Maybe This Christmas Read Free

things you don’t plan that turn out best.”
    “I wasn’t one of those things. Mom told me I was the biggest mistake of her life.”
    His hands clenched into fists and he had to force himself to stay calm. “She was probably upset or tired.”
    “It was the time I snowboarded down the stairs.”
    Tyler managed a smile. “Right, well, there you go. That’s why.” He dragged her against him and hugged her, feeling her skinny body and the familiar scent of her hair. His daughter.
His child.
“You’re the best thing that happened to me. You’re an O’Neil all the way, and sometimes that drives your mom a little crazy, that’s all. She doesn’t have that much love for us O’Neils. But she loves you. I know she does.” He didn’t know that, but he reined in his natural urge to speak the truth.
    “Her family isn’t close like ours, and that makes her jealous.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, and he felt her arms tighten around him.
    “You may skip classes, but you’re not stupid.”
    Jess pulled away, her cheeks streaked pink. “Is that why you don’t want to ever get married? Because of what happened with Mom?”
    How was he supposed to answer that?
    He’d learned that with Jess, the questions came with no warning. She bottled stuff up and held it inside until she burst with trying to contain it.
    “Some people aren’t the marrying type, and I’m one of those.”
    “Why?”
    Tyler decided he’d rather ski a vertical slope in the dark with his eyes closed than have this conversation. “All people are good at some things and bad at others. I’m bad at relationships. I don’t make women happy.”
Just ask your mother.
“Women who care about me often end up being hurt.”
    “So you’re never going to get involved with anyone again? Dad, that’s really dumb.”
    “You’re telling me I’m dumb? What happened to respect?”
    “All I’m saying is it’s okay to make mistakes when you’re young. Everyone messes up sometimes. It shouldn’t stop you trying again when you’re older.”
    “Jess—”
    “Maybe you’ll be better at it now you’ve got me. If you want to know how the female mind works, you can ask,” she said generously, and Tyler opened his mouth and closed it again.
    “Thanks, sweetheart. I appreciate that.” Deciding that the conversation was getting more awkward, not less, he dug out his car keys. “Now get in the car before both of us freeze in the doorway. We need to get to the store before it closes.”
    “It would have been easier for you if I’d been a boy. Then we wouldn’t have to have embarrassing conversations.”
    “Don’t you believe it. Teenage boys are the worst. I know. I was one. And I’m not embarrassed.” Tyler’s tongue felt thick in his mouth. “Why would I be embarrassed by something that’s a normal part of growing up? If there’s anything you want to ask—”
please, God, don’t let there be anything she wanted to ask
“— you come straight out and say it.”
    She tugged on her boots. “I’m good. But I need to get to the store.”
    He grabbed her coat and thrust it at her. “Wrap up. It’s freezing out there.”
    “Can Ash and Luna come?”
    “On a trip to the store?” He was about to ask why he would want to take two hyperactive dogs on a trip to the village, but then saw her hopeful expression and decided the dogs might be the best cure for awkward. And hopefully, they’d take her mind off her mom and the complexity of human relationships. “Sure. Great idea. Nothing I love more than two panting animals while I’m driving. But you’ll have to keep them under control.”
    Jess whistled for Ash and Luna, who came bounding out, ecstatic at the promise of a trip.
    Tyler drove out of Snow Crystal, slowing down for the guests who were returning from a day on the slopes.
    The resort was half-empty, but it was still early in the season, and he knew visitor numbers would double once the Christmas break arrived.
    And across