Santa's Secret
Page 20
“How?”
Aiden smiles and steps closer. “Because I filled in that night. I was Santa. I called you up to sit on my lap so I could get an idea of what to buy you for Christmas and you told Santa… well me, that you wanted me to choose you. Thing is, I chose you the day I pulled you over, and I’m here to ask for your forgiveness. I acted like a fool and I wasn’t thinking properly.”
“No, Aiden, I shouldn’t have done what I did.” I refrain from blurting out that I bought all those presents in case he’s tossed them out or given them away.
“True, but I overreacted, and I’m sorry. Please forgive me, but only after I tell you. Ever since Heather passed away, I’ve struggled to make ends meet. Men have pride when it comes to taking care of their families and when we can’t, well let me just say, it weighs heavily on us. So to walk in and see everything you did for us, I took it hard when I should’ve talked to you first about it.”
“I’m sorry I overstepped. I promise, it won’t happen again.”
“Do you forgive me?” he asks.
“Of course,” I tell him. “Do you forgive me?”
He nods. “I do, Laney.”
“Is it my turn?” Holly asks, jumping up and down.
“Yes, punky. It’s your turn.” Aiden pulls me farther into the living room where I can see the tree clearly.
“What’s her name?”
“Her name is Merry,” Holly says.
“Merry. I love it.”
“Me too, but this isn’t our surprise.”
“It’s not?” I look from her to Aiden. He shrugs even though I know he knows what’s going on.
Holly grabs my hand and makes me stand in a certain spot. She then crawls under the tree and pulls out a box before situating herself on one knee.
“Holly?”
“Delaney, you’re the bestest person I know and I was wondering if you’d be my bestest friend?” Holly holds up a black box. I take it and open it. Tears instantly cloud my vision. Nestled inside the black velvet is a friendship necklace with both our names on it.
“Oh Holly, I would love to be your bestest friend.” I pull her into my arms and whisper into her ear, “I love you, sweet girl.”
“I love you, too.”
When she steps away, I gasp. Aiden is now on his knee with a box in his hand. “What’re you doing?”
“Open it.”
With a shaky hand, I push the lid open to find a beautiful gemstone ring. “Aiden?”
“It’s not much, it’s a start.” He takes the ring and slips it on my finger. “This is my promise to you, Laney, to build a foundation for us to strive together as a couple and family. I promise to always see both sides of the coin, and when I don’t, I’ll ask you for an explanation. Most of all, I promise to be your Fish and Santa when you need me the most.”
My hands cup his cheeks and I finally, after all these years, get to kiss this man knowing I never have to let him go, all while his daughter and my bestest friend cheers us on.
Acknowledgments
What a blast I had writing this story. Living in Vermont, we have the Christmas feels all the time, so it was easy to combine many of the towns into Santa’s Secret, anything from how they look, to their winter festivals, to the one large mall we have in the state. Yes, we only have one large mall. It’s rather sad. Mostly, it was great to talk about my father-in-law's tree farm. Growing and selling Christmas trees has been his passion for as long as I’ve been in the family, and while I don’t work at during the winter, I’ve been there plenty of times to see the inner workings. Mr. Steve, aka my father-in-law, also makes his own maple syrup and maple sugar. It’s all very Vermonty.
Many thanks to Yvette & Briggs for helping me push through this story. I appreciate the guidance, long talks and the threats of coming to town to make me write. One day, I’m going to see if you follow through on those!
Lots of thanks to Ena & Amanda for organizing the cover reveal, Heidi Pharo for encouraging me to write this story, and Kellie Montgomery for dropping everything and editing because I missed so many deadlines. I blame my daughter for getting hurt and needing surgery… not really, but yeah.
Thank you for reading, sharing, talking, buying and the overall support. Not only with Santa’s Secret, but my other work as well.
About the Author
Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup and a Highland West/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL and her brother, Racicot.
When she's isn't writing one of the many stories planned for release, you'll find her sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.
Forever My Girl, is set to release in theaters on January 19, 2018, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe.
Don’t miss more books by Heidi McLaughlin! Sign up for her newsletter, follow her on Amazon, Book Bub or join the fun in her fan group!
Connect with Heidi!
www.heidimclaughlin.com
heidi@heidimclaughlin.com
Also by Heidi McLaughlin
THE BEAUMONT SERIES
Forever My Girl – Beaumont Series #1
My Everything – Beaumont Series #1.5
My Unexpected Forever – Beaumont Series #2
Finding My Forever – Beaumont Series #3
Finding My Way – Beaumont Series #4
12 Days of Forever – Beaumont Series #4.5
My Kind of Forever – Beaumont Series #5
Forever Our Boys - Beaumont Series #5.5
The Beaumont Boxed Set - #1
THE BEAUMONT SERIES: NEXT GENERATION
Holding Onto Forever
THE ARCHER BROTHERS
Here with Me
Choose Me
Save Me
LOST IN YOU SERIES
Lost in You
Lost in Us
THE BOYS OF SUMMER
Third Base
Home Run
Grand Slam
THE REALITY DUET
Blind Reality
Twisted Reality
SOCIETY X
Dark Room
Viewing Room
Play Room
STANDALONE NOVELS
Stripped Bare
Blow
Sexcation
Sneak Peek of It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe
By L.P. Dover
“Be careful with the pictures,” I warned.
My students carefully passed the century-old photos around the room. Some faces were lit with wonderment, while others couldn’t care less—as was the case with most high school students.
I had always been fascinated with history. My grandfather had preserved the pictures as much as he could, by putting them into protective coverings. Each one was a piece of my heritage. Not many people could trace their family back as far as we could. Maybe that was why I had followed in my grandfather’s footsteps and studied history in college.
Natalie, one of my most inquisitive students, held up the before and after picture of my house. Her chocolate-colored hair was pulled high into a ponytail and she had on a black and red Riverview High sweatshirt. “Is this the same place?”
I walked over and smiled. “It is. Over the years, my family upgraded and restored the original Hamilton Manor. My grandparents left it to me in their will. When my grandfather died over the summer, it passed to me.”
She gasped. “That’s amazing. Well, not the part about your grandfather, but that you can actually walk in the same places your ancestors did all those years ago.”
That was one of the things I loved about my house. “I couldn’t agree more. My grandfather used to tell me stories about it when I was growing up. And I always dug around the yard, hoping to find something. Sometimes, I did—mainly old tools. Most of them were put in the history museum.” We’d just wrapped up lessons about the Civil War,
and I’d wanted to show my students what life was like afterward. Unfortunately, a lot of the Hamilton belongings were destroyed during that time.
“Who are these people to you?” Kylie asked, holding up one of the pictures. “On the back, it says Andrew and Mary Adeline Hamilton.”
The photo brought a smile to my face. “I was hoping someone would ask.” She handed me the picture, and I held it up for everyone to see. “My grandfather told me the story of these two, right before he died. Andrew Hamilton was a wealthy steel tycoon who took a fancy to my fifth great-grandmother, Mary Adeline.”
Kylie raised her hand. “Isn’t your name Adeline?”
I laughed. “It is. As you know, my family members are huge history buffs, so I know Mary Adeline was a popular woman in her time. When my grandfather told my mother about her and how much he loved the name, she couldn’t wait to use it when she had a daughter of her own.” I passed it to a group of students who wanted to look at it. “From what I’ve been told, Andrew’s family didn’t approve of Mary Adeline. He was forced to give up his inheritance when he decided to marry her.” Gasps erupted around the room.
“What happened after that?” Kylie asked. “Why didn’t they want them to get married?”
“She didn’t come from wealth, like the Hamiltons. I guess my great-grandfather’s parents thought she only wanted him for the money. According to their marriage records, they stayed together for seventy-eight years, and had five children.”
“You’re not going to catch me giving up my money for a girl,” Liam called out, shaking his head. A couple of the girls threw paper balls at him and he laughed. “What? No woman out there’s going to want a man who’s broke.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Walking to the front of the classroom, I turned to address the class. “Money doesn’t matter, Liam. It can’t buy you love. Speaking of which, did you know that your family, the Blairs, and the Hamiltons have been connected for centuries?”
His eyes widened. “How so? Are you saying we’re related?”
“If we are, it’s distant,” I said. “In my grandfather’s belongings, I found a lot of Blairs in the registries. I’ve tried finding out more, but the Blair family didn’t keep up with their history like we have. Although, I’m pretty sure you’re part of the original Blairs. My best friend is marrying your cousin this weekend and I know he’s one of them.”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “I know. The wedding is all my family is talking about.”
The picture of my great-grandparents was handed back to me and I couldn’t help but stare at it. Their faces had faded over time, but I could still see them as clear as day, even though the picture was over a century old. They were proof that true love existed.
She glanced at the clock. “All right, class is almost over. Please pass the pictures up front.” The class broke into conversation, with some talking to their neighbors about their own family history, and as soon as the pictures were collected, the bell rang. “Have a wonderful winter break, everyone. See you in two weeks.”
They all raced out of the classroom, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I loved teaching, but I loved my breaks as well—needed them, really. And Christmas was my favorite time of the year.
Once my desk was straightened, I packed up my things. Before I could walk out the door, my phone beeped with an incoming text from my best friend.
Jessica: I have a surprise for you tonight.
I knew exactly what she was alluding to.
Me: Please don’t tell me you’re trying to set me up again?
Jessica: He’s cute! You’ll like him. Besides, don’t you want a date for my wedding?
She had a point, but I also didn’t want to look desperate. I was thirty and single. It’s not like I couldn’t get a date on my own. There’d been plenty of men over the years; I’d just never fallen in love with any of them. Releasing a weary sigh, I texted her back.
Me: Fine, I’ll meet him. See you at the party tonight.