“Okay, now what do we need to do?”
She handed him a wooden spoon and pointed to the saucepan. “Stir this as it heats up. Then I’ll pour the milk in and it will be ready soon.”
“You got it.”
Candice pulled the milk out. “Do you want whipped cream on top of yours?”
He grinned. “Is there any other way to make hot chocolate?”
“There is, but that’s the dumb way.” She grabbed the whipped cream while he laughed.
Liam snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her to him. “You know, I’m glad the elevator got stuck on floor fifty-six.”
“Me, too,” she confessed.
He brushed his lips over hers before returning to his stirring duty. After the cocoa was ready and poured into mugs, Candice and Liam returned to the living room to sit on her couch. She snuggled into him. Even though they just met a few hours ago, it felt natural. Like she’d known him so much longer.
He sipped his cocoa. “This is good.”
“Thanks.”
“So, are you going to come over for Christmas? I never got a definite answer from you.”
She smiled at him, even though in her gut something pulled her back. A niggling inside that told her it wasn’t a good idea. She shoved that aside and nodded. “I’d love to.”
“Did you put the milk away?”
She blinked. Had she? “I don’t remember.” She laughed. “You were distracting me. I’ll go check.”
She hopped up and walked into the kitchen. Sure enough, she’d left it sitting on the stovetop. “You’re right. I didn’t put it away,” she called to him.
“Mmm,” he said as he looked at something on her end table.
When she walked back into the living room, she froze. He had a photo frame in his hand. He slowly turned to her. “This is your father?” He turned the photo around. She’d forgotten she had that picture out. It was the last photo of her and her father together.
Her mouth went dry. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Your father is the man who broke my leg?” Liam’s expression was unreadable.
Candice couldn’t breathe. She was going to tell him, but not right now. She was going to find a way to bring it up slowly. So he could get used to the idea. But here he was, staring at her like she’d betrayed him. “Yes.”
Disappointment registered on his face. “And you knew? This whole time? Why didn’t you say something?”
All kinds of things flashed through her mind. She wanted to. She thought about it. She didn’t want to get close to him for this very reason. But none of them came out of her mouth. Instead, she just shook her head.
“Do you know what this man did to me? The pain I went through?”
Candice blinked. This wasn’t happening. This is exactly what she feared. But still, no words would form.
He tossed the photo on the couch and stood. “I have to go.”
She was powerless to stop him. He left her standing in her kitchen, her heart ripping apart.
Chapter 10
Liam didn’t feel like being with family. His leg hurt and he wasn’t in the mood. But it was Christmas Eve, and he’d promised he’d bring the eggnog. Plus, he’d never missed a Christmas Eve with his cousins.
He entered his mother’s house, careful not to show his limp too much or she would ask him what was wrong. He closed the large front door. He always thought his home was a mansion growing up because of the two-story columns out front. In reality, it was just a large home. Of course, it was decorated to the hilt, as she always did this season. Wreaths and garland, white twinkle lights and golden bows. It felt like home, and he tried to push all thoughts of Candice away so he could enjoy the holiday.
She called out to him as he took his coat off. “Liam. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Mother.” He kissed her cheek.
She looked behind him. “Where’s your friend? I thought she was coming.”
Had he mentioned Candice? He’d forgotten. His stomach clenched. “She’s not coming.”
His mother’s eyes widened. “Why not? I thought you liked her.”
“Turns out she was lying to me. But let’s not talk about it. I’d rather focus on eating and having fun.”
Amanda, his cousin closest to his age, came into the entryway. “Liam. You made it.” She looked around. “Where’s your girlfriend?”
A sinking feeling pulled on his gut as he turned to his mother. “You told everyone I was bringing a girlfriend?”
She avoided his gaze. “I’m sorry. I thought she was coming.”
“She’s not.” Liam inwardly groaned. He was going to have to push through these next few minutes before everyone found out he was a loser without a date, and then hopefully everyone would move on.
Amanda looped her arm through his and tugged him toward the kitchen. “It’s okay. I made my famous chocolate chip double fudge cookies.”
“Good. Because I need them right now.” He could stuff about a dozen in his face.
Amanda laughed. They entered the kitchen. His cousin Gregg and his wife Sheila were sitting on bar stools. Amanda’s younger sister Kathleen stopped icing a sugar cookie to give him a hug. A few other cousins milled about.
“Hey,” Kathleen said, “Where’s your girl?”
Gregg looked up. “Liam has a girl?”
“You didn’t hear?” Kathleen grinned. “He got stuck in an elevator with her.”
“What?” Gregg hopped off his stool to shoulder bump Liam. “Tell me about her.”
“There’s nothing to tell. She’s not coming. We’re not dating.” Liam grabbed one of Amanda’s cookies.
“What happened?” Kathleen said. “I thought you were making googly eyes at her.”
Oh, heavens. Would this ever end? Liam shoved the cookie in his mouth. “This is good,” he said around the cookie, hoping to steer the conversation away from Candice.
“Come on. Tell us what happened,” Gregg said. “You couldn’t have screwed this up that badly. Maybe we can help you fix it.”
He shook his head. “No fixing. She lied to me. End of story.”
Amanda squinted at him. “You mean, you told her not to come because she lied? About what?”
Crud. They weren’t going to let this go. He was going to have to tell them the whole story. “She’s Harold Griffin’s daughter.”
The room sat quiet and he looked around for a reaction. “You know who Harold Griffin is, don’t you? The man who ruined my life.”
His mother frowned, placing her hand on her cheek. “Of course, we know who he is. But why would you say such a thing? It was an accident.”
Liam studied her. “I heard you talking in hushed whispers when I was a child. I know the accident was his fault. I know he should have been ticketed. And I know he got away with it.”
His mother’s gaze softened. “Honey. We may have said some things right after the accident happened, but we were worried we’d lose you. We were upset Harold wasn’t charged. But your father was at fault as well. Harold ran a stoplight, but your father was turning on a solid red arrow. Harold wasn’t charged because they both were at fault.
“But do you know what that man did? After he found out you were in the hospital with extensive injuries, he insisted on sending a check. He wanted to help pay the hospital bill because he knew we didn’t have great insurance. He sent us a check every month until…” His mother grew emotional and wiped at her eyes.
Liam stood still, barely breathing. He had not known this. All he’d heard was the outrage his parents had right after the accident. The shouts of injustice. He had harbored anger toward Harold Griffin his whole life because he thought he was a terrible man.
But he was wrong. He had perceived things through the eyes of a child. He had not understood that a car accident can happen within a split second. He was just a little boy who suffered an enormous thing no boy should have to go through.
His mother walked to Liam and put her arms around him
. “Do you still hold Harold responsible for what happened? Because no matter what the past was, you can’t have that pain in your heart. It will do you no good.”
Liam closed his eyes. He did not want to admit he’d carried this weight around with him for years.
“Look around you,” his mother said. “It’s Christmas. We celebrate every year with cookies and presents, but the real gift of Christmas doesn’t come in a package. The real gift of Christmas is the redeeming power of our Savior. That is what Christmas is all about.”
Emotion swelled in Liam. “I know,” he said quietly.
“You have to let your heart heal. Let Him heal you. Forgive Harold for what happened. It’s the only way you’ll have peace.” His mother hugged him.
Liam felt his mother’s words pierce his heart. “Yes,” he said. “I do.” Even as he said the words, he felt a load lighten from him. She spoke the truth.
Amanda wiped a tear from her eye, then put her arm around Liam’s shoulders. “Go talk to that woman. You need to.”
He nodded, understanding flooding in. He’d treated her like it was her fault, and she was not to blame. No one was. He could see it now. “You’re right.”
His mother patted his arm. “Yes. Go talk to her. And don’t come back until you fix things with her.”
Chapter 11
Candice packaged up the last of the sugar cookies and handed the bag to the customer. “Here you go. That’s all we have.”
“Well, I’m glad you had any. The last three stores I tried were sold out of gluten-free.” He pulled out his wallet.
“I hope you enjoy them,” Candice said as she swiped his credit card. The store was closing in five minutes, which was good because they were practically out of everything. She’d sent Debbie home early after the cupcakes sold out. All they had left were a few crème puffs.
“I’m sure we will.” The customer took back his card and turned to leave. “Merry Christmas,” he said over his shoulder as he walked out of the store.
Candice brushed her hands off on her apron and looked at the clock. Three more minutes. Then she could turn off the ‘open’ sign and collapse. She’d been pushing away the memories of yesterday all day today. She couldn’t believe she’d behaved in such a way.
The door dinged and she called out, “We’re out of almost everything.” Then she turned and saw Liam, and all thoughts came to a screeching halt.
“Candice.” He said it softly, like an apology. But she’d held her breath for an apology from Daniel, too, and look how that had turned out.
She stiffened. “Liam.”
He took a step toward her, then hesitated, fiddling with his fingers. “I shouldn’t have left like that yesterday,” he said. He swallowed and worked his jaw. “It was wrong.”
She blinked. “It was to be expected.” How else would he have reacted to finding out who she was?
Liam winced. “No. I shouldn’t have gotten upset. It was a shock to find out who your father was, but that’s all. I should have stayed. I should have talked to you about it.”
A heaviness pressed down on her chest and she struggled to breathe. “It’s okay. I understand.”
“No, you don’t.” Liam walked to her and stopped right in front of her. “I was a child when the accident happened. I looked at it through the eyes of a child. I blamed your father when I shouldn’t have. I never knew your father sent money every month.”
She held back a bitter laugh. “He sent money because he was forced to. Your father sued him and got a judgment.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “No, that’s not what happened. There was no lawsuit.”
Candice almost choked. No lawsuit? She thought back to what her father had told her. Had he ever mentioned a lawsuit, or had she just assumed? “What?” she asked, her voice small.
“No one sued anyone. The accident was no-fault because both cars ran a red light. Your father paid because he knew I had a lot of bills. He knew I was the one who suffered.” Liam swallowed. “He did it out of the goodness of his heart.”
Her father had never told her that. Every time she’d ask, he said he was sending the money ‘because I have to.’ She thought that meant a lawsuit, but it must have meant he felt like he had an obligation. But her father was like that. He had convictions and he stuck with them. She just wished she hadn’t spent her childhood resenting Liam. She never knew the truth. Candice looked at her feet. “I didn’t know any of that.”
“I didn’t, either.” Liam cleared his throat and reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I spent a lot of years hating your father.”
She sucked in a breath. “And I spent a lot of years resenting you.”
“I guess we both need a little Christmas in our lives.”
She squinted at him, confused. “What?”
“Someone reminded me today what Christmas is really about.” He touched the side of her face, and she melted into the palm of his hand. “Do you forgive me, Candice?”
Her heart pounded as the warmth from him flowed over her. “Yes.”
“Will you come spend Christmas with my family?”
She nodded, then wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He readily kissed her back, taking her breath away. After he pulled back, she smiled at him. “I could easily fall in love with you, Liam Russell. And I never thought I’d say those words in a million years.”
He chuckled. “Those words just made my heart happy.”
Epilogue
Candice laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You can’t be serious. He put his underwear in the freezer?”
Liam’s face turned another shade of red. “Do we have to talk about all the embarrassing things I did as a child? It’s Christmas Day. Shouldn’t we be singing carols or something?”
They all sat in Tina’s living room, so many members of the family gathered around she couldn’t name them all. Candice was snuggled up against Liam’s side. She held up her hand. “But wait. I want to know why you put your underwear in the freezer.”
Amanda grinned. “He thought it was too hot outside. So, his solution was to freeze his underwear so he could put it on and have it cool himself down.”
“That is so cute.” Candice patted Liam’s knee. “You were a practical child.”
Tina straightened her back. “It wasn’t so cute when I opened the freezer to get ice and found his underwear instead.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Gregg said. “Was it clean, or did he take off the pair he had been wearing?”
“Oh, I was going commando,” Liam said, and the whole room busted up laughing.
Tina made a face. “I did not need to know that.”
Amanda jumped up. “I think it’s time to open presents!”
Candice squirmed, feeling a bit self-conscious. She had not had much time to get presents for everyone, so she’d wrapped up gift certificates to her bakery. Liam kissed the top of her head, seemingly knowing exactly what she was uncomfortable with. “They’ll love them,” he whispered.
She’d only known him for three days, but Candice knew in her heart he was the man for her. She smiled up at him, emotions swelling in her. “You’re perfect, you know,” she whispered back.
Amanda climbed over the mound of squirming kids trying to get at the presents to hand a gift to Candice. “This is for you from all of us.”
She blinked. “What? I wasn’t expecting anything.”
Amanda just smiled at her and went back to handing out presents. Candice looked up at Liam. “What is this?”
“Just a little something the family thought you’d like.”
It was the size of a shoe box, maybe a bit larger, and when she shook it, she could hear things rattling around inside. “I’m so curious.”
“Well, open it,” Amanda called. The kids were already tearing into their presents.
Liam smiled and nudged her. “Yeah, open it.”
Candice tore the paper off. It was a shoe box. She opened it and saw
the largest, ugliest pair of tan walking shoes she’d ever seen. And then she noticed the paint and brush in the box and grinned. “I get to make some Christmas shoes?”
Tina laughed. “Liam told us you found this silly tradition of ours fascinating.”
Candice nodded. She’d spent the morning playing “find the shoe” with Liam and had a blast. “I think it’s wonderful. And I can’t believe I get to join in the fun!”
“I can’t wait to see what you come up with,” Amanda said. “From the cupcakes you brought, I can tell you’re creative.”
Candice had gotten up early and made her famous Santa Hat cupcakes for the family. She was used to getting up early, and she knew Liam’s mother had celiac, so she probably didn’t get to partake in a lot of the Christmas goodies.
“I haven’t given you my present yet.” Liam held a secret behind his eyes.
“Where is it?”
“It’s not something I can wrap.”
Candice raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Just tell her,” Amanda called out from across the room. The family laughed.
Liam grinned. “All right. For my Christmas present to you, I’m going to send in a review of Cupcake Bliss to the Chicago Tribune.”
Her vision blurred as she blinked back tears. “You are?”
“Yes. I’m also going to post it on Yelp, and everywhere else I can find. Your cupcakes are the best I’ve ever tasted, and they’re gluten-free, which a lot of people need. I want to help your business survive.”
A tear escaped down her cheek, and he brushed it away. “Don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it. My shop needs the publicity so badly. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m happy to do it.”
She gave Liam a kiss, then turned to his family, warm feelings coursing through her. “Thank you all for making me feel welcome. This has been a wonderful Christmas.”
She gazed into Liam’s eyes, and emotion swelled in her again. She felt like she was home. Like this was where she belonged. This truly was a blessed Christmas.
A Christmas Collection: Four Sweet Holiday Romances Page 36
