Home For Christmas: A Small Town Second Chance Holiday Romance

by Emma Tharp

  He shifts his chair and faces me, his gray-blue eyes alight with the first glimmer of hope that I've seen since he walked out on me yesterday morning. "I'm glad I could help you see your worth."

  With one finger, I glide it down his hand using featherlight pressure. It isn't much, but it's enough of a zing to know it's still there—the undeniable connection we share. Looking into his eyes, the pull is still there for him, too. "I want to apologize for hurting you. But I needed to see Judy and make sure she was okay. I owed her that. I hope you can find it in your heart to understand."

  Connor grabs my hand and engulfs it in his. "Right before you got here, Liz stopped by."

  My throat goes dry. This isn’t what I was expecting to hear today. "She was?"

  "Yes. She brought over a few things that she took of mine." He clears his throat. "She told me that she forgave me."

  My heart beats fast, trying to comprehend what he's telling me. "And?"

  "It's like a weight has been lifted."

  "Okay. Are you trying to say that you're getting back together with her?" I can almost hear my heart drumming in my ears.

  He cups my chin with his hand and rubs his thumb across my cheekbone. "No. Never. She deserves a man that will love her the way that I love you."

  "You love me still?" Yes, he told me that he did on Christmas Eve, but I was scared that I somehow broke the bond, the love.

  He closes the distance. We’re only inches apart. "Yes. I never stopped."

  Although I’m happy to hear this, I can’t ignore his part in this anymore. “Connor. Do you realize that you hurt me, too? With your jealousy and inability to communicate?”

  “I know messed up. I was so afraid of losing you that I acted out in jealousy and fear. I’ve had some time to think it over and it wasn't right. I am very sorry."

  "Thank you for that. It upset me when I made the decision to leave and you wouldn’t stick around to talk it through. I was disappointed in you, Connor.”

  He nods and wipes a tear that has slipped from my eye. “I know. You had every right to be. When we were spending time together, I did my best to show you how you’re supposed to be treated, and then I went and acted like a jealous asshole. I should have stayed and figured it out. I let my fear make my decision. It was absolutely the wrong thing to do.”

  I’m grateful for his apology, because I can see where he was coming from. “Okay.”

  “I hate that I hurt you, Ellis,” he murmurs. “I wanted to earn your trust and remind you of what we used to be.”

  Hearing my nickname falling from his lips warms my heart. “You did.”

  He takes my face in his palms, his eyes searching mine. “Do you forgive me?”

  I rest my forehead on his. “Yes, but we need to do better for each other.”

  “I will. I promise.” His eyes implore me. I know he means what he’s telling me.

  “Me, too. I apologize that my leaving hurt you, Connor. You know that wasn’t my intention.”

  He brings his mouth to mine and kisses me gently. It's soft and slow, stirring up the butterflies deep in my belly.

  "You make me so damn happy," Connor says, his pupils dilating.

  "I'm the happiest I've ever been when I'm with you."

  "I don't want to be without you. I'm willing to be in a long-distance relationship and make this work. Whatever it takes."

  My heart expands, filling with joy. "I'm all in. I know we can do this if we both commit to communicating. If we talk things through, we can get through them."

  "I'm willing to work anything out with you." He holds my gaze for a long moment. "Ellis, I've loved you since high school. That never changed, and it's not going to. We can take this as slow or as fast as you want. I'll do anything for you."

  I know this to be true, all the way to my soul. Connor and I belong together. I'm not under the misconception that this is going to be easy, being in a long-distance relationship, but I know it's worth it.

  "I'm yours," I whisper.

  Connor's mouth claims mine as he grips the back of my neck. I’m consumed by the taste of him, his touch, and the knowledge that I am exactly where I need to be, and I’m with who I'm meant to be with.

  Epilogue

  Minnie

  The cool, crisp air bites at my cheeks as my skates glide across the ice. I push off one skate and tentatively hold my arms out—free as a bird.

  The rink is decorated in rows of red and green twinkling lights and the air is alive with the buzz of the holiday spirit.

  Connor lengthens his stride, moving his body with easy strokes toward me, making it look simple, as usual. The smile that spreads across his face hits me right in the heart. “Look at you. You’ve come a long way since the first time I brought you here three years ago.”

  “It’s all the lessons you’ve given me.” I wouldn’t say I’m a poised skater, but Connor takes me to open skate whenever he can and I’m much more confident than I was a few years ago. When I first started learning, I’d be covered in bruises afterward. Now, I can manage to stay upright most of the time.

  He bends down and lays a gentle kiss on my cheek. “You’re an excellent student.”

  I smirk and put my arms around him. “Do you think your mom is going to be expecting us for dinner? Maybe we should get going.”

  He glances at his watch. “Nah. We’re good. We have a few more minutes. Let’s stay. I love skating here. It’s good to be home.” Connor takes my hand and we maneuver around a little girl in a pink puffer coat wobbling around like a penguin, and a group of boys in hockey masks goofing around with each other.

  “You’re right. I love being home for the holidays. It always brings back memories of us, when we came back together.”

  “That was the best Christmas of my life.”

  “Mine, too.” My heart warms, even though my body is freezing.

  Three years ago, we made the decision to start a long-distance relationship. It worked out, but was hard on both of us. We wanted to be together every day. On our first anniversary, Connor insisted I move in with him. I happily accepted and was grateful my job was able to transfer me to a branch just fifteen minutes from my new home with Connor.

  We get back to home to Bluff Harbor every couple of months to visit family, and we make sure to spend Christmas here. It’s simply magical.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking,” Connor says, skating us toward the center of the rink. “Maybe it’s time to switch up your nickname.”

  My brows scrunch together. “I love it when you call me Ellis.”

  He stops in front of me and grabs both of my hands. My heart starts hammering away in my chest when he drops down to one knee. “What if I start calling you Mrs. Doyle? Minnie Ellis, will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?” He pulls a small, blue velvet box out of his jacket pocket and opens it, revealing a large shimmering princess-cut diamond.

  All the noise in the rink falls away as I look into Connor’s gorgeous gray-blue eyes that are so full of love for me. “Oh my God. Yes. Yes!”

  Connor smiles the most gorgeous smile as he takes the ring out of the box. I remove my mitten and Connor slides the ring on my finger.

  Hoots and cheers greet us from patrons who’ve congregated around us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my family and Connor’s clapping around the perimeter of the rink. “Everyone is here,” I say.

  He nods. “I know. I’ve been planning this for months. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to ask you. It had to be perfect.”

  I throw my arms around his neck. “It’s perfection. Thank you.”

  “I love you,” he says, squeezing me, lifting me up in the air.

  “I love you, too,” I say and squeal as he spins me around. “Put me down so we can go hug our families.”

  He doesn’t listen, just continues to make me dizzy. When he finally sets me back on the ice, he kisses me, holding my face in his hands. Joy fills my body, and contentment fills my soul. Connor makes me happier than I’ve
ever been, and I plan on spending forever making him as happy as he makes me.

  The End

  Thank you for reading Home For Christmas! I hope you enjoyed reading Connor and Minnie’s story. If you did, check out my next holiday read titled, Winter Wonderland.

  She’s a travel writer whose next assignment lands her in the middle of nowhere with snow, ice, and storms when all she wanted was to sit on a beach drinking piña coladas. He’s ready to take over his uncle’s company, but first, he’s got to work as a travel writer to prove himself, except he doesn’t have the first clue what he’s doing. When they meet and sparks fly, it seems like their luck could be changing. That is until they realize that a relationship between them is a direct conflict of interest.

  One-Click HERE to buy Winter Wonderland, Ben and Izzie’s story.

  *If you enjoy my stories, I’d be honored if you’d leave me a review on Amazon.

  *To keep up to date on all of my books, deals and giveaways, sign up for my newsletter here.

  Turn the page to read the first chapter of The Trade, book one of the Monroe Series.

  What would you do for money?

  Camille Lewis is desperate. She needs surgery and doesn’t even have enough money in her bank account to cover car repairs, much less a mound of medical bills.

  Garrett Monroe is Camille’s boss. A shrewd businessman. A billionaire who’s just signed his divorce papers. His brother thinks he needs to get his groove back by sleeping with a woman.

  When Garrett finds out about Camille’s problem, he offers her the unthinkable. One hundred thousand dollars in exchange for a weekend alone together.

  Could Camille do it? Trade her body for money? She’s attracted to him and it’d only be meaningless sex. It’d also solve all of her problems. Or will it create more?

  Twenty-One

  Chapter 1 The Trade

  Garrett

  Final decree of divorce… …Irretrievably broken… The bonds of marriage are hereby dissolved.

  The words swim on the paper. Paper that I don’t want to sign, but I’m left with no choice.

  "Are you sure you want to go with adultery as grounds for divorce?" Mark, my lawyer, asks.

  The court conference room is too fucking white. Everything is cold, bland, and sterile. I glance across the table at my soon-to-be ex-wife's bulging belly, which is currently housing some other man's child. "Positive," I snap.

  Adriana runs her fingers through her thick blonde hair and her pink-painted bottom lip is sticking out. "I can't believe you want to end it like this," she whispers.

  She looks to be on the verge of tears, which used to absolutely wreck me, but not anymore. My heart's grown hard now. I look at her through narrowed eyes. "I can't believe you cheated on me with the doorman, so I guess we're even," I seethe.

  I thought my rage had dissipated. I haven’t laid eyes on her in nearly three months. It’s been good for me not to see her and the evidence of her betrayal. But now, with her sitting in front of me, a fresh wave of anger rolls through me.

  "And you have to humiliate me like this? Instead of going with a no-fault divorce?" She crosses her arms over her belly, clearly not hearing a word I just said.

  Gripping the handles of the chair so hard I'm afraid it might break underneath my fingertips, I take a steadying breath. All I want is for this nightmare to be over. "You're carrying another man's child. Don't talk to me about humiliation."

  "Let's talk settlements," her lawyer pipes up, attempting to defuse the anger that's banging around the room.

  I begin to laugh, almost hysterically. Adriana stares at me, a perplexed expression on her face. I nudge Mark. "Show her. I think the hormones have destroyed what's left of her mind."

  Mark, wearing a grim expression, pushes a copy of our prenup across the table.

  "Shit," Adriana moans.

  "Exactly." I lean back in the chair and fold my hands behind my neck. It's impossible to stop the smile that spreads across my face. I know I’m being a dick, but I’ve never felt more fucked over. This isn’t what I wanted. Adriana used to bring out the very best in me. Not anymore. When I look at her, the woman I vowed to spend the rest of my life with, all I see is red.

  "Let's talk about signing the paperwork. You may want to get remarried before the baby arrives.” My lawyer pushes a pen across the table.

  There’ll be no more excuses. The divorce will go through uncontested.

  Adriana leans in and whispers something to her attorney. It feels like forever, but sure enough, my wife signs the paperwork and with that, becomes my ex-wife.

  Normally strong-willed and sophisticated, Adriana tucks her tail between her legs and leaves the conference room with her lawyer close behind her.

  Swallowing hard, I scrawl my name across the document and push it toward Mark. When I watched Adriana walk down the aisle toward me, nine years ago, I thought we were going to be forever. I gave her all of me. I never dreamed that she would go out on our marriage and ruin everything we’d built. Stupidly, I didn’t see it coming. I was trusting, foolish, and naive.

  “See? I told you this would be over before you knew it," Mark says, gathering the papers and putting them in his briefcase.

  He’s right. Mark is the best divorce attorney in the business. It’s only been three months and he got the job done.

  It is over, but for me it's been over since the genetic testing showed the child might have Tay-Sachs disease. Now, this can happen when both parents are Jewish, the genetic counselor explained. The thing is, I'm not Jewish. When I had looked Adriana in the eye, her face had gone pink and she averted her eyes—her tell. And in that instant, I knew the baby wasn't mine. It was the lowest I've ever felt in my life, because getting her pregnant had been my sole focus for the last three years of our marriage.

  We spent all of our time in fertility testing, in and out of Ob/Gyn offices. There were vacations designed to help relax us so we could conceive. And despite the trying, the timed sex, the calendars, the rushing home at a moment’s notice to fuck her, I hadn't been the one to actually get her pregnant, which left me wondering. Could I be infertile? Despite the test results? With all of our efforts, I never minded any of it. We both wanted a baby. I wanted to be a father. And my ex-wife took that away from me.

  I knew there was no coming back from her betrayal. As soon as the truth was known, she packed her bags and left. We didn’t discuss the possibility of a reconciliation, because in my eyes she’d ruined everything. No amount of couples counseling was going to erase her transgressions or somehow bring us back together. There’s another man’s baby involved. I don’t know if Adriana and the doorman are together or not, and at this point I don’t give a damn. He’s no longer working in my building, and that’s all I care about. Now we’re both free to live our own lives.

  Leaving the courthouse, I should feel lighter, happier, and more secure in the knowledge that I'd saved my company, my home, and my accounts, but I don't. This is not where I saw my life at thirty-five. My head is spinning and my limbs feel heavy.

  Taking the seat in the back of my town car, my phone rings. My brother, Donovan, my partner in crime and best friend. "Hi. It's done."

  To continue reading Garrett and Camille’s story, click here to order your copy of The Trade.

  Acknowledgments

  This little Christmas story came together quicker than any other book I’ve ever written. I usually start plotting my holiday books in August or September. Well, life happened and let’s just say that 2020 threw some curve balls. But, I set a goal to release a Christmas story this year, and here it is. I wanted to write about high school friends that come back together after being roughened up by the world for a while. That’s when Connor and Ellis were born. Their story flowed out of me and I loved writing it. I truly hope you enjoyed it!

  Let me thank my people. My mentors, Nicole and Rebecca—you’ve both helped me so much in my author career. I don’t know where I’d be without your advice and inspiration.
To my editor, Theresa Schultz with Marginalia Editing, you make editing fun! To the lovely Julie Deaton, my proofreader, with Deaton Author Services. I appreciate you for making sure my book is polished and pretty every single time! Lisa, my beta, thank you for always being there to encourage me, support me, and help me see what I don’t in my stories. To my readers who help make my dreams possible, I send you endless thank yous!

  About the Author

  Emma Tharp is the USA Today Bestselling Author of The Bluff Harbor Series, The Next Verse, The Rules of the Game Series and the McLoughlin Brother Series. She was raised in upstate New York. Being an only child, she spent a great deal of time alone, dreaming up characters who would keep her company on long family road trips. Putting her writing on the back burner, she went to college and became a chiropractor. After spending twelve years healing patients, Emma decided—with the help of her amazingly supportive husband—to use the creative side of her brain and let her characters come to the page.

  If she’s not writing, Emma can be found at the gym, one of her kids sporting events, Starbucks, or a live music event.

  A perfect day for Emma would be spent at her lake house with her husband, two ginger-haired children, and Vizsla, reading a book and drinking a large cup of coffee (or wine) with music playing in the background.

  Contact Emma Tharp at:

  www.emmatharp.com

  https://www.facebook.com/emmatharpauthor/

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449300228517693/

  https://twitter.com/EmmaTharpAuthor

  https://www.instagram.com/emmatharpauthor/?hl=en