Christmas at the Cove

by Rachel Brimble

  “Mum!”

  Scott joined his sisters’ chorused reprimand and then they all laughed when Carrie laughed louder than all of them. “It certainly is, Mrs. Walker...Mary.”

  His mother clasped Carrie’s elbow, her smile as wide as her face. “Would you like some hot chocolate?”

  Carrie nodded. “Sounds perfect.”

  Scott stared after them, shaking his head as the five women who made up his entire life disappeared into the kitchen. He clenched his jaw. Add just another small female and he had a funny feeling his life would be complete.

  When a unified cackle of laughter rose and burst from the open kitchen door, he quickly hung Carrie’s coat and bag before shrugging out of his coat and scarf. He took a couple of steps toward the kitchen and then halted when Carrie’s phone rang from inside her bag.

  Turning around, he grabbed the bag and carried it through to the kitchen. He had to shout above the volume of female joviality. “Carrie, your phone’s ringing.”

  She turned and he held the bag aloft.

  When she came to him, his heart kicked to see her eyes shining with happiness and her smile wide. It felt so right to have her in his home. She took the bag. “Thanks.”

  She rummaged inside, but the phone had stopped ringing.

  Scott frowned. “Do you want to go into the hallway to call whoever it was back?” He glanced at his sisters and mother dotted about the room in varying stages of making hot chocolate or setting the table with bowls of sweets, crisps and nuts. “They may be a while. When guests come at Christmastime, Mum tends to go a bit overboard. Actually, scrap that, she tends to go overboard whatever the time of year.”

  When Carrie didn’t answer, he faced her. She was already calling back whomever it was she’d missed. She pushed her bag into his chest with the phone to her ear. “Mum? It’s me. Where are you? Mum? Can you hear me? What’s that noise?”

  She wandered into the hallway, her free hand pressed to her other ear in a futile attempt to block out the noise of his boisterous family. Scott strode after her and she reached back to grasp his hand. “Mum, you’re going to have to speak up, I can’t hear you.” She screwed her eyes shut in concentration...and then snapped them wide open. “You’re on your way here? To Templeton. Oh, my God. Is Belle with you?”

  Scott’s heart thundered and his mouth drained dry. He stared at Carrie, his entire body wired with adrenaline and hope. Each second felt like an hour. Please let them be bringing my daughter to me.

  Carrie met his eyes. They stormed with love, disbelief, laughter and fear. “Oh, Mum. I don’t believe it.” She nodded, her eyes locked with his. “You’re bringing her to us.”

  To us. For a moment Scott couldn’t move. Belle was on her way. He was going to spend Christmas with a daughter he never knew existed until four days ago. Smiling, he pulled Carrie closer and pressed his lips to her forehead. The rest of Carrie’s conversation with her mother faded into the background...

  * * *

  CARRIE ENDED THE call and pulled back from Scott’s arms to look him in the eyes. “She’s coming to Templeton. I don’t believe it.”

  Scott grinned. “That’s good, right? It means you don’t have to leave. We can spend Christmas together...as a family.”

  Fear skittered through her and Carrie pulled out of his grasp. She turned her back to him, her mind racing and her heart aching. “This feels too soon. You still have so many unresolved issues to sort out with your father. How can I be sure that Belle won’t be hurt in the end? How can I be sure that things won’t go wrong between us and we end up hating each other?” Tears burned and Carrie wrapped her arms tightly around her body.

  “Carrie.”

  She shook her head, refusing to turn around and face him. She had to think of Belle. Her baby was her constant. Her baby wouldn’t leave her. Her baby would never die...Her sob caught in her throat and Carrie covered her mouth with her hand. Where was all this panic coming from? She closed her eyes. It was now or never. Scott would soon see his little girl for the very first time. There would be no going back for any of them after that most precious moment.

  Scott came behind her and the scent of the man she loved encompassed her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. “Hey, don’t cry. We’re going to be okay. We’re going to make it, and Belle will be at the center of everything. Look at me.”

  Trembling, Carrie turned in his arms and met his eyes. He lifted his thumbs to her cheeks and wiped at her tears, his lips gently brushing hers. “You’re afraid.” He smiled wryly. “I’m terrified. Let me just ask you one thing.”

  She sniffed. “What?”

  “When you found out you were pregnant, did you jump for joy? Shout it from the rooftops? Or did you have the exact same feeling you’re having now?”

  Shame infused her. “I had the same feeling as now...” She shook her head. “But that lasted for a matter of days. This isn’t the same. Once I accepted I was pregnant, that I could raise a baby alone, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I wanted my baby, your baby.”

  “And what you’ve just described is the exact journey I’ve been on since you walked into my garage four days ago. I’m ready, Carrie. I’m ready to be Belle’s daddy for the rest of my life.” He grinned. “Let me meet her. Let me see her.” He glanced toward the closed kitchen door. “Let us all spend Christmas together. Your family, my family, our family. We’ll spend a few days together and then you’ll see what I already know. We’ll be okay. We’ll have the elusive happy-ever-after. I know we will.”

  “You can’t know that. Neither of us can.” Cursing the doubts and fear rushing through her, Carrie stepped away from him. “Gerard always said Belle and I were his happy-ever-after.” Her breath caught. “And look what happened to him. He’s dead, Scott. He’s dead and a year later I’m here with you, and my daughter is on her way to Templeton with my parents. How did that happen? How did my trip here become so big?”

  “Because it was meant to be this way all along. Gerard was the right man for you at the time, Carrie. He was what you needed when you found out you were pregnant and had a baby. He was what Belle needed for the first eighteen months of her life. If I had been there, who knows? Maybe I would’ve royally messed up. But now?” He pushed his fist against his chest. “Now I know I want you and her more than anything in the whole damn world. I’m the right man for you now. I’m the right man for Belle. If it takes me my entire life to prove it to you, I will.”

  Carrie’s heart swelled for the man standing in front of her, opening his soul and baring his vulnerability, yet standing strong and refusing to let her fear override a second chance at long-lasting love. She took a deep breath. “I told my parents to take Belle to The Christie when they arrive.”

  He pulled back his shoulders. “Ring your Mum back. Ring her back and ask them to come here.”

  “What?” Her eyes widened. “But—”

  He grinned. “We can eat together. Mum will have more food on the table than any of us could possibly manage once I tell her your family are coming.” He rolled his eyes. “She started making food for Christmas in April, I swear.”

  Swiping at her face, Carrie smiled. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  She laughed. “Okay.”

  Smiling, Scott took her in his arms and when he kissed her, his silent promise seeped into Carrie’s soul and nestled in her heart. They would be okay. She felt absolutely certain of it after coming full circle in a matter of days. God only knew how much better they could be together in the years to come.

  “I love you, Carrie.”

  She smiled and her desire for him heated her body as he lifted back her hair to leave a trail of kisses down the curve of her neck...just how he knew she liked it. She inhaled a shuddering breath. “I love you, too.”

  * * *

  SCOTT GLANCED AT C
arrie for the thirtieth time in as many minutes as she stood staring through his living-room window. When she’d called her mother back, they had already left Templeton train station in a cab and were on their way to The Christie. After a hurried delivering of Scott’s address, he, his family and Carrie now nervously waited for Carrie’s parents...and Belle’s arrival.

  Inhaling, Scott rose from the sofa and went to join Carrie at the window. She held back the curtain and together, they watched the falling snow in silence. The muted onslaught of shuffling and not-so-subtle coughing behind him told Scott his mother and sisters had tactfully decided to leave him and Carrie alone. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. “You okay?”

  She looked up at him, her brown eyes wide and anxious. “I don’t know.” She smiled. “I think so.”

  He smiled and pressed a kiss to her hair, inhaling her scent. “I know the feeling.”

  She turned and put her arms around his waist. “You meeting Belle was my sole intention when I came here and now it’s happening....”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Your sole intention? Wasn’t there even a part of you that wanted to know if I was still as irresistibly handsome as I was three years ago?”

  She scowled and playfully swatted his arm. “Good God, that is one gigantic ego you have there, Mr. Walker.”

  Scott grinned. “Is that a yes or no?”

  She laughed. “Fine. Maybe a small...” She put her finger and thumb barely a centimeter apart. “Was curious about you and me.”

  He dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers, relishing the feel of her breasts on his chest when she leaned close to him. His Carrie. In his arms. Just where she should have been for the last three years. Just as the urge to beat himself up about their lost time together filtered his heart, a stream of headlights lit up the room.

  Carrie leaped from his arms and yanked back the curtain. “Oh, God. They’re here. It’s a taxi.”

  Scott stared out the window, his heart pumping fast and his entire body tense. “Well, let’s go meet your family.”

  She snapped her head around and pressed her hand to her chest. “Let me go. On my own. Just give me a minute with her. Okay?”

  Nerves and excitement leaped in his stomach; impatience hummed in his blood but he nodded. “Sure. Whatever you need to do.”

  She smiled and cupped her hand to his jaw. “I love you.”

  Carrie rushed from the room, leaving him standing alone and immobile. Seconds later, the living room reopened and his mother and sisters crashed into the room. Bianca stormed toward him as the others shot manic glances toward the window. “Carrie just went outside. Are they here? Is your daughter here?”

  My daughter. Scott’s mouth drained dry. “She’s here.”

  Silence descended and Scott snapped his gaze to the door. Even the excruciating wait for it to open again and Carrie to enter with Belle was preferable to the intense, feminine scrutiny of his family.

  The muted sound of female conversation, mixed with the deeper voice of a man and the soft, melodic squeak of a little girl sounded outside the door. His mother’s breath caught beside him. “She’s here, Scottie. Oh, your little girl is here.”

  The door opened and Carrie came in carrying the most precious Christmas gift Scott had seen in his entire life. He clenched his jaw and silently cursed the burn of tears in his eyes. He tried to look at Carrie but couldn’t drag his gaze from Belle. Her beautiful shiny curls were ebony-black and her eyes were the brightest blue as they darted from him to his mother and sisters and back again. She grinned, revealing teeth as white and perfect as her mother’s. “Hi.”

  In that single word, Scott fell in love harder and faster than he even fell for Carrie. He pressed his hand to where his heart had been a moment before. “Hi, Belle.”

  Carrie came closer and stopped in front of him. “Belle, this is Mummy’s friend, Scott. Can you say Scott?”

  She smiled and shook her head, her cheeks flushing pink. “No.” She glanced from Scott to the huge Christmas tree in the corner, its flickering lights dancing over her face. “Tree.”

  Scott grinned. “Do you like it?”

  “Uh-huh.” She faced him once more and leaned forward from Carrie’s embrace, her arms outstretched. “I go see.”

  Scott looked from her arms to Carrie, his heart pounding. “Does she—”

  Carrie nodded, tears rolling softly down her cheeks. “She wants you to show her.”

  Scott swallowed and stepped forward, gently sliding his hands under his daughter’s arms and lifting her against him. She was as light as a feather and pretty as a picture. Their eyes locked and she placed her tiny hand on his shoulder, staring deep into his eyes “You show me.”

  “I’ll show you the tree, Belle.” He whispered. “I’ll show you the whole, wide world, if you let me.”

  She grinned. “Okay.”

  Leaving his family to the introductions, muffled with more than a few smothered sobs, Scott carried his daughter to the Christmas tree. As she pointed to all the ornaments, Scott stared at the star on top as his whole world fell into place at the most perfect time of the year.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE SOUTH BEACH SEARCH by Sharon Hartley.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  HER BACK FLAT on the floor, Taki pushed into the yoga mat with both feet and lifted her hips toward the ceiling.

  “Picture your spine as if it were a string of pearls,” she told her class as she demonstrated bridge pose. “Raise each vertebra one at a time and edge your shoulders closer together.”

  Taki released the pose and stood to observe her students, making certain they didn’t hurt themselves. Placing a block between one student’s legs, she said, “Remember to keep your knees close together.”

  A chorus of groans answered her reminder.

  “But only go to your personal edge,” she instructed. “When you feel resistance, back off. In yoga, we never want to cause any pain.”

  Benny, one of her regulars, laughed and moaned at the same time. Taki glanced his way and hurried to adjust him. Poor skinny Benny. He tried so hard, but, at seventy, had little flexibility and she always worried he’d push too hard.

  “Now make yourselves as comfortable as possible,” she said. “Our final pose is the most important one we do, where we give ourselves the gift of a few minutes of total relaxation.”

  “Time for our reward,” Benny said with a deep sigh.

  As her students covered themselves with towels or blankets for warmth, she dimmed the lights. They would all sleep better tonight after she helped them progressively relax each part of their bodies. In a few minutes Benny would likely start snoring.

  “Close your eyes,” she said, making her voice gentle, “and allow your attention to focus on your breath.” Taki smiled, loving this part of the class where she helped her students achieve at least ten minutes of stress-free existence. Something everyone badly needed in this fast-paced world.

  “Imagine yourself in a field full of yellow daisies. Beautiful fragrant flowers stretch as far as the eye can—”

  The door slammed open, hitting the wall like a gunshot. “Taki!” an
excited female voice shouted.

  “Shhhh.” Taki glared at Debbie, one of SoBe Spa’s energetic aerobics instructors. Deb knew better than to interrupt the end of her yoga class.

  “I’m so sorry, but there’s an emergency,” Debbie said. “I need to speak with you right away.” She brightened the overhead light, making Taki wince in surprise.

  A sense of dread replaced her peaceful mood as she approached the door. “What’s going on?” she whispered. The class began murmuring.

  “The police want to speak to you,” Debbie whispered back. “Get your purse. Someone broke into your Jeep. You’ll need your registration.”

  Immediately thinking about the package behind the driver’s seat, Taki told the class to remain in relaxation as long as they chose and redimmed the lights. She grabbed her cloth bag and draped it over her neck and shoulder, then followed Debbie.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Nobody knows,” Debbie replied as she pushed open the glass doors to the spa.

  Taki shivered as she stepped into the crisp February air and wished she’d grabbed her sweatshirt before rushing out into the dark night. Still worried about the package, she hurried toward the bright lights illuminating a paved lot jammed with cars.

  “I thought our parking area had security,” Taki said.

  Debbie nodded, her ponytail swinging with the motion. “So did Reese Beauchamps. Whoever robbed you also broke into his brand-new Jag.”

  “Oh, no,” Taki murmured. She’d never spoken to Reese, but knew him by sight as he was popular with most of the female staff.

  “He’s not happy,” Debbie said, “and is even sexier when he’s mad.”

  Taki continued toward where Reese stood tall and confident with his arms folded across his chest, speaking to a uniformed police officer. His dark hair was damp, either from his workout or a shower, and the way he’d combed it back accentuated the strong, high cheekbones of his handsome face.