by Krista Lakes
It would have to be enough. Holly hoped the kids wouldn’t be disappointed. She always made sure that the low-income kids got something extra, but this year she was scraping by. She’d put most of her extra money into the cheap plastic things from China, just so that there would be more in the bag.
Holly wrapped the last few books and carefully tucked them into the bag. The Santa suit hung in the small closet to the side of the desk. Mark made sure it was immaculate and she ran her fingers across the soft satin.
She could remember as a girl the magic of Santa. As an adult, she knew the secret and while she enjoyed being the gift-giver, some days she missed the magic of being a child. This year especially.
With a sigh, she went back down and helped her father with the last minute decorations.
Finally, everything was ready. She turned on the lights for the big tree at the front of the bookstore and opened the door. Already there was a line of people waiting for the annual Christmas party.
A stream of people came into the store, everyone carrying delicious smelling food to the tables. Kids ran around telling one another what magical things Santa brought them while the parents sipped on coffee and shared their midnight bike-instruction putting-together woes.
The atmosphere was happy, but subdued. Everyone knew this was the last one of these and they were trying to enjoy it without becoming sad. It was a fine line. Holly was certainly struggling with it.
“Okay, Dad,” Holly whispered to her father a little past noon. The food was mostly eaten and the kids were growing restless. “I think it’s time for Santa to arrive.”
Mark winked and excused himself. He headed upstairs to change into his Santa costume and in a few minutes he would come around the front with his bag of toys to surprise the children. Holly went to the far end of the room and began cleaning up the food.
“Great party,” Aliyah said, coming up alongside Holly. She helped stack empty plates and pick up utensils. “Did you try the cinnamon rolls? They were amazing.”
“I know, right? Mrs. Gonzalez said she’d give me the recipe. I think I might have a new teacher potluck dish,” Holly replied.
“You doing okay?” Aliyah asked, watching her friend’s face. “Do you need me to get you ice cream? Brownies?”
“I’m okay,” Holly promised. “Or, I will be. Maybe we can eat ice cream tomorrow and complain about men. I could use a day of that.”
“Done,” Aliyah promised. She gave her friend a hug. “You let me know. I’m here for you.”
“Thanks,” Holly said, forcing a smile.
“Wow. Your dad was fast,” Aliyah said, pointing to the front door. “I thought he just went upstairs. Usually it takes him forever to change.”
Holly frowned. Usually it did take her dad a long time to get into costume. He always took extra care attaching the beard for this so that the kids could tug on it and not have the secret ruined. The glue took a long time to dry.
Yet, there was Santa at the front door.
“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!” boomed Santa, throwing open the front door to the bookstore. The kids all cheered and ran to gather around the jolly old man.
That’s when Holly noticed that Santa didn’t have the right red velvet bag. Instead, he had several dark red bags. Six of them. He settled himself in the large comfortable chair by the Christmas tree, ready to give out his gifts.
“Where’s Jake?” Santa asked, pulling out a present from one of the bags.
“Here!” Jake called, coming in from the back. Jake was one of Holly’s students and had a deep love of dogs. Unfortunately, he was also very allergic.
“This is for you,” Santa told him, handing him a beautiful stuffed dog toy. As soon as it was in Jake’s hands, it became alive, barking and wagging its tail.
“It’s a robot dog!” Jake shouted, joy turning his surprise into joy. “Thank you, Santa!”
Holly stopped putting things away and began walking toward this strange Santa.
“Where’s Molly?” Santa asked, looking around.
“Here,” said the small girl, coming up to him shyly.
“Merry Christmas, Molly,” Santa told her, handing her something from the bag. It was a big, fluffy unicorn.
Molly loved unicorns. She shrieked with delight.
These were not the toys Mark and Holly had bought for the kids. And that was not her father in the Santa costume.
Who was this impostor Santa? Holly frowned, making her way slowly toward him. She didn’t want to startle the kids. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene and ruin the image of Santa for them.
“Where’s Marcos?” Santa asked, reaching into a bag. He pulled out a bright shiny red sled, handing it to her bright-eyed student.
“Where’s Anna?” Santa asked, looking around. Again, another one of Holly’s students.
“Here, Santa,” said the small girl, looking up hopefully. He handed her a giant bin of Legos and the poor girl looked like she was about to pass out.
“Oh, Santa,” she cried. “How did you know? This is exactly what I wanted!”
Anna threw her arms around Santa’s neck and kissed his cheek before picking up her Legos and running to her mother with the world’s biggest smile on her face.
A dog? A unicorn, a sled, Legos... somehow all these toys sounded familiar. Holly tried to place how she knew what each of her students wanted and then remembered the snowflakes from her classroom.
“Where’s Ms. Jones?” Santa asked, looking around the room. Holly startled, unsure of what to do now that she was called out.
“She’s there!” Molly shouted, and soon she had three kids dragging her across the room and toward Santa.
The closer she got, the more she knew for certain that this was not her father. Especially when she looked toward the back and saw her father leaning against the door to his office. He wasn’t wearing the Santa suit.
“Come sit on Santa’s lap and tell me what you want for Christmas,” Santa said, motioning to Holly. She frowned. She knew that voice. Her eyes went wide.
Nathan.
She looked up and into Santa’s brown eyes. Only, they were Nathan’s brown eyes.
Holly’s heart stopped in her chest. The only reason she continued to move was the fact that her students were dragging her across the floor to see Santa. The kids pushed her into the open space in front of Santa and waited to see what happened next.
“You have to sit on his lap, Ms. Jones,” Jake informed her. “You have to do what Santa says.”
“Oh. Right.” Holly sat on Santa’s knee, more because she was going to pass out if she kept standing than because she was supposed to.
She stared wide-eyed in wonder at the man before her. Nathan wore a red Santa suit with a beautiful white snowy beard. His eyes were dark and just for her. The whole room seemed to fade away as he looked at her.
“And what do you want for Christmas, Ms. Jones?” Nathan’s voice was soft.
“I’m not sure,” she managed to say. “I’m not sure if Santa can bring me what I want.”
“I’m here,” he whispered, just loud enough for Holly to hear.
She swallowed hard. “Really?”
“I’m here to stay, Holly. I’m not leaving you again.”
She leaned forward, wanting to kiss him but he stopped her.
“Not in front of the kids.” He motioned with his head towards the very interested group of children and adults watching them.
Holly’s cheeks flamed red. She’d forgotten they were even there.
“I need to discuss something with Ms. Jones,” Santa said, raising his voice. “But, since I have so many more gifts to give out, I’m going to have my elves help me.”
He motioned and two men stepped forward.
Holly recognized them as Hal and Gregory, Nathan’s bodyguards. However, they were wearing green tunics with striped red tights and a yellow belt. They also had on elf ears and pointed caps. They looked more like a pair of Jolly Green Giants than San
ta’s helpers.
Hal went to the open bag. “Where is Natasha?”
Natasha stepped forward, fear and curiosity on her face. “That’s me.”
“Here you go, darling,” Hal said, a smile filling his face as he handed her an art kit.
Natasha beamed and threw her arms around him, giving him a huge hug. Hal looked like this was the happiest day of his life.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile,” Nathan remarked, standing up and taking Holly’s hand. He pulled her toward the back and Mark opened the door up to his office. While the kids were busy watching the two giant elves pull out presents, Holly and Santa slipped upstairs.
Chapter 43
Nathan
The walk up the small flight of stairs to Mark’s office was the longest one of Nathan’s life. He could feel Holly’s hand in his, but he still had to keep looking back and making sure she was real.
They stepped into the office, and Holly closed the door behind her.
“Are you really here?” she asked, a hint of fear in her voice and eyes. “I thought you said you didn’t think this was going to work.”
“It wasn’t the way things were,” he told her. “But, I made changes. I hope I haven’t missed my chance.”
“No.” She shook her head and smiled. “You haven’t missed it. But I need to know you aren’t going to leave again. That we’re not just going to end up in the same place as before.”
Nathan reached into the back pocket of his Santa costume and pulled out a piece of heavy paper. He handed it to her.
“This says you’re the owner of Elements Computer Technologies,” Holly said, reading the paper. She looked up at him still confused. “I thought you were always the owner.”
“No. Paradigm was the owner,” he explained. “I bought it from them.”
It took her a moment to process what he just told her. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.
“I bought Elements Computer Technologies from Paradigm,” he explained. “They aren’t moving to California anymore because I don’t want them to. I want the company to stay here where it belongs. They are staying in Devonsville.”
“What about Paradigm?” Holly asked, staring down at the paper. “What about you?”
“I quit.”
“What?”
Nathan wasn’t sure her eyes could get much bigger or that her jaw could go much lower. He took her hands in his, setting the paper on Mark’s desk behind him.
“I quit. I’m not the CEO for Paradigm anymore,” he told her. “I own ECT and that’s my only business now. Even with that, I’m not going to be the CEO. I just want to build things again.”
He’d gone to the board meeting and told them he wanted to buy ECT. The board had been shocked. They were stunned when he told them he was quitting as well.
Fauna had been right. They were happy to have a reason to let him go. The lawyers had been called in for an emergency settlement, but Nathan had walked out with ownership of Elements. It hadn’t even cost him as much as he thought it would.
Paradigm was no longer where he wanted to be. It wasn’t who he was anymore. The money wasn’t what made him want to get up in the morning. He was still a billionaire. He didn’t need more money than that.
He’d told the board to promote Lucy. He hoped she’d find her way to the top of the company. She wouldn't be pleased with the sale of ECT, but she would survive. She would make money because that was what mattered to her.
It didn't matter to him like it used to.
Holly mattered.
For him, he couldn’t wait to just be an owner. Someone else could be the CEO. He planned on keeping the company mostly the way it was now, just focusing even more on innovation. He wanted to be one of the innovators again.
“Nathan...”
“I want to create things again,” he told her. “I don’t want to manage things. No more meetings. No more board meetings to discuss how the stock market will respond to market changes. I don’t want that life anymore.”
“So, you’ll be here?” The hope in her voice made his heart quiver.
“If you’ll have me,” he told her.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’ll have you.”
And she kissed him, beard and all.
“The beard is terrible,” she told him, pulling back with a laugh. He tugged it off to the side, revealing his face to her. She touched his cheek, her eyes full of happy tears. “You’re really here?”
“I’m really here,” he promised. “You are what matter. You, me, us – we’re everything.”
She kissed him again, tears streaming down her face. He held her to him, crying and laughing himself. This was all he could have ever wanted for Christmas. Christmas was now his favorite holiday.
“So you’re my Christmas present,” Holly said, her eyes smiling with joy.
“If you’ll have me.”
“You’re just what I asked Santa for,” she told him.
“Red suit and all?” he asked, nuzzling her cheek.
She laughed. “Red suit and all.”
And he kissed her.
Downstairs, Jake came running from the stairs with Mark glaring at him. Mark shooed him away from the back room and chased him toward where the elves were still handing out toys, having the time of their lives.
“Guys, guys!” Jake told his friends. “You’re never going to believe this, but I saw Ms. Jones kissing Santa Claus!”
Chapter 44
Merryweather
“Well, that worked out marvelously,” Merryweather said to Flora.
“I agree. I was a little worried there for a bit,” Flora told her. “But Fauna did a marvelous job.”
“Fauna did a marvelous job?” Merryweather asked, raising an eyebrow.
“And you,” Flora said, obviously appeasing her. “What will happen next for them?”
“A happily ever after,” Merryweather replied. “A happily ever after.”
“That is the best kind of magic,” Flora said with a smile. “A happily ever after with Christmas. It doesn't get better than that.”
Merryweather had to agree.
If you liked this book…
An American Cinderella: A Royal Love Story
"I'd give up my whole kingdom to be with you. I want to be your Prince Charming."
Aria has a big heart but bigger problems. Her whole life is a mess thanks to her controlling stepmother. But when she's knocked over- literally- by the hottest man she's ever had the pleasure of tangling up her body with, everything changes.
Henry Prescott, second-string rugby player for the Paradisa Royals, is funny, sweet, charming, and oh-so-sexy. He's got a rock hard body and tackles her in bed as fiercely as he tackled her in the park. Knowing nothing about rugby, but absolutely intoxicated by his accent, she finds herself falling for him.
There's only one problem: Henry Prescott doesn't exist.
The man she thinks she loves is actually Prince Henry, second in line for the throne of the nation of Paradisa. He's the man who Aria's entire department has to impress for trade relations. And that makes Aria's stepmother's plans even more dangerous.
He's the man who could destroy her world or make all her dreams come true.
He lied about being a prince... did he also lie about being in love?
NYT Bestseller Krista Lakes brings you this brand new sweet-and-sexy royal romance. This standalone novel will have you cheering for an American princess's happily ever after.
An American Cinderella: A Royal Love Story
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Krista Lakes is a thirtysomething who recently rediscovered her passion for writing. She is living happily ever after with her Prince Charming. Her first kid just started preschool and she is happy to welcome her second child into her life, continuing her “Happily Ever After“!
Thank you for supporting an indie author. Anything you can do, whether it be writing a review, or even simply te
lling a fellow reader that you enjoyed this, helps me out immensely. Thanks!
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Further reading
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A Forever Kind of Love
A Wonderful Kind of Love
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Billionaires and Brides
Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Story
Yours Truly: A Cinderella Love Story
Yours Royally: A Cinderella Love Story
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