Season's Greetings : Christmas Box Set

Chapter One

Faye

I nurse the one mug of coffee I’m allowed every day as my daughter swims happily inside of my belly. The faint flutters have turned to something more substantial as I move toward my sixth month.

“I know, this is the highlight of my morning, too,” I agree.

Leaning against the counter, I take in the open plan of the condo. The velvet, blue couch and matching chair with a footstool is a splash of brightness that stands out against the walls’ standard beige. The only room I bothered to have painted was the baby’s. I’d opted for a soft sage green that worked for either sex because I’d only been a few months along. I was on a tight budget and determined not to depend on Preston for funds. Because I knew the pompous bastard would use it against me. I grimace as thoughts of my ex float to the surface of my sleep-addled brain. How had I been so blind to his serious faults?

The condo is finally beginning to feel like home. After packing up my things with Preston protesting and calling me silly every step of the way, I moved in with my big brother, Warren, while I weighed out my options. My missed period sped up my timetable and snapped me out of my funk. It’s incredible what knowing you’re responsible for another living soul’s future will do. I twiddle my feet in the soft, fleece-lined house shoes, and trail my fingers down the soft material of my pink robe covered in coffee mugs. The sensation grounds me as I stop the negative thoughts trying to form like a storm cloud. Browbeating myself won’t change my past.

Ding. The bagel pops up from the toaster. After setting down my mug, I pluck the crusty, warm pieces from their slots and slather them with the brown sugar cream cheese waiting on the counter. Adding the pre-sliced strawberries, I satisfy my recently developed sweet tooth while staying healthy. Closing my eyes as the flavors explode on my taste buds, I groan. Have I ever tasted food the way I do now? It’s like the hormones have expanded my senses. Or perhaps, it slowed me down enough to fully enjoy them. Except for my libido. Heat floods my cheeks. If anything, it’d cranked my horniness up to eleven. I expected my B.O.B. to break down any minute. Lord knew I went through enough batteries to personally fund Duracell.

Once I finish my breakfast, I clean up, then saunter—because I refuse to believe I’d reached the waddling stage yet—to my shower. Hot water and lilac shower steamers work wonders to clear my mind and soothe the usual aches that comes with growing a child. After toweling off, I slather my body with cocoa butter and put on my skinny jeans and a long-sleeve, white shirt that highlights my baby bump and new breasts. I’d gone from a B cup to a C cup without surgery. That was a miracle to be celebrated. Slipping my arms into the angular, gray cardigan with fringed edges, I leave the top unbuttoned.

Turning sideways, I smile into the mirror and snap a photo. There may be faint circles under my eyes, but my honey skin is glowing. I want to document what may be my only pregnancy. Other than a severe bout of morning sickness the first two months, it’d been smooth sailing. But the thought of trusting a man again with not just my heart but my daughter’s feels unlikely. Plenty of single mothers lead a happy, self-reliant life. It wasn’t what I pictured, but I’m nothing if not adaptable.

I smooth cream under my eyes to hide the lack of sleep I’d gotten the previous night. Appointments always put me a little on edge. The knock on the door announced the devil I can’t shake. Think of the devil, and he will appear.

Sighing, I slip my phone into my back pocket and slowly walk to the front door. I open it to reveal the blond-haired giant whose piercing blue eyes and perfect bone structure do nothing for me any longer. Clad in a wool coat with an expensive cashmere scarf wound around his neck, he could’ve stepped out of a magazine.

“You must be spending a fortune on airfare.” I step back, and he walks in, stomping to shake the snow off his boots.

“Hello to you, too.” The smoldering look that once made me cave during arguments amuses me now. He looks like an overgrown, petulant child. “How long are you going to play this game?”

“I’m not playing.”

He ignores me, continuing on as he shrugs off his coat. “The baby is going to be here sooner rather than later.”

“I know. That’s why we should settle the custody agreement like I keep asking.”

Scoffing, he unlaces his boots. “How many times do I have to apologize?”

“You don’t, since it’s a waste of our time and your breath.”

He huffs, and I hold up my hand. “I saw your true colors, Preston, and it wasn’t just ugly. It was horrifying and abusive. You aren’t the man I thought you were. No,” I shake my head, “that you pretended to be. I will never keep you from our daughter, but I want nothing to do with you romantically.”

“You’re going to let two years go up in smoke?”

“Yes, because I can’t help but wonder what else you lied about.”

He splutters like water went down the wrong way. “Don’t you think you’re over the top?”

“No, I don’t,” I reply.

He likes to play on my emotions and make me seem as if I’m throwing a tantrum and being childish. My points are valid. I won’t let him shake my belief in myself.

“Us separate but civil is what’s best for her.” I rub my belly, taking strength from the innocent life I vowed to protect.

“No, you want to punish me. What’s best for her is a two-parent home where she won’t want for anything and will get the attention she deserves. What are you going to do? Shove her in daycares all the time?”

It’s a low blow. I glance away.

“Plenty of people use daycare.”

“Because they have no choice. You do. Why wouldn’t you want to give our child every advantage?”

His words make me feel selfish. I toy with the fringe on my cardigan. Is he right?