Page 33 of Secret Santas and Holiday Dances

“Have you talked to her since she kissed you?”

“If I got one thing out of trying to talk to Grace, it was advice from Jessie to stay as far away from Charlotte as possible,” he said. “I knew what kind of woman Charlotte was—the whole time. Exactly like my ex.”

“Veronica?”

Liam nodded. “But it never occurred to me Charlotte would make a pass at me. Looking back, it’s so obvious she was laying the groundwork since she arrived.”

“You’ve been back a little over a year now,” Ryan said, “and no one knows why you really came home.”

“I told you—”

“Yeah, yeah. You wanted an easier workload. You’ve said that a bunch of times. But you also broke up with Veronica, and have since sworn off dating,” Ryan said. “What happened, man?”

Liam breathed out. “She wanted the lifestyle a big paycheck brought in. Pushed me to work extra hours. Then last year, I caught her cheating on me. She had the nerve to tell me it was my fault for working too much.” He chuckled. “It was just the wake-up call I needed to call off the engagement, quit the job I didn’t even like, and come home.”

Ryan let out a low whistle. “So that’s why you friend-zoned Grace?”

“It felt safer at the time. After today, she won’t even be that to me anymore. The ‘Veronicas’ of the world sure like to stomp into my life and cause havoc.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “All this time, I thought I was helping Charlotte to help Grace, but all I did was lose Grace.”

Ryan leaned forward and chuckled.

Liam lifted his brows. “Something funny?”

“I’ve been waiting for you to acknowledge you love Grace for months now.” Ryan spread his hands. “Seems to me like you need ‘Veronicas’ in your life to help you realize what you want.”

Liam shoved a hand in his suit coat pocket. His fingers skimmed over the rough texture of art paper, and the smooth surface of wrapping paper over a box. He pulled out Grace’s drawing and her Secret Santa gift. He opened her sketch, staring at her self-portrait with all the emotion in the eyes. The drawing had the same expression on her face he’d seen on the real Grace this afternoon in Choco-Latte. It made his stomach churn. Had she been suffering all this time?

“What’s that?”

“Grace drew it.” He handed the portrait over.

Ryan sat back, his free hand going to his chest as though overwhelmed. That’s exactly how he’d felt when he’d first seen it. “Wow. The emotion . . .”

“I’m afraid she’s been dying inside a little this whole time,” Liam said, running his fingers over the edge of his gift. Slowly, he removed the silver ribbon, and then gently undid the red paper.

“Is that a Secret Santa gift?” Ryan sounded excited.

“Yep, she gave it to me a week ago.” He removed the lid and peered inside. There, folded in fourths, was a napkin. He pulled it out and opened it up. It was the sketch she’d done of him all those months ago—the one he’d thought she’d thrown away.

“She gave you a napkin?” Ryan sounded perplexed.

He turned the drawing to Ryan. “Not a napkin. The napkin.” She’d saved it for him. And she would’ve known as soon as he opened it he’d know she was the Secret Santa. This was the most thoughtful gift he’d ever received.

“You love her?”

Liam nodded.

“Then what are you going to do about it?”

He took Grace’s self-portrait back, holding it next to the napkin. “Nothing. Jessie told me to stay away. I have to respect her wishes.”

Ryan swatted Liam’s arm. “Come on, man. You left Philadelphia, your job, and your fiancée because you didn’t care enough to stay and fight. You’re a fighter, Liam. That’s why you became an attorney—and because it was safer than boxing.”

Liam laughed.

“When you care about something, you fight for it. Veronica wasn’t worth it but Grace is.”

“But I don’t want to fightwithher. I want to respect her wishes. I’m getting the feeling that hasn’t happened a lot in her life. So how do I fight for her, without trampling her request for me to stay away? How do I show her I care if she won’t even talk to me?”

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