Happily This Christmas--A Novel

by Susan Mallery

  “The current plan is to have Christmas here, then fly to El Bahar for New Year’s.” She drew in a breath. “There’s going to be some kind of national celebration. You know, because of the baby.”

  Wynn laughed. “Poor you.”

  “I’ll be okay. Cade’s not excited.”

  “Who can blame him?” Pallas asked. “My brother is just a regular guy who fell in love with a princess. Now his life will never be the same.”

  “I’m worth it,” Bethany said with a laugh.

  Natalie glanced at Wynn. “Thanks for all your help with the snowman construction.” She turned to the table. “Hunter is making snowmen for me, along with Joylyn.”

  The women exchanged glances.

  “Who’s Joylyn?” Carol asked.

  “Garrick’s daughter,” Wynn and Renee said together.

  “Police officer Garrick?” Carol asked. “Oh, that’s right. He has a grown daughter. Is she nice?”

  Wynn wasn’t prepared to give an answer to that particular question. “She’s having a rough time right now,” she said instead. “She’s eight months pregnant, and her husband’s a Marine and is deployed.”

  “How old is she?” Silver asked.

  “Twenty-one. She was staying with her mom, but Alisha has three teenage boys and that was a lot. Garrick’s house is quieter, which is good, but I wonder if she’s feeling isolated.”

  “She probably doesn’t have any friends here.” Pallas wrinkled her nose. “That would be hard. I mean it’s great for her to be with her dad, but it’s not the same as hanging out with people her own age.”

  “It’s interesting you and Garrick both had kids when you were young,” Bethany said, then turned to Silver. “And you.”

  “Teens will be teens,” Silver pointed out. “Hormones are powerful.”

  So was fear, Wynn thought. She’d been so scared of losing Chas that she would have done anything to keep him with her. And he’d still left her. A pregnant girlfriend was no match for the lure of the next great ride.

  She told herself that had happened a long time ago—that she was a different person and today would make different choices. While she knew all that was true, she still didn’t like what she’d done. It had taken a long time to forgive herself and move on.

  She thought briefly of Garrick. He was trying so hard with his daughter. The more she got to know him, the more she liked him. Their kiss had been amazing and was something she would like to repeat—this time without the potential for interruptions.

  “You should bring her next time,” Bethany said, pulling her daughter onto her lap. “Joylyn. I know we’re not her friends, but she might like hanging out with us. Plus with all the pregnancies we’ve been through, we would be a great resource.”

  Everyone nodded as Bethany spoke.

  “I’ll be sure to mention it to her,” Wynn said. “I think she’d like getting out of her dad’s house.” And some girl time just might help her attitude.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “THIS IS STUPID,” Joylyn grumbled as she slid out of Garrick’s SUV. “I don’t like board games, I can’t drink and the whole idea is dumb.”

  “Monday nights at The Boardroom are a Happily Inc tradition,” he told his daughter. “You’ll have fun.”

  She glared at him. “You can’t know that.”

  “I can guess. Come on. Anything would be better than sitting home, alone in your room.”

  “I hate what you want to watch on TV.”

  “I’ve been asking you to pick the shows or movies, and you still want to stay in your room. Come on, Joylyn. Give game night a try.”

  She sighed heavily, then nodded, following him inside.

  He’d been inspired to invite his daughter to The Boardroom after hearing a couple of guys talk about it at work. He went every couple of weeks, when he thought about it. It was always a good time, but was more fun with someone. His first instinct had been to invite Wynn. He liked her, he’d liked kissing her and he wanted to spend more time with her. But even as he reached for his phone to call and invite her, he’d realized that taking Joylyn was probably a better idea.

  While his daughter was slightly less sullen than she had been when she first showed up, she still wasn’t anything close to friendly. He was willing to make accommodations, but he wasn’t going to beg for her smiles or good humor. He’d taken Wynn’s advice and had assigned chores—something he’d assumed would lead to a fight. Instead, she’d agreed with only minor grumbling. Maybe a night out together could move them a little closer to being friends.

  He held open the door for her, then followed her inside. As per usual, the place was crowded. The Boardroom always pulled in a lot of locals, but Monday night was a favorite and the tournaments were popular.

  Customers were three deep at the bar and most of the tables were full. As he looked around for empty seats, several people called out greetings. His friend Jasper walked by with two beers in his hands.

  “Hey, Garrick. You’re welcome to sit with us, if you’d like.” He smiled at Joylyn. “I’m Jasper.”

  “Joylyn. I’m, ah, Garrick’s daughter.”

  Jasper smiled at her. “I figured. You’re too pretty and smart to go out with an old guy like your dad.” He tilted his head. “Come on. We’re this way.”

  They reached the table. Renee was already there, casually dressed in jeans and a green shirt. She smiled at Joylyn.

  “Hi,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Renee. Wynn mentioned you were in town for a few weeks. It’s so great to meet you. Natalie is so grateful for all the snowmen you’re making. Without you, she would be in deep trouble.”

  “You know about that?” Joylyn asked, sitting across from Renee.

  “I’m a wedding planner, so I’m the one handling the wedding.” She passed over a drink menu. “Everything with an asterisk can be made without alcohol. They do a very nice virgin piña colada. It’s not too sweet. About a billion calories, but worth it.”

  Joylyn looked surprised by the information. “Thank you. Most people don’t know about virgin cocktails.”

  “I have a lot of pregnant friends, or friends who recently had babies. Our little town is in a breeding frenzy right now.”

  Joylyn glanced at Renee’s midsection. Renee held up her beer. “Not me. Not yet.”

  Jasper put his arm around her. “We’re thinking in a few more months we’ll get serious about getting pregnant.” He kissed the top of her head.

  They shared a look that even Garrick understood spoke of love and intimacy and connection.

  Joylyn turned away. “It’s good to wait. Chandler and I didn’t want to get pregnant so soon, but it happened and now we’re having to deal.”

  Garrick hadn’t known that and felt the pain of her regret. He wanted to reach out and offer comfort, but had a feeling he would be rebuffed.

  A server walked by and took their drink orders. Joylyn chose the virgin piña colada. He got a beer.

  Joylyn glanced at Jasper. “What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a writer.”

  Joylyn looked confused. “Books?”

  “Thrillers.”

  “He’s a bestselling author,” Garrick added. “Very famous, but we like him anyway.”

  “Oh. I don’t, um, read much.”

  Renee shivered. “Don’t apologize. I can’t read his books at all. They’re too terrifying. Serial killers and dismemberment.”

  “I don’t always dismember people,” Jasper said with a smile.

  “No. Sometimes you shoot them or set them on fire. Your mind can be a dark place.”

  “How do you come up with ideas like that?” Joylyn asked.

  Jasper shrugged. “I wrote a detective series for several years. Those ideas grew out of what my hero did for a living. Now I’m writing about a former soldier turn
ed investigator. He has a different perspective.”

  “Were you in the military?”

  “I was, for nearly ten years. Military police. When I got out, I was really messed up. I started writing as a way to clear my head, and it turned into a career.”

  “So you use your military experience to help you write your books?”

  “Some. I do a lot of research.”

  “Especially when it comes to fight scenes and weapons,” Renee added. “I’m forever coming home to the sound of grunting and throwing.”

  “I like the fighting sticks,” Garrick added, then flexed his hand. “When you mess up with those, you know it.”

  Joylyn spun to stare at him. “You use fighting sticks?”

  “Not in real life. We practice with them.”

  “I have a few friends who help me out,” Jasper added. “They spar with me so I can get fighting scenes right. Your dad is my resource if I need information on how the police would do something. I know a few private investigators I can call on.” He chuckled. “Sometimes it really does take a village.”

  “How did you two meet?” Joylyn asked.

  Jasper raised his eyebrows. “I picked her up right here in this bar.”

  “You did not,” Renee protested. “I picked you up.”

  “You wanted to, but you were scared.”

  Joylyn stared at them. “You really met here?”

  “We’d known each other for a while, but yup, this is where the magic started.”

  “Being picked up in a bar does not sound romantic,” Renee said with a sigh. “We need a better story.”

  “Who cares how it started? Look at what we have now. We’ve got the happy love. What else matters?”

  She laughed. “You’re right. The happy love is the best.”

  Garrick saw longing in his daughter’s eyes and knew she was missing her husband. He was doing a little missing of his own, he thought regretfully, wishing Wynn was with him. Not that he wasn’t having a better than expected time with Joylyn, but it wasn’t anywhere near the same. With Wynn everything was easy. Plus he enjoyed looking at her. She was sexy and gorgeous and a great kisser. Yes, having her around was always a good time.

  “When is the snowman wedding?” Joylyn asked.

  “December 12,” Renee told her. “It’s our second to the last wedding of the year. I’m practically giddy. We never get the holidays off, but this year Pallas, my business partner, and I were determined to have some time at home over Christmas. So we blocked out the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Then the wedding on the eighteenth got canceled, and suddenly we have a huge block of free time.”

  She grinned at her husband. “We’re thinking of going somewhere tropical.”

  “You’d look good somewhere tropical.”

  Renee lightly kissed him, then turned back to Joylyn. “When are you due?”

  “Christmas Day.”

  Renee’s expression turned sympathetic. “Mixed feelings about that?”

  “A lot. Chandler’s due home on the eighteenth, so he should be here. He says he doesn’t care when our son is born, as long as he’s healthy.”

  “A good attitude.”

  Joylyn smiled. “He’s a good guy.”

  The last of Garrick’s tension about the evening faded. Bringing Joylyn had been the right move. She was able to get out of her head and have a little fun.

  “First babies are usually late,” Joylyn continued. “So I’m hoping for after the first of the year. Not that I have any control over when it happens.”

  “No, but if your little one waits, you can enjoy the holidays.”

  “Including the tree,” Garrick said. “We always get a fresh one. Can’t beat the smell.”

  Joylyn glanced at him. “Do you still have all the old ornaments? The ones we hung together?”

  “Sure. They’re stored in the garage, in the waterproof bins, just like always.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d keep them.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? We always put up a tree together with all our special ornaments.”

  He hadn’t for several years now. Not since she’d started refusing to see him. But this season was going to be different, he told himself. He would figure out what was wrong and make sure they reconnected.

  The server brought their drinks along with a board game. Garrick glanced at the color cover and held in a groan. Chutes and Ladders? He braced himself for his daughter’s displeasure.

  But Joylyn surprised him by taking the game and laughing. “This is great. I used to play this with my brothers.” She looked at Renee and Jasper. “I have three younger half-brothers. My mom wouldn’t allow any of us to be on our computers or phones on Christmas or Thanksgiving, so we had to play board games.”

  Jasper winked at her. “Brace yourself, kid. Sometimes the rules here aren’t what you expect.”

  Joylyn turned to Garrick. “What does that mean?”

  The bartender picked up a microphone. “Welcome to tonight’s tournament. Traditional rules apply, unless the spinner lands on three or four. In that case, you lose your turn.”

  Joylyn’s eyes widened. “But that’s so arbitrary.”

  “Welcome to my world,” Garrick said, opening the box.

  Beside him, his daughter started to laugh.

  * * *

  TUESDAY NIGHT AFTER DINNER, Wynn found herself feeling oddly restless. She knew the cause—her handsome next door neighbor. Since they’d shared that kiss, she’d thought about him a lot. If it was just the kiss, she would be okay with having him on her mind, but there were complications.

  She liked him. The more she spent time with him, the more he appealed to her. Garrick was a strong, steady guy. He got involved, he cared. Even when Joylyn was throwing up roadblocks right and left, he was still trying to get close to her. He hadn’t given up—not giving up was important to Wynn. The fact that she liked how he looked was also interesting, but not as important as the rest of it.

  The second time she found herself standing at her front window, gazing wistfully at his house, she mentally slapped herself upside the head and told herself to grow a pair. If she wanted to see him, then she should make it happen. She was capable of doing the asking.

  Before she could question herself into indecision, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.

  Want to stop by for a quick decaf?

  The answer came in seconds. Be right there.

  Wynn stared at the words, telling herself not to get all fluttery. It was coffee, nothing more. But she couldn’t help the quiver of anticipation that took up residence in her stomach. And when her doorbell rang less than a minute later, she found herself wanting to giggle like some teenager, which was so embarrassing, but also fun.

  She pulled open the door. “Hi.”

  He smiled at her. “Hi, yourself.” He leaned in and brushed his mouth against hers before holding out a bottle of cognac. “In case you’d rather skip the decaf.”

  “Interesting idea.” She stepped back to let him in, trying to quiet the tingles inside. “I’ll get glasses and join you in the living room. Hunter has the family room.”

  “Game night?”

  “His favorite. But I won’t complain. His grades are good, and he’s keeping his sassing to a minimum.”

  “Hunter doesn’t strike me as a kid who sasses you much.”

  “I know. I’m lucky.”

  She collected two glasses and joined him. Garrick had turned on a couple of lamps in the corner of the room but not the ones on the end table, giving the space a more intimate feel. She set down the glasses and hesitated only a second as she tried to figure out where to sit on the sofa. Not next to him—that would be weird. But not at the far end, either.

  She settled about a cushion away, angling toward him as h
e poured cognac into each of their glasses.

  “How’s it going with Joylyn?” she asked, touching her glass to his.

  “Better.” He took a sip. “Maybe. I hope. I took her to The Boardroom last night, and she had a good time.”

  “What was the game?”

  “Chutes and Ladders. She laughed a lot. We sat with Jasper and Renee. They were both friendly, which helped. I think Joylyn forgot to be mad at me for at least a couple of hours. It was nice to have our relationship back.”

  “Have you thought about asking her what happened to change things in the first place?”

  “Yes.”

  She looked at him. “And?”

  “I’ve asked but she won’t give me a straight answer.”

  “Did you do anything horrible to her?”

  “What?” He blinked in surprise. “No. Of course not. I would never hurt her.”

  “Exactly. So ask her why things are different. Maybe there’s no reason, but what if there is? Maybe it can be fixed and you can be close again.”

  He looked doubtful. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, but I get your point.” He cradled his glass. “I’ve been trying to remember the exact sequence of events. It was six or seven years ago, right around the time Sandy and I separated and then divorced.”

  He glanced at her. “I’d been starting my undercover work, so I was gone for days at a time. Sandy wasn’t a fan. She’d been okay when I’d talked about joining the unit, but when she found out what was entailed, she was pissed.”

  “Didn’t she know that would happen?”

  “Sure, but I think knowing and living were different. She wanted me to quit and go back to regular police work. I wanted to stay the year I’d committed to. She said she wasn’t going to have kids with me until I was done playing at being a bad guy.” He grimaced. “Those were her exact words.”

  Without thinking, she reached out and took his hand. “That had to be tough for you.”

  “It was.” He squeezed her fingers before releasing her. “Plus I couldn’t help thinking her complaints were all an excuse to end things. I started to wonder if she’d been looking for an out and my work gave her one.”