Merry Ever After

“Are those from Mark?” Addy asked. I could tell by her tone that she was reassessing her opinion of the man. My daughter was easily swayed by expensive presents.

I snatched the card away before either of them could get to it.

B,

Thanks for last night, gorgeous. I’ll be thinking about you. Always.

V

My cheeks flushed and my stomach got that warm, tickly feeling in it.

“Look at her face,” my daughter hissed.

“What’s wrong with her face?” Shane wanted to know.

“She’s flushed.” Addy frowned. “Do you have a fever? Do head wounds cause fevers?”

“I’m fine,” I insisted, pocketing the card.

The doorbell rang again.

I opened the door to find my ex-husband and his wife, holding their gorgeous one-year-old. The three of them were dressed in matching Christmas pajamas that Ryan looked less than thrilled about.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Ryan was not the sentimental let’s pose for a picture type. Which was ironic since he’d ended up marrying a woman who worked as a freelance social media manager and therefore documented every aspect of their life online.

“Merry Christmas,” I greeted them.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked, stepping in and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

It was weird having him ring the bell at a home he’d spent two decades in mowing the lawn and grilling hamburgers. But that was what life was, weird change.

“I’m fine,” I assured him.

“We thought we’d bring Christmas morning to you,” Valerie said chipperly, handing baby Mathilda over to Ryan.

“I’ll get started on the pancakes,” he volunteered.

Valerie gave me one of her patented back rubbing hugs and then pulled away. “I gotta say, for someone who almost got trampled at a concert, you look fantastic.”

“Uh, yeah. I slept really well last night,” I fibbed.

Valerie glanced over my shoulder, then whispered, “That’s not the face of a good night of sleep. That’s the face of a good night of no sleep.”

She slipped past me, calling greetings to Betty and the kids.

I was just closing the door when another body appeared on the threshold.

“Mark?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.

He had his hands in his pockets and was looking sheepish. “Hey, sorry about last night. The call went long, and I just forgot to get back to you. I saw the news this morning about the concert and recognized you in the video. Are you okay?”

Don’t waste your time with someone too dumb or too blind to see how special you are. Vonn’s words echoed in my head.

I joined Mark on the porch and closed the door on the happy Christmas chaos behind me.

“Actually, we should talk.”

Four Weeks Later