Chapter 30
30
Bailey
B ailey had her legs curled up beneath her as she sat on the couch, waiting for her daughter to wake. It was calm this Christmas morning—the first one she’d spent without Jack. Not even a few weeks ago, she’d anticipated spending this time with Carter.
Her heart ached for him; she longed to see him again. And she wished she could have another chance to start fresh.
She lifted her peppermint tea to her lips. Maybe they’d have another chance in the future. From the looks of it, Bailey wasn’t going to lose her contact with the Keagan family any time soon. Emma and Athena seemed intent on making her part of the family whether she found love with a Keagan man or not.
A small smile touched her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d developed a true friendship with anyone besides her late husband—perhaps it had been when she was still in college.
While the thought of her new friendships had brought her a degree of joy, there was still the matter of her future. The hours Shane had given her at the country club had increased. They were enough to help her make ends meet.
Unfortunately, working at the club didn’t bring her any sort of joy. And being a realtor wasn’t panning out the way she’d wanted it to, either. She needed to figure out something different if she wanted to move on with her life—to move on after Jack, and to move on after Carter.
The ache in her chest continued to grow each time she allowed herself to think about him. The presents under the tree seemed to mock her—evidence of how much he cared for Anya. Everywhere she looked, she noted that he’d given his heart to them. And she’d pushed him out of her life at the first sign of betrayal.
How many years had she put up with Jack’s addictions? How often had she made excuses for him rather than putting her foot down or demanding that he got help?
But Carter wasn’t Jack. They couldn’t have been more different.
She sighed as she leaned forward and placed her tea on the table.
The soft, distinct click of a doorknob alerted her before the little footsteps hurried down the hall and into the living room.
Anya squealed and jumped onto the couch. “It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas!” She hopped on her hands and knees on the couch cushion and her eyes shifted to the two stockings that hung over the hearth. Her eyes grew wide, and it pained Bailey to know Carter wouldn’t see the excitement in Anya’s eyes. He’d been her Santa Claus. He’d been the reason she believed in the magic of the season for one more year—maybe more.
Her daughter scrambled down from the couch and reached up toward the stockings.
Bailey got to her feet. “Hold your horses. Let me get that down so you don’t hurt yourself.” She plucked the stocking from the hook where it hung and held it out to Anya. When she moved to return to her place, Anya pointed at the other stocking. “You need to get yours, too.”
Bailey glanced at the stocking like it might strike at her. She didn’t feel she deserved such a treat after the way she’d reacted with Carter.
“Don’t you want it?” Anya pressed.
Bailey quickly snatched the stocking and forced a smile. “I’m just excited to see what you’ve got.” They both took a seat on the couch, and Bailey placed her stocking on the table next to her tea.
Anya pulled out treats and small toys from the stocking. There was an assortment of lip balms and plastic jewelry, too. Every single item thrilled Anya from her head to her toes. When she stopped, she glanced warily over to Bailey. “What about yours?”
Bailey distracted her. “You go ahead. Get your presents from under the tree. I’ll look later.”
Her daughter hesitated, then did as she was told.
The ice skates were just as big of a hit as Bailey had expected. Along with them, Anya received a jewelry-making kit, some clothes, a doll with a stroller, and a couple other items—all of which Carter had picked out on his own. He’d gotten to know Bailey’s daughter over the course of a few weeks, and he’d managed to give her the perfect Christmas.
Tears sprang to Bailey’s eyes. She couldn’t believe it. She wished she didn’t see it because the more she took in the magic that he’d created, the more her heart broke. Carter might not have gotten Bailey anything more than a stocking full of goodies, but he didn’t need to. The simple act of taking care of her daughter meant the world to her.
“Mom? What’s this?” Anya picked up an envelope that had been under one of the last presents that Anya had opened. She tilted her head and looked at the word. “It says your name.” She held it out to Bailey, who stared at the item with a sense of foreboding.
There was no reason to be worried. It wasn’t like Carter could do anything else to hurt her. Still, Bailey struggled with the act of slipping her finger beneath the lip of the envelope and tearing it open. She pulled out several sheets of paper that had been folded together.
Her brows knit together as she opened the pages with shaking hands, expecting a letter of some kind.
Then she dropped the pages with a gasp.
Anya jumped. “What happened?”
There was no stopping the tears that poured down her cheeks as Bailey reached to pick up the papers once more. The top page was a receipt. Nursing school had been paid for in full. When she flipped that page over, she read a welcome letter to a local program that offered a two-year nursing degree, as long as she had finished a few prerequisite classes.
Her hands started shaking so much that the pages fluttered, and she had to put them down again.
Anya scooted closer to her, staring up at her with concern bright in her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
Bailey wiped at her cheeks and let out a watery laugh. “Everything’s fine, sweetheart.” Her eyes shifted to the gift that Carter had gotten her, and now she understood what the letters he’d given to his brothers fully meant. He hadn’t just spent his stolen money on helping her pay bills, but he’d spent what little he’d saved to help her chase her dreams.
Her breathing turned sharp, and she grasped at her chest to claw at her shirt, but it did nothing to improve her lungs’ ability to get the oxygen they needed.
“Mommy?” Anya asked again with a small voice.
She pulled her daughter into a tight hug. “I just got the best gift Santa could have ever given me,” she murmured into her daughter’s hair. She rested her cheek against Anya’s head and took in another sharp breath. “Your mommy is going back to school to learn how to be a nurse.”
Anya pulled back with excitement. “Really?”
Bailey nodded. Before she could say anything more, there was a knock at the door. They both jumped, and Bailey frowned. It was really early for visitors, but then she didn’t know what to expect with Emma and Athena. If they were here just to check on her, they were taking it a bit too far.
She headed Anya towards her pile of unwrapped presents. “You go play with some of your new toys. I’ll get the door.” Her hands swiped at her cheeks in an attempt to hide the evidence of her reaction to her own Christmas miracle, but she needn’t have bothered because the second she reached the window closest to the front door, she saw him.
“Carter,” she whispered.