Page 25 of Second Chance Christmas

“I had a baby,” she reminded him, and Leonardo glanced away from her then, towards the window, his jaw set as he watched snow beginning to fall.

“But then she grew up. You could have picked up the threads of your life at some point.”

“Please stop.”

“What’s wrong? Why can’t I ask?”

“Because every question is an accusation.”

“I don’t mean it to be.”

“Yeah, well, it’s how it sounds.”

“I just want to understand—,”

“You could never understand.”

“Why not?”

“Because everything worked out for you,” she spat, with obvious impatience. “You went from strength to strength. Your life followed exactly the path you wanted it to.”

“And yours didn’t?”

She stared at him as though he’d lost his mind.

But Leonardo clearly didn’t understand. “What am I missing?”

“What are you missing?” Her temper sparked. “God, you’re missing everything, Leonardo. I don’t even know how to answer that.”

“Just tell me.”

But Cassidy had been trained for six arduous years to hold the secrets of her marriage close to her chest, to take them with her to the grave. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. You’re leaving town in a few days, can we just…enjoy this?”

Silence followed the statement, and her heart beat rapidly in Cassidy’s chest. But then, he nodded, slowly, with determination, and a small smile formed on her face.

“I’m glad.” And she really truly was.

Seven

SNOW HAD BEGUN TO FALL early the next morning, and it had fallen steadily for hours, so the entire park was blanketed in white. Leonardo kept his hands curled around a mug of coffee, and maintained a casual tone to his voice as he and Harry watched Audrey build a wonky snowman.

“Did you know Audrey’s father well?”

Harry rubbed a hand over his jaw, angling his face towards Leo. “Why do you ask?”

Leo’s eyes narrowed. “Curiosity. Wouldn’t you be, in my position?”

“Grant’s not the kind of man you can get to know,” Harry said after a pause. “He’s a politician, always in charm mode. It’s hard to scratch beneath the surface.”

“They were married six years,” Leo pointed out.

“I didn’t see a lot of them in that time. Cass and Audie would come back here and there, but never for longer than a night or two. If Grant came with them—,”

“Yes?” Leonardo prompted, impatient.

“It tended to be day trips. I always thought of him as someone who liked his space, and liked his family to be home, with him.” Harry shrugged. “Everyone’s different.”

Leonardo took a sip of his coffee. His breath formed a puff of white in the icy weather. “Do you know why they broke up?”

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