Sleighed by the Farmer’s Daughter (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter Twenty-Two

February

As the evening cold bit into her cheeks, Mackenzie rushed down the sidewalk, her breath visible in the chill of the air. When she reached her building, she found Seth standing on the steps, his face breaking into a smile when he saw her. Without hesitation, she launched herself into his arms.

“Seth!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy.

“Hey, Peppermint,” he teased, handing her a large bouquet of roses. “Happy Valentine’s Day. Are you free for dinner?”

Mack laughed, her brown eyes sparkling. “You know we’ll never find a table tonight, right?”

“I’ve already got it covered,” Seth replied with a confident grin.

“Let me just cancel my plans,” Mack said, pulling out her phone. She noticed the flicker of uncertainty on his face, so she quickly added, “Nothing to worry about.”

Seth looked relieved as she made the call. “Hi Nicki, I’m sorry to do this at the last minute, but my boyfriend Seth surprised me, and he’s taking me to dinner. Can we raincheck our girls’ night? Oh, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries—lucky you! Yeah, I’ve seen that one. It’s a tear-jerker, but the ending’s good. I’ll see you tomorrow, and we can swap details over dinner. Enjoy your evening! Bye.”

He helped her into his large rented sedan, but instead of starting the car, he turned to her, his expression thoughtful. “Nicki, huh? Would that happen to be Nicki, as in Nichole, my mother?”

Mack’s heart skipped a beat. “That depends. Do you want it to be Nichole, your mother? Right now, she’s just Nicki, my friend and neighbor—well, sort of. Her apartment’s a few floors above mine.”

She watched as Seth processed her words, his silence weighing on her. “Listen, it felt like too much of a coincidence that your mother lived in my building. I prayed about it and decided to reach out. You assumed she was living her best life based on what you found, but appearances can be deceiving. I arranged a little meet-and-greet, and she’s amazing, Seth. If nothing else, I gained a friend in my last three months in the city. But if you’re interested in reconnecting, I know where she stands on that possibility.”

Seth’s turmoil was evident, and Mack regretted springing this on him so suddenly. “Seth, I’m sorry…”

But Seth shook his head and gently brushed a strand of her windblown hair behind her ear, kissing her forehead. “No, I’m sorry. I told you I wanted to work with Sarah to bring my family back together and that I was open to seeing where things stood with my mother. You saw an opportunity to help and took it. I should be thanking you, not… spiraling. There’s just so much emotion tied up in my mother.”

“Do you feel calm enough to drive? We can always grab takeout and eat at my place. I’ve never been one to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s sweet of you to come, but a romantic dinner isn’t necessary.”

“Have you ever had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day?” Seth asked.

“Well, no,” Mack admitted. “But I’ve never been one to buy into the commercial hype. Romantic dates should happen all year.”

“I agree,” Seth said as he pulled into traffic, heading north out of the city. “But how romantic is it that our very first official date is on Valentine’s Day?”

“No more romantic than if it had happened on the 15th,” Mack countered playfully. “So, why are you in town? You didn’t mention a visit when we spoke yesterday.”

“I wanted to surprise you. I’ve been working upstate for the past four days. A buddy of mine was in a bad car accident, and a few of us are covering his contracts so he doesn’t lose his business while he rehabs. I finished early and now have the weekend to spend with you. Plus, I found something I think you’ll love and wanted to see it firsthand.”

“In New Jersey?” Mack asked, curiosity piqued.

“Yep. It’ll take us about an hour and a half, so we have time to talk and enjoy each other’s company. And I wanted to apologize in person for bailing on you at New Year’s with only that short call as a heads up,” Seth added, kissing the back of her hand.

“You’ve already apologized, and I completely understand. Emergencies happen. I would’ve thought less of you if you’d left that surgery center hanging just to dance with me at the Harrington New Year’s ball. I’m sad I didn’t get to meet your family and see your hometown, but your work is important, and I never want you to hesitate to take off when situations like that arise. Can you imagine being a patient waiting for a life-or-death procedure and being told, ‘Sorry, the equipment’s down. We’ll have to reschedule in six months?’ That would be terrible!”

“Yeah, it was all hands on deck, but we got them up and running in less than a week, and they were able to fit all the patients in with just a few extended days. It felt really good to help out, and the money wasn’t bad either.”

Mack swatted his arm. “That’s not why you did it, and you know it. Can we go back to your mom for a minute? You said you were going to talk to Jason and Sarah about it. Did those conversations happen?”

“Yeah. Jason was surprised and a little wary but said he would like to see her again. I think he felt a little more abandoned than Eric and I because he had to deal with Dad’s addiction and care for himself. He was young and didn’t understand her disappearance. He said he was pretty angry for a long time, but he has let it go. He would like to forgive and move on. Sarah was excited but hesitant. She definitely wants the family to heal, but she said Eric is going to have to be handled with care. He has always been insanely loyal, and he would have struggled with my mother leaving us because, in his mind, you just don’t do that. Once you make a commitment... you’re in, make the best of it. Now that he’s a father and has experienced a parent’s love and witnessed how amazing Sarah is with Saraphina, he will likely feel even more strongly about Mom leaving us. It also came out while I was there that Eric had been blaming himself for Mom leaving. She often complained about how he ate so much that she couldn’t keep up with him, and the food bill was so high that my father would need to get a third job. He also remembered being the one to throw Jason’s hat when it went out on the ice. He and Jason had a good bonding moment when Jason said he never held any of that against him, and he actually laughed and said he bragged about how strong his brother was to his friends because Eric punched through the ice. He said surviving that dunking got him some serious popularity points at school.”

Seth navigated the off-ramp and continued, “I’m not sure when or how, but I think we’ll all be together again someday. What about Nicki? Did she mention her old family when you talked?”

“Yes,” Mack said, squeezing his hand. “I shared I was in a relationship and was taking my time to decide, and she gave me some pretty good advice. She said she let her dreams go for a high school love affair, and she shouldn’t have. She always wanted to live in the city but chose your father, thinking she would be happy. Nicki said, ‘When you make your decision, don’t look back. Spending too much time staring in the rearview mirror leads to wrecking your future. She said she focused so much on what she gave up that she didn’t appreciate what she had. When she finally decided she couldn’t take it anymore and ran, the life she always dreamed of didn’t fulfill her either. She said, ‘Contentment can be found anywhere, and happiness will follow. I traded in a man who loved me beyond all reason and three wonderful boys for the shine and sparkle of the city. I’m surrounded by thousands of people and have never felt more alone. If there was a time machine and I could undo one decision in my life, I would never have left my family.’ She married a wealthy man several years after moving to New York, and it turned out to be a disaster, and he quickly divorced her. Now, she is trying to be content where she is, but she misses you guys. And Seth… she knows more about your lives than you think.”

Mack hesitated but decided to share. “She has friends in Hickory Falls who’ve kept her informed over the years.”

“Really? Who?”

“She mentioned three women—Sullivan, Davis, and Harrington. Harrington visits her store several times a year and shares town gossip. She’s been estranged from her son Zach for years, and they commiserate over that.”

Seth slapped the steering wheel. “Wow! I never would have guessed. So, she knows about Eric’s injuries and marriage?”

“She does. And she’s sad about missing out on her grandchild’s life. But she feels like you did—that too much time has passed to reach out.”

Seth exhaled slowly, processing the information. “Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ll start by getting to know her, then maybe involve Jason. I still don’t know how to handle Dad and Eric, but what’s meant to be will be. All we can do is try. Maybe you can ease into your conversations that you’re my girlfriend, and when I come to help you move in March, we can spend some time getting reacquainted.”

“That sounds like a good place to start. I think she has already started to wonder and perhaps hope that the Seth I mention so often is you, but I have not confirmed anything. Just dropped none too subtle hints.”

“Good, at least then she won’t be blindsided.”