Page 52 of Snowbound with the Santas

They all nod.

“What do we get if we win?” Archer asks quietly, and his eyes linger on my body.

“There’s no winning, only punishment if someone doesn’t make good on their choice,” I reply.

“So we need a punishment for forfeit,” Nick says, blowing softly on the top of his drink. “Alright. Whoever loses has to dig the generator out of the snow once the storm passes.”

“Boring,” Frankie mutters, then he nods his head slowly in agreement.

“Alright. You can go first.”

Archer, Nick, and Frankie all exchange a look, then Frankie speaks up first. “I noticed you have a scar on your arm. How did you get it?”

My brow lifts and I glance down to my left elbow. I have a long, thin scar that runs from an inch along my upper arm, pastmy elbow, and along my forearm. It’s faded with time, but in the flickering light of the fireplace, it appears silver.

“I was in a car accident,” I answer honestly. “This was my injury. It was a few years ago now.” And the worst night of my life. I swallow hard. I hadn’t expected the first question to be so close to home. “When I was a teenager, I had a problem with alcohol. So I made some bad decisions.”

There’s a flash of sympathy in Frankie’s eyes, and Nick reaches out to pat my knee.

“Well!” I sip my drink. “That was more personal than I expected so suddenly. I was thinking about my favorite colors, but this is good. Okay… what was your last relationship like?”

Frankie snorts. “Mine was a two-month fling with a woman who hated nature. You can imagine why that didn’t work out.”

“Too long ago to think about,” Archer says gruffly.

I glance at Nick and he puffs out his cheeks. “My last was with my ex-wife.”

“You were married?”

“Briefly. I… ah, fuck it. I was young and stupid, thought I had the world at my feet, and I struggled with depression so alcohol was my answer. My girlfriend at the time, Amanda, fell pregnant, so I proposed because it felt like the right thing to do. But a baby wasn’t enough to shock me sensible.”

My gut twists and I suddenly feel bad for asking, but with that comes the surprise that Nick has a child. A child that he isn’t spending Christmas with?

“I lost custody of my daughter, Freida, when she was two. Amanda hated me, and I was struggling. I had no defense, but it shocked me enough to get my act together. I do everything I can to create a stable life. I pour my heart and soul into my work at the wellness retreat and I help people get their life back on track.”

Nick flashes me a smile.

“And I’m working to repair things with my daughter. We’re in contact by her choice. Amanda doesn’t know, and I’m not going to break Freida’s trust by telling her.”

“Wow,” I breathe out softly. “That’s why you’re here at Christmas? And not with her?”

Nick nods. “Amanda doesn’t share the belief that I’ve turned my life around. But Freida is thirteen now, and I’ve already missed so much of her life. I can’t pass this up.”

My heart squeezes. Hearing how determined he is to care for his daughter through any avenue available to him hurts, strangely. I don’t know my own father, and my mother never wanted to get to know the real me. Knowing Nick is pouring his entire soul into staying connected with his daughter is amazing.

“That’s so sweet,” I say after gathering myself. “I don’t judge. Mistakes I’ve made… well, all we can do is try and fix things, right?”

Nick’s smile widens. “Exactly.”

“Alright, next question.”

“Only fair, right?” Nick continues. “Hmm…”

The way he eyes me sends my heart fluttering, and I press my lips together, forcing a calming breath.

“Okay, I want to ask what your life is like back home, away from all of this.”

“Boring,” Archer teases.

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