by Diane Bator
“Behind us, I mean.” He was quick to back pedal. “This means you and I can be together again. You can come home and dance and I can—”
“You can go to hell.” Christina tightened her jaw. “I’m not going back to being a stripper for any amount of money. In fact, I’m not going back to Newville at all. Marty doesn’t need me and neither do you. I’m nobody’s paper doll.”
Brady hesitated. “Whoa. Have you been drinking? You know you can’t handle your liquor. The last time you drank too much, we ended up married.”
She bit her lip. The last time she drank, she ended up in bed with Leo. Not a bad place to wake up, but not a great way to get there.
“I know I said I wanted a divorce,” Brady said. “But I’ve reconsidered. I think we should give things another chance. Seriously. When are you coming home?”
“Are you deaf?” She rolled her eyes. “I am not going back to Newville. Ever.”
“But your scholarship—”
“I’ll forfeit the scholarship.”
“Your job—”
“Marty already fired me when I didn’t come back.” She crossed her fingers hoping that was true.
“Our apartment—”
“Was never ours to begin with, Brady. There’s nothing of me there and there never has been.” Christina covered her eyes with one hand to block the tears. “I think the divorce is a good idea. We both need to move on.”
His silence was followed by “Oh” and he hung up before Christina could say more. She set her phone aside, her thoughts more jumbled than ever. After not eating in hours, the remains of her energy seeped away in her sigh. Forget cleaning up. She had nothing better to do tomorrow anyway, Christmas Day or not. As she finished washing the dough off her bowls, the phone rang again.
“Hey.” With one word, Leo sent tears to her eyes.
Christina sucked in a sharp breath. “Hey, yourself.”
He cursed. “I take it you heard the news.”
“Yes. That and Brady called.”
More swearing. Where he should have been happy he’d proven Brady was innocent, Leo sounded even more tense than usual. “Then you know all about his impending release and Angel’s suicide.”
“As much as everyone else seems to know.” Her throat tightened with tears.
“I’m sorry, babe.” Leo sighed. “I meant to call sooner to tell you everything, but I’ve been busy with the police and Brady’s lawyer.”
Christina nodded and paced the kitchen. “That’s okay. It’s done.”
“Yeah, it’s done.” Leo hesitated. “What do you want me to do with Brady?”
“That’s not up to me, is it?”
Leo chuckled. “Either you want the guy back or I find a deep lake to chuck him in. He’s really straining my last nerve.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “What does he want to do?”
“That’s not as important as what you want,” he insisted. “Do you want him anywhere near you? If not, I’ll go drop him off in downtown Buffalo and come back in time for Christmas.” He paused. “Buffalo has a zoo. I could bump him into the lion cage.”
Christina laughed. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but I think I need to deal with Brady on my own terms.”
“Okay. Fine.” He sighed. “What do I do if he wants to see you?”
She pulled her keys out of her pocket. “Lucy helped me realize I’m the only one who can fix this. Brady and I either have to lay some ground rules or walk away from each other and get things over with so we can both move on.”
Leo cleared his throat. “Um...you and Lucy are friends now?”
She smiled at the worry in his voice. “She helped me in the bakery yesterday when things got crazy.”
“Glad to hear it. You both need friends. Maybe you, Lucy and Katie should hang out sometime. Just warn me ahead of time, I want to be out of town that day.”
“Gee thanks.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Closing the bakery for Christmas. I’ll reopen in a couple days. I could really use a break.” She leaned against the steel door. “What are you doing?”
“Going to meet with Marty. We have a few things to discuss about Angel and Brady.” He blew out a loud breath. “Then I have to go pick up Brady and have a serious conversation with him. I’ll be in touch.”
“I hope so.”
Chapter 25 ~ Leo
Leo would have preferred baking cookies with Christina and sniffing her spicy hair rather than spend Christmas Eve driving from Newville to Packham with Brady. He’d heard enough whining about showers, trendy clothes and Christmas shopping to last the next ten years. Finally, after two hours in Brady’s cramped apartment while he fretted about packing and one artist meltdown, Leo dragged him down the stairs.
He got into the driver’s seat, slammed the car door and glared at Brady. “If you so much as speak again before we hit city limits, I’ll rip out your goddam vocal chords.”
When Brady opened his mouth, Leo narrowed his eyes. Brady shrank against the door and looked out the window, fidgeting with the seatbelt. The instant they passed the city limits, Brady broke the silence by singing Christmas carols.
“What will it take to get you to stop?” Leo gripped the steering wheel.
Brady turned off the radio then let out a long, slow breath. “Stay away from my wife.”
“I get you sprung out of jail and all you have to say is for me to stay away from your wife?” His jaw tightened. “I’ve got half a mind to kick your sorry butt out right here and now, you pudgy little rat.”
“You’re right. Thank you for getting me out of jail. Stay away from my wife.”
Five miles passed before Leo’s jaw ached from clenching his teeth. “Here’s the deal. You go back to her and make things right. I’ll keep my distance. If I hear you’re treating her badly, I’ll come back and pound you. If you dump her—”
“Then she’s all yours.” Brady finished. “Deal.”
That wasn’t the response he’d expected. Christina deserved better than to be a pawn in her husband’s games.
Brady tapped a finger in time to the Christmas music on the radio. “Did I get her a nice gift yet?”
Leo snorted. “Do I look like your personal shopper?”
“You did everything else,” he said. “I thought you might have checked that off the list too. It’s kind of late for me to get anything now except stuff at the gas station.”
“I don’t need gas.” Leo glanced to the stack of Christina's paintings in the back seat. How had Brady missed seeing them? “I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you and not care about stuff.”
Brady snorted. “You don’t know my Rosie.”
“And you don’t know Christina.” Fancy baubles and jewels were not the way to her heart. He wondered if she acted the way Brady wanted just to keep in his good graces.
“That’s low. I’ve never even met this Christina person.”
“Yes, you have. She’s your wife.” Leo pulled off the road and slammed on the brakes. “Why did you really marry Rose?”
“You’re asking me that now? Don’t we have to get to Packmule?”
“Packham." He gritted his teeth. “After all I’ve done for you, that’s the one thing you’ve never told me.”
Brady sighed and leaned his head against the window. “She’s special. I might not love her the way you do or Gage did, but she’s one of a kind. I didn’t want to let her go.”
“So you tried to ruin her. The club, the dancing, the booze, they were all things you used to keep her under control.”
“Nah, those things were fun and Rosie liked them. At first, anyway. You’d like them too if you came and hung out with me and Marty for a while.” Brady studied Leo long and hard. “I could get you to like a lot of things you’ve never tried before.”
Leo narrowed his eyes and pulled a U-turn into traffic. “Guess again, dough boy.”
“Wait! What are you doing? You’re supposed to take
me to see Rose.”
“Not a snowball’s chance in Hell.” Leo grabbed his phone and pressed send on the message he'd typed in earlier. Before he’d even picked up Brady.
“Who did you just text?” Brady’s voice raised a full octave.
He forced his shoulders to relax before his head throbbed. “Someone who would like you to explain a lot of things.”
“We’re going to Marty’s club, aren’t we?”
“Nope.” Leo drove to a large house on the outskirts of town and pulled into the driveway.
Brady cringed. “Oh, hell no. Don't make me go in there.”
“Don’t worry, dough boy.” Leo grinned as two burly men, one he recognized as the bouncer from Rascalz, lumbered toward the Jeep. “Marty’s got valet service. I don’t have to make you do anything.”
“When I tell Rose about this, she’ll never speak to you again.” He shrieked as the bouncer opened the passenger door.
“Bet you wish you were back in jail right now.” Leo revved the engine and peeled out of the yard, away from Brady’s screams in the night.
Chapter 26 ~ Christina
Even in her sleep that night, Christina’s heart seemed to thump louder with each breath. Her focus shifted from her glorious dream, to her heartbeat, to the hammering on the apartment door. Finally, she groaned and pulled the covers over her head and turned over. There was no way she planned to be out of bed before nine at the earliest, whoever was out there would just have to wait. She snuggled beneath the blankets and dozed off again.
Seconds later, someone prodded her shoulder. “Get up, lazy.”
Leo? She sucked in a sharp breath. No, it had to be Clancy, no one had the key to her apartment nor was she expecting company. She rolled over and stared into Leo’s eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Merry Christmas to you too, babe.”
“How did you get in here?” She pulled the covers up over the flannel pajamas.
“It’s Christmas morning, get your butt out of bed and get dressed.”
Rolling over, she yanked the covers over her head again. “What’s the point? It’s just another day.”
He didn’t speak, but the bed bounced as he lay beside her and wiggled closer.
“What are you doing?” She blew out a sigh then turned to face him.
Leo shrugged. “Waiting.”
“You could at least take off your boots if you’re crawling into my bed.”
He nuzzled her ear. “The faster you get out of bed, the less wet your bed gets.”
“Jerk.” She shoved him off the mattress. “I don’t want to get out of bed.”
Leo sat on the floor. “Trust me, I don’t want to get out of your bed either, but I’ve got something for you downstairs so get up.”
“Can’t you give it to me here?”
He raised his eyebrows then leaned forward with a lingering kiss. “I could, but it’s not what you think.”
“Fine.” She blew out a frustrated breath and threw back the blankets, aware his gaze followed her while she gathered clothes and stumbled toward the bathroom. She splashed her face with cold water then looked up at her reflection.
Christmas Day had finally arrived and the only thing to greet her was Leo’s smiling face. Christina wasn’t so sure that was comforting, but it was something. She pulled on the baggy white sweater and jeans. “Okay, what’s the surprise?”
“Put your boots on. We have to go down to the bakery.”
Christina punched her hands to her hips. “I don’t want to go to the bakery. I spend too much time there as it is.”
“This will be worth it.” Leo held out her coat. Her boots were lined up at his feet. “Do you want your surprise or not?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then move your butt,” he said.
Christina hesitated, then reached for a small box she’d tucked beneath her pillow. “Wait a sec. I have something for you.”
A frown flickered across his face. “That’s really not necessary.”
“It’s not much.” She handed him the small box. “Just something I saw.”
He lifted the lid and narrowed his eyes. Carefully, he lifted out a thick gold chain with an oval pendant. “You got this for me? I didn’t think you even liked me.”
“I’m trying. You do have your moments. It’s tiger’s eye. To protect you when you travel. Like I said, I don’t expect you to stick around now that your case is over, so...”
“That was thoughtful.” Leo set the box aside and opened the clasp. “It’s cool. I love it.”
Christina reached up and fastened the chain around his neck, fully aware of his breath on her face. She clasped her hands at the back of his neck and kissed him.
Leo stiffened and shifted away. “If you want my gift, we have to go down to the bakery. It’s near the tree.”
She wanted to kiss him. Wanted to spend Christmas Day alone with him. Disappointed, she stuck her feet into her boots and snatched the coat out of his hands. “Of course.”
“If we don’t leave now, you won’t get your gift until New Year’s Eve.” He led the way down the hallway and opened the front door of the bakery.
Christina froze. “Did Clancy unlock that?”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Uh, yeah.”
“Liar.” She frowned. “You’re the one who’s been leaving all the Christmas stuff, aren’t you? What did I ever do to you?”
“You really don’t want me to answer that, babe.” He pushed her through the door. “Get inside, it’s cold out here.”
“At least let me make us tea.” She glanced up and gasped.
The tree glowed with white lights that shone off the assortment of ornaments. Sometime over the past twelve days it became a stunning Christmas tree. Today, twelve angels hung among the assorted ornaments and took her breath away. Beneath the tree, sat a pile of gifts she was positive weren’t there Christmas Eve.
“On the twelfth day of Christmas, someone gave to me twelve little angels.” She gazed up at Leo. “You did all this for me, didn’t you? Even after I’ve been so mean to you. Are all the gifts from you too?”
“No, something tells me those are from family, friends, and possibly even Clancy, but there is one from me.” Leo pulled a gold box small enough to house a ring or earrings out of his jacket pocket.
Christina took a small step back. She didn’t wear either. Her gaze met Leo’s and he nodded for her to open it. She opened the wrapping and found a small gold box inside. Lifting the lid off, she was stunned to find the box empty. “There’s nothing in here.”
“Actually, I left your gifts in the kitchen. I just wanted to see your reaction to a little jewelry box.” Leo spun her around in place and marched her forward.
“That’s so mean.”
When he flicked on the lights, Christina gasped. On top of the table she normally rolled out her cookies, sat a familiar box. Her box of paints and brushes. She sucked in a sharp breath. “Where did you get this? My grandpa made it when I was little. He always said Mom and Dad should’ve called me Rose, not Christina. I thought Gage would have gotten rid of it when I left.”
Leo snorted. “Are you kidding me? From what I’ve heard, everything you touched was gold. Honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t have it on a bloody shrine instead of under his bed.”
When she noticed a stack of canvases near the back door, she took a step back. “Where did you get those?”
“I rescued them from Gage’s apartment. Brady’s lawyer, Shelley got permission to bring them to back to you.”
Christina smiled and flipped through the canvases. All her favorite paintings were still there. One or two were missing, namely the ones Gage had the nerve to send to Buffalo as his own. She huffed and walked away. “I don’t want them. You should’ve destroyed them.”
“I would, but they seem to be in high demand.” He handed her a business card. “This is the gallery Gage sent his paintings to. They still have three of
yours right now that the staff is having a bidding war on. The owners want to put your paintings on display.”
“What?” She brushed him off. “Be serious.”
“I’m dead serious. They love your work and they really want to meet with you.”
Christina shook her head. “That’s crazy. They’ve only seen a couple paintings.”
“Yeah, and they’re dying to see more.” Leo caught her by the elbow. “I’ve had time to think on the very quiet drive back to town. I think you should paint again. For you, this time. Besides, you’re one bloody talented lady and I know how much it means to you.” He paused. “I’ve already talked to Marty and settled things there. He sends you his best wishes and tells you he hopes he never sees you again.”
Christina gave a small laugh. “I’ll take that as a step forward. So what do we do now? You and I, I mean.”
Leo bowed his head. “You know I can’t stay.”
“I know. You need to follow your heart too.” Christina threw her arms around his neck, her lips brushing his cheek. “That doesn’t mean I have to like the idea of you abandoning me on Christmas Day.”
Leo brushed back her hair. “It’s for the best. For now. You need to figure out what you want and let the flour dust settle after all these guys have trampled your life. Sell some paintings. Take a vacation. Once you’re free and clear of Brady, then...” He trailed off and looked away.
“Freedom. What a concept.” Christina cradled his face in her hands and gave him a long, lingering kiss. “You know I’m indebted to you forever.”
“Nah, maybe just for a year or so.” He wrapped his arms around her and grinned. “Although I will expect free cookies when I get back to town next month.”
“I think I know someone who makes pretty good sugar cookies, but only if you’ll help me make more gingerbread houses next Christmas or, better yet, heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day.”
Leo ran his hands through her sleep-rumpled hair. “Now that I might be able to do.”
Several kisses later, Christina followed Leo to the front door. “You have my number. Where are you off to today?”