Page 38 of Cabin Fever With My First Flame

When Daniel looks confused, Ella explains the Hollister family tradition of writing letters to God. Thankfully, she has enough tact not to tell her dad whatsheasked for.

Daniel clears his throat. “It’s time for me to leave. I have a plane to catch, and although the roads are clear, it’s still going to be slow going.” He embraces each of the girls and says his goodbyes, promising to see them soon. “Bailey, will you walk me to my car?”

I silently answer by bundling up to brace the cold. Once we’re at his rental vehicle, he turns to me and says, “I’m sorry for everything I did. You deserve to be happy. I know I’m not the man to do that, and I just want to say that I wish you the best.”

I open my mouth to say something snarky, but he puts a finger to my lips. “I know what you’re thinking, Bailey, but I promise not to stand in the way of that happiness. I will not interfere in your life, but I do want to be a part of Ella’s, Mia’s, and Ava’s.Maybe at some point in the future, you and I can be friends again.”

“I can’t stop you from moving home, and the girls are thrilled to have you close, but I won’t tolerate you spreading any more lies, Daniel. It’s not fair to the girls, Finn, or me. If friendship is something you really want, that is the first step you’ll need to take.”

“You have my word, Bailey. I know that doesn’t mean much to you right now, but I want it to mean something moving forward. I know that our daughters love me unconditionally, but I want them tolikeme, too. I want them to look up to me and talk about me the way they did about Finn last night. I’m jealous, but not because he gets the girl in the end. I’m jealous because he’s the kind of man who deserves to.”

I tear up. “He is, but you can be that man, too. It’s never too late.”

Daniel wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “I’m counting on that. Merry Christmas, Bailey.”

“Merry Christmas, Daniel.” I kiss his cheek and step out of the embrace just as Finn and the boys drive by in their ATV.

Finn doesn’t look my way, but Micah frowns and shakes his head in disappointment. I watch them continue until they pull into the fire station down the road, realizing that I need to do some damage control.

I wave to Daniel and then head back inside. “Ella, I need your help!” I plop down on the sofa beside her and explain what just happened outside. My girls are excited to learn that their dad will be moving to town, but Ella is all business when it comes to helping me rectify the situation.

“I’ll text Micah and let him in on our plan and explain that what he saw wasn’t what it looked like,” she says, typing away on her phone. “It’s so good having cell service again.”

We wait on pins and needles until Micah finally texts back. Ella shows me the phone and grins. “Micah apologizes for jumping to conclusions, and he wants to know how he can help.”

“Text him back and let him know to keep our plan a secret and don’t let Finn renege on his promise. I’m counting on Finn to do the right thing.”

Micah replies with a thumbs-up emoji.

I smile. “Operation Win Finn” is in full effect.

Chapter twenty-two

Finn

When I drove byBailey’s home on Christmas morning, I couldn’t help but notice that Daniel’s rental car was still parked out front. As I got closer, I saw the couple embracing on the sidewalk and Bailey giving Daniel a kiss on the cheek. I had to look away while Micah continued to stare at them in disbelief. His disappointment was evident, but it didn’t last long.

Shortly after I pulled into the fire station, Micah’s phone pinged with a text, and he disappeared for the next hour while I hung out with the guys working their shift. Isaac and Jonah spent most of that time climbing on the fire trucks.

Right as we were about to leave, Bryce walked up to me and slapped me on the back. “Guess who’s moving to Lake George?”

“Other than Bailey and her daughters, I don’t have a clue,” I told him.

He laughed. “Daniel. He texted me this morning and said he broke it off with his fiancée and is moving back here. It’s all but a done deal. He’s heading to Myrtle Beach to pack up his stuff, and he’ll be back by New Year’s Eve.”

I barely held back the grimace from all the salt Bryce was rubbing in my wound and shrugged it off. “Thanks for the heads up.”

He clasps his hand on my shoulder. “I felt it was my civic duty to keep you in the loop so that you don’t get any ideas of trying to come between them. They have three daughters who need their father, Finn. The bright side is my sister is looking forward to her New Year’s Eve date with you.”

I remove his hand from my shoulder. “I don’t think I’m really in the mood to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

Micah strolled up to us, still texting on his phone. Without looking at me, he said, “You should keep your promise, Finn. What kind of example would you be setting for Isaac, Jonah, and me if you didn’t? It’s one date for a good cause, and who knows? It could turn into forever if you let it.”

And that’s how I find myself standing here behind the stage and sweating bullets. Despite my reservations about the auction and learning that the rumors of Daniel’s return are true, I find myself decked out in a tux, ready to become someone’s date tonight.

Micah, who is also dashing in his dark suit, adjusts my bow tie. “Don’t be nervous, Finn. It’s a few hours on the arm of a lovely lady and a kiss to ring in the New Year. Remember that all the proceeds go to the Pediatric Burn Unit at the hospital in Albany.”

“There’s only one woman I have any interest in dating, and she’s unavailable. I waited all week for Bailey to come to me and explain what I saw, but she didn’t,” I tell him.

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