Page 12 of Christmas in the Shadows

Now that he mentioned it, Chelseawashungry. The spaghetti smelled wonderful—fresh garlic, tangy tomatoes, and savory beef.

Tex agreed they should eat. At first, Chelsea had thought he might rebel until they found answers. Instead, they headed into the kitchen and washed their hands before sitting at the table. Tex offered to lift up a prayer before they started to eat.

That was new. He hadn’t been one for church or God or the Bible back when she’d known him. Even though she’d gone to church and had invited him to go with her, he had always said no.

Once he’d even told her that if there was a God out there He was cruel. Because why else would Tex be in the situation he was if God loved him?

His question had broken her heart, and she hadn’t had a great answer. Sure, she’d known everything she’d been taught. But those words had seemed too cliché.

All she’d known to do was to hold his hand.

She remembered the day clearly. She’d expected Tex to pull away. He hadn’t.

She kept holding his hand until her mom had walked into the living room a few minutes later. Then they quickly jumped away from each other as if they’d been doing something wrong.

Chelsea knew that day that she loved Tex Thrasher. She loved how protective he was of her. Loved a smile he seemed to have reserved for only her. Loved that she could be the person in his life who brought him a sense of steadiness amidst his turbulent childhood.

She’d continued holding his hand over the next year as he’d learned that his birth parents had been drug addicts who’d both later died of overdoses. Giving him up had been the one smart choice they’d made, even though his life still hadn’t been sunshine and roses.

“So tell us what you’ve been up to for the past . . . how many years?” Gilbert twirled some spaghetti around his fork.

“Twelve,” Chelsea stated, the garlic bread suddenly feeling dry in her throat. “Twelve years.”

Tex glanced at her, questions in his gaze.

He hadn’t expected her to remember the exact number, had he?

She shrugged, trying to play it off. “I was in tenth grade when you left so it’s pretty easy to do the math.”

Tex’s gaze remained on her another moment before he slowly nodded. “I suppose that’s true. After I got out of the military, I went to work for an organization called the Shadow Agency. We do private security for companies and individuals in need of our services.”

“How long have you been out of the military?” Her voice sounded strained as she asked the question.

She hadn’t expected to feel any emotion with the question. But his decision to leave had changed her. It had left her heartbroken.

He shot her another questioning look before saying, “Three years.”

“How did you like being in the military?” Gilbert asked.

Tex shifted as if uncomfortable, like he wasn’t used to being around people who asked him these kinds of personal questions.

“It was a job. In many ways, it was an honor to serve the country. If I hadn’t joined the military, who knows where I’d be right now. It gave me focus and something to strive for.”

The funny thing was, Chelsea had always seen him as a military guy. He had all the right qualities—starting with the fact he was selfless and brave. She understood where it was a good choice for him.

What she didn’t understand was why he hadn’t said goodbye. Or why he hadn’t been in contact since then. He could’ve come back to visit on occasion.

Had she meant nothing to him? Had he just been biding his time all those days they’d spent together? Waiting for the chance to leave Holly Ridge?

As they continued to eat, they talked about where he’d lived. About the fact he wasn’t married.

Then the questions moved to Gilbert. When had he stopped being a foster dad? Five years ago. Why? He was getting too old.

“I do stay in contact with a few of the guys who lived here,” Gilbert said. “Mostly the ones who stayed local. I run into them on occasion.”

“How many kids did you have in total throughout the years?” Chelsea asked as she finished her meal.

She had one more forkful of spaghetti and just a bite of her garlic bread left. She planned on soaking up some of the remaining marinara with it.

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