Holiday Second Chance Romance (Clarice and Trevor) novel Chapter 15

15 Unexpected Guest

Clarice POV

+25 Pola

The entire drive back to the Inn, everything Nick had told me kept replaying in my mind. A small part of me was freaking out, but the bigger part was excited to know that Santa Claus was real. Not only was he real, but Nick was his son. I can’t believe this is really happening. I can’t believe that Nick thinks I’m his one. As soon as we pull into the Inn, I notice Chrissy pacing outside. What’s more is her normally smiling face looks like she sucked on a lemon.

“What do you think that is about?” “I have no idea, but we are about to find out,” he says. I go to reach for the handle of my door when Nick practically growls. “Don’t you dare. I’ll open your door and help you out.” I roll my eyes, but I can’t wipe the smile off my fac

He rounds the truck and helps me down. He shocks me when he presses a soft kiss on my forehead. “Let’s go see what has my sister looking ready to run someone over in my father’s sleigh.

I giggle as he wraps his arm around me and leads me toward the front door. When Chrissy spots us, she smiles and rushes toward us. She pulls me into her arms and squeezes me. “He told you,

didn’t he,” she asks. “He did.” “Jeez Chrissy, I know you know. Don’t squeeze her so tight,” he says. I pull my head back. How the hell does she know? Did he text her? “Chrissy has visions. She’ll explain more after she tells us what has her looking so pissed off,” he says.

“Clarice’s father is here and refused to leave until he sees her,” she says. Bile rises in my throat. He is the last person I want to see right now. “Chrissy, why don’t you take Clarice to your apartment, and I’ll deal with him,” he says. “No, I’m not running anymore. He is the reason I left my home to begin with. I refuse to keep running.” I straighten my spine and walk toward the door. Toward the first time I’ll see my father in ten years.

I push open the door and scan the lobby. He is sitting in a comfy green chair near the fireplace. When his eyes meet mine, I see regret and pain, but I can’t bring myself to care. He stands and takes a few steps toward me. “Claribelle,” he says, a sad smile on his face. “Don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that ever again. Why are you here?” “We miss you Clarice. Your mother and I miss you,” he says. “How did you know I was here?”

“Elaine told your mother,” he says. Anger bubbles up inside me. “How nice of your wh*re to tell my mother her daughter is back in town.” “I haven’t spoken a word to Elaine since you left Clarice. I’ve made mistakes. I won’t make excuses for what I’ve done, because there is none, but I’m not the same man you remember,” he says. I throw my head back and laugh. “Spoken like a cheater. It’s funny, I’m here because I married a man just like my daddy. F**ked my best friend so you’ll forgive me if I don’t care if you’ve changed. I’ll never be like my mother. I’ll never forgive him, and I’ll never forgive you.”

O

15 Unexpected Guest

“Now leave and don’t come back. You stopped being my father a long time ago, I say as I head toward the staff entrance. As soon as the cold air hits my skin, I sob. Why couldn’t he just stay away? Strong arms wrap around me and I turn into Nick’s embrace. After a few seconds, he leads me to his apartment. Once we’re inside, he helps me out of my coat and pulls me to sit next to him on his couch. I curl into his side, and he runs his fingers through my hair. That’s the last thing I

remember before sleep takes me under.

Chrissy POV

“I think you should leave.” Clarice’s father turns toward me with a deep sadness in his eyes. “1

know you don’t believe this after everything you just heard, but I love my daughter. I have made mistakes that I’m not proud of, but I have never stopped loving her or her mother,” he says. “Someti mes love isn’t enough to erase that kind of pain. Clarice has been through hell these last few days and I imagine what her a**hole husband did is just making all the times you cheated on her mother even more painful. There is no excuse for what either of you did.”

He plops down on the chair behind him. “You don’t think I know that. I hurt my wife and daughter with my selfish actions. You know, after Clarice left, my wife left me. Packed everything she had and left in the middle of the night. It was the worst year of my life. I went to therapy and I begged her to come back to me. I had to start all over to build her trust, but it was worth it because she is just as amazing as my daughter,” he says as tears stream down her cheeks.

“If you did all that and your wife forgave you, why not reach out to Clarice? Why not show her

that you

had changed? Why didn’t her mother contact her instead of making it seem like neither

of you

cared she disappeared from your lives?” “My wife forbid me from disrupting her life. She said that we were the reason she left. Evie blames herself for putting up with my bulls*t as long as she did. She thinks that Evie hates her for not standing up for herself. She says not having Clarice in our life is her punishment for being weak when it counted most. My wife is the farthest thing from weak. She would be irate with me if she knew I was here right now, but I was hoping she would at least agree to see Evie. She doesn’t deserve to lose Clarice because of me,” he says.

He stands and a small part of me feels sorry for him. I can tell that he is being sincere, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Sometimes the hurt has been going on for too long. “Thank you for being there for my daughter when I failed to protect her,” he says and turns to leave. As much as I want to hate him for what he did to Clarice, I can sense the good in him. F**k, why couldn’t he have just been an a**hole? I really wanted to hate him. I watch him walk out the door before I turn to make my way up to my apartment.

I smile when I realize the minute I step into my apartment Nick took her to his. I make my way back downstairs and knock lightly on the door. I smile when my brother swings the door open, signaling for me to be quiet. I step inside and Clarice is curled up on my brother’s couch with a Christmas

23

15 Unexpected Guest

+25 Points

blanket. I smile when I notice her face is relaxed. “Is that your doing,” I whisper. “Yes, I knew her dreams would be plagued by her past, so I made sure her mind would focus on the good things,

like the baby.”

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “I’m going to be an auntie.” “She hasn’t accepted me yet, Chrissy,” he says. “Yet, is the operative word, Nick. She is meant to be your one. She can feel it too. It may take time, but there is a reason why everything happened. She was never meant to be with her a**hat ex–husband. The actions of the men in her life drove her away from this place, but she was always meant to be here with you, with our family.”

A smile spreads across his face. “I’m telling mom you told me.” I glare at him. “You already figured it out. It’s not telling you anything you don’t already know.” He reaches out and pulls me into hug. “Thank you for not telling me. It was better this way. I can’t believe I almost made the biggest mistake by choosing Morgan.” I stiffen, and he pulls back looking into my eyes. “Chrissy,” he says my name in warning. “I’m sorry Nick. Mom said I couldn’t interfere, but I had to. I knew she wasn’t what you thought she was.”

“What did you do,” he asks, his arms crossing over his chest. Despite the angry expression on his face, his eyes are still twinkling. “I knew she was cheating on you. I made sure you walked in on them so she couldn’t keep lying to you. She may not have been able to use her Elven powers on you, but she was good at covering her tracks. She was a sh**ty elf that didn’t deserve you.”

“Are you mad at me?” “I could have done without seeing her getting plowed by one of dad’s workers, but I’m glad you didn’t let me make the biggest mistake of my life,” he says, looking at Clarice snoring softly. The smile that spreads across his face makes warmth spread through my chest. “She is it for me, Chrissy. She is my other half. I know it’s complicated and messy, but I’m not giving up,” he says. “You both deserve each other, Nick. Besides, I like how much you’re smiling now. You are going to be a great Santa Claus with her by your side.”

17

H

753

Comments

LUCK DRAW

Vote