Finding Forever

by Melody Anne

“You’re a beauty, as you must know, but all young women need a day of this once in a while,” the maid said. She came over, took Whitney by the hand, and, ignoring her protests, led her from the room.

  The next several hours were a whirlwind of activity, though Whitney wasn’t doing much but sitting in a chair. Masks — was that the word for it? — were put on her face, feet, and hands. She was thrown into a vat of mud, and if that weren’t enough, her body was plucked and waxed — yep, it was torture — until she felt she had nothing left of her original skin.

  And yet, when she finally climbed from the shower, she looked in amazement in the mirror at her now silken body. She actually felt beautiful for the first time in her life. Before she had time to think, she was rushed off to another room, where she was dressed in the most beautiful gown she’d ever seen. She didn’t have time to even look at herself in the mirror before she found herself in a chair to have her hair and makeup done up properly.

  She could only stare and blink several times once she was able to look in the mirror. The stylists hadn’t overpowered her with heavy layers of makeup, but had highlighted her eyes and lips, enhancing her natural glow with a fetching simplicity. Her hair was piled up gracefully on top of her head, with several tendrils curling around her face and shoulders.

  She wanted to stand up and twirl around in her gown. It hugged her curves from the bodice to past the waist, and then it flared out into a full skirt that was perfect for gliding around a dance floor.

  “Thank you so much,” she managed to tell the attendants despite her tight throat.

  “Don’t you start crying and ruin all their hard work,” Darcy said, sounding suspiciously close to tears herself. “You have a man to impress tonight.”

  “A man? What man?” Whitney had no escort for this occasion.

  “There will be a room full of eligible men tonight, but I have a feeling you only have eyes for one,” the woman said smugly.

  Whitney had to protest. “Oh, that’s so not true. I’m not interested in Liam.”

  How could she be possibly interested in him? They’d made love — spectacular, out-of-this-world love — and then she hadn’t seen him for two full days. He’d finally managed to conquer her, and now he was finished. Wasn’t that typical of a man, especially one like him?

  “Then how did you know he was the man I was talking about? Interesting.” After that remark, the maid disappeared.

  For the millionth time in only a few weeks, Whitney was filled with panic, but she brushed it aside. She was feeling good about herself right now despite Liam’s cruel rejection. Did that mean she’d feel the same tonight?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Whitney entered the ballroom and Liam forgot how to breathe.

  She’d glided into the room wearing a shimmering silver gown that cascaded down her perfect body. She was unadorned by jewels, but she didn’t need them to shine. Her hair was enough of an accessory. Even the nervous smile resting on her lips captivated him. She was biting gently into her bottom lip, capturing his full attention. He so wanted to brush her pouting mouth with his tongue.

  He was falling for this woman, but the difficulties surrounding their situation seemed insurmountable. So he’d stayed away for a couple of days to gain back his control — or to try to gain it back. Yeah, right. He’d failed. And he was very grateful for that.

  Liam was suddenly moving toward her before he even knew what he was doing.

  “May I have this dance?” he asked huskily.

  Whitney looked at him with a deep blush on her cheeks.

  “Why?” she asked, and he was stumped for a moment.

  “Because you are the most beautiful woman in the room,” he told her.

  “But you walked from my bed without a word for two days.”

  Liam watched the vulnerability flash in her eyes before she managed to tamp it back down. He hurt for her in that moment — for what he’d done to her. His father was right. He hadn’t been a very good man for a very long time. That needed to change.

  “I was overwhelmed,” he told her honestly. “And I’m incredibly sorry. Please have this dance with me,” he said again.

  “Everyone is looking at you, Liam. I don’t know if I can take that kind of pressure.”

  “It’s just the two of us” was his only response before he took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

  The moment they stepped into the center of the room, the musicians began to play a waltz. The sigh escaping her beautiful mouth nearly dropped him to his knees.

  “You’ve been practicing,” he whispered as they twirled around the room.

  “I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of all these people,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to dance, but in case I did …” She trailed off, and a sweet blush spread over her face.

  “You dance like a princess.”

  He would have been happy to hold her in his arms for the rest of the night. But of course in every fairy tale you have to encounter a few obstacles along the way. Their perfect moment was about to be interrupted.

  “Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Steele?” Alexandra said. “Your hands are all over a man who is promised to me, I hope you understand.”

  Whitney immediately stiffened and gave Liam an accusatory stare.

  “Promised? In what way?” he asked the woman, not allowing Whitney to free herself from his embrace. “Our relationship ended six months ago, Alexandra. I’m sorry if that’s something you can’t accept.”

  “How can you say these horrible things to me?” Alexandra said with a rising voice.

  None of the people in the room could take their eyes off the balls-out — oops, shocking — soap opera unfolding before them.

  “If you can’t act in a civilized manner, I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Liam said tightly. Alexandra was embarrassing Whitney, and he wasn’t about to put up with that.

  “Maybe everyone in the room would like to hear who you really are, Liam,” Alexandra said, not backing away.

  “I have nothing to hide. You’re the one making a fool of yourself, and also making my guests uncomfortable,” he said, stepping just a bit in front of Whitney in a protective manner.

  “They won’t think so highly of you when they learn that you’ve abandoned the child I carry.”

  This statement caused a gasp to be heard around the room. Liam’s fury rose to an entirely new level as he shot a searing look at this woman. How had he been foolish enough to date her at one time?

  “If you were pregnant with my child, Alexandra, you and your ‘baby bump’ would be a lot farther along. Don’t even think you can blame an unplanned pregnancy on me. But I’d be delighted to see the DNA tests you can come up with. And so will my lawyer.”

  She took a step back — a very wise move indeed.

  Liam felt Whitney trying to pull away from him, trying to escape, but he wasn’t letting her go. Certainly not because of the spoiled and twisted woman standing in front of him.

  “You’re a fool, Liam. You were promised to me, and I would have made the perfect wife for you. I have a name and a pedigree that you could be proud of. And I’d have turned my head when you had your sad little indiscretions, as men like you always do. Do you honestly think this peasant would do the same?”

  Liam was rarely surprised, but he had to admit he hadn’t been expecting this level of animosity from Alexandra. They hadn’t clicked at all, and when they’d parted, he’d thought she had been as fine with it as he was. Obviously he was wrong.

  “I feel sorry for you, Alexandra. Sorry for you, and for the bitterness and the darkness that seems to drive you. Yes, I’ve been there myself. But I’m trying to let go of my demons. You might try that, too.”

  She growled — actually growled — at him before turning her full attention to Whitney. After giving this peasant a high-bred sneer, Alexandra gave her these words of wisdom: “Don’t think you won’t be discarded just as easily. He grows bored quickly, and you’re not in his c
lass. Not even close.” The woman turned on her four-inch heels and glided from the room.

  When he turned back to Whitney, her cheeks were washed of any color and she looked on the verge of tears. He pulled her close and held her for a moment. In front of everyone.

  “I’m so sorry you had to witness that, Whitney. But please don’t let her ruin our night. She just isn’t worth it.”

  “What she says is true, though. I’m nothing special. I’m just a girl from a small town with nothing to offer. We both know this is all a fantasy for someone like me. I can’t compete, and I have no desire to play these games that you and your friends seem to be so fond of,” she said before taking a breath. “I can’t imagine ever saying the horrible things that woman just said, or making a spectacle of myself in a room full of my peers. Yet even though I don’t want to be the center of attention, that’s exactly what’s happened. I’ve been forced into a drama that I didn’t ask to be involved in.”

  “You’re absolutely right. What she did was unforgiveable, and I should have stopped it sooner. I keep having to ask for your forgiveness,” he said, “and that pains me. I just hope that your kind heart keeps accepting the apologies.”

  As he saw her eyes welling up, he wanted to kiss them away and make her happy somehow. That was definitely a first for him. He’d never fallen prey to women’s tears.

  “I feel so insignificant in your world, Liam.”

  “You can’t imagine how valuable you are, so much more than anyone else in this room.”

  “Please don’t say such ridiculous things to me,” she said before ducking her head. “I really should go.”

  She tried pulling away, but he cupped her cheek with his long fingers and ran his thumb along her satin skin. He then bent down and brushed his lips across hers.

  “You’re beautiful, Whitney, beautiful inside and out, and I’m not letting you leave like this. This night will end on a positive note.”

  “You make me want to stay, Liam,” she told him, allowing him to relax just a little.

  “Then stay.” It was that simple.

  “Even if I know one night can’t possibly change anything?”

  “One night can shape a lifetime, Whitney.”

  “I’m not going to bed with you again, Liam.”

  He pulled her closer to him. “Ah, my beautiful Whitney, never say never,” he told her with a smile. “For now, let’s just continue dancing.” He stopped speaking and spun her in a circle, hoping to make her forget about anything but the two of them.

  Once Alexandra departed and the melodrama of the evening dissipated, the people quickly forgot. They’d simply await the next big social scandal.

  As Liam held Whitney tightly in his arms, he realized that he felt more at peace than he ever had. It was time to admit that he wouldn’t let this woman get away. He just needed to come to terms with that — and sooner, rather than later.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Whitney couldn’t sleep. She was more attached to Christmas than even the children were — how was that possible? — and this year was more intense than most. The last few days had been enchanted.

  True, Liam was playing the gentleman, damn his hide. He’d paid her every attention but the one she most wanted in the days after the fundraising ball. His goodnight kisses just weren’t enough. But she’d take what she could get.

  Yes, she’d told him she wouldn’t go back to bed with him again, but after being in his arms for hours while he caressed her skin, kissed her lips, her neck, her shoulders — well, a girl could change her mind.

  But she wouldn’t beg him to take her, especially not after she’d so emphatically told him she didn’t want him. Oh, the tangled web she’d weaved. Or was it woven?

  It didn’t help her nerves when the grandfather clock out in the hall started to chime midnight. Were these aristocrats insane? She was never going to get any rest. She decided to climb out from her bed and sneak into the kitchen for a cup of herbal tea. Chamomile sounded about right.

  When she cracked her door open and started to tiptoe down the hall, she heard another sound, and then she saw Ally standing there.

  “What are you still doing awake?” Whitney asked her niece.

  “I can’t sleep, Auntie. I’m so afraid Santa won’t find us here.” The poor little girl seemed to be on the verge of tears.

  “Oh, baby, of course he’ll find us. Why don’t you come to the kitchen with me? I’ll get us something to drink that will help us get back to sleep. And when we wake up … you’ll see the magic.”

  They thought they were being so sneaky as they crept downstairs, but the rest of the household appeared to be awake too. Brayden looked up with a guilty grin, as did Liam, who with just one glance made Whitney’s toes curl. For a man who didn’t live in the house, he sure seemed to be there all the time. Was it to torture her?

  “It seems that we’ve all had the same idea,” she said as she and Ally joined them at the large table in the corner. Even Darcy was there and bustling about.

  “I haven’t been this excited about Christmas since I was a young boy,” Liam said with a laugh, a laugh that Whitney felt she’d be happy to hear every day for the rest of her life.

  “I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” Mr. Smotter said. “I never stay up so late.”

  When they were finishing their tea, Frederick entered the room. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said. “Come quickly!”

  Whitney was concerned by the urgency in his voice. She hoped nothing was wrong, not on this day of days. They all followed Frederick down the hallway and piled in behind him when he disappeared inside a door.

  Whitney gasped at the sight of Santa stacking presents beneath a massive tree. She couldn’t believe how real the fellow looked — this was no mall Santa. She turned to look at Ally, who was beaming.

  “Oh, my goodness, it looks as if you’ve caught me,” Santa said with a loud chuckle.

  Ally immediately ran across the room and flung herself into his arms.

  “I knew you were real, Santa,” she said as two tears trickled down her cheeks.

  He returned her hug. “Of course I’m real, my beautiful Ally,” he told her.

  “You know my name,” she gasped in total awe.

  “I’m sorry, Ally,” Brayden said to his sister. “I guess I was wrong.”

  Whitney was so happy with the way her nephew had changed and grown during the time they’d spent at the Felton mansion. The boy was going to become a fine young man.

  Ally threw her brother the most joyful of smiles, but she wouldn’t let Santa go.

  “I have a special gift for you because you’ve been such a good girl,” Santa said to her. Whitney recognized the gift she’d snuck beneath the tree the night before — the one from the package she’d received a couple of weeks ago. How did Santa know what was in it? Did he know who’d sent it? She suspected that her questions weren’t going to be answered.

  Ally gasped as Santa handed her the present wrapped in shiny paper, and she looked at it reverently before opening it without damaging the wrapping. Inside the box was a heart-shaped locket with a picture of her mom and dad inside. Santa placed it around her neck and said, “Your parents love you very much, little Ally, and they’re always watching out for you.”

  Whitney was overcome with emotion, and she turned toward Frederick with gratitude shining in her eyes. It had to be from him, though he seemed to be as surprised as she was. But still, this was all because of him, and he’d truly given the best gift he could to her niece — the gift of love from her parents.

  “Thank you so much,” Ally said as she threw her arms around Santa again.

  Whitney wiped a tear from her own cheek, and after giving Frederick a big hug and an affectionate kiss, went to retrieve her niece from Santa’s embrace and sit down next to her. Santa passed out the rest of his gifts and then quietly slipped away.

  “Aren’t you going to open your present, Brayden?” Whitney asked as the boy
put his large box on his lap without tearing the wrapping.

  “I thought we had to wait till morning,” he said, as if he were afraid of what might be in the box.

  “I think that since Santa brought these, it’s okay to open them,” she told him. “We’ll save the rest until morning.”

  Her nephew finally began taking off the wrapping. When he pulled out the quilt inside, Whitney’s eyes overflowed with tears. And for once Brayden didn’t hold back his own tears. Whitney had no idea how this gift had been pulled off.

  Last year her sister had been trying desperately to get a quilt finished for each of the children before Christmas. She’d finished Ally’s, but she’d only gotten halfway through with Brayden’s. Whitney didn’t know how to sew, and when she’d found the project Brayden had been with her. She’d offered to take it to a seamstress to have it finished, but he’d grown angry and insisted that he didn’t need it — didn’t want it.

  So the unfinished project had been tucked away. Who had found it? Who had completed it? Did they really have a Christmas angel? The quilt was sewn with pieces from his first baby blanket and his first outfits. And there were pictures of Brayden and his parents on some of the squares, and quotes from his mother. This truly was a piece of his mom that would comfort him for the rest of his life.

  But who had found it? Who had completed it?

  Whitney again looked at Frederick, but there was nothing in his expression that showed he was behind it. And Liam looked as in awe of the quilt as she was.

  “It’s wonderful, Brayden,” Whitney finally said, moving over to her nephew and pulling him to her side. The lovely quilt fell over them both now.

  “It is,” he choked out. “I miss her so much.”

  “So do I, darling,” Whitney told him.

  “But I don’t want to be sad anymore. I don’t want to be angry. I just want to remember the good, like in this picture — last baseball season when we won the championships. Mom and Dad rushed out on the field and you took the picture.” It was a photo with Vincent holding Brayden high in the air, and Maxine hugging them both. All of them were wreathed in smiles.