“This was in my stocking this morning,” Jess said. “It’s the best Christmas ever.” She leaned close and whispered, “I’ve always wanted a mom. Mine left when I was a baby and never came back.”

  “I’m really glad you got what you wanted, Jess.” He held his hand up and let her give him a high-five. As soon as she did, she darted off to show Becca. Aiden guessed a lot of people were going to see that letter before Jessica’s excitement wore off.

  “That’s awesome, Mal,” he said.

  She smiled even wider. “Thanks. We were really hoping to get it finalized before Harris was born, but we’re very happy everything was legal before Christmas.”

  Looking around the room, from Mallory rocking Harris to Becca and Kara talking about raising kids, Aiden thought this was the most normal holiday he’d had in a very long time. He needed more of this. The only thing missing, besides his dad and brother, was Meg.

  Meg tried to ignore the way her sister was judging her, but the moment she had walked into her parents’ house, Aya had lifted her chin at least two notches. However, when she focused on Meg’s forehead, what appeared to be genuine concern filled her eyes. “How did that happen?”

  Meg touched her still-tender injury. “I was showing some houses to a client. The roads were icy. We slid into a ditch.”

  “Meg,” she said, as if she were already exhausted from dealing with her sister. “You know you shouldn’t be driving in the snow. It scares you too much.”

  “I wasn’t driving. He was.”

  Aya widened her eyes. “You got in a car with a stranger. A male stranger?”

  “And here we go,” Meg muttered. She’d literally been there for three minutes, and her sister was already getting ready to lecture her. If this were any other day, she’d snap to shut her up, but Meg was determined not to ruin Christmas. “All our clients have background checks, Aya.”

  “He could have killed you. Have you forgotten what happened to Annie O’Connell?”

  “Her name is Annie Callison now,” Meg said. “And since I work for her, I think it’s safe to say I have not forgotten.”

  “She could have died.”

  “We have security in place to try to prevent anything like that from happening again.”

  Aya clearly wasn’t impressed. She put her hands on the dining room table and glared. “This job is dangerous.”

  “So is yours. What happens if some spliced DNA gets into your system and you grow a third eye? Or turn into Spider-Man?”

  “Stop being stupid,” Aya snapped.

  “You stop being paranoid.”

  “Your boss got shot, Meg. I’m not being paranoid.”

  “Peter Parker started shooting webs out of his hands.”

  Aya glared at her. Meg knew exactly how to get to her older sister, and she was doing it with a smile on her face. The downfall of being siblings was instinctively knowing how to piss the other off. Aya might be better than Meg at everything else, but she’d never outdo Meg in the area of deliberately pushing buttons.

  “I’m trying to look out for you,” Aya stated. “Someone has to since you obviously can’t take care of yourself.”

  That zinger stung a bit more than Meg wanted to admit. “I do just fine, thank you.”

  “Not today,” Umi said to both her daughters. “It’s Christmas.” She looked over her shoulder. “Stop before you upset your father. None of us need to deal with his bad mood.”

  Aya threw her hands up and left the room, headed toward the kitchen. Meg had intentionally arrived just in time to eat. She didn’t want to deal with her sister telling her all the ways she was cooking wrong.

  “Hey,” Meg said before her mother scurried out too. “Why didn’t you tell Aya about my accident?”

  Her mother put her hand on her hip. Though she was small and thin, she looked intimidating as hell as she stared at Meg with her mouth stretched in a tight line and her eyes narrowed. “You really think I want your father to know you were with that boy?”

  Meg blinked a few times. “You mean Aiden?”

  “He’s the reason you tossed your future away.”

  Rolling her head back, Meg moaned. “Seriously?”

  “You dropped out of medical school because of him.”

  “No.” Meg met her mom’s determined stare with one of her own. “I dropped out of med school because I didn’t want to be a doctor.”

  “Not today, Megumi. Don’t start this fight today.”

  Snapping her mouth shut, she exhaled. She shouldn’t have told her mom that she’d been with Aiden. That was stupid, and she’d known it before she’d even said it. She had just been feeling so confused about him, and Mallory was busy with the new baby. She’d needed someone to talk to and had foolishly thought she could tell her mother. Her family couldn’t possibly understand. She knew better.

  Dropping into a chair, she waited for her mom and sister to finish bringing food from the kitchen. As they served, Meg’s father joined them, barely acknowledging Meg. Aya, on the other hand, was quizzed about the trials and tribulations of DNA splicing. She wasn’t dating, had no plans to, but she was ready to move out of her apartment and buy a condo. She’d looked at a few already but hadn’t found one she liked.

  “What?” Meg blurted out. “Why would you…” She looked at her mother as if she could somehow help her make sense of what she’d heard. “Aya, why would you let someone else show you condos? You could have come to me.”

  “I went to a professional real estate agent, Meg,” Aya said.

  Ouch. “Um. I’ve been a licensed agent for over two years now. I think most people would consider that being a professional.”

  “He has over twenty years’ experience,” she said, as if that justified choosing someone else over her sister. “This is a serious decision for me, Meg. I have to go with an agent I can trust.”

  Meg sat back, her mouth open and her eyes wide. “Oh. Gotcha. Someone you can trust.” She looked at her plate of half-eaten food and her stomach clenched. Letting her breath out slowly, she pushed down the angry words trying to escape her. Not today, her mom had told her. Not today.

  “Not today,” she whispered as she stood. “Excuse me. I just realized I’m supposed to be somewhere else.”

  “Sit,” her mom said. “Megumi. Sit.”

  “Merry Christmas, Mom,” she said and headed for the door.

  Meg left without looking back. She wasn’t lying; she did have other places to be, but Mallory and Phil weren’t expecting her for another hour or two. She swallowed down her emotions, refusing to let Aya’s choices hurt her, giving herself a much-needed pep talk the entire way.

  However, when she noticed Aiden’s car parked outside, what was left of her spirits sank. Damn it. She didn’t need this. She didn’t need to see him. Not now. She considered driving by, but she had been invited to celebrate with her friends—who were more like family. And she did need to be with them right now. Aiden be damned.

  However, she hadn’t expected to see his mother sitting next to Kara. Becca Howard had never been a big fan of Meg’s. She didn’t know why, but she had her suspicions. Aiden’s parents were old-fashioned, and Meg didn’t have to consider for very long that they didn’t approve of their son dating a girl from Japan.

  Meg and Aiden had dated for two years, and she had only seen his parents a handful of times. His family preferred to make excuses for why they couldn’t spend time with Aiden and Meg rather than getting to know her. She imagined his mother probably breathed a huge sigh of relief when Aiden moved to New York to get away from Meg.

  When she looked up and caught Meg’s gaze, she seemed just as surprised. Her eyes immediately darted to Aiden, who didn’t see the exchange because he was crossing the room to Meg. She frowned at him. He never seemed to have caught on to the fact that his mother didn’t approve of their relationship.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” he said.

  “Ditto,” she muttered as she tugged her coat free.

  He pulled it from her and hung it on the wall. The look he gave her was sympathetic curiosity. They might not be together anymore, but she knew that look. He always gave her that after she returned from visiting her parents. They had a way of draining her light, and Aiden had a way of seeing how dim she felt afterward.

  In the old days, he would have scooped her up and cuddled her in his lap, giving her reassurances while she vented and ranted and eventually cried. Then he’d order dinner in and they’d snuggle in a pile of blankets and watch television while her soul recuperated.

  Damn it, she needed that now. She needed him to hold her close and promise her that she would be okay. She needed him to whisper that she was enough and she would always be enough. But then she remembered that she wasn’t. If she had been enough for him, he never would have left her.

  Turning away from him and the reminder of the pain he’d caused, she focused on the only other person in the world who could mend her broken heart. She opened her arms as Jessica came running up to her.

  “Look at this,” Jessica said.

  Meg took the letter and had to hold her breath to stop herself from sobbing. She’d known that Mallory planned to adopt Jessica, but she didn’t know it was finalized. She wasn’t surprised they’d kept it a secret, and rightfully so. Jessica should have been the first to know.

  “This is amazing,” Meg said.

  Jessica’s smile fell a bit. “Are you upset?”

  Meg sniffed and shook her head hard. “I’m happy, kiddo. That’s so exciting.”

  The smile returned to Jess’s face. “I get to call her Mom now,” she whispered.

  Pulling her close, Meg hugged Jessica and kissed the top of her head. Of all the times she needed a little boost from the perpetually happy kid, this was it. Her Christmas had been as bad as expected, and she felt gutted from the little time she’d spent with her family. Holding Jessica close, she whispered, “And she’ll be the best mom in the whole world. You’re so lucky.”

  “What’s wrong, Meg?” Jessica asked.

  “Hey,” Aiden said, far more cheerfully than the moment called for, “did you open the present I brought for you?”

  Jessica hesitated but then rushed to where Aiden had set the wrapped boxes on the table. Meg shook her head at him. She didn’t want to talk about it but wasn’t surprised when he took her hand and pulled her toward the kitchen.

  “What happened?” he asked softly.

  “The usual.”

  “Megumi,” he stated firmly. “What happened?”

  She pointed to her head, to the stitches still holding her healing skin together. “I let it slip that you were the client I was with when this happened. My parents freaked out. My sister gloated. I got mad. We all blew up. And then I stormed out. So…the usual.”

  He creased his brow. “Why would they care if you were with me?”

  She scoffed. “Just…because. I was surprised to see your mom here.” She smiled when his eyes lit, not only because she’d managed to distract him but because it was nice to see him excited.

  “She and Kara are being civil. That’s a nice change.”

  Meg smiled. “Christmas miracle.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Not the only one. Look at us acting like friends.”

  She was startled by his observation, but once the shock faded, she felt warmth touch her heart. “Nice, huh?”

  “Very nice. I’m sorry you had a bad Christmas. I hope it gets better now that you’re here.”

  “It will.”

  Mallory eased the kitchen door open and poked her head in. “Aiden, would you go help Phil…do something in the other room please?”

  He hesitated before leaving through the door Mal held open for him. As soon as Mallory gave Meg a sad, understanding smile, Meg felt her depression returning.

  “I mentioned Aiden was back in town. My sister freaked.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged. “Well. My entire family blames him for me falling into such a deep depression that I couldn’t finish medical school.”

  Mal pressed her lips together. “You did fall into such a deep depression that you couldn’t finish medical school.”

  “Not because of Aiden.” She sighed when Mallory simply stared. “Not only because of Aiden. Depression is a little more complex than one bad relationship. Okay?”

  “I know that, Meg,” she whispered. “I was there, remember?”

  Meg held her breath. “You didn’t tell Aiden I was diagnosed with depression, did you?”

  “No,” Mallory stated firmly. “I would never share your private business, Meg. But maybe you should tell him.”

  “It’s none of his business.”

  She bit her lips. “Did you ever tell your parents about your diagnosis?”

  “It’s not theirs either,” Meg insisted.

  “Maybe they would be a bit more forgiving if they knew it wasn’t just a bad breakup that sent you spiraling.”

  Meg shook her head. Her family would never understand. They already thought she was a failure. Adding that she battled depression to her long list of faults would only make things worse. She knew Mallory didn’t agree with keeping secrets, but the only person who knew the depth of Meg’s struggles was her best friend. Mallory had been the one to notice the signs and helped Meg get treatment. The bond between them only grew stronger after that, whereas Meg’s bond with her family became more strained.

  They would never understand. She knew that as well as she knew that if she told Aiden how far she fell after he left, he’d feel guilty. It wasn’t his fault. She’d been ill. She’d needed help. She’d gotten it. End of story. Nobody else needed to know.

  “I’m starving,” Meg said, intentionally changing the subject. “When do we eat?”

  Chapter Eight

  Aiden was probably pushing his luck, but he couldn’t help himself. His first shift at the hospital had been amazing. Not only did he not treat a single malnourished or obviously abused child, but he’d even had time to rest. The ER in Stonehill was nothing like New York, where the patients outnumbered the doctors ten to one most of the time. Aiden was able to actually treat a patient before he was needed again. It was amazing.

  That on the heels of what he would call an incredibly successful Christmas made him feel like he was invincible. So invincible, in fact, that he decided to drop into Meg’s office and invite her out for a celebratory lunch. He was sure she’d join him. They’d texted a few times, had a few phone calls, and he was feeling really good about the progress they’d made. She wouldn’t turn him down. He was certain.

  He smiled at the O’Connell Realty receptionist who picked up the phone and called Meg before he even asked.

  “Go on back,” she said.

  He gave her his most winning smile, but she didn’t seem impressed. She raised her brows and focused on her computer screen. Aiden almost laughed. He certainly had a reputation with her coworkers, and not a good one. “Good afternoon, Miss Tanaka,” he said.

  She leaned back and furrowed her brow. “Did we have an appointment?”

  “No.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  “I don’t want to eat lunch alone. That would dampen the amazing mood I’m in. Tell me you’re free.”

  Suspicion touched her eyes, but then she chuckled. That was a look he hadn’t gotten from her for a long time, and it lifted his spirits even more.

  Sitting across from her, he said, “Are you free for lunch?”

  “Maybe. Where are you going?”

  “Wherever you want.”

  “Are you buying?”

  He put his hand to his heart. “Oh. You are a tough negotiator. No wonder I got such a good deal on that house. Yeah. I’m buying. Come on.”

  “Sweet,” she sang out as she jumped up. “Let’s go to the café.”

  He scrunched his nose. “Jenna always looks at me like she’s going to spit in my food.”

  Meg laughed as she put her coat on. “That’s because I told her to.”

  “I’m not kidding.”

  “Neither am I.” She smiled at him, and his heart lifted. “How about that Italian place on the square?”

  “The café is fine.” He followed her from the office and opened the passenger door for her. Though they rode to the restaurant in silence, it was comfortable, lacking the stress they’d shared just a week or so before. Gauging her easy attitude, he dared to put his hand to the small of her back as he opened the door to guide her in. She didn’t call him on it. In fact, he thought he saw her grin a little. They slid into a booth, and he sat back. “Tell me about your Christmas.”

  She shook her head, and he was taken aback by the sadness in her eyes.

  “Hey,” he pressed, suddenly concerned. “You have to talk to me about this, Meg. What happened?”

  “I do not have to talk to you about it. I talked to Mallory, and I’m fine.”

  “Okay. I need you to talk to me about it. What happened?”

  She hesitated and then shrugged. “The usual ‘Meg’s a loser’ talk.”

  “You’re not a loser.”

  “Well, I’m not a doctor.”

  Aiden waited for the sarcastic smirk on her face to fall. “You’re an amazing real estate agent. You’re smart and funny. Kind of cute sometimes too.”

  She grinned a little. “Shut up.”

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a good holiday. But you have to remember that this is your life. Not theirs. You have to do what makes you happy.”

  She nodded but didn’t seem convinced. When Jenna approached the table, they ordered drinks and then took a minute to review the menu. By the time Jenna returned with two teas, they were ready to place their lunch orders.

  “Are you happy?” Aiden asked when Jenna left their table. “With your job, I mean?”

  “I love my job.”

  “So what they think doesn’t matter. I know it sucks that they don’t support you. But at the end of the day, Meg, it doesn’t matter what they want. Your life is not theirs. Your happiness is not theirs. It’s yours.”

 

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