Page 54 of Once Upon A Christmas Song

“Lemme go talk to Simone real quick,” I said and made it out the door before Luke caught me, his hand tight on my bicep. “Yes?”

“I got to see some of your lovely golden skin,” he whispered. “I’d love to see a lot more.”

He had been flirty before, but now he’d made himself crystal clear about what he wanted. His willingness to cheat on his wife, and therefore his daughter was so disheartening, my stomach actually hurt.

“Hey now,” came from behind us.

We both turned, and there was Dawson, changed and showered as well, as evidenced by his damp hair. He’d been in what I thought of as his rocker clothes earlier, the leather jacket, vintage Doors T-shirt, black jeans, harness boots, and the black leather belt with the large buckle designed to make you check out his groin. All of it obvious, what he used to call his uniform.

Now he was in a long-sleeve, light-weight cashmere sweater, dark, tight khaki chinos, and Converse. He looked ready to relax, hang out somewhere, and—no.

Sometimes it took my brain a second to boot up.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him as he reached me and Luke.

“Came back to help carry all Cami’s loot,” he answered before his gaze slid from me to the man still holding on to my arm. “And there’s rabbit accoutrement as well.”

“What?”

“Otto’s stuff,” he translated for me, squinting. “You never heard that word?”

Before I could say anything, Cami was there.

“I have,” she informed him.

“That’s funny that Chris didn’t know it,” he said, shooting me a grin.

“He doesn’t know memes either,” she told him with a shake of her head, “and he can’t work TikTok.”

He stage-gasped. “You’re kidding.”

She shook her head. “The club has one that Darcy puts things on, and I had to show him how to like stuff and comment.”

They both looked at me with similar expressions, like I was sad.

“You know what⁠—”

“May I have a quick word with you?” Luke asked me, still holding my bicep.

“We have to go,” Cami whined, taking hold of my hand.

“You do have a party to go to, do you not?” Dawson asked softly, flashing Prue’s father his megawatt smile that made you realize exactly whom you were looking at. Not only did the man have a silvery voice—that could be both low and husky, heartbreakingly soulful, but also silky and filled with yearning—but he was drop-dead gorgeous. “I saw your lovely wife when I came in, and she seemed to want to get going.”

Luke let me go like I had the plague and darted back into my office for his daughter.

“Why are you here?” I asked Dawson.

“Because Georgine said I could help you babysit the kids tonight.”

I shook my head.

“See, she doesn’t know me, only knows what I confessed to her and Simone and Darcy and Xola earlier today.”

“What was that?”

“I told them I returned because this was my home, because you’re my home, and I want to make amends for the pain I caused and win you back.”

“I—”