Page 34 of Falling for Santa

As he walked back into the house, inspiration struck. He headed straight to his workshop eager to get to work.

Chapter Thirteen

Megan stirred awake to the sound of tiny, rapid footsteps padding down the hall. Before she had a chance to fully open her eyes, Ruby burst into the room, her curls bouncing wildly as she launched herself onto the bed.

“Mommy! Mommy, it’s Christmas!” Ruby’s voice was breathless with excitement, her small hands tugging at Megan’s blanket. “Santa came! We have to see!”

Megan smiled despite the lingering fog of sleep and the heaviness of her thoughts. “Good morning to you too, sweetheart,” she said, brushing a strand of hair out of Ruby’s face.

Ruby’s grin widened as she climbed onto the bed and bounced on her knees. “Can we go now? Please? Pretty please?”

Megan laughed softly, sitting up and stretching. “Alright, let me put on my robe, and we’ll go see what Santa left.”

Ruby clapped her hands and darted to the doorway, practically vibrating with anticipation. Megan slipped on her robe and slippers, stifling a yawn as she followed her daughter down the short hall to the cozy living room of their bungalow.

The room was bathed in the soft glow of Christmas lights strung along the mantle and the small tree they had decorated together. Beneath its branches sat a modest pile of presents, wrapped in brightly colored paper and topped with simple bows.

Ruby gasped, her eyes widening as she took in the sight. “Santa came!”

“Yes, he did,” Megan said, her heart swelling at her daughter’s pure delight.

Ruby dove into the pile, her small hands tearing into the first package. The sound of ripping paper filled the room, accompanied by her gleeful exclamations as each new treasure was revealed—a doll she’d been eyeing for weeks, a set of art supplies, a stuffed bunny with floppy ears.

Megan sat on the couch, her mug of coffee cradled in her hands as she watched Ruby’s joy unfold. The room was warm and cozy, the scent of pine mingling with the faint aroma of coffee and the holiday candles she had lit the night before.

Ruby held up a small book triumphantly. “Look, Mommy! It’s like the one Santa Scott gave me!”

Megan’s smile softened, though her chest tightened at the mention of Scott. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” she said, setting her mug down to help Ruby unwrap the next gift.

As Ruby’s laughter filled the room, Megan couldn’t help feeling the bittersweet edge to the moment. This was what Christmas should be—filled with love and joy—but the thoughts swirling in her mind cast a shadow she couldn’t quite shake.

After all the gifts had been opened and Ruby was thoroughly engrossed in playing with her new doll and art supplies, Megan retrieved her coffee and sank into the armchair by the window. She gazed outside, where the morning light cast a golden glow over the quiet street.

The stillness felt like a stark contrast to the noise in her head. She thought of the phone call she’d had with Danny’s colleaguein San Diego. The job offer was solid—more than solid, really. It was a chance to rebuild her career, to create the kind of stability she’d always envisioned for Ruby.

But then there was Palmar Island.

Her gaze flicked to the photo album Scott had given her, still sitting on the coffee table. She leaned forward and traced the engraved design on the cover with her fingertips, her mind replaying the way Scott had looked at her last night. His sincerity, his warmth—it had caught her off guard but had also planted a seed of something she hadn’t dared to feel in a long time.

And then there was the kiss.

The memory of it was vivid, stealing her breath all over again. The softness of his lips, the warmth of his touch, the steady, unhurried way he had leaned in, giving her the space to pull away but somehow making her feel safe enough to stay.

Megan’s cheeks heated at the thought, her heart fluttering in a way she hadn’t expected. It wasn’t just the kiss itself—it was everything it had meant. Scott wasn’t just kind or thoughtful. He saw her. Somehow, despite the guarded walls she’d tried to keep in place, he’d slipped past them, showing her a version of herself she’d almost forgotten existed.

She exhaled slowly, leaning back in her chair as she rubbed her temples.What am I doing?

It wasn’t supposed to happen—not the kiss, not the connection that seemed to grow stronger every time they spoke. She hadn’t planned for this. She hadn’t planned for him.

And yet, here he was.

The feel of his lips lingered, as real and vivid as the photo album in front of her. She had kissed him back, and more than that, she had wanted to. For a fleeting moment, the world had felt lighter, as though the weight she’d been carrying for so long had started to shift.

But could she let herself feel that again? Could she risk her heart when so much of it was still tied to the past—to Danny, to the life they had dreamed of together before everything had unraveled?

Her fingers tightened on the album’s cover, her thoughts colliding like waves in a storm. The kiss had meant something. It had awakened something. But it also terrified her.

Ruby’s cheerful humming pulled Megan from her thoughts, grounding her in the present. Her daughter was the reason for all of this—the reason she had left her old life behind and started over. Everything she did was for Ruby, and she couldn’t afford to make mistakes, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

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