Page 22 of Second Chances with St. Nick

“We shouldn’t talk here,” he said. “I don’t want to shatter any of the kids’ illusions. Can’t have them thinking Santa’s been playing the field.”

I giggled, pushing a stray curl from my cheek. “Come on, surely even St. Nick has a romantic life. And you don’t look anywhere near old enough to be the real Santa!”

“Well, right now, I’m on duty, so it’s wholesome all the way for me.”

I pointed my finger into the velvet of his solid chest. “Listen buddy! Last night was anything but wholesome.”

He sucked in his lips and searched my eyes, as if he was reliving every single moment we had in the hotel room. Finally, he offered me his arm. I smiled, accepting his outstretched hand, and we walked back through the corridors and out into the cold together. As we met the crisp air, a light flurry of snow fell, and tiny flakes hung in the grey sky like stars.

I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around my body as we walked. “Damn, it’s cold. How do you stand it up here?”

Out of sight of the main entrance, Nick took off his velvet hat and placed it on my head. Its bell jingled crisply in the clearair. “We rely heavily on skin-to-skin contact,”he said, drawing me toward him, warm hands on my arms. “I could always show you.”

I looked into his eyes. Just like when we were kids, they were intense, startling even. But now they contained something else. Something new and just for us. But at the thought of our night, and this morning, my chest tightened.

“Why did you just leave me there, alone at the inn?”

A fine line scored between his brows, and he let out a long sigh. “I know how being left alone feels.”

His words stung and my gut twisted. He meant in the same way I’d left him and gone to the Snowball with someone else. Left our friendship for something newer and more exciting.

“It feels pretty shitty,” I muttered.

He shook his head, releasing my arms. “Look, I didn’t do it to be cruel. I had to get down here fast, and you weren’t waking up, so I left you. I’m sorry.”

I clenched my jaw. I must have been completely out for the count. He probably departed a while before I woke, leaving only cold, crumpled sheets and a faint scent of cinnamon.

“I left the note to give you a choice, Abbie. I hoped you’d come and find me, and I hope now we can work out what last night was… what it meant.” He took my hands, and his deep voice dripped over me like syrup on waffles. “I need to know if you meant what you said last night about loving me back then.”

I let out a shaky exhale. “I can never change what I did… never take it back. But I want you to know that I loved you too. I just didn’t realize how much.” His face was unreadable, and my heart skipped like chipmunks on Red Bull. “I’ve wanted to tell you I was sorry for so long, but I never had the courage to do it. I wasted so much time.”

Nick gave a slow nod. “Do you think you could feel the same way again?”

His voice was so breathy, so rich, that my insides curled in delight at the sound. I squeezed his hands. “I don’t know if I ever stopped loving you, Nick. Certainly, nobody ever lived up to you. And last night? Last night was so perfect. We fit together. We always have.”

Nick puffed the air out of his cheeks and soft pillows of condensation curled around us.

“I don’t want to beg you to trust me again,” I said. “But last night was amazing. I can’t just walk away from that… or from you.”

He reached out and took my hands, threading his fingers through mine. His hazel eyes roamed over my face, as if taking in each detail. Under his gaze, my mouth ran a little dry. I hoped he had a thing for shiny skin and two-day-old hair.

As if he read my mind, he spoke. “You’re so beautiful. I can’t believe you’re here.”

His words sent my heart soaring into the stratosphere. It beat like it would break out of my chest and bounce around right here in the gardens. I gazed up at him—at his smile. “I feel the same way. It’s so good to see you, Nick.”

After a beat, he bent down to give me a long, lingering kiss, his beard gently scratching my lips. I closed my eyes, lost in a million sensations and a million memories. We’d done so much together over the years—been so much together. And now, in the craziest way, we’d found each other again.

Nick curled his arms around my body and pulled me close. His heat crept through my jacket, and I wrapped my arms around him too. Our lips danced together as the snowflakes fell around us, but as voices reached our ears, he broke our kiss.

He didn’t let me go, though. He held me close to his chest and I played with one of the gold buttons on his jacket. “How the hell did you get my stuff out of my room?”

He chuckled. “You were dead to the world. I know the hotel owner, so I got the spare key and carried it all over.”

Had I drunk that much? With a flutter of the familiar moths in my belly, I recalled the line of bottles on the side of the bathtub. “Ugh. You must think I’m a degenerate.”

Nick shook his head with a grin. “On the contrary. You’re a gorgeous drunk. Very accommodating.” He curled an eyebrow as he spoke, but then the playfulness left his face.

Nick looked down at his feet. Sensing he was about to move away from me, I held him tight. I wouldn’t let him go this time.“What is it?”

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