Page 15 of Santa Daddy, I'm Not the One

In the center of the mob was Landon, cowering, his eyes red and his face pale, fear radiating off him. Bowled over by how devastated he seemed, so unprotected and scared, I halted. Was this the real him? A scared boy who’d hidden himself behind a tough, heartless exterior? Or was I projecting for him to be what I wanted him to be?

Landon glanced up. Relief flooded his eyes, pushing away the fear for a fraction of a second. The crowd surged forward again, blocking him from view.

I pushed through the crowd and reached him just as someone grabbed his arm. “Enough!” I called out, my voice booming over the din. The crowd parted, their faces a mix of relief and expectation. “Release him.”

The elf, a respected elder, dropped his hand. Landon ran over to me and tucked himself into my side.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t know why they attacked me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll fix this.”

“He cursed it,” an elf said. “He cursed the tree.”

No. Not the tree. The Eternal Tree was the heart of Twinkle Glen, its lights reflecting the health, harmony, and warmth of our town. The glow seemed dimmer now, and if its lights were dimming…

I placed a hand over my pulsating heart. Earlier I’d attributed it to the concern over finding Landon, but now…

“What did you do?” I asked Landon.

“I wanted to see if the pines were real, so I touched it.”

“Was that all you did?”

He glanced at the other elves and dropped his gaze. He wasn’t telling me everything. I turned my attention to the mob.

“Everyone, listen. I will get to the bottom of this and find an answer for you, but it’s crucial that we not forget the spirit of love, understanding, and unity we’ve always shared. Right now, we need more than ever to show kindness and not hostility.”

A murmur spread through the crowd.

“But he’s a nonbeliever!” an elf voice shouted. “How did a nonbeliever get into Twinkle Glen?”

“He must be working with Frostheart!”

“Yes, he’s working with Frostheart!”

“I assure you. He’s not working with Frostheart,” I said. “You just stated yourselves that he made it into Twinkle Glen. Could he have done that if he didn’t have the spirit of Christmas inside him?”

Deep down, but I had to believe it was there.

“I don’t—”

I squeezed Landon to my side, and he gasped. He tilted his head and glared at me. Much better. I liked seeing him this way more than when he was scared. He was so pretty.

“I’ll find out what’s causing the tree’s light to go out and fix it. That’s my solemn vow,” I said. “For now, I ask you not to let bitterness put out the light of Twinkle Glen.”

“If the tree goes out, Twinkle Glen will be no more. What will happen to us and our families?”

“If I believed he was harmful to our town, would I let him continue to live among us? Have you forgotten my connection to the tree?”

If the light went out, so did I, forced into an eternal slumber until the tree was revived. I’d allowed it to happen once before and would never let it happen again. The devastation Frostheart had caused in my slumber had almost been irreparable.

The crowd fell silent, their anger subsiding into uncertainty.

“Tonight the Caroling Caravan will pass through the town,” I said in one last effort to convince them. “And we’ll both head the procession, demonstrating the heart of the season.”

I squeezed Landon’s shoulder to keep him quiet. “Don’t say a word,” I whispered.

With the chatter diverted to the Caroling Caravan and no longer on the tree, I guided Landon back to the sleigh. “Get in.”

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