Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses: A feel good Christmas romance novel (26 page)

I
t was late
. Abbey had taken her shoes off because the heels were starting to pinch her feet, and most of the guests had left already. The party had been amazing. There were so many people, but Nick had given almost all his attention to Abbey. Max and Thomas had gotten tired around eight, and Robin and Abbey had left the party long enough to tuck them into bed. Richard had helped Caroline get to her room when she’d decided to turn in for the night. Now, the quartet was packing up, but Abbey and Nick were still dancing, neither one of them letting go.

“I’m dying for more music!” Susan said, her arm slung around Carl, a glass of wine swinging from her fingers. “Nicholas, play us something on the piano.”

Abbey stood up on her toes to reach Nick’s ear. He’d straightened up to address his mother over Abbey’s head, so she really had to stretch to reach him. “Play your music,” she whispered.

He shook his head subtly.

“It’s the perfect time to show them. Everyone’s here.”

He looked down at her, that very rare vulnerability on his face.

“Do it,” she whispered with an encouraging nod.

“Play us something, Nick,” Robin said.

He cleared his throat and took in a slightly nervous sounding breath. “I have to get the music from my office,” he said.

“Come with me.” Abbey took his hand. “We’ll be right back,” she told everyone. Then, she led him to the stairs. “Wait right here.” She ran up to her room and tiptoed inside past Max who was sleeping. In the dark, she opened the closet door and slid her hand along the top shelf until her fingers hit the gift. On her toes, she stretched up to get it. Then, she ran across the room and let herself out. Nick was standing at the bottom of the steps. He looked so gorgeous in his tuxedo.

“What is that?” he said quietly as she came down the stairs.

“It’s your Christmas gift.” When she reached the bottom, she handed it to him.

He turned the box around in his hands to view the handmade paper. Then, he slipped the holly out from under the bow and untied the ribbon. Together, they sat down on the steps as he slid his finger under the paper to loosen it. The thick paper popped open and he set it aside, his eyes on the music book.

“I had it engraved,” she pointed out.

“
Make your dreams and then follow them
,” Nick read aloud and then opened the book and realized that she’d taken some of his music and filled it, the song “Dreams” on top.

“Thank you,” he said, and he kissed her softly.

“You’re welcome. You’ve made your ‘Dreams’,” she said, pointing to the song. “Now you just have to follow them.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. It seems ridiculous until I’m with you and then, for some reason, it all seems like it could work.”

“I know the feeling,” she said with a tiny laugh. “Let’s start small, shall we? Baby steps. Play for your family.”

She took his hand and they walked down to the ballroom. This was a big step for him. With his music, he was showing his emotional side, the soft underbelly of that hard businessman, and he’d probably never shown that to his family before.

Nick walked in and sat down at the piano. His family joined Abbey around it, Susan clapping in excitement. He opened the book and set it on the stand. She could see the nervousness in his fingers. It was very slight, but she knew him well enough to know it was there.

“This is…” he looked up at his family, his eyes moving from one to another as he hesitated. And then, as if he’d made a decision, he said. “This is an original piece I wrote. It’s a lullaby.”

Abbey looked around at the faces of his family. Susan and Robin were perfectly still, their eyes on his fingers, eagerly awaiting this mysterious song that they’d known existed but had never heard.

He began to play, those familiar notes swirling their way up into the air, and, this time, Abbey didn’t think about Max. She thought about what it was like to hold a brand new infant child, to feel the softness of its skin against her, the pink of its lips, the curl of its fingers around hers, the way it would look nestled in little Max’s lap, and suddenly, the absence of those experiences nearly overwhelmed her. Each note brought her to the reality that her dreams of a big family, years of bedtime stories, a loving husband who helped her tuck her children in at night—it was still a dream. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly, but as soon as she did, that glorious music hit her again and again, its sound so soothing and yet heart-wrenching that she could hardly breathe. She looked up to see if anyone had noticed, and to her surprise, Susan and Robin were both crying too. Even James’s and Carl’s eyes were glassy.

Nick had been looking at the music the entire time, and when he finished, he looked up. Susan had her hand on her chest, her eyes full of tears. “Nicholas,” she said, her voice breaking, “you have been holding on to this amazing talent and no one has been allowed to enjoy it. I am in awe of your ability, and as your mother, I am filled with pride. This is one of the best pieces I’ve heard. It moved me to tears—it moved us all to tears. Why aren’t you doing something with it?”

Abbey protectively sat down next to him. She, too, wanted him to pursue something with his music, but this alone was a big step for him.

“I just get busy,” he said.

“Doing what? Aaron’s damn business? That company took him away from his family far too many times. I put up with it because I knew he loved it and it made him happy, but I resented those nights when you asked for him and he wasn’t there. Do you really love what you do, son? Do you love it as much as your father did?”

Nick sat up, and Abbey could see the defensiveness in his demeanor. “I love it
for
my father,” he said, his voice controlled and even, as it had been on previous occasions when his emotions were challenged. “Because he isn’t here to love it anymore. And no one seems to get that except for me.”

Susan’s shoulders dropped in compassion for her son. “I loved your father,” she said, smiling at Carl to acknowledge him. “I didn’t like how much he worked, but I’d promised to be with him until death do us part, and I honored that promise. You have always been the most like your father, but you are very different as well. He didn’t have the kind of passion you have for things. He had drive, yes, but not passion. When I see you work all the time on that company, I don’t see your passion, and it bothered me so much that I moved away so that I didn’t have to watch it. Because I know how stubborn you are and how I wouldn’t be able to change your mind. That company won’t love you in return. It won’t give you the time that you’ve given to it. Look at your father. He’ll never get that time back.”

“He left it to
me
,” he said quietly, still refusing to expose any emotion he had on the topic.

“Do you know why, Nicholas?” Susan asked, her eyes pleading for his consideration.

He looked directly at her, waiting.

“Because he loved you. He loved you so much. That business was the very best he had to give. It was what he’d spent most of his life working toward. So when it came time to figure out who got what, guess who got what he loved most? But not because he wanted you to run it, because it was the grandest gesture he could make to show his love for you. When parents say they’d give you the world—well, he gave you his. In the best way he knew how.”

Nick sat silently, digesting this information. Abbey reached over and grabbed his hand, hoping he was okay. She wanted to cry for him, to sob for the loss of his father because it was clear how much Nick loved him. What she’d only now realized was that Nick showed his love by how much he worked. Her mind raced to all those things he’d done for her—the pies on Thanksgiving, the trips around town, the scarf, the clothes, the arranged drivers, the nights at his home, Gramps’s money—it was all his way of showing he cared. And with his father’s company—he’d make himself sick with sleepless nights and barely eating just to show his father how much he loved him.

“I’m sorry to have brought the conversation around to this,” Susan said. “Please don’t let it put a damper on this wonderful night. Your music was incredible. I hope you will play it for Caroline tomorrow. I’m sure she’d love to hear it.”

Robin walked around and kissed her brother on the cheek. “I loved it,” she said with a smile. “It’s been a big night in many ways. I think I’ll set out Santa’s gifts and head off to bed.” She grabbed James’s arm and blew a kiss to everyone with her other hand as they made their way to the doorway leading to the stairs.

Susan put her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for playing it for me,” she said. Then she gave Abbey a little smile and left with Carl.

It was just Abbey and Nick. There they were in the same place they’d first met; it seemed like a million years ago. She got up. He swiveled around still sitting on the piano stool, facing her as she stood in front of him, and wrapped his arms around her waist. As he looked up at her with those gorgeous blue eyes of his, his stubble showing on his face at the end of the night, she thought how different he looked to her now. She felt like she knew him—she knew the way he smiled, the lines at the corners of his eyes, the way his hands felt in hers. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. When she did, she could feel his body relax.

The staff was moving around them, cleaning, the clinking of dishes and the rustling of bags filling the air. “We should probably get Max’s Christmas set out and call it a night,” she said, still holding him.

He squeezed her tighter.

“Can I tempt you with cookies?”

He looked up at her and smiled, his eyes so tired. She wanted to go upstairs with him, to get into comfortable clothes, to curl up beside him and fall asleep, or… something else, but she pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Yes, Nick was a talented composer, but she doubted he would make his millions publishing music. She didn’t live in his world, and she didn’t know how to give him options. He had to decide. So going upstairs with him tonight would only make it more heartbreaking when he left. And she had to face the fact that all of this would be over tomorrow.

She pulled him up and together they left the room.

“
M
ama
!” Abbey heard through her sleep. “Mama!”

Abbey opened her eyes and took a minute to register where she was. Last night, she’d left Nick with a kiss in the hallway and climbed into bed with Max. With the previous night of not sleeping mixed with the events of Christmas Eve and the bedding she’d bought for the bedroom at Nick’s, she hadn’t had much of a chance to contemplate things, and sleep had consumed her almost immediately. She sat up and rubbed her face.

“Good morning, baby,” she said, rubbing Max’s arm.

“It’s Christmas!” Max said, as if she’d forgotten.

“Yes,” she said with as much excitement as she could muster for him. Sleeping in that bed had made her feel like she hadn’t slept in years, and she could stay right there for days. “Let me quickly get ready so that I’m somewhat presentable and we’ll go downstairs. Put your clothes on and I’ll get your teeth and face in a minute.”

After they’d gotten ready, Abbey and Max headed downstairs—the glorious smells of breakfast wafting toward her—and her tummy rumbled. She’d arranged Max’s two-wheel scooter, his iPad, and his Willie Mays baseball card beside Thomas’s specially made craftsman building kit, his child-sized drivable jeep with working headlights and CD player that took up most of the room, and his collectible train set.

“Good morning.” Nick met them at the bottom of the stairs with a big smile on his face. “Merry Christmas.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, brushing his lips against hers as he pulled back. He bent down and grinned warmly at Max. “Merry Christmas to you too! Did you leave Santa a note at your house?”

Max nodded.

“I thought maybe you had because he’s left quite a bit of loot for you in the living room. Would you like to see it?”

Max’s eyes lit up and he started to run down the hallway.

“Wait, Max! I want to get a picture!” Abbey said, scrambling behind him as quickly as she could. Nick picked up his pace as Abbey pulled her phone from her back pocket. They arrived just in time to catch his expression, and Abbey snapped a photo. “Phew,” she said to Nick. “I almost missed it.”

“Mama! Look what I got!” Max grabbed his iPad and turned it on. “This is so cool!” He set it down and got on his scooter. “Look at this! The wheels light up!” He rolled over to her to show her and the orange wheels glowed as he rode across the floor. Carefully, he set it down a few feet away and ran back to where they had been. “Mama! I got Willie Mays! I can’t wait to show Gramps!” Thomas climbed off of his jeep to see what Max had received.

Robin and James were sitting next to Susan and Carl, with Caroline in the chair across the room. All of them had their eyes on Abbey with very odd expressions on their faces. She smiled, looking at them all.

“Merry Christmas,” Caroline said to her.

“Merry Christmas.” She looked around and couldn’t believe where she was. She’d only noticed just then that Nick had his arm around her, a loving look on his face. Thomas and Max were playing together, showing one another their new toys. With the Christmas lights, the tree, the presents, and the delicious aroma of breakfast, she couldn’t imagine a better holiday. She’d wanted the perfect Christmas—well, she got it.

“I got you a present,” Nick said, and Abbey immediately felt anxious. He’d already given her so much with Gramps’s care. “It’s in my office. Would you come with me to see it?”

Everyone was looking at her expectantly, their faces full of excitement.

Nick grabbed both her hands and looked down at her. “Come with me,” he said as if she were the only one in the room.

She looked over at Caroline, who nodded in encouragement.

Nick took her hand and they walked to the office. There was an excitement to his walk, and a contentment to the way he held her hand. He pulled it up to his lips and kissed her fingers.

When they entered the office, there was a small gift wrapped in green and red paper with gold scrolling. The ribbon tails cascaded over the edge of it.