The Christmas Wish (26 page)

Tyler nodded. He knew what that meant for Charlize, her father, and her entire family. Mrs. Dumont was fighting depression and was meant to take medication for bi-polar disorder.

“Dad’s having a tough time.”

“I’m sorry,” Tyler said. “I didn’t know.”

“In a small town like this, I’m surprised you haven’t heard that piece of gossip yet.” Charlize’s tone held bitterness. Being the most beautiful-looking girl in Powder Springs hadn’t assuaged the pain and childhood embarrassment Charlize had felt about her mother’s mental health. “Dad will love seeing Charlotte. She’ll cheer him up.” She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned back. “And Tyler, thank you.” She took a long, deep breath. “I know… Well, I know, and thank you to your family and to you for letting me be here this morning. I want to try, for Charlotte.”

“You’re welcome,” Tyler said. The disappointment he felt toward his ex-wife over the choices she’d made hadn’t dissipated, but she would always be Charlotte’s mother. For the fact that she was here, that she was going to try to be a part of Charlotte’s life, for that Tyler had to put aside his personal feelings and try to be thankful. This, having Charlotte’s mother here on Christmas morning, was his Christmas wish after all.

*

The lights twinkled on the tree, a fire crackled in the fireplace, the scents of the Bartoli almond torte wafted through the air, laughter rang—a warm Christmas sound—through Ma’s house. Brinn’s heart hurt, but with her family around her and the friends who kept drifting in and out of the front door, as was always the case on Christmas evening, Brinn could find little joy in the day.

She and Tyler had broken up. Or quite nearly. There’d been no angry words, no fight, nothing quite that dramatic. But the quiet stalemate they’d reached last night, him never wanting to marry or have more children and her wanting a family of her own, was enough for her to know there was no compromise to be had between the two of them. Here, now, love would not conquer all; Christmas magic would not grant Brinn’s Christmas wish this year.

“Hey, doll, sorry you’re so glum,” Alison said. She wore a knitted Christmas sweater with a picture of Rudolph on the front. The nose actually lit up red.

“Where’d you find that?”

“Ugly sweater swap party last year. It’s like the cookie thing, only with sweaters. I dig it.” Alison’s hair was still Christmas red for the day, and she wore a pair of stuffed plush antlers on her head. “Sorry to hear about Tyler.”

Brinn tilted her head. What about Tyler? While Brinn was aware that she and Tyler were finished and Tyler was most likely aware by now—if his lack of an appearance at Ma’s party was any indication—that their relationship was finished, she’d not shared anything with anyone but Deborah and Nonna. She glanced across the room to where Deborah was standing across from one of Ma’s friends from canasta.

“What did Deborah say?”

“Deborah?” Alison took a sip of her eggnog and crinkled her brow. “Deborah didn’t say anything. I meant with Charlize showing up and spending Christmas morning with the Emerson family.”

Brinn’s heart dropped from her chest. A hard pain rushed through her. She closed her eyes. Charlize was in Powder Springs? Wow. Just wow. Spending Christmas with Tyler and Charlotte? A lump threatened in Brinn’s throat. Yeah, looked like they were over. The Tyler that Brinn knew and loved would have at least texted or called to let Brinn know Charlize was at the house, wouldn’t he? Was she crazy to expect such a thing? Tyler was spending Christmas morning with his ex-wife?

“I… I didn’t know she was here, in Powder Springs.”

Alison took a long gulp of her drink. “I’m sorry, Brinn, I just assumed with you over here in the corner looking so glum that maybe you weren’t happy about Charlize being over at the Emersons’.”

No, she wasn’t happy about it. The drop-dead beautiful and perfect Charlize Dumont hanging with the entire Emerson family? Nope, that didn’t thrill her. But really, that was the least of her worries. She understood that Charlize was Charlotte’s mother and would be a part of Charlotte’s life, always. She had to be okay with that, and she’d thought she was. What she wasn’t okay with, what she couldn’t get past, was the idea that Tyler’s experience with his ex-wife would dictate the rest of his life with her. Their relationship. That their relationship would always be cast in the shadow of his failed marriage. Because with Tyler saying he never wanted to be married again, that’s was how it felt to her. He could never love Brinn enough, trust Brinn enough, believe in their relationship enough, to get past what had happened and marry Brinn.

She pressed her lips into a line. “Excuse me.” She didn’t want to sit here amongst all the joy and happiness. She didn’t feel it. Couldn’t feel it. She really wanted to be alone. Hans had just arrived with his wife, and they stood beside Ma in the kitchen as she pulled the almond torte from the oven.

“Brinn!” Hans wrapped her in a hug.

Brinn nodded and said hello to Hans’s wife but skirted past them when Hans resumed talking to Ma. She needed to find a place, a spot somewhere away from all these people. She couldn’t do this. Not right now.

Brinn slid though the house that was getting packed fuller and fuller with Ma’s and Nonna’s and even her friends. The laughter, the conversation, the food. How could she stand to be around any of it? She slipped out the side door and onto the porch.

Silence.

The sound of winter as the snow fell from the sky. Darkness closed in on the day, but there was still a glimmer of light. Brinn filled her lungs with air. Cool, clean air. The cold wrapped around her but she didn’t want to go inside. Instead, she walked to the porch swing and settled into it. The street was quite, houses lined with lights, like living in a picture postcard.

“I like it better out here too.”

She started at his voice. Her heart thumped harder and her entire body seemed unaware that he was no longer hers. Her lips, not yet realizing that she would never kiss his again. Her body throbbed in response to his presence, seemingly unaware that they were a couple no longer.

He sat on the porch swing beside her, a serious and somber look on his face. “Brinn, I have some things I need to say.”

Her heart cracked wide. This was it. She could rush in and say it first. Hadn’t she known since their conversation last night? Hadn’t she already checked out in her mind? She pressed her lips tighter and wrapped her arms around her.

“I’m afraid I hurt you last night.”

His eyes contained a seriousness, true remorse over the possibility that he’d caused her pain. “The things I said…” His eyes drifted from her to the scene beyond. The streets filled with snow, the tinkling of laughter behind them.

“I… well… I was afraid.”

Brinn nodded. She understood fear. Hadn’t she been afraid to believe that Tyler cared for her? She’d been afraid to trust a man again. She’d been hurt too, in the most wounding of ways, and yet… And yet her love for Tyler and his warmth and her need for him had pushed her beyond her boundaries. She’d been willing to risk everything for him. Her heart, everything, but he didn’t feel the same way. Perhaps that was what hurt the most. That she trusted their love more than he did.

His eyes met her. “But I’m not afraid anymore.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. He slipped to the ground and was before her on his knee, his eyes wide, a scared but loving look on his face. He slid the velvet box from his jacket and opened it.

“Brinn Bartoli, will you marry me?”

Tears streamed down Brinn’s face. She pressed her fingertips to her mouth. Oh my God, her Christmas wish would come true.

“Yes, Tyler—a thousand times yes.”

His lips were on hers and he was up and pressing himself to her.

“Oh Brinn, my beautiful Brinn. Thank you. I love you. I can’t live without you, and last night, after you left and I thought about me with you… I knew we were right together and that I was afraid of something that had nothing to do with you. I can’t imagine life without you. I can’t imagine the Landry place without you in it. God, you’ve made me the happiest man on the planet.”

Brinn smiled. Christmas wishes did come true.

They didn’t wait. They didn’t wait for spring, they didn’t wait for renovation on the Landry place, they didn’t wait for anyone or anything. Instead, they planned a wedding. A small wedding for immediate family and friends.

Brinn wore Nonna’s dress. Ivory lace and satin. Nonna, too, had gotten married in this very courthouse, in this very chamber. Different judge, different year, same outcome.

Brinn handed her bouquet of white roses to Deborah. She held out her hand and Tyler slipped the thin gold band onto her finger. Her heart flipped in her chest. How was this possible? She looked up and met the eyes of her husband.

“I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Emerson.”

The cheering was loud as Ma and Dom and Nonna clapped. Charlotte jumped up and down. She stood right between Brinn and Tyler for the entire ceremony. Her dress was a confection of white with a red-and-green-plaid sash. Lucy rushed to the front of the judge’s chambers. Carol and Roger and the entire Emerson family was upon them, even Kent.

Her heart was filled with absolute joy. They would go to the Grande now for a wedding luncheon. With the people she loved and her heart filled with joy. Everything had happened just right with a Christmas wish and some Christmas magic.

The End

Thanks for reading
The
Christmas Wish
. I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews help other readers find books and I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Please take a moment and write a review for
The
Christmas Wish.

You’ve just read the second book in the Powder Springs Series. The first book in the Powder Springs Series is
Courting Trouble
. I hope you enjoy it as well!

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You may also enjoy my Eligible Billionaire Series.

Can’t Buy Me Love

One Night For Love

A Christmas Billionaire

Last Call For Love
– coming soon

Click the link if you'd like to read an excerpt from the third book in the Eligible Billionaires series,
A Christmas Billionaire
.

Click the link if you'd like to read an excerpt from the first book in the Powder Springs Series,
Courting Trouble
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First, thank you to my readers. Thank you for buying my books and for spending time with the characters that I love. I promise to keep writing as long as you keep reading!

Thank you to Kristin Nelson and everyone at NLA. Kristin, your pep-talk meant everything to me and my career. Lori Bennett, thank you for your tireless work on my behalf with formatting and metadata. Anne Victory, my editor, you are amazing. Thank you for going above and beyond on this book. Thank you to Kim Killion who created the beautiful cover. Angie Hodapp, thank you for the layout for my paperback interiors. Sarah Altman, you are an amazing assistant—I couldn’t get nearly the number of words written if not for you.

Thank you to my Beta Readers! You guys ROCK!

Thank you to RWA, LARA, Girlfriends Book Club, and WFWA. These organizations and their members provide me with insight on craft and friendship.

Thank you to my friends and family: Margaret L. Marr, Nancy Veskerna, Nealie Harrison, Lauren Harrison, Gavin White, Linda and Bill Henderson, Lindsy and Mark Henderson, Joyce and Tom Leahy, Nancy and Tom Henderson, Chris and Jim Leahy, Eloise and Dixie Marr, Garrett Marr, Paula and David Glasscock, Gayle Leftwich, Peggy Cafferty, Victoria and Karl Makinen, Amy and Brent Zacky, Sheryl and Steven Ross, Lea and Aaron Pfau, Christine Ashworth, Maria Seager, Sylvie Fox, Cami Bright, Sarah Vance-Tompkins, Melissa Lamoureaux, Beverly Diehl, PEG, the entire PEG Family, and Bob.

To Chad and the kidlets, thank you for every kiss, every hug, every smile, and every single moment that we spend together, I am grateful for it all.

Maggie Marr is an attorney, author, and producer. She began her career in the entertainment industry pushing the mail cart but rose to the position of motion picture literary agent. She has written for TV, film, and celebrities. Maggie has been featured on KCRW's
The Business
and reviewed by
Publishers Weekly
,
Kirkus
, and
Romantic Times
. She lives in LA with her family.