Page 46 of Christmas Promises

Laney swallowed hard. She must be brave and not let her mother bully her. “We’ve been enjoying each other’s company. It’s as if no time has passed.” She glanced up at Nolan, who returned her tentative smile.

“Since you were fourteen?” Mom asked. “Indeed, time has passed. Quite a bit of it.”

“Where are you staying?” Laney asked.

“At the inn. We checked in this afternoon,” Dad said. “We stopped by your Aunt Edna’s but she wasn’t home, so we wandered out to see a little of the town, not realizing it was the tree lighting ceremony. And here you are.”

“Have you not been checking your messages?” Mom asked.

“Uh, no. Not since this morning. I think. I’ve been busy at the shop,” Laney said.

“We should probably head back to the inn. It’s been a long day.” Dad turned to Laney and then Nolan, offering a smile. “We’d love for you both to join us for dinner tomorrow.”

Laney nodded quickly, eager for things to go smoothly. “That sounds nice.”

“I’d love to,” Nolan said.

“Good,” Dad said. “We’ll look forward to it.

“Laney, why don’t you come back with us to the inn for a bit?” Mom asked. “We’d love to hear what you’ve been up to here in Vermont.”

Laney’s stomach twisted. She didn’t want to leave Nolan—not when the evening had been so perfect—but there was no escaping her mother’s piercing gaze. Nolan may not understand, but her mother was not someone a person said no to. Especially not her daughter.

“You should go,” Nolan said. “Catch up with your folks. Maybe give me a call when you get home so I know you’re safe? The roads are really slick tonight.”

“Yeah, okay,” Laney said. “Thanks for understanding.”

Nolan bent down to whisper in her ear. “Stay strong. You’ve got this.”

Spontaneously, Laney threw her arms around Nolan’s neck. “Thanks for tonight.”

“I hope we have a thousand more,” Nolan said.

When she stepped back, the cold sliced through her. How she wished she could just stay in Nolan’s arms. But duty called.

“We rented a car. I have it parked near the pizza shop,” Dad said.

Her parents turned and started toward the car, but she held back for a second to say one last thing to Nolan. “I’m sorry this ruined our night.”

“Not at all. Family comes first. I’m sure it was a shock to see us like that.”

“I’ll call you later when I get home, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

The look in Nolan’s eyes—a mix of worry and confusion—told her everything she needed to know about what he was feeling. She’d told him that she had trouble saying no to her mother. He must be thinking the worst.

She gave him one last smile and then headed out to catch up with her parents, who were already on the edge of the park by then.

Her mother wasted no time. The moment they got in the car, she started in on her. “Laney, honestly, what in the world are you doing? You suffered a shock and now you’re carrying on with some man you hardly know?”

“Mom, please,” Laney said, her voice tight. “He’s special. Not like anyone else. The moment we saw each other again, it was as if no time has passed. I’d thought about him so much over the years, but never thought I’d have the chance to see him again.” She sighed, dreamily, forgetting for a moment that her mother was not at all pleased with her.

Her mother’s sharp laugh brought her back to reality. “Laney, have you ever heard of the rebound guy? I hope you realize that’s what this is. In addition, you can’t tell me that some boy you knew when you were fourteen has any relevance to your life right now.”

“He does, actually.” Laney’s chest tightened. Stupid doubts crept in. Maybe she was merely reacting to the humiliation she’d felt when she learned the truth about Josh and Dahlia? Was he just a rebound guy? Someone to feed her ego while she got herself together? She was so sure of Nolan, yet her mother’s criticism was hard to maneuver through.

No. She knew Nolan. She knew they were meant to be together. God had opened the door for them, and there was no way she was slamming it shut. Not when she had the chance for such happiness. Anyway, if she’d learned anything over the last few weeks, it was to follow her instincts.

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