Page 86 of Unwrapping Romance

Chapter Thirty

Jack

I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight, pressing my lips against the top of her head. I didn’t know what to make of the situation, but she was stressed out. I honestly didn’t believe it was her mother and that her mind was playing tricks on her.

“I need to pick up a couple of new shirts,” I said. “We’ll get Ellie ready, go to Macy’s, and grab something to eat.”

“Are you crazy?” She broke our embrace. “What is wrong with you?”

I chuckled. “I am crazy, but I do need some new shirts. I’ve been putting it off for a while. Let’s get out of here for a while. I think it’ll do us both some good and get our minds off things.”

We got Ellie ready to go and headed out the door. It was Eric’s day off, but I called him and promised him a large bonus if he drove us around.

“Thank you, Eric. I appreciate it.”

“I wasn’t doing anything but watching the game.” He smirked.

We entered Macy’s and went up to the men’s section. The store was decorated to the core, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t.

“Look at the beautiful Christmas trees, Daddy.” Ellie smiled.

“I see them, sweetheart.”

“This place is a madhouse, Jack. I already did this on Friday.”

“Shush, Sierra.” I grabbed hold of her hand.

After picking out a few new shirts, Sierra insisted we visit the children’s clothing section, where she made me buy more clothes for Ellie.

“A girl can never have too many clothes.” She smiled.

As we walked through the store, Ellie spotted Santa Claus.

“Santa! Santa! I want to see him!” she squealed. Sierra said you’d take me.

I glanced at her and raised my brow. “Did you tell her that?”

“Yep. I sure did.”

“Please, Daddy. Please,” Ellie begged.

“You’re the one who wanted to come here,” Sierra said. “Now, you’ll pay the price for your obnoxious idea.”

“Be quiet.” I shook my head, and she laughed.

We stood in a mile-long line with all the other parents and their overly excited children. As far as I was concerned, the area was overly done. Bright twinkling light, giant candy canes, vibrant green and red colors, an oversized Christmas tree, and a workshop with elves and presents crowded the space.

“It’s so pretty,” Ellie said as I held her up in my arms. “Isn’t it, Daddy?”

“Sure, sweetheart.”

Sierra glanced at me, and I shrugged. I couldn’t tell my daughter this was nothing but holiday hell. She was excited, and I didn’t want to ruin it for her as my father did for me. Maybe I was nothing like him at all.

After a brutal hour and a half, it was finally Ellie’s turn to see Santa. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him before sitting on his lap. A memory came to my mind—my mother and I stood in this line when I was six years old. I remembered sitting on Santa’s lap with excitement, asking him for a huge Lego set I wanted. I saw the same look in my daughter’s eyes that I once had. But I also saw the way he looked at her.

After telling him what she wanted, he handed her a candy cane.

“My turn,” Sierra said, running over and sitting on his lap.

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