Page 38 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

Had her ex ever made her feel special? Had he encouraged the kids to pamper her on Mother’s Day and birthdays?

He knew how hard it was to build a business—knowing you needed to provide for your family and couldn’t fail because their well-being rested squarely on your shoulders—and still be a good father and husband. Nothing he did could please his ex, but that didn’t stop him from making sure his children celebrated her.

Margot came over to him with a box of cocoa powder, a bag of sugar, and a gallon of milk. “With the kids, I liked to do as much homemade as I could.” She headed back into the pantry. “Because it was my job to make the magic. I’m kind of like my aunt that way. I wanted to build the excitement by putting up decorations a month in advance. I wanted my kids to wake up in awe on their birthdays with streamers and balloons and signs.” She poked her head out. “Do you know what I mean?”

“I do. I figured that out after the divorce. Before, holidays and birthdays were about dinner reservations and piles of presents. There wasn’t any magic. But after, I created family traditions for my kids. Not having them full time was hard for me, so I probably overcompensated by making a big deal about their every achievement—not just birthdays and graduations, but even the smaller successes of getting a good grade on an essay or playing well in a volleyball tournament.”

When Margot returned with vanilla, marshmallows, and chocolate bars, she got busy measuring and adding the ingredients to the pot. “Do you want the Moravian cookies or should we make something different?”

“The Moravians are fine.” He grabbed the tongs sitting beside a big glass cookie jar and pulled out four of them. “What can I do to help?”

As she whisked, she said, “You can give me a marshmallow.”

He opened the bag and plucked a few out. He was going to hand her one, but she had her mouth open like a baby bird. He popped it in, intending to make it as sexless an act as possible, but his pinky brushed her bottom lip. He watched her eyes go hot and sultry, and his body lit up. In that moment, he knew how responsive she’d be in bed.

But he wasn’t about to turn this sweet moment into an X-rated one. “Did you and your kids exchange presents this year?”

“I suggested we skip it. None of us can really afford it—mostly, the shipping—so why not wait till we’re in a better position? Instead, we’ll do a video call, just the three of us. There’s no better present for me anyhow.” She handed him the whisk. While he took over, she broke the chocolate bar into chunks and added the pieces into the warming milk.

“You’re so positive. I really like that.”

“Well, thank you. I certainly wasn’t like this a few months ago. My ex is a doom-and-gloom guy. No matter how I tried to spin the future, he’d always say things like, ‘By the time I make money again, I’ll be too old to enjoy it,’ And you know what? I’m not like him. Never have been. I didn’t know I was living under his dark cloud until I walked out from under it.”

“I get that.” He’d suffocated in his marriage. It was all about Courtney’s needs and how he wasn’t meeting them. She did nothing to make herself happy—just expected him to do it.

“And I’ll tell you something. I don’t for one second believe that where I am today has any bearing on what tomorrow will look like. I feel good. I’m ready to make the best out of every moment I’m gifted with.” She added vanilla to the simmering cocoa.

Damn, but he liked this woman. He couldn’t help tucking a lock of dark, silky hair behind her ear. She flashed him a sweet smile, and a yearning rose so big, so encompassing, it stole the breath right out of his lungs.

It hurt to want someone this badly. To know he’d found a woman like Margot—the first woman who’d incited any kind of romantic spark—only to know in the morning, he’d walk away.

“You talk a lot about Jessa and Walker, but not so much about your oldest. Is it a difficult relationship?”

“Ah, just complicated, really.” As much as he wanted to tell her about Lorelei, he couldn’t. He had to respect—and protect—his daughter’s privacy.

She watched him, waiting for more.

But Margot wasn’t asking who his daughter was. She wanted to know his relationship with her. “My ex misrepresented me for many years, so my daughter believed I was a piece of shit. Fortunately, the truth came out at the beginning of this year, so I got to spend the summer with her.” That first phone call had blown him wide open.

“Dad? It’s me. Lorelei. Mom lied. She lied about everything.”

It had taken a while before his powerhouse daughter had relaxed enough to trust him. But finally, she had. “It was great.” Before the people she loved betrayed her.

“I’m so glad she got to see the real you.” She touched his arm. “Because you’re a good dad. Jessa obviously adores you, and you have a great relationship with your son and grandson. Your oldest deserves to know you, too.” She grabbed two red mugs with white Christmas trees circling them. “Jessa showed me the photo album she gave you.”

He cocked his head. “When?”

“This was before I met you guys. I heard her asking the concierge if we had any wrapping paper. She said she didn’t have a car and couldn’t get into town to buy some, but I happened to have some in my room, so I grabbed it for her. What a great gift. I got a strong sense of you as a dad from those pictures, and it was really sweet.”

“Yeah. I have…” He swallowed. “Good kids.” His thoughts scrambled again, and he didn’t understand why he kept locking up around her. “They mean the world to me.” He cleared his throat. “Good gift.”

“Okay, I get you now.” She broke into a huge grin. “I totally get it.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you get emotional, you get all choked up.”

He gave that some thought. Was that the scrambling—him getting emotional? “Maybe.”

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