Page 75 of No Love Lost

They clung to each other and when he looked up, Addy was smiling, with tears streaming down her cheeks. He yanked her into the hug as well, but they toppled over and landed in a heap. The laughter helped him control his emotions.

Addy grabbed two boxes and handed one to him and the other to Nina. “I think these are a good follow-up to that gift. Heath, the one for you, is from both me and Nina. Open them at the same time.”

Heart bouncing, Heath grinned at Nina and then they ripped open the paper, sending it flying. Inside was some kind of book with the word Christmas and the year written across it. He flipped it open and his heart started growing again.

There was a picture of a very pregnant Addy and a younger Nimii. Beside it, she’d written the date and location of the photo.

On the next page, there was Nina as an infant. He’d seen some of these pictures before on Addy’s phone, but this was so much better. Addy and Nina had included commentary with each of the photos, so he could look through it and feel like he was a part of it.

Nina snuggled closer to him and he tucked her under his arm and then tried to brush away the tears. Addy tucked into his other side, and they went through the photo books. Some pages were similar, others just for him or just for Nina.

In Nina’s book, Addy had added pictures of Boston and where Heath had grown up. His school. The café where they’d met. The park where they’d hung out. So many great memories. Most of these pictures were off the internet because she didn’t own a cell phone or a camera at the time. Although he recognized a few from their recent Boston trip as well.

He hugged her with one arm and kissed her hair. “You are the most incredible person I’ve ever known. This is so thoughtful and must have taken you so many hours. I’m going to treasure it forever.”

Nina hugged her mom as well and then stood, wiping her eyes. “I don’t want to cry anymore. Even if they’re happy tears. Can we tour the house and see what it’s like?”

Addy grinned. “I’d like that, but you two open these first. Open fast.”

It didn’t take long before he and Nina were laughing. There was a pair of walrus slippers for him and a pair of penguin slippers for Nina. He was glad he’d chucked Addy’s polar bear slippers in the box.

Nina pulled out her phone. “Let’s get in a tight circle so I can take a picture of our feet. It’ll be the first shot for next year’s photo books.”

They shuffled through the house together. The downstairs had a dining room behind the living room where they’d been opening presents. A large kitchen at the back had space for a breakfast nook on the side.

Stairs split the middle of the house, and on the other side of the main floor was an office and a family room. There was also a mud room that doubled as a laundry area and a powder room at the back, next to the kitchen.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom and bath looked over the fields at the back. Three other bedrooms shared a hallway bathroom. It didn’t take Nina long to choose the largest one that overlooked the front and side yards.

“This is huge. Are you sure we can afford it? A space like this has to cost a fortune.” Nina’s frown matched her worried face.

“No need to worry. It’s already paid for. I sold my condo back in Boston and was able to buy this and stick a bunch into savings, including a college account for this bright young daughter of mine.”

Her eyes widened again. “That must have been some condo.”

Laughing, Heath shrugged. Real estate in the city was far more expensive than in a small town. “People pay a ton for a nice view in the city, but I like this view a lot better.”

They went downstairs and made hot chocolate, talking about plans for how they would fix up the house. As Heath leaned back on the counter with his reindeer mug and his walrus slippers, he knew he’d found his place.

When his phone beeped with an incoming text, he moved to grab it from the front room. It was probably one of his buddies wishing him a Merry Christmas.

He was half right. It was a Merry Christmas text, but it wasn’t from his friends. It was from his mother.

Merry Christmas to you, Addison, and Nina. Your father and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Shock had him rooted in place. He hadn’t heard a single word from them since the day he’d accused his father of trying to hurt Addy.

Addy’s arm wrapped around his waist. “Are you okay? Is everything all right?”

He held out the phone for her to see the text. She gasped and squeezed him. “I’m so glad they reached out to you.”

“Not just to me. They added you and Nina.” He didn’t mention that this might be the first time they’d actually used Addy’s name voluntarily.

She squeezed him again. “Tell them thank you from us and wish them a Merry Christmas back.”

“You’re a lot more forgiving than I am.”

She smiled up at him. “They did a lot of things wrong and caused a lot of harm, but they’re your parents. This is an olive branch, maybe the only kind they know how to extend. I feel sorry for them.”

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