A Christmas to Cherish (A Festive Christmas #4)

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

“ T hey really have outdone themselves this year.” Marley sidled up to her, a glass of eggnog in hand and a bright smile on her face. “Doesn’t it look beautiful?”

The Rockport Inn and Suites had been transformed into their own mini winter wonderland. With small Christmas trees scattered throughout and streamers and garlands decorating every wall and nook, Emma didn’t think she had ever seen it look so festive.

A duo in matching green-and-red clothing sat at the piano on the makeshift stage, singing people’s requests. Older-looking couples glided across the dance floor, gazing into each other’s eyes. Uniformed waiters and waitresses passed out gingerbread cookies, peppermint candy canes, and fruit cake sprinkled with bits of chocolate chip cookies. The smell of fresh pine, snow, and hot cocoa lingered in the air, making Emma’s stomach dip every so often. When she glanced at her parents over the rim of her glass, they were standing in a corner of the room, a group of people spilling out into the hallway outside, all of them laughing and talking.

Laughter rose and fell around Emma as she tried to lose herself in the Christmas cheer.

Each day at Rockport made it harder for her to come to terms with the fact she’d willingly walked away from all of it.

Whenever her parents peered over at her, Emma was struck with indecision all over again.

Since their conversation in the living room a few days ago, Emma and her mother had come to an understanding. As far as Emma was concerned, it was a strong start on the path to reconciliation, but she knew they still had a long way to go. One good conversation wouldn’t erase years of anger, resentment, and hurt. Unfortunately, neither would the fact that her mother was finally coming to terms with her past and the hurtful choices she’d made.

It’s still something, isn’t it? Last year, you couldn’t even have imagined all of this.

Even a few months ago, she couldn’t have pictured herself back in Rockport, giggling with Marley in a corner while laughter and music settled around them.

It all felt like a distant dream, someone else’s memory seeping in through the cracks.

Emma was terrified she would wake up in her empty king-sized bed, with nothing but cold sheets and a hollow apartment to greet her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of movement, and when she turned to it, she saw Jules holding the phone above her head, Kyle’s face lighting up the screen.

Her boyfriend had dark circles under his eyes and a tightness she didn’t remember being there, but there was no mistaking the jubilant smile on his face.

Seeing them together filled Emma with equal parts yearning and hope.

When Jules turned the camera to them, Emma plastered a smile to her face, and Marley tilted a glass in his direction. Jules wandered around the rest of the party, introducing Kyle to people at random and stopping at her grandparents, who drew her into their embrace and smiled. From across the room, Emma watched them, a picture-perfect sight in their matching hand-knit sweaters, and it made her stomach give an odd little churn.

All these years, she’d convinced herself that staying away was the best option—the only option to protect herself and Jules from getting hurt.

Emma hadn’t minded the phone calls, the letters, or the emails they had exchanged, so long as it kept her daughter out of harm’s way. But each time Jules had brought up her grandparents or lingered during one of their phone calls, Emma was left with terror seizing her heart.

Her parents had never accepted Jules’s father, and she’d often worried they’d reject Jules too, when the time came.

Emma had never allowed herself to wonder what would happen if they didn’t.

Would her parents finally get the daughter they’d always wanted?

Would Emma be forgiven for choosing an outsider?

With a slight shake of her head, Emma turned away from the sight and snatched a cookie off a passing tray. She shoved it into her mouth, ignored the lump in her throat, and turned to her friend with a smile. Marley stood next to her in an ankle-length green dress, smiling to herself and singing along to the music. A few more musicians joined the couple on the piano, and the music grew louder, nearly drowning out everything else.

More and more people took to the dance floor.

Marley was whisked away by a dark-haired stranger with green eyes, and her face flushed when he put his hand on the small of her back. Smiling, Emma watched them dance and continued to stand next to the refreshment table in the back, the yearning in her chest only growing. Jack appeared next to her as she was helping herself to another slice of fruit cake at the scrumptious buffet laid out, looking handsome in his dark red button-down tucked into a pair of black trousers, a festive Christmas tie hanging askew around his neck.

“I had a feeling I’d find you here.” Jack picked up a plate and began to fill it with mini sandwiches. “Why aren’t you enjoying the dance?”

“I am enjoying it,” Emma replied between mouthfuls of food. “I just thought I’d enjoy the view better from here.”

Jack opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted by a young man calling out to him. As he approached, the piece of cake lodged in her throat, and Emma began to choke. Hastily, Jack began to thump her on the back, and the young man, who was the spitting image of Jack, handed her a glass of apple cider.

She downed the hot liquid in one gulp and grimaced when it burned her tongue.

Jack’s hand was still on her elbow when she righted herself, eyes still watery. “Are you okay?”

Emma thumped her chest and coughed. “Yes, I just ate way too fast.”

And Derek looked too much like his father for comfort.

It was bringing back a lot of hazy lazy Sunday memories for Emma, ones that involved staring up at the skies with Jack and dreaming up a future together.

Slowly, Jack released her elbow, but she still felt his touch burning through her skin. “Emma, this is my son, Derek. Derek is a powerline worker here in Rockport. Derek, this is my old friend, Emma. She’s a family lawyer in the city.”

Derek stuck his hand out, a dimple appearing on his right cheek. “It’s good to meet you, Emma. Dad’s been talking about you ever since you came back into town.”

Jack shot his son a disgruntled look. “I have not.”

Derek snorted. “All he can talk about is the good old days with Emma. He’s definitely reliving his glory days with you around.”

Emma’s face turned a bright red as she snuck a glance at Jack, her stomach dipping. “He is, is he?”

Derek glanced at something over their shoulders and then turned to them with an apologetic smile. “Definitely. I’m sorry, but I see someone I know. I’ll be back.”

Derek disappeared into the crowd, and when he reappeared, he was on the other side of the room.

Emma was still breathless and smiling when she turned to Jack. “So, you haven’t been able to stop talking about me, huh?”

Jack shoved a cookie into his mouth and pretended to chew. “I have no idea what he’s talking about. He’s exaggerating.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t seem like it to me.”

Jack shrugged and used a napkin to wipe his mouth. “He definitely likes to exaggerate. You should’ve seen him when he was little.”

“He looks so much like you,” Emma offered in a softer voice. “And he seems like a good kid.”

“I got lucky.” Jack looked over at his son, eyes brimming with pride. “I had no idea what I was going to do when his mom left, but somehow, we made it through. He loves hearing stories about the good old days, by the way.”

“Like when we used to swap notes in class?”

“Or when we tried to prank the school mascot?”

Emma threw her head back and laughed. “I remember Barry getting really angry with us. I don’t think I ever pictured being chased by an angry boy in a beaver costume.”

Jack smiled at her over the rim of his glass. “It was your idea. You wanted to try the costume on.”

“You went along with it,” Emma pointed out with a slight shake of her head. “If you didn’t want to, you should’ve just said so.”

“I could never say no to you,” Jack replied, his smile growing wider. “You know that.”

Emma felt her face growing hotter. “Yes, well, it’s a good thing you outgrew that. Otherwise, who knows what might’ve happened.”

Jack cleared his throat and came to stand next to her, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. “Yeah, you’re right. We had some good times, didn’t we?”

“Remember when we tried to set Marley up with that friend of yours…what was his name, Buckley?”

Jack chuckled. “Yeah, I remember the escape room and how he kept trying to get Marley to confide in him, but she kept going to you instead.”

Emma saw Marley floating through the crowd and smiled. “In my defense, I didn’t know she was going to use me as a shield, or I would’ve found an excuse to get away.”

Jack bumped his shoulder against hers. “You two were as thick as thieves. She would’ve just followed you.”

“I can’t believe I ever doubted her when I—you know.” Emma stood up straighter and looked over at Jack. “Anyway, it was a long time ago.”

And she had long since come to regret her decision.

Marley’s only flaw, if any, was that she had not chosen sides and had instead tried to be a good friend to the two of them.

It wasn’t her fault she’d represented something Emma wasn’t; she had given Jack the consistency and friendship he’d so desperately craved.

Jack’s eyes tightened, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. She can’t actually be here.”

Emma followed his gaze and saw a bottle blonde in a tight silver dress pushing her way through the crowd. Her long red fingernails were visible from where Emma stood, as was the curl of her lips when she saw them. The blonde walked right up to Jack and tugged on her dress, tossing a flirtatious smile in Jack’s direction.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“Long time no see, sugar.” She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. “You’ve really kept in shape, haven’t you?”

Jack grew stiff. “Darlene, what are you doing? How did you even know I was here?”

“Derek and I have been texting,” Darlene replied, pausing to move her fingers up his shoulders. “I thought you’d be happier to see me. You’re not even a little pleased to see the mother of your child?”

Jack muttered something under his breath but didn’t move.

Emma’s chest felt tight as she took a few steps back and allowed herself to be swallowed whole by the crowd. She wound up on the other side of the room, next to an empty table with discarded glasses and plastic plates. Sighing, Emma sank into the nearest empty chair and tried not to stare at Jack with his ex.

She was small and knew how to dress to accentuate her figure.

And when she laughed, a few men in the room glanced over at her.

Darlene knew how to work a crowd.

It was no wonder she’d caught Jack’s attention, but even from where she was sitting, Emma could see how uncomfortable he was with her proximity.

Jack might’ve played the part of an affable Brew owner, but Emma knew the truth.

He was a private person who liked to keep to himself, and right now, he looked like he was ready to bolt just to get away from his ex.

Marley sat down next to Emma and pushed her chair closer. “I can’t believe Darlene is back in town.”

“I thought she left to find herself.”

Marley nodded and took a drink from a passing tray. “She did, but came back to town a few years ago looking for Jack and Derek. I guess it didn’t go well.”

“Why not?”

Marley shrugged and took a long sip of her drink. “I don’t know. I guess she thinks there’s still unfinished business between her and Jack, but he’s never seemed interested.”

“She’s the mother of his child. He’s at least going to entertain the idea for Derek’s sake.”

Marley gave Emma’s hand a quick squeeze. “I don’t think you should worry about that. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s only ever had eyes for you. Even when he was with Darlene, I had a feeling it wouldn’t last.”

Emma didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse.

She wasn’t here to rekindle a failed high school romance.

Emma was there to try to rebuild a relationship with her family. Anything else came secondary.

It had to.