A Very Crimson Christmas (Crimson, Colorado 4) (16 page)

Ruth nodded. “We watched him glancing out to the audience during the play, looking for them. He acted as if he didn’t care, but it hurt him badly. After that he started getting into trouble. They couldn’t ignore the regular summons to the principal’s office. I think it was the only way he knew to get their attention.”

Austin ran into the room at that moment. “Mom, I need to get to the school. I don’t want to be late.”

Natalie reached out and pulled her son into a tight hug. “We’ll leave in a few minutes. I love you, buddy.”

“You, too, Mom.”

They got ready and drove to the school. The parking lot was almost full. It was a beautiful night, crisp and clear. Natalie dropped off Austin with his class, then walked with Ruth to the auditorium. There was so much excitement in the air, she could literally feel the love from the families, the holiday spirit. Again, her thoughts strayed to Liam, to a young boy looking for his parents and not finding them.

Her friends already had seats near the stage. Olivia and Logan sat with Millie and Jake and Jake’s young daughter, Brooke.

“Is Austin going to sing loud?” Brooke asked as Natalie and Ruth joined them. “Can I clap for him?”

“Of course you can,” Natalie answered, her heart swelling. This was what it meant to be loved, to grow up surrounded by people who helped you know you mattered. Everyone should know this feeling, and she realized she’d been keeping the people in her life at arm’s length because of her own fear. She no longer wanted to be alone. She was ready to sail away from the emotional island she’d marooned herself on for so many years.

“Nat, it’s about to start.” Olivia tugged on her sleeve. “Are you going to sit down?”

She dropped into the chair next to her friend as the lights went down in the auditorium. “I have a favor to ask you,” she whispered to Olivia. “Can you help me with something? I’ll explain it after the pageant.”

“Whatever you need,” Olivia answered, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

The curtain opened, the elementary school band played and the kids started the first stanza of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Austin met her gaze, gave a little wave as he sang. Natalie’s heart sang along with him.

This, she thought, is going to be the best Christmas ever for all of them. She would make sure of that.

Chapter Eighteen

L
iam buttoned up his overcoat as he walked out onto the sidewalk into the biting Chicago cold. A damp wind whipped off the lake, seeping into his bones and the gray sky made him miss the bright Colorado sun even more. Two weeks in the mountains and suddenly he felt like a stranger to the oppressive midwestern winter.

Not suddenly. He’d been a stranger in his own life for far too many years, but it was the connections—the friendships—he’d made in Colorado that forced him to realize it. That part of his life was over for good, and it wouldn’t help him to dwell on it now.

Instead he took the few steps to the car waiting for him at the curb without looking around. Despite the cold, downtown was busy on Christmas Eve, with both last-minute shoppers and people coming to the city with family and friends to celebrate the holiday. Liam didn’t need any more reminders that he’d be spending this Christmas alone.

He climbed into the back of the black sedan that Tanner had arranged to pick him up after his meeting with the LifeMap investors. But he wasn’t alone in the backseat as the car pulled away from the curb.

“Merry Christmas, Liam.”

“Dad.” Liam pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He knocked on the window between the front and back seats to get the driver’s attention. “Can you turn off the music?” The car was silent a moment later.

“You have something against Bing Crosby?” his father asked.

“What do you want, Dad?” He kept his eyes trained to the window, watching the crowded sidewalks as the car made its way through the city. “I thought you’d be halfway to Fiji by this time.”

“Bora Bora this year,” his father clarified. “And I should be. We’re flying out later this afternoon. Jena isn’t happy, she had to reschedule our couple’s massage.”

Liam slanted his father a look at that statement. Michael held up his hands. “What can I tell you? It keeps her happy. Have you spoken to your mother?”

“No, and I don’t expect to. Where is she this year? Ibiza?”

Michael made a dismissive grunt. “With that Eurotrash boyfriend of hers. She’ll call at some point. The time change distracts her.”

“You don’t have to make excuses,” Liam said between clenched teeth. “And I know you didn’t hijack my car just to wish me a merry Christmas.”

“I’d like to give you another chance to bring LifeMap to Donovan Enterprises. I want you to come back, Liam.”

“Not going to—”

“Before you embarrass yourself.”

“Excuse me?” Liam turned to look at his father, into eyes so much like his own. His dad’s gaze showed no emotion, never had.

“You can’t think this venture is going to be a success.”

“Actually, I do.”

“Not if you handle everything on your own. You need the company’s backing for something this big. The fact that you were actually entertaining Colorado as a viable option for the headquarters proves that. You’ve always had some kind of unhealthy attachment to Ruth Keller.”

“Maybe because she cares about me.”

His father waved away that argument like a pesky fly. “Don’t forget she was my nanny, too. It was a mistake hiring her to help with you and letting you move out there in high school. You both seemed to forget she was an employee, not family. It’s past time to cut the apron strings.”

“The strings I’m cutting are with Donovan Enterprises. I left the company for good.”

“The only reason investors are backing you is because of your association with Donovan.”

“The company I headed for the last five years while you were busy with your couple’s massages,” Liam couldn’t help but remind his father. He hated that his dad still had the power to pull him into these petty squabbles.

“You had a great team around you. A team I put there.”

This was when Liam should begin to doubt himself and if he could ever live up to or live down his father’s expectations. But he’d worked too hard to build LifeMap. He believed in the idea behind the brand and knew he was going to make it a success. “Would it be so beyond reason to think you’d be proud of me?”

Michael pointed a finger at Liam. “I knew it. This is just like when you were a kid, always having to rebel in some way. Is this some pathetic holdover cry for attention?”

Liam’s mouth dropped open at the blatant cruelty of those words. He waited for the pain to slice through him, the sting of judgment and rejection. But nothing came. He felt nothing, which scared him almost as badly.

This wasn’t the man he wanted to be, all investor lunches and new ventures. He knew that didn’t bring happiness, his father was a living example of that. For a moment, he was tempted to simply walk away. Forget about LifeMap and move on to whatever was next. It would be easier than staying to fight, to face his father and his own fears.

He was sick of running. No matter how far and fast he went nothing he found ever filled the hollow place inside him. Nothing had until he’d returned to Crimson. To Natalie.

He tapped on the window again and signaled the driver to pull over. “I’m through, Dad. LifeMap is mine. My life is mine, what I make of it.”

Michael grabbed his arm as Liam opened the door to the car. “Liam, wait. I’m sorry.”

Liam didn’t close the door again but looked over his shoulder at his father.

“I am proud of you and I want you back at Donovan Enterprises because you’re good at what you do. The best, in fact. We need you and LifeMap. I need you.”

While the words should have been a balm to his ego, he couldn’t muster an emotional response. His father needed him because of what Liam could do for his company. The woman he’d left behind in Colorado needed him—wanted him—because of who he was on the inside. She wanted his heart, and as scared as it made him, Liam was finally ready to give it to her. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

“I’m not coming back.” He shook off his father’s grasp. “I’m moving forward with my life, and you aren’t a part of it.” He stepped out of the car, then ducked his head back in. “Enjoy that couple’s massage,” he said and slammed shut the door.

He walked the few blocks to his apartment building on his cell phone, no longer feeling the cold. There were too many plans to make, plans that warmed him from the inside out.

Dashing into the lobby, he waved to the doorman.

“Mr. Donovan there’s a—”

“No time,” Liam called over his shoulder, ducking into the elevator before the doors closed. “Merry Christmas.”

His toe tapped impatiently on the marble as the elevator rose to the top floor. He glanced at his watch and typed a quick text to Tanner. He had less than an hour to get packed and to the airport. He wasn’t going to miss this chance.

He started toward his bedroom, then stopped and sniffed the air. Lavender. The air was scented with the delicate fragrance that had haunted his dreams for the past several nights. Pivoting on his heel, he turned toward the wall of windows that overlooked Lake Michigan from his living room.

His heart thundered in his chest at the sight before him. Natalie lay asleep on his couch, her blue parka bright against the sofa’s deep leather.

* * *

Natalie jerked awake from a dream, the same one she’d been having since Liam left Crimson. She was searching for him, running through the woods, calling his name. But every time she got close a wall would appear in front of her, so tall and wide she couldn’t see around or over, couldn’t figure out a way to pass. That was usually when she woke up, shaking and shivering and alone in bed. But today there was a rumbling in her dream and as if it had been struck by lightning, the wall crumbled. Through the dust and debris she saw Liam standing on the other side. As she moved toward him, her eyes popped open.

For a moment she closed them again, wanting to return to the dream, to discover how this new twist might change the ending. Then she blinked, glanced around and remembered where she was.

Liam, flesh and blood Liam, who was so much better than dream Liam, stood right in front of her.

“Hey,” she whispered.

He continued to stare.

“I hope you’re not mad. Tanner called the doorman to let me in. I flew in on the red-eye this morning, but you were in a meeting so I thought I’d wait here.”

Still no response.

Not exactly how she’d planned this to go.

“If you’re busy,” she mumbled, feeling like the fool she was, “I can leave.”

“I have a plane to catch. Chartered.”

“Oh.” The one word came out on a puff of air, all that was left in her lungs. Her throat closed up, and she couldn’t breathe. Wondered if she’d ever take a full breath again. Somehow she managed to scramble to her feet, her eyes on the ground.

Before she could take a step, Liam had moved forward, crowding her. Smelling like the cold and the city and himself. Stupidly, she wanted to press her nose to his throat.

“You flew to Chicago,” he whispered. “You got on an airplane on Christmas Eve.”

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she tried to smile. Tried to make her voice light. “It’s a surprisingly good time to fly. The airport was empty at midnight.” She zipped up her coat with shaking fingers. “I needed the practice, anyway, if I’m going to take Austin to the beach for spring break. Takeoff and landing were the worst.” She forced a laugh. “I’m pretty sure I only screamed once. Or twice. Well, merry Christmas, then. I’ll get out of your way.”

“Natalie.” His finger touched her chin, tipped it up even as she resisted.

“Don’t worry about it, Liam. I knew it was a long shot, but—”

“I’m flying to Colorado. Back to you.” He wiped away the tear that fell from the corner of her eye. “I thought you had a rule about crying.”

“That was a stupid rule,” she said with a sniff. “And in the past week I’ve just about caught up for all those years of not crying. Turns out a lot of things in my life didn’t make sense.” She bit down on her lip. “At least without you they didn’t.”

“I love you, Natalie.”

She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, her lungs returning to life with a vengeance. “If I’m going to be a crier, I need to learn to cry pretty. Enough with the ugly tears.”

“Sweetheart, you are beautiful to me no matter what.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her against him, his own breath uneven.

She held on tight, promising herself she would never let go of this man. “I love you right back, Liam Donovan. So much. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, didn’t beg you to stay.”

“I should have never left,” he whispered against her neck, trailing soft kissing up and along her jaw. “I will never leave you again, Natalie. No more running. Anything that happens, we face it together. I should have been the man you could trust with anything. I’ll work the rest of my life to be that for you.”

“Come home, Liam.” She drew back, took his face in her hands. “You don’t belong in Chicago or Vermont. Crimson is your home.”

“You are my home, Nat.” The emotion in his eyes melted her. “Wherever you are is where I need to be.”

She pressed her mouth to his, knowing she would love this man for the rest of her life—and finally understanding that home wasn’t a cage, it was the place that set you free.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

N
atalie’s head broke through the water to the sound of Austin whooping with delight.

“How do you do such a good handstand in the water, Mom? Your legs are totally straight.” He bobbed up and down in the deep green ocean water of the Caribbean.

She laughed as she slicked the hair back from her face. “I convinced your grandma to let me take gymnastics when I was a kid. It was my favorite thing.”

A group of kids called to Austin from a short way down the beach. He glanced at Natalie. “Those are the boys I met yesterday. They’re on spring break from Indiana. Can I go help them with the sand castle?”

“Of course. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

Austin swam toward the beach and then, as the water got shallow, ran toward his new friends. Natalie followed him out of the water more slowly, adjusting her new bathing suit as she went. It was modest for a bikini, but showed a lot more skin than her old suit. But any feelings of self-consciousness she had disappeared as her gaze caught on Liam watching her from the lounge chair near the water’s edge. He’d lifted his aviator sunglasses to the top of his head, his eyes held an intense mix of love and desire.

“Did I hear you say you were a gymnast?” He stood as she got closer, and her body gave its usual tingly reaction to him. His board shorts rode low on his hips and, after four days at the beach, his skin was golden. It gave her an extra thrill to know all that perfection was hers.

He wrapped a thick white towel around her, bending to nip her shoulder as he did.

“Two years at the old community center in Crimson,” she said with a smile. “Want me to show you more of my moves?”

He whirled her around so quickly she squeaked. The kiss he gave her was gentle since they weren’t alone on the beach, but it held the promise of so much more. “I want to see all your moves, Nat.”

“Thank you for taking us on this vacation,” she whispered against his mouth. “Saint Thomas is more beautiful than I could have imagined.” She glanced toward her son, bent over the sand castle with his new friends. It was perfect on the island, the sun shining and blue skies overhead. A warm breeze blew off the ocean waves. It was hard not to feel content in a place like this. “I don’t think Austin will ever want to leave.”

“It’s been fun.” With one finger, he traced a droplet of water down the side of her face. “You’ve been fun.”

Her smile widened. “I’m fun,” she murmured. “Who knew?”

“I did.”

Natalie kissed him again, then sank onto the lounge chair, positioning herself so she could keep an eye on Austin. She held Liam’s hand, tugging him down to sit next to her. It was companionable, holding hands with him, their toes together in the sand. She continued to feel that storm of attraction for him, but it was these little moments that meant the most to her. She glanced at the ring on her finger, the perfect round diamond sparkling in the sunlight. Liam had proposed on New Year’s Eve, telling her that this year was a new start for both of them. Joy was like a companion now, always with her when she’d felt alone for so long.

“What are you thinking about?” Liam asked.

She rested her head on his shoulder. “How happy I am. I never imagined...”

She swallowed as her voice caught on the swirl of emotions inside her. She swiped her fingers under her eyes. “Good tears,” she said when Liam pulled her closer. “I cry at everything now. Commercials, songs on the radio. It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s sweet,” he countered.

“I never imagined,” she began again, clearing her throat, “this kind of happiness was possible for me.”

“Love will do that for you.”

“You do that for me.” It was true. Since Liam had returned with her to Crimson, Natalie had found the strength she needed to make real changes in her life. She would have managed it somehow on her own, but it was so much better with Liam’s love and support. There were still hurdles. She had a date in three weeks for the final custody hearing, and although Brad wasn’t fighting her anymore she’d feel better when her petition for sole custody was approved. Her relationship with her mother was still strained, and Trudy hadn’t accepted Liam yet, but they’d all met for coffee last week at the bakery and it had been almost civil.
Baby steps
, she reminded herself.

“How are you feeling about the meeting with your dad?” They were flying through Atlanta tomorrow on the way back to Colorado, with an extended layover to have dinner with Natalie’s father.

She met Liam’s gentle gaze, no longer needing to hide her feelings. “Nervous but hopeful. The emails we’ve sent and the phone calls have been good. I’m grateful for the chance to get to know him finally.” It had been difficult for her to get the nerve to contact the man after so many years of feeling rejected, but her father had been both apologetic and anxious to know her more. “I’m glad it wasn’t too late.”

“It’s never too late to have the life you want, to be the person you’re supposed to be” Liam whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You taught me that, Nat. I love you for that and so many other reasons.”

She sighed. “I love you, too, Liam.” Her voice broke and she waved her fingers in front of her face. “Oh, no, here come the tears again.”

“Tears of joy or sorrow,” he told her. “I’ll take them all as long as they’re yours. As long as you are mine.”

“I’m yours forever, Liam. Forever and always.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
A HUSBAND FOR THE HOLIDAYS
by Ami Weaver.