Holiday Second Chance Romance (Clarice and Trevor) novel Chapter 64

64 Finesse

Trevor POV

This can’t be happening. I’m not sure how the hell he made it look like it was snowing inside, but none of what they just said can be true. Maybe it’s the drugs they gave me at the hospital still working their way out of my system? Maybe I’m still asleep and this is just a really peculiar dream my mind is concocting. I take my finger and thumb and pinch myself. F**k that hurt, and I’m still here being stared at like a scared animal. Clarice stands and rounds the table. She crouches down in front of me with sympathy clearly written on her face.

“Trevor,” she starts to say, but I cut her off. “Enough Clarice,” I say harsher than I mean too. “That’s it. You don’t want to believe us. I’ll show you,” Nick says as he stalks toward the two of us. He mimics Clarice’s position and wraps his arm around her. I’m about to ask what the f**k he is doing when he places his hand on my good leg. A feeling like I’ve never had before rushes through me and my world tilts. I blink trying to figure out what the hell happened when I realize we are no longer in the dining room at the Inn.

Panic washes over me as Nick and Clarice stand to their full heights. “Trevor, welcome to my family home in the North Pole,” Nick says. My eyes meet his and he smirks. “Oh sh*t, I forgot the crutches,” he says and disappears. He f**king disappears. “Clarice, what’s happening,” I practically whisper. “Trevor, I wasn’t trying to torture you or trick you. I really want you to be happy with Simone. She really is meant for you. None of this is a trick. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true,” she says.

Nick reappears and leans my crutches against a large red chair. “Trevor, I know this is a lot to take in,” Nick says. “Understatement of the f**king year man. You are telling me that I was saved by Santa Claus. That you will be the next Santa Claus someday and my soon–to–be ex–wife will be Mrs. Claus. Not only that but a woman I just met is magically meant to be mine. All this after I’ve been told all my life that fairies, Santa Claus, and Jack Frost are make–believe.”

“Let me help you into a chair, Trevor. At least you can be comfortable while your whole idea of what’s real flips on it’s a**” Nick says. Clarice glares at him and I throw my head back and laugh. They both look at me like I’ve completely lost it, and maybe I have. “Trevor, I’m sorry for sounding insensitive. I come honestly by my lack of finesse. My father tends to be blunt and tactless but we both care about the people who are important to us. You are one of those people now,” Nick says.

“So, at the risk of being insensitive, are you laughing because you are losing your sh*t or because it’s starting to sink in that everything we said is true he says. “A little bit of both, but mostly because it’s starting to sink in and, for the record don’t mind your lack of finesse Nick. I’d probably still be sitting on the floor of the dining room saying none of this is real had you not brought me here.” “Don’t encourage him, Trevor,” Clarice says, and Nick tickles her side.

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Nick helps me up just as Chris steps into the room. “Santa Claus,” I say, and he chuckles. “Just

Chris will be fine. It’s good to see you again, Trevor, he says. “Thank you for saving my life,” I blurt

out. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m just glad that Anya had the vision. So how are you feeling about everything,” he asks. “Honestly, I’m freaking out. I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m sitting in Santa Claus’s living room at the North Pole.”

“I think that’s a perfectly reasonable response to everything you just learned. I’d be worried if you weren’t freaking out. Have you talked about Simone,” he asks. “He admitted that he’d been thinking

about her since the day he met her in the hospital. He also thinks she is beautiful and smart. He

didn’t want to admit it because of me, but I know him. I could see how smitten he was with her

during dinner,” Clarice says with a huge smile. “You know how strange it is that you are happy I

want Simone.”

Her smile slips and her face becomes serious. “I told you, Trevor, I want you to be happy. I’m not

thrilled it took you cheating on me to bring us both here, but this is where we are meant to be. Nick

was always meant to be my forever, just like Simone was always meant to be yours. That doesn’t

mean we didn’t love each other, it just means that our love has changed. That’s why it was so easy

to get past your mistake. We are in this forever it just looks different now. So I want you to be

happy. I’m going to keep saying it until you believe me,” she says.

I can feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. “I want to ask you a question and I promise the answer

won’t hurt me. I want you to be honest, Trevor,” she says. I wipe the tears from my cheeks and nod.

“If I told you right now that I forgive you and I want us to stay married and raise our daughter

together, what would you say,” she asks. My chest aches at her question. If she had asked me this question a few days ago it would have been a resounding yes. I would have whisked her away and been thrilled to have the woman I loved back, but she’s right.

I love her and I never want to lose her, but it’s not the same love. I sob, not understanding how the love I felt for her just days ago could change so drastically. Before I realize what’s happening, familiar arms wrap around me. Arms I never thought would hug me again. I pull her close and let the tears fall. “It’s alright, Trevor. It’s alright to let that part of us go. You will always be my best friend and my family,” she says.

“I love you, Clarice, but you’re right it’s not the same. I never want to lose you, but I want to be with Simone.” “You will never lose me. You are kind of stuck with me since we are having a baby, who is a girl, by the way. Anya slipped and told me. We are going to be co–parenting goals when everything is finally settled,” she says and I chuckle

“I’m so happy we are having a baby, and I’m happy that you found Nick, Clarice.” “Me too. I’m happy you found Simone,” she says. A wave of panic flows through me. Memories of my verbal diarrhea at the hospital from the drugs that they had given me comes rushing back. I told her how I f**ked up my marriage. I told her I cheated on my wife.

“Clarice, Simone knows what I did. I told her when first met her. She is never going to want me.

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She is going to think I’m a cheating ba**ard. She is never going to give me a chance.” “Breathe Trevor. You need to talk to her before you panic. What I will say is that fairies are not the forgiving kind. If she accepts your bond, and you even look at another woman, you won’t have to worry about divorce. She will definitely make you disappear, but not before you suffer,” Nick says with a smirk. Chris chuckles but nods his agreement.

“Nick, what the hell,” Clarice asks, clearly not happy with his delivery of the warning. I can’t help but throw my head back and laugh even though something tells me he meant every word. He doesn’t have to worry because I know I would never hurt her, not after how I hurt Clarice. Besides, maybe Clarice is right. All of this happened for a reason. Not that I’ll ever forgive myself for hurting her if it

was supposed to happen.