by Holly Jacobs
Once Upon a
Christmas
Holly Jacobs
Copyright The characters and events in these stories are fictitious.
Any similarities to real people, living or dead, is coincidence and not intended by the author.
Previously Edition:
Ilex Books 2017
Previous Published By: Harlequin (December 9, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0373752423
ISBN-13: 978-0373752423
Copyright Holly Fuhrmann
All Rights Reserved
Reviews:
"Once again Jacobs satisfies with a smooth story about a woman who wears more hats than simply "mother" or "girlfriend." Her characters, especially Michelle, shine with a depth that makes them seem more like neighbors than fictional characters." ~Romantic Times BookClub "Award winning author Holly Jacobs continues her trilogy about three close friends finding love in ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS. Likable characters and an intriguing plot captured me immediately. This sweet romance poses a “what would I do?” question for readers and offers a most satisfactory solution." ~CataRomance
"Once Upon a Christmas I read a very charming story and fell in love with the characters." ~Writers Unlimited
"It took a Thanksgiving pageant to bring about a romance in Once Upon a Thanksgiving. When Michelle, Daniel, and Brandon spend time working on the Christmas fair, they find they treasure the friendship they share. Once Upon a Christmas might bring about the fairy tale ending three people deserve." ~Lesa Holstine
"Once again, Holly Jacobs has written a wonderful heartwarming story with plenty of humor to spare, about families, friends, and romance and the unbreakable bonds between them all." ~© Kelley A. Hartsell
"I enjoy reading about unconditional love especially when children are involved. Holly Jacobs brings genuine warmth and devotion through her characters and makes you want to be invited into their lives and watch them grow together as a family." ~Dina @ Publisher's Weekly Beyond Her Book
For Deanne, who might live on the other side of the country, but is a true and valued friend.
"Even though I like you and trust you with Brandon, the truth is we've only known each other a short time," Michelle said
"I've trusted people in the past, and had them let me down. I know I can't let those times color the rest of my life, but it's hard. The heart's not as resilient as the head thinks it should be."
Daniel wanted to stay mad at her, but he knew if Brandon was his and someone came into his life, he'd be as cautious as Michelle. "You're right. We both want what's best for Brandon. We're both reasonable people. I still maintain liking each other isn't another complication. And even if it is, I can't just stop liking you just because you think it would be more convenient."
"Me either." She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek—just the slightest peck. "You're very easy to like, Daniel McLean, darn it all."
He smiled, leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, as well. "You, too, Michelle Hamilton."
Two platonic kisses.
That's all they'd been.
That's all there should have been.
But it wasn't.
Dear Reader,
Friendship. I've been very lucky to have some deep abiding friendships. Of course, since so many of my friends are other writers who live all over the world, my kids refer to them as my "invisible friends." But whether I see them every week or only see them now and again, I realize what a true gift they are. They make me laugh, support me when I need it and enrich my life in so many ways.
My heroine Michelle Hamilton works in a male-dominated office, and is so busy raising her nephew Brandon, she doesn't have time to form strong friendships or even date. She's content with her life. Yet when she gets "volunteered" to be on the PTA's social planning committee, she doesn't realize she'll be discovering two of the best friends any woman could ask for. And when her nephew begins a search for his biological father, she doesn't have an inkling Daniel McLean might be something so much more than a possible dad for Brandon.
Watching these three people come together and discover they're a family was a real holiday treat for me. No matter what holiday you celebrate, I hope it's one filled with family, friends and lots of love!
Holly
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Prologue
September
Michelle Hamilton practically crawled out of the bathroom and flopped onto the bed.
Normally, in her newly decorated room, snuggling under the duvet that matched the curtains, which coordinated with the half dozen throw pillows, gave her a sense of comfort and accomplishment.
This morning, she barely noticed the loveliness because she was so lost in her misery.
Michelle Hamilton was not often laid low by illness. Any illness. She couldn't remember the last time she was sick, and she hated the feeling of helplessness.
Another wave of nauseousness made her forget railing against her illness—it made her forget practically everything as she simply concentrated on calming her more than queasy stomach.
"Aunt Shell, are you driving me to school?" Brandon called through her closed bedroom door.
Drive?
Her stomach did another somersault. Lying on the bed rather than the bathroom floor was almost too iffy for her fragile digestive tract to manage.
"Could you call Mrs. Ericson and ask if you can have a ride?" She tried to infuse something akin to life into her voice.
Her bedroom door opened slowly and timidly, and Brandon looked in.
In spite of her current illness, Michelle couldn't help but revel in the wonderment that this tall, gangly, rusty-haired boy on the verge of manhood was her nephew.
"You're sick?" he asked, concern in his expression.
She didn't try to answer, just nodded her head, which might have been a mistake. She put a hand on her stomach, as if she could hold the queasiness at bay.
"I could stay home with you," he offered.
She didn't risk shaking her head. Instead, she said, "No. I'm never sick, so I'm sure I'll be over this and feeling human before you get home from school."
Brandon didn't look convinced. "Okay, but I'll leave my cell on vibrate. Call if you need me."
She knew having a cell phone on was against school policy, but he was such a sweetheart, she didn't even argue it. Despite another wave of nauseousness, she smiled. "Thanks, honey, I will."
He'd no sooner shut the door than the phone on her bedside stand rang. Out of a Pavlovish sort of need to respond to a stimulus, she automatically reached over and picked up the receiver.
"Hello." Her voice sounded more like a croak than a proper salutation.
"Gee, Michelle, you sound horrible. I guess you missed the PTA meeting last night because you were sick? I mean, that never even occurred to me, since you're never sick."
"Heidi?" she asked, pretty sure she recognized her friend's voice.
"Yes. Listen, had I known you were sick and not just skipping, I'd have protected you. But. . ." The permanently perky PTA president hesitated. "Well, you know what happens when you miss a meeting, and the committee really needed volunteers, so when your name was suggested, I didn't step in—"
"What committee did they nominate me—" She interrupted herself with a groan. It was more a groan of pain
from the illness than pain from working on a committee. She tried to be as active as possible in the school's activities. Brandon was in seventh grade. After next year, he'd be on to high school. She wanted to savor and remember every moment of his childhood. So, ultimately, it didn't matter what committee she was on. Even if she'd made the meeting, she'd have probably volunteered for it.
"You're on the—" Heidi started.
The waves intensified into a tsunami and Michelle eased herself off the bed.
"Just send me the stuff, Heidi," she said, and simply dropped the phone as she sprinted the last few steps to the master bathroom.
Within seconds she forgot all about Heidi's call.
Chapter One
November
Michelle straightened her skirt as she got out of her very sensible car. She'd bought it because it was safe and fuel efficient. She'd intended to buy a white one, since she'd read white cars didn't show dirt as readily as other colors. But for some reason, when she was talking to the dealer, she hadn't pointed to the white car, but rather to the burnt-orange one. The color made her think of autumn leaves. She unconsciously patted the car as she got out in front of Erie Elementary.
The school was a two-story brick building with a row of oaks lining the path to the building and twin maple trees flanking the entry. The trees had been awash with autumn colors just a few weeks ago, but now only the most tenacious leaves clung to their otherwise barren branches. There was a definite nip in the air, proclaiming snow would be coming soon. And once snow started falling in Erie, Pennsylvania, it didn't stop until March. . .sometimes even April.
By then, the meetings of the PTA's Social Planning Committee would be over. Michelle didn't feel a surge of relief at the thought. She'd miss seeing Samantha Williams and Carly Lewis every other Friday. Together, the three of them were the Social Planning Committee.
Shaking off her sense of foreboding, Michelle walked toward the well-lit entryway. Samantha, in charge of the Thanksgiving Pageant, always commented on how much she enjoyed coming into the dark, quiet school. But Michelle didn't enjoy it. As a matter of fact, she liked the school during the day when it bustled with kids and energy.
Still, she did look forward to these meetings.
Tonight's centered on making sure they had everything ready for the Thanksgiving Pageant, after which they'd assess what needed to be done for next month's Christmas Fair. There were crafts and gifts to attend to, volunteers to organize, games to repair or rebuild and even a Santa to be rented. Michelle was in charge of the Christmas event, but she wasn't anxious. She thrived on creating order from chaos.
However, neither the Thanksgiving Pageant nor the Christmas Fair was what was on her mind as she entered the school. It was Samantha and Carly. For years, she'd known them both in a peripheral way because Erie Elementary was small enough that she was aware of most parents on at least a nod-to basis. But since they'd been thrown onto the Social Planning Committee together, they'd become more than just two fellow PTA parents. . .they'd become friends.
And tonight Michelle really needed friends.
Carly Lewis was already in the meeting room when Michelle walked in. Normally, the petite, black-haired woman's slightly upturned eyes would crinkle as she smiled, but tonight there was no crinkle because there was no smiling welcome.
"You'll never guess what happened this week," they said in unison.
"You want to start?" Michelle asked.
"We'd better wait for Samantha." Carly patted the seat next to her. "She's bringing the snack, and I'm hoping whatever it is contains chocolate. I can guarantee that this is a chocolate sort of night."
"I—" Michelle didn't get any further because Samantha Williams joined them.
"You'll never guess what happened this week." Samantha set a box resembling an egg carton on the table then took off her coat. The mother of four sounded tired as she brushed her brown hair out of her eyes.
"That's what I said earlier," Carly said, sounding depressed.
"Me, too." Michelle eyed the box. Chocolate-covered strawberries from Pulakos, if she wasn't mistaken. She hoped she wasn't mistaken, because she shared Carly's feeling that tonight was a chocolate sort of night. "We waited for you before we started spilling."
"You guys start, then I'll tell you my news." Samantha opened the box and it was indeed chocolate-covered strawberries. She took one and nibbled at the end.
Carly took one, as well. "Michelle first."
"It's Brandon," she blurted out. "He wants to find his father."
He'd come to her last night looking nervous. As he sat down next to her on the couch she'd known immediately that something was wrong.
"Aunt Shell?" he'd said tentatively.
"What is it, honey?"
Her concern had been validated when he didn't teasingly remind her that she was supposed to call him Brandon, not honey, sweetie, or love. "Aunt Shell, I want to know who my father is."
She'd expected to hear about a bad grade in school—and a bad grade in Brandon's eyes was anything less than an A, despite her assurance that an occasional B wasn't going to keep him out of the college of his choice. Brandon was a serious student. A serious boy.
Maybe that was her fault. She'd come into parenting her nephew so unexpectedly. She'd read everything she could, but she'd never encountered a situation like this in any of the how-to books.
"Bran, I don't—" How could she tell him she didn't know? That her sister, Tara, his mother, had had a long line of boyfriends when she lived at home, and after she left—well, she hadn't talked to Michelle about things like boyfriends when she made her infrequent calls. Hell, she hadn't even told Michelle about Brandon until the day Tara had shown up on Michelle's doorstep five years ago with the eight-year-old in tow. She'd refused to talk about Brandon's father, even after she revealed that she was dying. Tara simply said Brandon was hers—and hers alone.
"Bran, honey, I don't know who your father is," she'd said. The look on his face would haunt her for some time.
Michelle shook off the memory. Samantha and Carly were both waiting for her to continue, but Michelle didn't know what to say. How did you admit your own sister had disappeared from your life for almost a decade, only to return when she was too sick to continue to care for her son on her own?
"You don't know where his father is?" Carly asked, a gentleness in her voice that showed off the soft side she rarely displayed.
"I don't know who his father is," Michelle admitted, "much less where he is."
Neither of her friends said anything. Michelle couldn't blame them. What was there to say to a statement like that? Her sister had hurt her in so many ways, but not telling her about Brandon, and not leaving her with answers to help him now, made the rest of the pain seem insignificant. Deciding how to handle his questions about his father was tearing her up.
"That's the problem. What if I help Brandon find the man, and he's. . ." She hesitated. "What if he's not the kind of man you'd want in a young boy's life? I met some of my sister Tara's boyfriends and, believe me, there's a very good possibility that's the case. What if we find him and he hurts Brandon? Not physically. I'd never let that happen. But what if he tells him he doesn't want him? Or what if. . ." Her voice dropped to hardly more than a whisper. "What if he wants full custody? I could lose Brandon."
"Oh, Michelle." Samantha patted her hand.
Michelle studied the two women. She had known she could count on their support. That meant so much. She worked in a male-dominated office. She wasn't sure if it was that women were less likely to major in accounting, or if A&D Financial didn't hire many women, but in any event, she was the only woman in her office. She didn't mind hanging out with the guys, but none of them were friends. And though Heidi was her friend, Heidi's life was perfect and orderly. She was happily married and just seemed to radiate contentment. Michelle didn't think Heidi could really relate to something this. . .well, messy.
Maybe that was part of the bond she had with Samantha
and Carly. They were single moms, dealing with all the messiness of balancing kids and jobs on their own. Michelle might be Brandon's aunt, but she felt a kinship with her PTA mom friends. With Samantha and Carly she could let it all hang out.
"Brandon came to live with me right after I graduated from college. Part of me hoped someone else would claim him. My mom. His father. I was young and I didn't know the first thing about raising a child. But now, he's my life. My sister made a lot of mistakes, and I couldn't do anything to stop her. But Brandon was her greatest achievement and she trusted him to me. How can I live without him? He needs me. And I need him. Maybe that's selfish, but I don't know who I'd be if I wasn't Brandon's aunt."
Carly leaned over and hugged Michelle. Touchy-feely wasn't the norm for Carly, which made the gesture even more treasured.
"No matter what happens," Carly assured her, "you'll always be his aunt. He'll always love you."
"How can I take that risk? How can I help him find someone neither of us knows and take a chance that I'll lose everything to him?"
Samantha nodded. "What did you tell Brandon?"
"I told him we'd wait. When he's eighteen I'll do everything in my power to help him find his father."
"How'd he take that?" Carly asked.
The pain of his reaction was still fresh for Michelle. "He was furious. He's still hardly talking to me. And Bran and I don't fight like that. I don't know how to handle it. . .to handle him."
"He knows you love him and he'll come around," Samantha promised her. "We've had our own hurdles at my house, but the kids know I love them, and that's why they always get over being mad. So will Brandon."
"I hope so." Michelle didn't feel very confident that Brandon was going to just get over this. "I hope our talk was the end of it. I hate having him mad at me, and feeling as if I've somehow let him down."
Carly and Samantha continued comforting Michelle, and she let them. She needed to hear that everything was going to be all right. Even if she wasn't sure she believed it.
