Page 1 of Christmas in Kiwi Country

PROLOGUE

CULLEN

“Iwas wondering when I’d be getting a call from you. You’re lucky my goddaughter has been keepin’ me in the loop otherwise I would have been on the next damn plane.”

“I deserve that,” I say as I soak in the words from one of my oldest and practically only real friends. Rob Sullivan, the governor of Tennessee, blows out a breath, and I can hear the squeak as I imagine him leaning back in the creaky chair behind the desk he runs the state from.

“Scared the hell out me, Cullen.”

“I know. Trust me, there’s nothing but time to reflect when you’re lying in that hospital bed, cords and monitors attached, listening to beeping all hours of the day and night.” My heart attack had been the scariest moment of my life followed immediately by the possibility of never seeing my daughter again.

“Took about ten years off of Isla’s life, you know.”

“I’ve apologized and we’ve been talking, probably more than we have in years.”

“So what are you going to do now?”

I look out at the city of Chicago from the floor-to-ceiling windows in my apartment and sigh. “I’m making a change.” He’s silent as he lets me process this new chapter of my life. “I’ve retired from Andrews International. I still hold my position as a shareholder and will sit on the board, but otherwise, I’m no longer involved in the day-to-day operations.”

“How many men have we known who’ve died at their desk, Cullen? This is a good thing for you. Time to start livin’ your life.” His accent is heavy as he says it and my lips twitch.

“How do you feel about me taking up residency in your state?”

“I’ll make sure I charge you twice.” I chuckle and so does he. “Isla told me she was going to pitch the idea to you.”

Glancing around the open space, only a few boxes of my personal effects line the entryway. Much like my office, I didn’t have much to show for a happy and fulfilled life.

“How did I get here, Rob? How did I wake up every morning and go to sleep every night and not realize the years that had gone by?”

His silence is telling, but eventually he says, “You’ve been punishing yourself ever since Carmen walked out. You’re a stubborn bastard and you internalized her bullshit. You didn’t deserve that and neither did Isla.”

“You heard about the scene she and Hank made at the hospital?” I say as a reprieve from the guilt.

Rob chuckles. “Gene might have mentioned the hulk of a man bursting into the hospital and turnin’ a few heads.”

“He loves her, but hell, he’s nothing like I ever imagined she’d end up with.”

“He’s a good man—loyal, fierce, got a family to count on too. Nice people. You’ll fit right in.”

“You mean I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

He snorts. “That too. But it will be good for you. And maybe you’ll find more than just a second chance at life.”

I grunt because finding love is the last thing on my mind. My daughter needs to be my priority, and honestly, I think I’m too old to try again. Too old, too tired, and too set in my ways.

As Rob rattles on about his life and family, a niggle of jealousy starts to take hold, but I push it away before I can get too into my head. He found the balance and he’s a happier man for it.

We say our goodbyes, but I don’t move from the window after the line has gone silent. The Chicago skyline is familiar, but it doesn’t hold the magic it once did. I imagine that should make it easier to leave but it doesn’t.

My phone rings in my hand, and I look down to see my brother’s name flash across the screen and with a sigh, I answer it.

“You ready to go?” Gene asks without preamble.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Softening his voice, he says, “This is going to be good for you. It’s the right move.”

“I know.”

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