Holiday Hire (The Cartwright Family #2)

Chapter 29

29

Alexander

Two Days Before Christmas

T he last few days have been horrible. I can't eat or sleep. Anytime I try to talk to Phoebe, she avoids me. But even if she would talk to me, I'm unsure what I'd say.

I don't want her to leave, but I also can't risk my boys getting hurt. She means more to me than Cheyenne ever did, but I don't know how to mesh my dating life with my kids. They got handed the short stick when their mom died. I don't want to mess things up with Phoebe and then they get screwed again.

I've already destroyed us.

No, she just needs some time to cool off. Once she's ready to talk, we'll work through this.

I'm dying to pull her into my arms and try to make everything right, but we're past that point. This won't get worked out without a calm conversation.

She said she loved me.

I cringe, thinking about how I avoided acknowledging her admission.

I love her too. But what if we tell my sons about us and then things go wrong? Not only will I be devastated, but they'll be crushed. And I can't stand the thought of hurting them.

Yet I hate seeing Phoebe's expression every time she looks at me.

Several times, I've almost grabbed her and held her until she hugged me back. But the warning in her eyes stopped me.

I need to stop being such a pussy and figure this out.

I put Calypso back into his stall and latch the door. He nuzzles into my chest just as my phone rings.

I pull it out of my pocket and glance at the screen.

It's a number with an area code I don't recognize. I normally send unknown calls to voicemail, but something tells me to pick it up. So I answer, "Hello?"

A woman's voice comes through the phone. "Is this Mr. Alexander Cartwright?"

I sigh, stating, "It is, but I'm not interested."

"Wait! I'm not a telemarketer," the lady cries out.

"Alright. Can I ask who this is?"

"Sure. My name is Corrine Dillard. I'm calling on behalf of Alaskan Higher Hopes Charter School."

The hairs on my arms rise. I cautiously ask, "Okay, and why are you calling me?"

She chirps, "I've been told that you're Phoebe Love's current employer, is that correct?"

My gut drops and my pulse skyrockets. The air turns thick. I reach for the post and reply, "Yes, I am."

"Great," she says.

I stare at Calypso, feeling like my world's falling apart under my feet. I didn't think things could get worse after the last few days, but I was wrong.

She continues, "I've interviewed Ms. Love for a teaching position at our school. She's highly qualified and sounds like a delightful young woman."

I have to force myself to agree, not because it isn't the truth but because I don't want Phoebe to leave, much less go to Alaska. My voice cracks when I answer, "Yes, she is."

"She told me she's been taking care of your sons, Ace and Wilder?"

"That's correct," I affirm, closing my eyes.

She adds, "It sounds like you're raising two wonderful young gentlemen."

I clear my throat. "Thank you."

"On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate Ms. Love's work performance with your children?"

I grind my molars, not answering.

"Sir, are you still there?" Corrine inquires.

"Yes."

Another moment passes.

She asks, "Do you need me to repeat the question?"

"No, ma'am. I would give her a ten. Actually, no, I wouldn't. Scratch that. I'd give her a hundred. She's amazing with my children and my nieces and nephews. She's super talented at art. Plus, she understands everything to do with school that most adults these days don't understand, like TEKS math. But she also makes it fun for my kids to do their homework. So she doesn't just tutor and help them learn, they actually enjoy it," I babble, releasing a winded breath.

I can picture this woman beaming with her chipper voice as she replies, "Great. Well, thank you so much, Mr. Cartwright."

"Are you hiring her?" I blurt out, feeling sick.

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell you anything before I tell her."

"I won't say anything," I state, feeling more loss burning through my veins.

Corrine lowers her voice. "Okay, Mr. Cartwright. It'll be our little secret. But please don't ever tell her I told you, but yes. I'm thrilled to offer her the position. I'm ecstatic to welcome her to Alaska."

Phoebe's going to Alaska.

My stomach flips, and bile rises up my throat. I swallow it down, squeezing my eyes tighter. Dizziness hits me, and I hold the post tighter.

"Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Cartwright. Have a great day."

"Thank you. You too," I say and hang up. I stare at Calypso, feeling like the entire world just shifted.

Dad's voice tears me out of my ill thoughts. "When are you going to get that stick out of your ass, son?"

I spin toward him, snarling, "Meaning?"

He shakes his head, shuts the barn door, and steps closer. "I think it's time we had a talk."

"I'm not into being lectured, Dad."

He crosses his arms. "Put on your big boy pants, son."

"What?" I question, not into dealing with anything right now, especially taking shit from my old man.

He grunts. "From where I'm standing, you need to get hit over your head."

"Don't start with me," I say, still unsure what he's even talking about, but not caring anyway.

Phoebe's going to Alaska.

He crosses his arms. "Are you going to let that girl walk out of here and go to Alaska?"

My chest tightens.

He chuckles. "Do you really think everyone around here doesn't know what's going on between you two?"

Shock fills me. How would my parents know? They were gone most of the time Phoebe's been here.

He waves his hand in front of him. "Come on, son. Your mother and I weren't born yesterday. It's clear as day you two have gotten a little cozy while we've been gone. Hell, you were cozy while we were here for Thanksgiving."

My stomach flips, my thoughts running a mile a minute.

He steps closer. "What exactly is the problem here? You have a woman who's amazing with your kids and is crazy for you. And that's a hard thing to find, by the way. You're no peach pie on a daily basis."

"Gee, thanks, Dad," I mutter.

He grins, then continues, "Everyone in the family loves her. Why on Earth would you ever give her a reference to go to Alaska when she belongs right here?"

The thought of Phoebe bundled up, standing in snow, freezing her ass off in Alaska with some other man trying to warm her up is a new nightmare to haunt me.

He declares, "I'm not going to live forever, son. You want to spit out an answer to my question?"

"It's complicated," I claim.

He snorts. "It's only complicated if you make it complicated."

"It's not. I have two kids who lost their mother. I don't have the luxuries that other men have. I don't get to make mistakes."

He shakes his head. "Son, you're giving yourself way too much credit."

"What does that mean?" I snap.

He steps even closer and jabs me in the chest. "Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

"Apparently, you do," I retort.

"Your kids are fine. They love Phoebe. She would never hurt them."

"I didn't say she would hurt them. But if they find out we're together and then it doesn't work out between us, they're going to be crushed," I proclaim.

Dad shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah, they would. But they'll also be crushed if she leaves, and you'll be crushed for the rest of your life if you don't stop it."

I stay silent, my pulse shooting even higher.

Dad continues, "Wilder and Ace are fine. They'll be okay either way. But you're in a pickle, son. You can either crush them now and let her leave, or you can take a chance and follow your heart for once in your life."

"For once in my life? I've done that before," I remind him.

He softens his tone. "Alexander, we all lost when Clara died. But you can't keep yourself from loving someone else just because of one tragedy. And I've seen you two together. You and Phoebe are like peanut butter and jelly. You just go together. So stop being a fool and do something about it. Because if that girl leaves, you're not finding another one like her."

I stare at him with my heart hurting at the thought of Phoebe flying off to Alaska and never seeing her again. Then it finally sinks in.

I can't let her go.

"You're right," I say, and brush past Dad, yanking open the barn door.

"Good, but she's not here. She took the kids over to Evelyn's. You might want to go over there," he informs me.

"It's okay. I have somewhere I need to go first," I claim, going right to the truck. I slide onto the driver's seat, turn on the engine, and peel out the driveway, passing the gate quickly.

I go into town, park in front of the jeweler's shop, and take a deep breath. My heart beats faster.

What if she says no?

Don't be a fucking pussy, I tell myself and get out of the truck.

I go into the jeweler's, my stomach flipping with nerves, but knowing this is what I want.

Old man Denny looks up. He smiles, and his wrinkles expand. He booms, "Alexander, good to see you. Looking for some last-minute Christmas gifts?"

I announce, "It's not a Christmas gift. I need an engagement ring."

His eyes widen. He chuckles. "Who's the lucky girl? Is it that nanny you've been seen around town with?"

I groan and shake my head. "Does anything in this town stay quiet?"

"Nope. You know how it is around here," he states and then opens a glass case. He pulls out a box that has a dozen rings in it, asking, "What kind of ring does your girl like?"

I step closer and admit, "I don't know. She's never told me."

He chuckles. "Well, that's a keeper. How many women don't tell their man what kind of ring they want?"

"She doesn't exactly know I'm here."

"That's good. She's not supposed to know you're here," he assures me.

My palms sweat as I stare at the rings.

Denny says, "Let me help you out, son. Tell me about her."

"She's beautiful. She's great with my kids. They love her and she loves them. She takes care of us. She's a super-talented artist, fun, and always happy. Well, except for when I'm pissing her off. But she's the most amazing person I've ever met." I stop and realize how I probably sound. I look away, taking a couple of deep breaths.

Denny taps the glass. "Sounds like you've got a keeper. Now, I think this is a ring you should take a look at." He holds up a gold band with a flower pattern made of diamonds.

I take it from him and study it, admitting, "It's beautiful."

He asks, "Can you see it on her finger?"

I imagine it. "Yeah, I can."

"Can you see her face lighting up when she sees it?"

I think about how Phoebe's face would light up when I present her with the ring, making me feel good for the first time in days. So I nod. "Yeah, I think she will."

He picks up another ring. It has one large stone and is flashier. He asks, "And what about this?"

I try to imagine it on Phoebe's finger. I shake my head. "No, that's not her."

He goes through the rings one by one until the only ring left is the one he originally picked out.

I question, "How did you know this was the ring?"

He chuckles. "Son, I've been doing this for nearly forty years now. You think you're the first man to come in here not knowing what kind of ring their woman wants?"

"Point taken," I say.

"Great. Do you want me to wrap this up nice and pretty? Make it look like a Christmas gift?"

I shake my head. "No. I already got her a different gift for Christmas. This is just from me."

He grins. "Good call." He puts it in a black box and hands it to me. "Take good care of that. That's the only one of its kind."

"I will, sir."

I pay for the ring and leave. I put the ring in the console of my truck and then drive to Evelyn's.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Ace says as I walk in.

I answer, "I need to steal you and your brother for a little bit."

"Where are we going?" Wilder questions.

"It's a surprise. Come on."

Phoebe looks at me in question, and my sister does too.

Evelyn demands, "Where are you taking them?"

"None of your business. Take some time off, Phoebe," I say, barely refraining from reaching out, grabbing her, and kissing her.

She gives me another confused look, and I take the boys to the truck.

We drive to my house, and they get out of the cab. I grab the ring and go inside. I sit them down at the kitchen table.

Wilder asks, "Dad, you took us away from the fun to lecture us?"

I chuckle. "No, I took you away to talk about something serious."

Ace leans closer. "Did you find a stallion for Phoebe?"

I chuckle again. "No. Not yet, son."

"Aw, man. That's what we need to get her for Christmas. Everything else we got her doesn't seem cool enough," he claims.

"Well, I know she'll love the presents you got her. And I have another gift for her. But it's not for Christmas."

"What is it?" Wilder questions.

I reach into my pocket and put the box on the table.

The boys glance at it, then at each other. I open the box and wait, trying to gauge their reactions.

Ace grabs it first. "This is what you're giving Phoebe?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to ask her to marry you, Dad?" Wilder questions.

"I am. How do you boys feel about that?"

"Yes!" Ace exclaims. He jumps up and pumps his hand in the air.

"So she's not going to leave?" Wilder asks.

I hold my hands up. "I'm not sure. Don't get too excited yet."

Wilder's eyes narrow. "Why?"

"Sit back down," I say to Ace.

He obeys, and the boys' expressions turn serious.

I admit, "I might've screwed up a little bit with Phoebe."

"Like you took her on a bad date or something?" Ace questions.

I nod. "Yeah, something like that."

"What did you do, Dad?" Wilder demands, disapproval on his expression.

"That's between Phoebe and me. So I'm not sure if she's going to accept my proposal. I don't want you guys to be disappointed if she doesn't. And if she doesn't want to marry me, that's on me, not her. But I thought you should know. I don't want to hide the fact that I love her from you anymore."

Ace grins. "Well then, make her stay, Dad."

"Yeah, all women love diamonds. Just give her the ring. She'll be fine," Wilder states.

I chuckle and tousle his hair. "You have a lot to learn about women, son."

"Dad, go ask her now," Ace orders.

I shake my head. "These things have to be done in the right way."

They stare at me.

"So you boys will keep this a secret, right?" I ask.

They both nod their agreement.

Ace says, "Your secret's safe with us."

"I'll make sure he doesn't spill it," Wilder adds.

Ace smacks him across the shoulder. "I wouldn't spill the beans."

Wilder gives him his cocky Jagger grin. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Okay, so the secret's just between the three of us," I tell them.

Ace asks, "Who else knows?"

"No one. Well, the jeweler knows. That's it. So it's just the three of us. No other Cartwright knows," I repeat.

Wilder grins, as does Ace.

"But, Dad, ask her soon," Ace orders.

"Yeah, before Christmas, so it's not cheesy. Because you got her a different gift, right? That shouldn't be her Christmas gift too," Wilder declares.

"Why does that matter?" Ace questions.

"Duh. Because then she gets more gifts and will want to stay," Wilder claims.

"Mmm, I don't think Phoebe's going to decide to stay or go based on the number of gifts she receives," I assert.

"I would," Wilder says.

I shake my head and sigh. "That's not right, and someday when you grow up, you'll realize that."

He shrugs.

"Alright. I'm taking you back to Evelyn's, but mum's the word. Okay?"

They agree, and I drop them back off. I don't go inside. The rest of the day, I try to figure out when I'll ask Phoebe. I think about all the special things I could do and try to make happen, but I can't do most of them before Christmas.

Also, I know my time is running out. The clock is ticking. I don't know when Phoebe will leave for Alaska. But if she accepts a teaching job, my guess is she'll have to be there come the new year.

All day, I stress over how to ask her. When dinnertime comes, everyone is in the dining room.

The entire meal, I stare at Phoebe, but she continues to avoid me, blinking hard several times.

I know she's hurting, and it kills me. When the table is cleared and dessert is brought out, I rise and clear my throat. "Can everyone take a break for a minute?"

Everyone stares at me.

I move over so I'm in front of Phoebe, and hold out my hand. "Stand up for a minute, Pheebs."

She pins her eyebrows together with fear on her face. She utters, "What are you doing?"

"Just stand up. Please?" I beg.

She cautiously takes my hand and rises.

My stomach flips, and I announce, "There's something I need to tell you, and I should have told you this a while ago. And I definitely should have told you this the other day."

Confusion replaces the fear as she glances at my family and then back at me.

I put my hand on her cheek. "I love you. My family loves you. The boys love you. But most of all, I love you. And I'm not good with words. Everybody knows that." I pull the box out of my pocket and flip the lid off. I get down on my knee.

She puts her hand over her mouth, gaping at me.

I keep my hand in hers. "Pheebs, the moment you walked in here, my life got better. All of our lives got better. And I know I screwed up last week. Trust me, I know. But I love you, and you're more than any woman I could have imagined."

A tear slips down her cheek and her lips tremble.

I continue, "I want you to forgive me and be my wife. Please, forgive me. Will you marry me?"

She stares at me, shaking, glancing between the ring and me.

"If you don't like the ring, I can get a different one," I blurt out.

"No! I love the ring," she replies.

My chest tightens. "Then, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I'll marry you," she says, and more tears slide down her cheek.

My family erupts in cheers.

I get off my knee and pull her into my arms, kissing her until Wilder shouts, "Dad, gross. Come on."

I retreat.

She beams at me, laughing.

The rest of the night is spent partying with my family and my soon-to-be wife staring at me with love and happiness in her eyes. And everything I've ever wanted is finally in front of me.