Page 61 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

“You’ve given me the best I could ever ask for.”

“Oh, yeah?” He sounded sleepy, sated…perfectly content. “The ornaments?”

“Nope. Confidence.” She snuggled even closer. “I knew I lost my ability to trust, but I didn’t know my ex’s betrayal stole my self-esteem until you came along and made me feel beautiful and sexy and…” She gave it some thought. “Worthwhile. I always asked my ex and kids how their days went, but they never asked about mine. Over time, it made me feel like what I was doing wasn’t nearly as important. But you listen, you ask questions, you make me feel like everything I say is meaningful.”

“Well, it’s their loss. It’s not about what they find interesting. It’s about staying close to each other. I know this from my kids. If I don’t check in with them, we drift apart. If I ask about their day—listen to the stories about the driver who zipped into the parking spot they’d waited ten minutes for, or about the kid who came to class hungover and shit his pants—”

“Wait, that happened?”

“Oh, yeah. Happened in Jessa’s master’s program in September. Anyhow, the more stories I listen to, the more they tell, and the more I know about their lives. I want to be close to them, so I ask questions.”

“You’re so right. My ex didn’t know me at all.” And that’s why he could walk away so easily.

“Honestly, I have a hard time understanding how your ex didn’t fall at your feet in appreciation of you.”

“In some ways, he did. He was always good about thanking me for dinner or telling me I looked beautiful. He didn’t take what I did for granted, but he didn’t ask me a lot of questions. He didn’t want to know me the way you do. And now that I know what it’s like, I can’t think of anything a person needs more. Just someone who wants to know every little thing.”

She realized something else. “If my ex knew I was angry, he’d avoid me. Or he might say he was sorry, but he never wanted to get to the bottom of it the way you do. And I really like that. It means you don’t want problems to go away. You want to make things better.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you feel that way.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I told you my best gift. What’s yours?”

“That’s easy. It was from my parents, and it came when things were the worst with my ex. I was thinking about selling the land and giving up on the mine, and for Christmas, they got me photographs of Sam and Joseph Gentry.”

“No way. Where did they find them?”

“The lore only talked about a location and six prospectors. There’s no mention of names, so my dad did a lot of research to track them down. I keep them in my office, and every time things got tough, I’d look at them and know I was on the right track.”

“Your dad was awesome.”

“Yeah. He really was.” His soft smile radiated love for his parents.

“Okay, what was your worst gift?”

He laughed. “Anything my ex got me.”

“What kinds of things did she buy?”

“A fancy watch. A shearling coat. Cashmere sweaters.”

“Ugh. What a bitch.”

He chuckled. “It was her motives. She wanted me to look well-heeled.”

His fingers threaded through her hair, and she found herself slowly drifting off.

“Thank you for coming back to me,” he whispered.

Yes, he was leaving, but at least she had one more day with him.

And she’d enjoy every second of it.

Chapter Eleven

Is this what it feels like?

Over the years, Beau would notice married couples laughing, enjoying date nights, and wonder if it was real. The in-jokes, the knowing glances, the touches filled with private messages…he’d never understood it. He and Courtney couldn’t stand each other, but she’d always played it up in public, so from the outside, it looked like they were having a great time.

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