AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But you could be there for Daisy.”
“Not always. I’ve discovered I’m not a great single dad. I can get by. But you make me a better dad. You make everything better.”
She dragged in a breath, heart hurting. “I don’t know what your point is. Do you want me to accept your apology? If so, yes, I accept. Do you want me to forgive you for being hard and selfish? Then, fine, I forgive you, but I still don’t know why you ended it in the first place—”
“I loved you.”
“Huh.”
“And I have never loved any woman but you.”
“Please.” And yet, she did like the sound of that. It felt good to hear him say it. It felt really good. She drew in another rough breath, feeling terribly sorry for herself because she did love him, and she did want to be with him, and she couldn’t believe she was going to leave Montana like this. But he was impossible and he’d been impossible and he was such a Sheenan…so completely Cormac Sheenan…but even Cormac Sheenan needed someone who got him, and loved him, and wanted him.
And she did want him. “You’re awful,” she whispered.
“I know. I need to work on things. And I’m trying.”
Silence stretched on the line. There was more laughter in the background. She sniffed. “Is everyone there?”
“There’s quite a crowd here,” he said.
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting tears. She was such a coward, and she’d become ridiculously mistrustful, and the worst thing of all was that she knew they did work. She knew they could work. They just had to forgive and let go and try again. Every thing he was saying. And for once, he was right. She kind of hated him being right. “Cormac?”
“Yes, baby?”
Baby.
Her heart squeezed so tight she thought she’d die. Whitney gulped a breath and then another. He’d been wrong for a long time and now she was wrong because she was letting pride blind her. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to try with him but she didn’t know how to bridge the gap. She didn’t know how to deal with her fear and ego.
“Talk to me, baby,” he said.
Her eyes were stinging and watering and making it impossible to see. “Sometimes it’s hard…really hard…to keep everything straight. Sometimes it’s not manageable. Sometimes life is absolute chaos.”
“Are you just figuring this out?” he asked, but there was no mockery in his voice. If anything he sounded kind.
Protective.
“I thought I could do more to…make it all work,” she said. “Thought I could manage it all better.”
“Control’s an illusion. I’ve learned that the hard way.”
“Cormac?”
“Yes.”
“I really wanted to be there tonight. I wanted to be there for you and Daisy.”
“But?”
“I can’t be on the outside anymore. I can’t be…”
“What?”
“Not part of things.”
“But you are part of things. You’re part of us.”
She was starting to cry now. “I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you and I don’t want to leave you but I can’t stay here—”
“Did you just say you loved me?” he interrupted.
She sighed. “Yes. I did.”
“Good. Because, I love you, too, Whitney, and I hate doing all this on the phone. It would be so much better in person, face to face.”
She blinked hard trying to stop the tears. “Do you mean that?”
“I do. And I also have a big question to ask you, but I was also going to do that face to face so you could see me get down on one knee—”
“Stop it.”
“You wouldn’t want me to go down on one knee when I propose?”
“You’re not proposing.”
“I’d planned on it tonight.”
For a second she couldn’t breathe and the she squeaked, “Seriously?”
He laughed, a rich husky sound that sent shivers of delight through her. “Seriously, babe.”
Whitney reached up to dash away tears, but this time they were tears of happiness. “Tell me this is for real, tell me you’re not kidding—”
“I’m not kidding.”
“This is crazy. This isn’t happening.”
“It is.”
“But this is ridiculous like this.” She sniffed and wiped another tear. “I wish you were here. I want you.”
“I am here. Turn around.”
“What?” She spun around. “Where?” Her gaze searched the crowd.
“Hey, baby.” And then, there he was, walking towards her, still on the phone. “I see you.”
Her chest squeezed, the air bottled tightly in her lungs. This was not happening. This was not happening. But then, maybe it was. Because it looked like Cormac walking towards her, and he was gorgeous like Cormac—
“I see you, too,” she cried, before hanging up and running to him.
His arms went around her and he lifted her up from the ground, holding her tightly.
She held on to him for dear life. “What are you doing here?”
“Wasn’t going to let you get on a plane without me, so I bought a ticket to Denver, too.”
Whitney pulled back. “You would have gone with me?”
“They weren’t going to let me through security otherwise.”
“And Daisy?”
“She’s good. She’s at the house with everyone, waiting for Santa. You’re the one I’m worried about right now.” He put her down. “Where are you going, and why?”
“I don’t belong here—”
“You absolutely do belong. You’re the heart of this family, Whitney. You’re the magic and the miracle and all the fairy pixie dust.” He clasped her face, lifting it to his. “But you have to be happy with us—”
“I am. I’m my most happy when with the two of you.”
“Then don’t go.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I don’t know. I’m so confused.” She gulped a breath. “What are you doing here? And how did you know I was here?”
“Kris told me.”
“Kris Krinkles?”
“He said if I wanted to make sure Daisy had her wish, I’d better hustle to the airport right away because there was only so long he could keep the snow swirling around Denver.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “And here you are.”
“Here I am. Determined to save my family.” His lips curved but there were shadows in his eyes. “Whitney, we’ve had issues and we have a very complicated past, but the future doesn’t have to be complicated. We can make this very simple. I love you. You’re the only one for me. You’re the only one for Daisy. We need you. We want you. Please come home. It won’t be Christmas without you.”
“Say it again,” she whispered.
“I love you. Please come home. It won’t be Christmas without you.” And then his head dropped and he kissed her, and kissed her again, and continued kissing her even after her arms went around his neck and held him tight as the whole world fell away.
*
It took almost an hour to drive from Bozeman to Paradise Valley. Tiny delicate white flakes slowly fell from the sky as they reached the top of Copper Mountain Lane. The big house was blazing with light and the colorful glow of the huge Christmas tree.
