“It’s beautiful,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my cheek on his chest.
Serena let out a happy shriek and we both turned to look her. My mother smiled at us. “It sounds like she likes it, too.”
I left Scott to tidy up the boxes while I moved to take Serena from my mother’s arms and carry her on my hip to examine the sparkly tree ornaments among the evergreen boughs. I was just fingering a gold trumpet on a string when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it.” Scott set down the empty boxes and moved to answer it.
“Good evening,” he said to the uniformed courier who stood outside on our front step in the cold. “You’re working late.”
“There’s always plenty of overtime when it gets this close to Christmas,” he explained as he handed a package the size of a shoebox to Scott and asked him to sign for it.
A moment later, Scott closed the door and brought the box over to me. He stared down at the return address, hesitated briefly, then said, “It’s for you.”
Slightly unnerved by the look in his eye, I swapped Serena for the package. While he carried our daughter to the kitchen to join Bev, Louise, and my mother, I checked to see who it was from.
“It’s from Angie,” I said with a sudden spark of unease as I moved to the coffee table and sat down. My reaction wasn’t rational of course. I had moved on a long time ago and had let go of any lingering animosity, but I suppose she would always be my late-husband’s ex-lover and the friend who had betrayed me in the worst possible way. Seeing this package from her was an unexpected reminder.
The others were quiet while I ripped off the packing tape and opened the outer box. Inside, there was a card in a red envelope that said “Claire,” along with a smaller gift wrapped in festive paper and shiny gold ribbon, all on a bed of green tissue paper.
The others watched quietly while I opened the card and began to read the letter.
Dear Claire,
It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken, and I’m not sure how you will feel when you receive this package from me, but I felt a great need to make contact with you this holiday season.
First of all, congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Barbara let me know that everything went well, and I am very happy for you and Scott. No one deserves happiness more than the two of you.
As for me… I do not feel worthy of all the gifts you have sent my way over the past year, much less your kindness and forgiveness.
For that reason, I feel a deep and unrelenting need to thank you, and to let you know that you have made a tremendous difference in my life. Something changed in me when Barbara arrived with the Christmas gift that came from you, not long before I went into labor last year. She told me what you had said in your letter to her, and I was deeply, deeply humbled. But still, I couldn’t bring myself to contact you, because I was too ashamed.
Then Wesley was born, and the love he brought with him when he came into the world exploded inside of me. I can’t explain it, but his birth, coupled with your forgiveness, was a true miracle in my life. I never felt more blessed, and I knew in that moment that I would never again intentionally inflict pain on another human being, nor would I betray a friendship, or act without honor or integrity. I want to be a good example for my son and be the best person I can possibly be. All I have to do is think of you, and I have a shining example to emulate.
Thank you, Claire—not just for the money, which has been extremely helpful to me as a single mother—but for your selflessness and forgiveness, your loving nature, and for showing me how to be a better person.
Which brings us to this moment, a year later, approaching Christmas. Please find enclosed a gift for you and Scott, and you can probably guess what’s inside.
Barbara and I decided together that you should have it, because it is a cup full of love, and no one deserves it more than you.
I feel certain that if Wes is looking down on all of us—which I believe he is—he would approve of my choice to pass this along to you. Please know that he was very sorry for the mistakes he made and the pain he caused you. His regret and shame weighed heavily on his heart.
So now, here we are. I will move forward with sadness over the loss of a man I loved and the friend I had not treated as she deserved to be treated. But I will endeavor to go on with joy for all the blessings I have received, and for the lessons I have learned. I will spend the rest of my days making myself worthy of those gifts.
Merry Christmas, Claire. May you always be surrounded by joy and love and Christmas miracles. You deserve that more than anyone.
Sincerely,
Angie
As I finished reading the letter, I wiped tears from my cheeks and found myself smiling.
I set it down on the coffee table and reached for the gift. Pulling the gold ribbon free, I opened the box and found the gleaming sterling silver baby cup and spoon that Barbara had given to me a few Christmases ago, when Wes and I were just beginning our journey together with the dream of creating a family.
So much had happened since then. There had been pain and heartbreak, but today there was nothing but an overflowing cup of joy and love.
I stood and turned to hold it up for Scott, Bev, and my mom to see. “It’s from Angie,” I said, my voice trembling with emotion. “She wrote me the most wonderful letter.”
Scott immediately came to my side, where we stood among the mess gazing into each other’s eyes, rejoicing and feeling grateful for all the little miracles that had brought us together.
And given us Serena.
My mother joined us as well. I handed her the letter to read.
She took a moment to get through it, then looked up at me with damp eyes.
“You did the right thing, Claire. Do you know how proud your father would be, if he were here with us today?”
I nodded as tears filled my eyes. “He is here, Mom.” I touched my fist to my heart. “He’s right in here, and he always will be.”
Scott kissed me softly on the cheek, while our baby daughter reached for the cup with her clumsy little baby hands. We all laughed and returned to the task of decorating our home for Christmas, while the angel at the top of the tree shone her light brightly and smiled down upon us all.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read THE COLOR OF A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. I hope it provided you with a few hours of reading pleasure and touched your heart in some way.
If this is your first time reading one of the books in my Color of Heaven series, I encourage you to start at the beginning with THE COLOR OF HEAVEN, and work your way through the books in order. You can find the series order on my website book page.
And I hope you will also look for Bev’s story, coming in June 2017. In THE COLOR OF A SILVER LINING, Bev will confront the choices she has made as a single mother raising her child alone, and as often happens in this series, the magic of the universe will conspire to lead her in the direction she is meant to go. The ebook is available for pre-order now at all major online retailers.
If you would like to stay informed about that book and other novels I’m working on, please sign up for my newsletter so that I can send you an email. I would love to send news to you.
And if you would like to know when any of my backlist titles go on sale for 99 cents or are offered for free for a limited time, please follow me on Bookbub so that you won’t miss out on these deals.
I also encourage you to enter the monthly giveaway on my website, where I send an autographed print edition from my extensive backlist to one lucky winner each month.
That’s all for now. Best wishes and happy reading!
Julianne
Other Books in the Color of Heaven Series
THE COLOR OF HEAVEN
A deeply emotional tale about Sophie Duncan, a successful columnist whose world falls apart after her daughter’s unexpected illness and her husband’s shocking affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids
off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold dark depths of the water, a profound and extraordinary experience unlocks the surprising secrets from Sophie’s past, and teaches her what it means to truly live…and love.
Full of surprising twists and turns and a near-death experience that will leave you breathless, this story is not to be missed.
“A gripping, emotional tale you’ll want to read in one sitting.”
—New York Times bestselling author, Julia London
“Brilliantly poignant mainstream tale.”
—4 ½ starred review, Romantic Times
Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide
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THE COLOR OF DESTINY
Eighteen years ago a teenage pregnancy changed Kate Worthington’s life forever. Faced with many difficult decisions, she chose to follow her heart and embrace an uncertain future with the father of her baby—her devoted first love.
At the same time, in another part of the world, sixteen-year-old Ryan Hamilton makes his own share of mistakes, but learns important lessons along the way. Twenty years later, Kate’s and Ryan’s paths cross in a way they could never expect, which makes them question the possibility of destiny. Even when all seems hopeless, could it be that everything happens for a reason, and we end up exactly where we are meant to be?
Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide
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THE COLOR OF HOPE
Diana Moore has led a charmed life. She is the daughter of a wealthy senator and lives a glamorous city life, confident that her handsome live-in boyfriend Rick is about to propose. But everything is turned upside down when she learns of a mysterious woman who works nearby—a woman who is her identical mirror image.
Diana is compelled to discover the truth about this woman’s identity, but the truth leads her down a path of secrets, betrayals, and shocking discoveries about her past. These discoveries follow her like a shadow.
Then she meets Dr. Jacob Peterson—a brilliant cardiac surgeon with an uncanny ability to heal those who are broken. With his help, Diana embarks upon a journey to restore her belief in the human spirit, and recover a sense of hope—that happiness, and love, may still be within reach for those willing to believe in second chances.
Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide
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THE COLOR OF A DREAM
Nadia Carmichael has had a lifelong run of bad luck. It begins on the day she is born, when she is separated from her identical twin sister and put up for adoption. Twenty-seven years later, not long after she is finally reunited with her twin and is expecting her first child, Nadia falls victim to a mysterious virus and requires a heart transplant.
Now recovering from the surgery with a new heart, Nadia is haunted by a recurring dream that sets her on a path to discover the identity of her donor. Her efforts are thwarted, however, when the father of her baby returns to sue for custody of their child. It’s not until Nadia learns of his estranged brother Jesse that she begins to explore the true nature of her dreams, and discover what her new heart truly needs and desires…
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THE COLOR OF A MEMORY
Audrey Fitzgerald believed she was married to the perfect man—a heroic firefighter who saved lives, even beyond his own death. But a year later she meets a mysterious woman who has some unexplained connection to her husband…
Soon Audrey discovers that her husband was keeping secrets and she is compelled to dig into his past. Little does she know…this journey of self-discovery will lead her down a path to a new and different future—a future she never could have imagined.
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THE COLOR OF LOVE
Carla Matthews is a single mother struggling to make ends meet and give her daughter Kaleigh a decent upbringing. When Kaleigh’s absent father Seth—a famous alpine climber who never wanted to be tied down—begs for a second chance at fatherhood, Carla is hesitant because she doesn’t want to pin her hopes on a man who is always seeking another mountain to scale. A man who was never willing to stay put in one place and raise a family.
But when Seth’s plane goes missing after a crash landing in the harsh Canadian wilderness, Carla must wait for news… Is he dead or alive? Will the wreckage ever be found?
One year later, after having given up all hope, Carla receives a phone call that shocks her to her core. A man has been found, half-dead, floating on an iceberg in the North Atlantic, uttering her name. Is this Seth? And is it possible that he will come home to her and Kaleigh at last, and be the man she always dreamed he would be?
Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide
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THE COLOR OF THE SEASON
From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes the next installment in her popular Color of Heaven series—a gripping, emotional tale about real life magic that touches us all during the holiday season…
Boston cop, Josh Wallace, is having the worst day of his life. First, he’s dumped by the woman he was about to propose to, then everything goes downhill from there when he is shot in the line of duty. While recovering in the hospital, he can’t seem to forget the woman he wanted to marry, nor can he make sense of the vivid images that flashed before his eyes when he was wounded on the job. Soon, everything he once believed about his life begins to shift when he meets Leah James, an enigmatic resident doctor who somehow holds the key to both his past and his future…
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THE COLOR OF JOY
After rushing to the hospital for the birth of their third child, Riley and Lois James anticipate one of the most joyful days of their lives. But things take a dark turn when their newborn daughter vanishes from the hospital. Is this payback for something in Riley’s troubled past? Or is it something even more mysterious?
As the search intensifies and the police close in, strange and unbelievable clues about the whereabouts of the newborn begin to emerge, and Riley soon finds himself at the center of a surprising turn of events that will challenge everything he once believed about life, love, and the existence of miracles.
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THE COLOR OF TIME
They say it’s impossible to change the past…
Since her magical summer romance at the age of sixteen, Sylvie Nichols has never been able to forget her first love.
Years later, when she returns to the seaside town where she lost her heart to Ethan Foster, she is determined to lay the past to rest once and for all. But letting go becomes a challenge when Sylvie finds herself transported back to that long ago summer of love…and the turbulent events that followed. Soon, past and present begin to collide in strange and mystifying ways, and Sylvie can’t help but wonder if a true belief in miracles is powerful enough to change both her past and her future….
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THE COLOR OF FOREVER
Recently divorced television reporter Katelyn Roberts has stopped believing in relationships that last forever, until a near-death experience during a cycling accident changes everything. When she miraculously survives unscathed, a long-buried mystery leads her to the quaint, seaside town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
There, on the rugged, windswept coast of the Atlantic, she finds herself caught up in the secrets of a historic inn that somehow calls to her from the past. Is it possible that the key to her true destiny lies beneath all that she knows, as she explores the grand mansion and prope
rty? Or that the great love she’s always dreamed of is hidden in the alcoves of its past?
“I never know what to say about a Julianne MacLean book, except to say YOU HAVE TO READ IT.” – AllRomanceReader.ca
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The Color of a Christmas Miracle: A Standalone Contemporary Romance (The Color of Heaven Series) Page 17
