Page 26 of My Secret Santa Daddies

The crowd is still buzzing with excitement, people chatting and laughing as they head back to their seats, but I can’t focus on any of it.

It’s only her. The way her hair caught the light, the tightness in her jaw, the way she had looked at me, like she was bracing for something to happen—like she didn’t know what it was, but she knew it would hurt.

It was that same look she had given me the night we broke up, the night I told her it wasn’t going to work between us. And that hurt she’s been carrying around with her? It’s still there, simmering beneath the surface.

Everyone eruptsinto shouts and laughter, when Hank suddenly bursts through the door dressed as Santa Clause. Ranger Lisa Morales is at his side in a bright blue elf costume.

Jack scrambles away from me in wild desperation to be one of the first in line. Sierra sets the empty hat down and quickly gets off the stage.

I steal one more glance her way. She’s deep in conversation with Susan Harper now, nodding along to whatever her friend is saying, but her gaze flicks toward me, just for a second. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, the rest of the diner fades away and it’s just me and her.

And all the mistakes I made.

But then she looks away, her expression unreadable, and the connection is gone, replaced by the noise and chatter of Silver Ridge’s holiday cheer.

Jack jumps onto Hank’s lap, staring at him with extreme skepticism. But even then, even with Jack’s laughter filling the air, I can feel the pull of Sierra across the room.

And now I’ve got her name. Herdamnname.

What am I supposed to give her? What does she even want from me, after everything?

A clean break, probably. The same one she’s been trying to get since we walked away from each other all those years ago. She had liked me far less when I was dating Anna. It was even worse after we got married. She used to tell me time and time again that I worked too much and never made enough time for my wife.

She was right.

But I know better now. Losing Anna had forced me to change everything.

And I also know that whatever it was between us, it’s not over. Not yet.

I glance over my shoulder at her one more time, catching her mid laugh as Susan says something that pulls a smile out of her. It’s not a big smile, not the kind she used to give me, but it’s something.

“Man, this Secret Santa thing is something else,” Cody says, shaking his head in amusement. He stops beside me, leaning on the edge of the table.

Jack tugs on Hank Garrison’s fake beard, but the thing is glued on tight.

“You should’ve seen Jake O’Hara’s face when he pulled his ticket. Guy looked like someone just told him he had to eat coal for Christmas.”

“Knowing Jake, he’ll probably get whoever something completely ridiculous,” I mutter.

Cody pulls out a bottle of beer. He pops the cap off with a quick flick of his thumb and hands it to me with a grin. “Grabbed this for you.”

I take it readily, more than happy for something to take the edge off. The cold bottle feels solid in my hand, grounding me for a second, and I take a long, deep pull, letting the cool bitterness of the beer ease some of the tension coiled in my chest.

Though I wish it were something stronger.

Wyatt leans against the table, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the diner. He’s always been the more observant one—he’s probably already pieced together what’s going on. “So, who’d you pull?”

“It’s a secret, remember?”

“Uh-huh, and I’m Santa Claus.”

“No. Hank Garrison is,” Cody chuckles.

“Come on, man. You can tell us.”

“Hell no. My lips are sealed.” I shake my already empty beer bottle. “Where’d you get the beer at?”

“Betty serves alcohol now.”

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