Page 95 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

When he opened it, he tripped over her suitcase in the entryway. “Margot?” He hollered like he’d lost a child at the mall.

Turned out, she was right there, pulling her coat out of the hall closet. “Hi.”

She looked lost, scared, and almost haunted.

“What’s going on? Is your daughter all right?”

“Everything’s fine. I think Emerson’s voice got lost in Noah’s big family, and she wants me there.”

“Okay. That makes sense. So, you’re going early, but you’ll be back?” He looked down at the bulging suitcase. “You’re coming back to me, right?” His voice sounded strange, like it had been bound in rope, the air squeezed out of it.

She watched him for a moment, a helpless look in her eyes. Finally, she let out a breath. “No. I’m not coming back.”

Panic like he’d never known exploded in his chest. “Why? What happened?”

Looking away, she pressed her lips together. “I just…I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what? I don’t understand. You said you loved me.”

“And I do.” Her eyes went glossy. She reached out to touch him but pulled her arm back. “I do. But I’ve been here what? Five days? And what have I done? I’m taking care of your grandson, your daughter, and your household, but I’m not running my business. I’m not even working on the mall.”

“That’s my fault. I never should’ve left you alone with Colt. I didn’t know it would go on this long.”

“This is all just so familiar, you know? But it’s my problem. Not yours. Look, everyone has some kind of drama going on, and if I let them, their needs will always come before my own. Because everyone’s needs are the most important thing in the world to them. But you know something? Even if mailing my orders isn’t as important as saving the mine, it has to be my priority. If it’s not, then who the hell am I?”

He wanted to fight for her. He wanted to promise not to burden her with his household issues, to help her make herself a priority, but that wasn’t the point, was it? She was telling him she needed to get to that place on her own.

And he loved her enough to let her go.

Even if it shredded his heart and stripped him of his happiness.

He didn’t want to go back to a world without color. Without laughter and passion. A life without Margot… Fuck.

No.

“Look, there’s always going to be a crisis at the mine or with one of your kids, and I get it. That comes first. But come on, when am I going to come first? When am I going to put myself first?”

Every day of his marriage, he’d come home to a tirade just like this. How many times had he gotten the call that his wife had taken the kids to a hotel in town? He’d race home just like he’d done today. And what was the point? In the end, his wife belonged somewhere else. And Margot? She wasn’t asking for anything but her freedom.

Meanwhile, he had a business to run. Employees to support. He had obligations and commitments. “I understand.” He could tell by the way she flinched that his tone surprised her. It sounded dead, flat as a coin that had been run over a hundred times.

“It’s not your fault, Beau. I just can’t lose myself inside your life. I’m sorry.”

The tension was torturous, and he realized he was blocking the door. He stepped aside. When she didn’t go, when she watched him with a helpless expression, he realized she’d expected him to fight for her. “I can tell you how much you mean to me, I can make promises about how we’ll work on this together, but I can’t make you stay. I can’t make you happy to be here with me.”

“I’m happy here. I love you.”

But not enough to stay. Not enough to work through their problems. Yep. Been there done that. “Where will you go?”

“I’m going back to Merry Falls. I need to focus on my work. Just…no distractions. I have to build my own life. Not get lost in someone else’s.”

Now, she was just repeating herself. There was nothing more to say, so he nodded. “Goodbye, Margot.”

Chapter Sixteen

A plumeria-scented breeze ruffled the gauze curtains of the tiny church. Perched on top of a hill, it overlooked the ocean, and Margot couldn’t think of a more perfect spot for a wedding.

She was so glad she’d come early. Emerson had shown her around the resort where she worked and her fiancé’s lush, tropical property. At this point, she’d met the entire family and knew her daughter was in good hands.

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