Page 33 of Daddy Christmas

"Gemma," Nicholas said simply.

"Ah." Belle nodded knowingly, though I had no idea what she thought she understood. "About time."

"Excuse me?" I said, blinking at her.

"Don’t mind her," Nicholas interjected smoothly.

"Right." My skepticism must have shown because Belle laughed—a deep, throaty sound full of genuine amusement.

"Don’t worry, dear," she said, reaching out to pat my arm. "You’ll catch up soon enough."

"That’s what I’m afraid of," I muttered, earning another laugh.

"Belle runs the textiles," Nicholas explained as we walked away.

"She seems . . ." I trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Blunt?"

"Sure. Let’s go with that."

"She means well," he said lightly. But there was something in his expression—fondness, maybe—that made me pause.

"How long has she been here?"

"As long as me," he admitted.

“A long time.” Was it sinking in? All the craziness? It was hard to tell.

"Hey," he said, stopping suddenly. I turned to find him watching me closely, his brows drawn together. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Because this"—he gestured around us—"must be overwhelming."

"It is, but . . . it feels weirdly natural.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. I can’t explain it.”

“Things word differently. Time and space. Everything. I’ve been talking to Belle about you for a while. I’ve uh, been waiting for the right time to talk to you. Belle’s been badgering me for a long time. She knows how lonely I’ve been.”

“Lonely, huh?”

“It’s been a long time. You’re the person I’ve been waiting for.”

“Am I really that special?”

He took my hands. “You are. You, Gemma are capable of the greatest, deepest love. You’ll see in time, how love will change your heart, and how wonderful the world can be when you’re true to yourself.”

He pushed a gloved hand against my chest. “You have the beautiful, innocent heart of a child, with the deep emotion and intelligence of a woman. You’re everything I’ve always wanted from my partner.”

My heart, under his hand, pounded in my chest.

For the first time, I really started to believe.

“Now come with me, there’s a special place I want to show you. Away from all this madness.”

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