Yuletide Redemption

She had a baby.

Longing for a child of his own slammed in his gut. He closed his eyes briefly, willing the futile emotion away.

No wonder she needed a new start. It all made sense now.

Celeste padded forward. “Is it okay if I sit on the couch?”

“Of course.” He followed her to the leather couch and chairs. A sweet smile graced her face as she stroked the sleeping child’s hair from his forehead.

“This is my nephew, Parker. His mom was killed in the accident.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open. Wasn’t expecting those words. A nephew. The accident. Had Celeste’s sister been killed?

“Brandy and I were best friends ever since we sat next to each other in first grade. My big brother, Josh, started dating her after we graduated from high school. They got married four years ago—Josh was deployed off and on throughout their marriage—and then they found out about this little bundle of joy.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.” His mind reeled. Here he’d been having a pity party about his leg, not realizing Celeste had lost her best friend. Her sister-in-law.

“I am, too. It breaks my heart every day knowing Brandy and Josh are missing Parker’s life.”

“Josh? Was he in the car as well?”

She shook her head. “No. He was killed overseas a few weeks after finding out Brandy was pregnant. Roadside bomb in Afghanistan. After he died, Brandy got really depressed. She was obsessed with making up a will. Of course I agreed to be Parker’s guardian, although I thought she was a little too intense about it. But here I am. Raising Parker. Permanently.”

He could barely take it in. “So your brother never got to see his baby?”

Celeste kissed Parker’s head. He slept soundly on her lap, his cheek still resting on her shoulder. “No, and it breaks my heart. I wish he could have. He would have loved his baby. I miss him.”

“Don’t you have family who could raise him?” He couldn’t imagine taking on such a big responsibility so soon after an accident.

“I want to raise him. I promised Brandy. My brother and I were close, and I consider it an honor. Besides, my parents both work full-time. They’re getting older, and they don’t have the energy I have.”

Sam hesitated. “Why is it so important for you to live in Claire’s cabin? Why here?”

Her pretty brown eyes dimmed. “I need to create a life of my own.” She wrapped her arms tightly around Parker. “I guess I need some time away from it all. Losing my brother and my best friend. Getting used to this face. It’s hard when people see the new me but mourn the old me with their eyes.”

He understood what she was saying. It was why he hadn’t left the cottage in a long time. People expected to see the Sam with a quick joke who could stand tall and play volleyball at a picnic. Seeing him in a wheelchair made them uncomfortable. Or maybe it made him uncomfortable. Maybe both.

“Yes, that’s a good way to put it,” Sam said. “I guess neither of us got what we wanted out of life.”

“I guess not.” She tugged Parker’s shirt down over his back. “But I’m going to be the best parent Parker could have in this situation. I’m going to make sure he knows everything about his mommy and daddy. Brandy would have done the same for me. And Josh—well, I’d do anything for him.”

Sam thought of his four siblings. He’d do anything for them, too.

He’d been selfish. It was time to start thinking about someone other than himself. He had an opportunity to help Celeste. And the baby in her arms.

“Okay, I’ll go to physical therapy.”

“Really?” Celeste blinked, then beamed.

Man, she was pretty. “Yeah.”

“Good. I hope you don’t mind Parker riding with us. I’m kind of all he has.”

“I like kids.” The desire for one of his own hit him again. “How old is he, anyway?”

“Just turned a year. He’s almost walking. Claire told me there are plenty of babysitters she can recommend if you don’t want him underfoot when I’m cleaning or helping you.”

“Save your money. He’s welcome anytime. It will be easier for all of us. Why don’t you give me your phone number, get settled next door and come back in a few days. We’ll work out a schedule then.”

Celeste stood, jostling Parker, and rattled off her cell phone number. He typed it into his phone. She carried the baby to the door. “Sam?”

“What?” He followed her, waiting as she stood in the open doorway.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

A blush rose up to her cheeks. “For understanding.”

Once she left, he stared at the closed door for a long time. If she had the courage to raise a little boy and continue with her life after being in a terrible accident and losing her best friend, maybe he could find it in himself to try again.

Because he didn’t want to spend the rest of his days in a wheelchair.

Chapter Two (#u82386589-a981-5d5f-8615-4414f5bfc6a0)

“Well, that was unexpected.” Celeste breezed past her mother through the hall to lower Parker, still sleeping, into the portable crib she’d set up in the second bedroom. Their new home. Her first step of independence in a long time. How she wished she could call Brandy and tell her every last detail about Sam and the cabin and... She choked down the lump forming in her throat. Brandy was gone, and Celeste was to blame. Living without her best friend didn’t get easier. She suspected it never would.

For now, though, she needed to get the house in order. Start fresh. Put the past year behind her.

After kissing her fingers and pressing them against Parker’s forehead, she returned to the living room, dodging a pair of burly guys who carried boxes to the kitchen.

“It didn’t go well?” Her mom cleaned the inside of a cupboard with a disinfectant wipe.

In black yoga pants and a hot-pink sweatshirt, Shelly Monroe looked younger than fifty-five, but then, she’d always been a believer in drugstore hair color, mascara and fuchsia lipstick.

“Was he unfriendly or something?” Mom sat on the recliner, which was swathed in clear plastic, as Celeste collapsed on the matching couch.

“No. He was...” Celeste didn’t know how to describe him. Wasn’t sure what her impression was yet. The only thing she knew for certain? She anticipated seeing him again. “Well, for one, he’s really good-looking.”

“Ooh.” Mom’s face lit up. She pretended to lick her index finger and made an imaginary mark in the air. “A point in his favor. Bonus. What else?”

“He’s in a wheelchair, but he’s not paralyzed.” Celeste twisted her hair back and secured it with an elastic band. “But it sounds as though physical therapy won’t cure him, at least not entirely. I think he’s been depressed. You know how it is.”

“I do.” Mom’s brown eyes filled with sympathy. “You’ll be good for him.”

“We’ll see.” She shrugged. “I got him to agree to physical therapy, so I don’t have to worry about losing this place.”

“His family will be relieved. And it will get you out more, which makes me relieved.”