Susan Wiggs - Candlelight Christmas

He got it. She felt a sense of relief that finally someone understood. “I couldn’t tell my family about the cheating,” she said. “I mean, I could have, but it would have been a terrible thing to do to my sister. Lydia’s a Collins. They’re expecting their first baby, and she wants to make a big announcement at the holidays. I didn’t want to ruin anything for her.”

“You’re a martyr.”

“No. Just a sister, although in some families, it’s the same thing.” She drank more of the hot chocolate. It was so delicious she wanted it to last forever.

“And did your breakup cause the world as we know it to end?” he asked.

“I tried not to let that happen. We were supposed to be civil about it all. At first, I did try. But instead, I discovered I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near him. I had to break away, and India was nice enough to throw me a life preserver. What about your breakup?” she boldly asked, then regrouped. “Sorry, is it weird that we’re sitting here talking about our divorces? Isn’t that supposed to be a no-no?”

He shrugged. “I like talking to you. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Was cheating a factor?”

“Nope. She got pregnant our senior year of high school. At that age, we didn’t know ourselves, much less each other. Daisy and I, we gave it a shot. For Charlie’s sake, we gave it our best shot. But we were never a match. The breakup sucked for me, but made me admit we were both lying to ourselves. Anyway, Charlie’s the best thing I ever did, although I could have planned it better.”

Kids, she thought. The eternal complication.

“I need to tell you something,” he said. “It’s kind of personal.”

“I can handle personal.”

“I’m not the once-burned-twice-shy type. I want to fall in love again. I want to be committed, to create a family. I want Charlie to have that sense of security, maybe even brothers and sisters one day.”

You’re barking up the wrong tree, then. She didn’t say anything, though. When they were getting to know each other, they didn’t need to draw a line. Later, she thought. If things progressed, she’d tell him later.

“Ooookay,” she said, forcing a smile.

“And just so you know,” he said, taking their mugs and setting them on a side table, “your ex is an idiot.”

No longer forcing the smile, she wondered how to snuggle closer to him on the sofa without being too obvious about it. He just looked so inviting, with that tousled red hair, those big shoulders. “You, sir, are preaching to the choir.”

“I need to tell you about Maya,” he said abruptly. “I think you might have questions.”

“I might.” So much for snuggling. She instantly wondered if they had a past.

“She’s just a friend,” he stated as if reading her mind. “We met when our kids became friends at summer camp. Charlie and André really hit it off.”

“Where is she?” asked Darcy. “Is she coming up for the holidays?” Her stomach curdled. There was a spare twin bed in her room. Was she going to have to share it with Sofía Vergara’s twin?

“Unfortunately, no.”

Whew, thought Darcy. “That’s too bad,” she said. Liar.

“She had to go away for a while. Until February, actually.”

“She’s not going to be with her kids at Christmas?”

“She can’t. See...” He planted his elbows on his knees and stared into the fire. “She got in some trouble earlier this year. Legal trouble.”

“Oh gosh.”

“Made a bad decision. Her kids’ father is not a good guy. He was running drugs and convinced her to make a delivery for him. It’s always just a simple transaction, right? That’s what they always say.”

“And she got caught holding the bag.”

“Yes. She could have been sentenced up to twenty-one months, but she got sixty days instead, so that’s a lot better. The bad news is, her sentence spans Christmas.”

“So that’s what she was doing at the train station. Dropping off her kids.”

“Yep. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for them.”

“Wow. That’s incredible of you to take the kids.” What a kind thing to do, she thought. She wondered if, under similar circumstances, she would be that kind.

“I just thought about Charlie. If I were facing a similar situation, I would hope someone would do the same for him.”

“How are they doing?”

“Pretty well. They think she went away for work. The little girl, Angelica, does, anyway. André...I think he suspects. Maya’s a full-time nanny to a family in New York. She was. They’ve let her go, so she’ll have to start over after her release. Anyway, that’s the story of Maya and me.”

“I am really impressed,” she said. “You’re incredibly generous.”

“Doesn’t feel that way. I want to make sure the kids have the best Christmas possible.”

“So far so good,” she said. “They seem really excited to be here.”

“Angelica still believes in Santa Claus, a hundred percent. So when they all go see Santa tomorrow, we need to pay attention to what she wants for Christmas. Because no matter what it is, she’s getting it.”

“Even if it’s a live unicorn or wings that work?”

“Even if. Same goes for André and Charlie. They’re true believers, still. I made myself a promise that I’d give them Christmas with all the trimmings.”

“That’s really cool, Logan.” She settled back, enjoying the play of the fire in the grate. “They’re lucky kids.”

“I’m the lucky one. I’m crazy about Charlie, and the other two are a bonus.” He turned to her on the sofa. “That’s what you are, too.”

“A bonus?”

He gently brushed the hair back from her cheek. “Yeah. I was happy enough that my family came up for the holidays. The fact that you came along... Score.”

That was all it took. He kissed her then—at last—warm chocolate and heat from the fire. When he touched his mouth to hers, it felt wonderful—fresh and exhilarating, filling her with the taste of something new, something that might be hope.

“I like kissing you,” he said, lifting his mouth from hers. “I like it a lot.”

“Then you should do it some more.”

There was a part of her—okay, all of her—that wanted to peel all his clothes off and go at it all night long. The rush of desire was powerful and unexpected. She felt a huge sense of relief, because she hadn’t felt that burning hot need in so long she had started to worry that it might be gone. A thing of the past. But in Logan’s arms, it was alive and well.

She was alive and well. She’d thought she was dead inside, but here was proof that passion could come back to life in the blink of an eye, in the time it took to light a Christmas tree, in the time it took to fall into a well of snow. Thank God, she thought. Thank God.

He pulled back again and gazed down at her. “That was nice,” he said softly. “You are nice.”

She sighed and stretched, feeling amazed and excited, and surprisingly comfortable with him. “Thank you for saving my Christmas.”

“We’ve got a week to go. Still plenty of time to ruin it. But I’m not planning on that.”

“Okay. I trust you.”

He leaned in for another kiss. And it was the softest, sweetest kiss imaginable, the kind of kiss that set her on fire. She wanted more, deeper; she put a hand on his chest and was gratified to feel his heart racing even faster than hers. This thing that had initially seemed so impossible now felt exactly right.

She curled her hand into a fist and felt him tighten his arms around her. She wanted the kiss to go on forever, to lead to something more—

“Dad.” Charlie’s voice shattered the moment.

Darcy and Logan broke apart like a pair of guilty teenagers, leaving a void in the middle of the sofa.

“Hey,” said Logan, “what are you doing up?”

“I can’t sleep.” Charlie looked straight at Darcy. “I have jet lag. It’s an hour earlier in Oklahoma.”

She knew that look. It was the look of a kid who did not want to share his parent, not with anyone.

“Your dad has the perfect remedy,” she said, getting up. “Hot chocolate. Guaranteed to make you sleepy.”

“Really?”

She yawned elaborately. “It made me sleepy. I’m heading off to bed right now, as a matter of fact.” She shared a look with Logan. He was all silent apology and frustrated desire. “See you guys in the morning,” she said.

As she was going up the stairs to her room, she heard Logan say, “Dude.”

“It’s not my fault I can’t sleep, Dad.”

“I mean, dude. Really?”

Everyone has a favorite hot chocolate recipe. But this one is the best. It has a secret ingredient. No, it’s not cinnamon or cayenne pepper or anything weird. It’s just cornstarch. Don’t judge.

1½ cups half-and-half

1½ teaspoons cornstarch

Sugar to taste

3 ounces fine-quality dark chocolate, chopped or grated

A shot of peppermint schnapps or espresso (optional)

In a bowl, combine a bit of the half-and-half with the cornstarch, whisking until smooth. Place the remaining half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; don’t let it boil. When the half-and-half begins to bubble around the edges, whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture until the half-and-half thickens slightly, usually less than a minute. Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the chocolate until very smooth. Pour into two cups. Add a shot of schnapps or espresso, if desired.