

  He blinked. Well, okay then.

  “No, honestly,” she said. “That’s just dumb.”

  “I think he gets the point,” Cole said mildly.

  She nodded. “Right. Sorry. It’s just…” She reached out and gripped him by the arms. “Tyler, timing is everything. If things didn’t work out between you two before, maybe it just wasn’t your time. Maybe you had things to learn or needed to grow or…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is, if it’s the real deal between you two then everything you’ve gone through has happened for a reason. To bring you here. With her.”

  She looked so earnest. She seemed so certain.

  He had to remind himself that Callie didn’t know the whole story. But even as he told himself that, a part of him fought it because...he wanted to believe her.

  No, it was more than that. Some part of him did believe her. What she was saying...it felt right. It felt like the truth. It felt like she was telling him something he already knew.

  “I have a question.” Cole’s deep voice interru
pted his revelatory moment and he blinked over at his friend.

  “What are you doing standing here with us when she is in there?” He nodded toward the kitchen.

  “Great question,” Callie said approvingly.

  Cole grinned.

  Tyler grimaced.

  He was hiding. The answer was probably clear as day to every one of them. If Reggie ran, then he hid. This was their age-old MO.

  “I’m...giving her space.” His tone went up at the end so it sounded like he was asking them a question.

  Cole and Callie exchanged a knowing look.

  “Look, Reggie and I...we have a lot of history. I can’t just expect her to be on board with forgiving and forgetting all of that so we can start over. I mean, I hit her with this whole ‘I want another chance’ thing with no warning and…”

  And he was babbling.

  That much was clear by the gaping stares he was getting from his friends.

  “Okay, now I have to hear this whole story,” Callie said.

  Tyler groaned. “Trust me when I say there’s not enough time.” He glanced at the clock. The minute hand was going by too fast, the hours and days he might have left in this town seemed to be winding down with each passing breath.

  “That’s the thing,” he said. “I don’t have enough time. Not to win her over or make her see that I’ve changed.” His head fell back with a groan. “I should get out of her hair as soon as this holiday is over. But honestly, I’ve got to be expecting miracles if I think I’m going to make up for eight years of drama in one day.”

  “It does sound like you’re asking for a miracle,” Cole said slowly. He and Callie exchanged a look that made Tyler feel like they were using telepathy. Sure enough, Callie grinned and turned back to Tyler and gripped his shoulders like a coach giving a pep talk.

  “Then it’s a good thing you two ran into each other on Christmas, isn’t it?” She beamed at him. “If ever there was a day for miracles. It’s today.” She shoved him toward the kitchen. “Now go get her, champ.”

  Chapter 8

  Leah was eyeing Regina over the plateful of cookies that sat between them.

  “You know you don’t have to stay in here and keep me company, right?” Regina asked.

  Leah rolled her eyes. “Please. I’m not here for you, I’m just here for the cookies.”

  Regina laughed and Leah gave her a little grin before shoving another icing-covered treat into her mouth. “You’re a liar, but I appreciate it all the same.”

  Leah shrugged. “It’s not every day I see the ice queen lose her cool.”

  Regina groaned good-naturedly. They’d admittedly gotten off on the wrong foot the first time they’d met.

  And the second.

  And the fact that Leah thought her now-boyfriend Daniel was interested in dating her hadn’t helped things either. But once Leah and Daniel had found their happily ever after, Leah had made it her mission to befriend her.

  In doing so, she’d been bluntly honest about her first impressions about Regina and Regina had responded in kind.

  By the end of that fateful coffee date, the two had been crying with laughter and their friendship established. It seemed that while they both had not-so-positive first impressions of one another, they had one thing in common.

  They valued honesty and straightforwardness. And right now it was why it wasn’t odd for Leah to call her out on the fact that she was in the kitchen while the rest of the party, and her mother, and former love of her life were in the other room.

  “So who exactly are you hiding from?” Leah asked between nibbles on some chocolate bark.

  Regina pursed her lips, debating how she could respond. But as Leah’s baby blues widened in expectation, Regina was reminded of why she was such a great teacher and so good with kids.

  She was kind, caring, sympathetic...and didn’t let anyone get away with anything. Trying to prevaricate would only make Leah hover more and the questions would begin in earnest.

  “Tyler Arnold,” she said shortly.

  “Ah yes, your childhood friend who told you about this town in the first place.”

  Regina tilted her head from side to side, guilt nagging at her. She’d been straightforward with Leah about a lot of things. Most things, really. Leah had recently left a toxic relationship when they’d first met and Regina was fresh from her divorce so the two women had bonded in a big way.

  But she’d been supremely vague about her past relationship with Tyler, not wanting to complicate matters since she’d known that he was friends with Callie and Cole, which meant Leah by extension.

  “You know,” Leah said, stirring her mug of cider with a cinnamon stick. “I went on a date with Tyler once.”

  A muscle by Regina’s eye twitched despite her best efforts to reveal nothing.

  It wasn’t much but Leah caught it, her lips hitching up in a suppressed grin. “I also told you that nothing came of it, right?”

  “Mmhmm.” Regina looked away, watching Ellie and Ian laugh at something their baby was doing as Ian attempted to feed him. She aimed for nonchalance but she had a feeling it wasn’t working.

  She remembered the moment well when Leah first mentioned that fateful date offhand.

  Regina wasn’t exaggerating that her friend’s story had landed like a blow to her gut. Luckily it ended shortly and without so much as a goodnight kiss, but even so.

  Knowing that Tyler was out there dating...that he’d been in her town but out with another woman.

  It had felt...wrong.

  So very wrong.

  Like wearing white after Labor Day while eating crackers in bed after clipping toenails in public levels of wrong.

  But she’d covered up her disgust and horror with a laugh as Leah’s story continued to the good part about Daniel and Tyler’s name was all but forgotten.

  But apparently not entirely.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you two were more than just childhood friends?” she asked now.

  Regina’s mouth worked as she tried to think of a response. She landed on the truth. “Because he’s too hard to talk about.”

  “Too hard because…?”

  “There are too many memories,” Regina said, pushing her own mug away from herself. “Too many emotions and conflicting feelings and thoughts better left unanalyzed.”

  “I see.” Leah’s voice was so sweet and knowing that Regina nearly asked her what she saw. What she understood...

  And could she please explain it all to Regina?

  “So, I guess I’d love to know what he’s said or done that has you in here with me rather than out there with him.”

  Regina laughed. “Do you have all day?”

  Leah grinned. “That bad, huh?”

  Regina shook her head quickly. “No, just that much. We go back a long way. A lot has gone down between us.”

  “I see,” Leah said again. “So you’re trying to figure it all out...by eating cookies with me?”

  Regina stared at her.

  Leah sighed. “He must be pretty terrible.”

  “He’s not!” Regina leapt to Tyler’s defense even though she knew very well what her friend was doing. “And you’re an elementary school teacher, you ought to be above these passive-aggressive tactics.”

  Leah’s grin was shameless. “I’ve learned to use any means necessary to get through to particularly stubborn children.”

  Regina pouted. “Are you calling me a child?”

  “I don’t know, have you been acting like a child?” Leah tapped her fingers against the table. “Children have a tendency to run and hide rather than face their fears, you know…”

  Regina groaned as the truth of her friend’s words hit home. “Don’t you have anything better to do right now?”

  “Nope. Not until Daniel gets back from his emergency house call, at least.” Leah beamed. “You’re stuck with me.”

  Regina sighed.

  “Unless, of course, you get out of this kitchen and go talk to the gu
y who was eyeing you like candy when you both first walked in.”

  Regina blinked at that. “He was?”

  Leah’s brows shot up. “That’s putting it mildly. The way he looked at you….” She sighed dramatically. “It was swoonworthy, babe.”

  Regina hated the way her heart fluttered at the thought.

  She also loved it.

  It was official. She was beyond confused. “I just don’t know what to do, Leah. I don’t know what I want.” She met her friend’s gaze and told her the truth because if anyone would understand, it was this woman. “I don’t want to make another mistake. I am so afraid of making another mistake.”

  “Oh honey.” Leah’s hand reached out and covered hers. “I can’t guarantee you won’t make any more mistakes in love or that you’ll never get hurt again, but i can tell you this… You’ll never find love if you don’t put yourself out there again. It’s a risk, but the payoff is pretty spectacular when you do find the right guy.”

  “But is Tyler the right guy?” She knew it was ridiculous to be asking someone else, but she had no idea where else to turn. “I mean, he was once. And when I’m with him I feel like…”

  “Like what?” Leah prompted.

  “Like I’m home.” She said it so quietly she thought perhaps Leah hadn’t heard.

  “That’s a great feeling,” Leah whispered back.

  Regina nodded. “It is. When I’m with him it’s like I remember who I am...the good and the bad.”

  “For better or for worse,” Leah added with a rueful grin.

  “Exactly.”

  They shared a look of understanding.

  “I wish you could tell me what to do,” Regina muttered.

  Leah laughed. “I wish I could too.”

  “For someone so happily in love, shouldn’t you have some great advice for me?” Regina teased, hoping to lighten the mood which had grown too heavy for a Christmas party.

  “Yes,” Leah said. “And I do.” She leaned over as if about to let her in on a secret. “Relationships are about two people. You’re never going to figure this out on your own, stewing in your own head.”