Cabin Fever With My First Flame (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

21. Bailey

Chapter twenty-one

Bailey

My heart sinks as I watch Finn and the boys drive away, and the cold I hadn’t felt previously now permeates my body. I pull my hat a little further down on my head and spin on my heel, which is a bad idea because I lose my balance on the slick asphalt and windmill my arms as I try to stay upright. I epically fail and end up on my butt.

Daniel walks over to me and doesn’t even bother to offer me a hand to help me up, expecting me to do it myself. I eventually get to my feet and stare up at my ex. “You got your wish, and we’re alone. Will you tell me why you’re here?”

“I came to spend time with the girls,” he says.

“A little warning would have been nice.” I brush the snow from my body and shake out my hair.

“I tried calling you for three days! You didn’t answer, Bailey!”

I frown. “I wasn’t in a place with cell reception, Daniel. Tell me, why are you really here? Aren’t you supposed to be getting married to Delaney tomorrow?”

“Delaney and I called off the wedding shortly after you left. Afterward, I was sitting in our home, and it was so quiet. I started questioning my life choices and the man that I had become. I didn’t like him, Bailey. The sound of laughter was missing, and I was lonely. I didn’t realize how hard it would be once you and the girls were gone. And…”

“And what? Did Bryce tell you that we were at Finn’s place and that you had to come and stop me from making a terrible mistake? Are you here to lie to me yet again?”

Daniel’s cheeks redden, but not out of anger or from the cold, but from embarrassment. “He told you.”

I poke my fingers in his chest, and my blood begins to boil. “Of course he did! Finn left me because you lied to him, Daniel! You told him that I had been cheating on him with you behind his back! You manipulated the situation to your advantage. Did you honestly think that wouldn’t come out once I returned home? Is that why you wanted Bryce to keep Finn and me apart? So that I wouldn’t learn the truth?”

Daniel stutters over his words. “I, uh. Um.”

“You are unbelievable! Go home to Delaney and work it out. Go get your happily ever after.” I stomp a few feet away, then spin back around. “You know what? Here’s what I don’t understand, Daniel. Finn was your best friend as much as I was. Why would you do that to him or to me?”

“Because I had been in love with you since the ninth grade, Bailey! Then Finn came along with his good looks, talent, and smarts, and suddenly, my chance with you evaporated. I was biding my time thinking that he would mess up or that the two of you would break up, but then you guys started talking about marriage,” he says, finally being the most honest with me he’s ever been.

“So, you lied to Finn to get him out of the picture, and then you lied to me. You manipulated me. And for what? So that you could sell our restaurant by forging my signature, and then divorce me when I wasn’t good enough for you anymore?”

Daniel holds his hands out, pleading. “You were more than good enough for me! It was me that was never good enough for you! I messed up big time, Bailey! From the beginning, our relationship was built on lies—lies that I told. All I wanted was for you to be mine, but the guilt at what I had done was eating away at me! I couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror anymore, but instead of coming to you with the truth, I sought solace elsewhere. For that, I am truly sorry. You never deserved what I did. I didn’t know it then because I was young and selfish, but Finn was the better man. He always has been.”

“Are you here to ask for a second chance?” I ask bluntly.

He holds up his hands in surrender and shakes his head. “I’m here to see the girls and to ask for your forgiveness. I never should have lied. I never should have cheated. And I never should have done those despicable things. But the one thing that is true and always will be is that I love our girls with every ounce of my being. I realized that I haven’t told them that enough, and the only way to make that right is to be there for them moving forward.”

I eye him skeptically. I know when Daniel is hiding something. “Is that all?”

Daniel steps back and runs a hand through his hair. “I do want to see our girls, Bailey. That is if you’ll let me. I’d like to spend Christmas with them while I’m here and tell them I love them.”

My anger dissipates. “I’ll never stop you from spending time with our girls, Daniel. They love you no matter what. Come over tomorrow morning at eight, and I’ll ensure they’re up. Where are you staying, and for how long?”

He grimaces. “I was hoping to stay here since my parents’ home is buried in snow, but I’ll be leaving tomorrow to arrange my belongings to be moved to their final destination.”

“And where might that be?” I ask.

He hooks a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of his childhood home about five doors down from ours. “Here, in Lake George. My father is going to have me take over his accounting practice so that he and my mom can stay in South Carolina full-time, and they’ll let me live in their house.”

Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Daniel plans on coming home for a fresh start! Doesn’t he know that I have the monopoly on that sort of thing?

I point toward the front door. “I can’t deal with this right now. Please go inside and spend time with our daughters since that’s why you’re here. I need time to think, and I’ll make up a bed for you when I get back.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise. “Aren’t you coming in?”

“Not right now. I’m going to go for a much-needed walk.” I zip up my coat so that it covers my mouth and put my hands in my jacket pockets. Having fallen several times already, I think better of it and let my arms hang loose. I’ll need them for stabilization purposes—of that, I have no doubt.

I wait for Daniel to go inside before heading in Finn’s direction. It takes me nearly half an hour to go the six blocks, but I use the time to think about Finn and his kind heart. Daniel didn’t even bother to help me up, yet Finn never wanted to leave my side. Despite Finn’s belief I had wronged him, he didn’t hesitate to rescue us and make us feel like we belonged.

The only reason Finn left me tonight was to give me the space he thought I needed. At the time, I wanted him to stay with me while I spoke with Daniel because I thought I might need him for support. But Finn believed I had the strength to handle the situation and trusted me to do so. If I had begged him to stay, I know he would have.

I had no idea that coming home would provide me with closure from past hurts and a pathway to forgiveness. I had no idea that a fresh start might include a second chance to get things right. I thought that if I were to ever cross paths with Finn, we were certainly going to be enemies. Okay, “enemies” isn’t the right word because other than the one mistake that ultimately ended us, we almost never argued. But I definitely didn’t consider the notion of us becoming friends again a possibility. Ella probably would have called us “frenemies.”

The more I think about Finn and how God placed him in our path at precisely the right time and place when we needed help, the clearer my decision becomes. Finn and I were brought together for a reason, and I would be a fool to question His plan for me—for us.

I desperately want to cross the street and knock on the door to share my feelings and declare my intentions, but something in my gut stops me. Maybe it’s the fact all the lights are out or that Daniel is staying in our home and spending Christmas with our girls. Regardless of the reason, I can’t ignore the nagging feeling that I need to wait.

After wandering around the town and doing some soul-searching, I finally come full circle and arrive at my childhood home. My mom is waiting up for me. “Where is everyone?” I ask as I hang up my coat and remove my boots.

She pats the seat next to her, gesturing for me to sit. “You were gone for three hours, Bailey. Everyone is asleep, so it’s just you and me. I stayed up because I thought you might want to talk.”

I told her the reason behind Daniel’s arrival and that he would be leaving tomorrow so that he could move here. She nods and says, “I wondered if he would ever see the light and get his priorities straight, but he took you up on your advice and doted on the girls while you were gone. It’s an answered prayer. However, I don’t think he took it well when the girls couldn’t stop talking about Finn and his nephews.”

Ella tiptoes down the stairs, but the creak of the last step gives her away. She comes over and snuggles herself in between my mom and me. She grins. “In all fairness, Dad did ask what it was like being trapped in a cabin. All we did was tell him the truth.” Ella leans her head on my shoulder. “Are you going to get back together with Dad? Is that why he’s really here?”

I gently stroke her hair. “No, Baby, I’m not. That’s not why he’s here. He’s here for you, Mia, and Ava. He wants to have a relationship with you and is doing the right thing.” As much as it might be awkward having Daniel down the street, at least working out visitation isn’t going to be an issue.

“How are you okay with this? How can you forgive him so easily?” Ella asks. My mom raises her eyebrow at me, wondering how I’m going to tackle this one.

“It’s not easy, Ella, but if I don’t, I’ll harbor a resentment that will eat away at me. Forgiveness isn’t about just saying the words; it’s a state of the heart. That means that I have to forgive over and over again until I don’t have to remind myself to do it. I loved your father, and a part of me always will. That love just isn’t the romantic kind of love anymore.”

“Do you still love Finn in the romantic sense?” she asks.

I smirk. “Finn was my first love, Ella. There will always be a special connection between us. Could I love him in that way again? The answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’”

“Then you need to show him with a grand gesture, and I know just what you should do.” Ella rubs her hands together and lays out her plan. I have to admit, it’s a good one.

The following day is a frenzy of activity as the girls open their presents and the adults sit around and bask in their joy. Daniel has his bags packed and sitting by the door, but he stays long enough to have breakfast with us and spend more time with our daughters.

“A Barbie Jeep!” Ava shouts after tearing through the paper of her last gift. “God answered my letter! Wahoo! Thank you!”

When Daniel looks confused, Ella explains the Hollister family tradition of writing letters to God. Thankfully, she has enough tact not to tell her dad what she asked for.

Daniel clears his throat. “It’s time for me to leave. I have a plane to catch, and although the roads are clear, it’s still going to be slow going.” He embraces each of the girls and says his goodbyes, promising to see them soon. “Bailey, will you walk me to my car?”

I silently answer by bundling up to brace the cold. Once we’re at his rental vehicle, he turns to me and says, “I’m sorry for everything I did. You deserve to be happy. I know I’m not the man to do that, and I just want to say that I wish you the best.”

I open my mouth to say something snarky, but he puts a finger to my lips. “I know what you’re thinking, Bailey, but I promise not to stand in the way of that happiness. I will not interfere in your life, but I do want to be a part of Ella’s, Mia’s, and Ava’s. Maybe at some point in the future, you and I can be friends again.”

“I can’t stop you from moving home, and the girls are thrilled to have you close, but I won’t tolerate you spreading any more lies, Daniel. It’s not fair to the girls, Finn, or me. If friendship is something you really want, that is the first step you’ll need to take.”

“You have my word, Bailey. I know that doesn’t mean much to you right now, but I want it to mean something moving forward. I know that our daughters love me unconditionally, but I want them to like me, too. I want them to look up to me and talk about me the way they did about Finn last night. I’m jealous, but not because he gets the girl in the end. I’m jealous because he’s the kind of man who deserves to.”

I tear up. “He is, but you can be that man, too. It’s never too late.”

Daniel wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “I’m counting on that. Merry Christmas, Bailey.”

“Merry Christmas, Daniel.” I kiss his cheek and step out of the embrace just as Finn and the boys drive by in their ATV.

Finn doesn’t look my way, but Micah frowns and shakes his head in disappointment. I watch them continue until they pull into the fire station down the road, realizing that I need to do some damage control.

I wave to Daniel and then head back inside. “Ella, I need your help!” I plop down on the sofa beside her and explain what just happened outside. My girls are excited to learn that their dad will be moving to town, but Ella is all business when it comes to helping me rectify the situation.

“I’ll text Micah and let him in on our plan and explain that what he saw wasn’t what it looked like,” she says, typing away on her phone. “It’s so good having cell service again.”

We wait on pins and needles until Micah finally texts back. Ella shows me the phone and grins. “Micah apologizes for jumping to conclusions, and he wants to know how he can help.”

“Text him back and let him know to keep our plan a secret and don’t let Finn renege on his promise. I’m counting on Finn to do the right thing.”

Micah replies with a thumbs-up emoji.

I smile. “Operation Win Finn” is in full effect.