Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (20 page)

Regret curled around him like a
boa constrictor, threatening to cut off his air. How had he been so foolish as
to let her get away? He rolled the beads in his hand, admiring the way they
reflected shards of light, then closed his fingers tightly around them,
surprised that they were so sharp. Sharp, brilliant and unfathomable. Some of
the qualities he admired in Lily.

It’s your own fault.
He was
beginning to hate that voice in his head. It reminded him constantly of what he
had lost. It was time to pull himself together and be a proper host, if only to
his own family.

He looked for his father. He was
across the room, schmoozing with some old friends. He turned to his mother and
asked her to dance.

She set down her glass, and he
noticed that she’d barely touched it. “Thank you, Chase. I was getting tired of
just standing there.”

He was beginning to relax when
his mother gave him a piercing look. “Who is she, Chase?”

“Who is who?”

She gave him that serene,
all-knowing look he’d learned to dread over the years.

“Chase Drummond, I’ve been home
for thirty-six hours, and I haven’t seen you smile once. Not really smile.
There’s something bothering you, and I’m willing to bet it’s a woman.”

There was no use fighting; she’d
get it out of him in the end.

“I met a beautiful woman last
month.” His voice softened when he talked about her. “She owns a local business
and is quite successful. She’s fiercely independent, and she’s probably the
most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

His mother smiled knowingly. “So
what happened?”

“I blew it.” He shrugged. “I let
Laurel Carmichael manipulate me.” He hesitated. “And I told Lily a bit of a
lie, and now she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

His mother shook her head. “There’s
no such thing as a bit of a lie. Why can’t you just admit it? You told her a
lie.”

“Yes, I did. And you know what? I
think it was the lie that ruined everything between us. She might have forgiven
Laurel’s nonsense after a while, but not the lie.”

“Don’t be too sure about that.”
His mother had an odd look in her eye.

“Why do you say that?”

“Look over there.” She stopped
dancing and turned him toward the entrance. “Is that her?”

Chase’s heart stopped when he saw
her. She stood alone between the Christmas trees that flanked the ballroom
entrance, clutching her invitation. A form-fitting, brilliant green cheongsam
clung to her figure. He was aware vaguely aware that every male in the ballroom
had turned to look at her. Her dark eyes swept the crowd slowly, and then her
gaze came to rest on him. A small smile played around the corners of her mouth
when she spotted him, and the pain that had taken up residence in his chest
moved on like it had never existed.

“Lily,” he mouthed across the
expanse of the ballroom. He turned back to his mother. “Excuse me, Mom, but
that’s Lily.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but closed the distance in a few long
strides.

She looked up at him. “Hello,
Chase.” She waved the invitation. “Am I too late?”

He had no idea what had caused
her to change her mind. He’d figure that out later. Right now, all he wanted to
do was hold her. “Never,” he whispered, gathering her into his arms.

The orchestra started up again
and they swayed together, paying no attention to the music. “I’m sorry, Lily.
Sorry about everything.”

She placed a finger against his
lips. “That’s over, Chase. Life is too short for regrets.”

Her words were the only music he
needed. “I love you, Lily. I know it sounds crazy because we haven’t spent that
much time together, but I know you.” He tilted up her chin so he could look
into her eyes. “And I love everything I know.”

“Chase?”

“Hmmm?” She moved against him,
and he groaned with need.

“Would you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“Good. Would you kiss me,
please?”

He didn’t care who was watching.
With a whoop of joy, he lifted her off her feet and kissed her, aware of  the
way her body fitted against his in all the right places. When he finally put
her down, the entire ballroom erupted in applause.

“Come on,” he said, taking her by
the hand. “I want you to meet my mother.”

* * *

“Uncle Brent, you missed the
excitement.” Annie pointed to the dance floor. Chase and Lily were dancing
again, oblivious to everyone else in the ballroom.

Her hand crept into his. “It was
so romantic. Why are you late?”

“I got a flat tire on the way
here. Can you believe it?”  He moved to face her and bowed. “May I have the
pleasure of this dance?”

She giggled. “Of course, silly.”

Brent forced himself to take
small steps as they made their way around the dance floor. “Are you having a
good time?” he asked. “Where are the other kids?”

“They’re in the other room. I’ll
go back there in a little while. I came in here so I could see all the gowns.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “Uncle Brent?”

“Hmmm?”

“Why aren’t you here with
Cynthia?”

The question startled him, and he
stopped abruptly. Had it only been this afternoon when he’d met Cynthia in the
restaurant?

“I’m not going to be going out with
her anymore.” He looked down at her and smiled.

She looked puzzled. “But Uncle
Brent, she told us that she was your fiancée.”

The words registered slowly. He
stopped completely, then pulled her off the dance floor.

“That’s not true. When did she
say that?”

“I don’t know. Last week? I was
showing Maddie my happy picture, and she came into the building.” Her eyebrows
drew together as she recalled the day. “I think Maddie was upset.”

The bottom fell out of his
stomach. “Oh my God. She’s really done it this time.”

“You’re not engaged?” Maddie’s
hopeful smile almost broke his heart.

“No, Sweetie. I’m not engaged.”
He squatted down until he was eye to eye with the child. “Annie, this is really
important. Does Maddie have a boyfriend? Do you know?”

Her face turned serious again.
“She had one in Vancouver, but he hurt her. I saw him today at the rink. She
was really mad that he came here and she told him to go away.”

Brent could have kicked himself.
He should have stuck around, but the pain of seeing Maddie with someone else
had been so sharp....

He stood up and looked out over
the dance floor. “Annie,” he said. “I’m sorry we didn’t finish our dance but I
have to leave now.”

She smiled up at him. “Are you
going to see Maddie?”

“Yes, I am.” He kissed her on the
top of her head, interrupted Chase and Lily long enough to get her address and
then sprinted toward the parking garage.

* * *

“You’re going to be a handful, I
can see that.” It was hard not to laugh. The puppy was adorable, even if he had
shredded the newspaper and then left a little puddle on the floor of her
bedroom. “You definitely need more space.”

She walked into the living room,
and he followed her, nipping at her jeans. When she’d realized that she’d be
following the puppy around all evening, she’d put on her oldest jeans and a
sweatshirt with a faded SFU logo.

She loved dogs. When she was
younger, they’d had a black cocker spaniel. Her father had named him Sailor for
the white patch on his chest. He’d been a devoted family dog until he died at
the age of fifteen.

The buzzer sounded. The dog gave
a bark and then jumped back; he seemed surprised that the sound had come from
him.

“Now who could that be?” she
said. “Probably someone forgot their key and wants to be buzzed in.”

He padded along behind her to the
hallway and began to lick her bare feet. She picked up the handset to the
intercom.

“You stop that,” she said,
laughing. “Hello?”

“Maddie?”

“Brent?”

The dog looked up at her, alerted
by her tone of voice.

“Do you have company?”

She didn’t process his question
at first. She couldn’t believe that he was downstairs.

“Brent? What are you doing here?”

The dog barked.

“Well, if you’d let me come up,
I’d explain. Is that a dog I hear?” He sounded relieved.

“Yes, it’s Annie’s puppy.”

“Maddie.”

“Yes?”

“Put your finger on the button,
or whatever it is you do, and let me in.”

“Oh.” She pressed the button.

She picked up the puppy and
danced him into the living room. “Brent is here,” she crooned into his ear. “Or
am I daydreaming?”

The door buzzer sounded.

“Guess not,” she said. She ran
and opened the door.

Brent was leaning against the
door frame, gasping for air.

“What’s the matter?” She peeked
out into the hall. “Isn’t the elevator working?”

“There were some people...” He
made a gesture with his hand. “...so I ran up the stairs.”

She stepped back, and he
staggered inside. “Don’t be such a baby. We’re only on the fifth floor.”

He stopped and looked at her.
“Are we having a fight?”

She still couldn’t quite believe
he was here. “I hope not.”

He reached out and scratched
behind the dog’s ear. The animal squirmed to be let down and Maddie placed him
on the floor.

She crossed her arms in front of
her. In this position it would be easier to catch her heart when it flew out of
her chest.

“So what’s going on, Brent? Why
are you here?” The dog jumped up against her legs, but she ignored it.

“Annie told me what Cynthia said,
Maddie. She is not my fiancée. We are not engaged. Never have been.”

“But...” Joy surged up inside. “So
you’re not...” It was too good to be true.

“And I’m sorry I didn’t stick
around today. When I saw you with that guy, I figured it was too late.” He unwrapped
her arms and held her by the hands. “I drove away.”

“You saw me with Allan?” She
tried to remember what had happened. “Oh. He put his arms around me, didn’t
he?”

“Yes, and I couldn’t stand
watching, so I took off.”

Her voice softened. “Why, Brent?
Why did you take off?”

“Like I said, I...oh come here,
woman.” He pulled her closer. “I’m the one who should be holding you, Maddie.”
He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Is that okay with you?”

“Very okay.” She raised her lips
for a kiss. His mouth claimed hers in a fierce, possessive kiss that left her
breathless...and wanting more.

“We have a lot of time to make up
for,” she murmured, pulling him closer for another kiss. “I think it’s going to
be a long night.”

The dog barked once, then settled
down to wait, his head resting on his paws.

Christmas Eve – Drummond Ranch

“Maddie! Lily!” Annie greeted
them at the door. The puppy stood at her side, wagging his tail. “I got a dog!”
She hugged Maddie and whispered ‘thank you’ in her ear. “And I got a sewing
machine!” She took Lily’s hand and pulled her away to inspect it.

Chase and Brent stood in the
hallway, and Maddie was struck by their similarities. They may not look alike,
but both were honourable men who loved their family. It didn’t get much better
than that. Her gaze connected with Brent’s.

“Come inside,” he said, relieving
her of her coat. “I’d like you to meet my mother and father.”

* * *

The dog had been relegated to his
basket in the mudroom while they ate dinner. Annie objected at being separated
from her new friend, but Brent was firm. “We have to train him now, or you
won’t be able to manage him later.”

“I think I’ll call him Snowball.”
She looked to Maddie, then Lily for approval.

“Sounds good to me.”

“I like it.”

They spoke at the same time.

The child’s happy gaze took in
everyone at the table. “You know, I think it’s going to be a good Christmas.”

Thank you for reading.

If you enjoyed this book, the author

Would be grateful

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And leave a review.

Continue reading for an excerpt from

Fallen Angel

For a complete list of Mona Ingram’s e-books,

Visit her Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/author/monaingram.com

Mona’s website:

http://monaingram.com

Mona’s Blog:

http://monaingram.blogspot.ca

...and now for that excerpt from

Fallen Angel

Laura
didn’t need an intervention to know she had problems, which was why she was
doubly surprised when she walked into her grandmother’s house and saw all the
people who, for whatever reason, still loved her.

Time
seemed to stand still. With one hand on the screen door and the other clutching
the door frame, she contemplated turning around and leaving. At least long
enough to down another pill. For one irrational moment she was thankful that
she’d showered and washed her hair this morning. As if that meant they’d go
easy on her. But that wasn’t going to happen; she could see from the five
determined pairs of eyes that no one here was going to cut her any slack.
That’s the way it worked, wasn’t it...on those television shows? Her throat
went dry and she looked at her grandmother, who was seated next to her father
on the couch.