Page 29 of Her Mountain Christmas
Ella’s grip tightens in mine. “I don’t care. You’ve never given a shit about me or what I want, so why should I do the same for you?”
I don’t take my eyes off her parents, but I see the way her throat works, the way her free hand curls into a fist at her side. She’s not backing down, and I couldn’t be prouder.
William’s jaw clenches. “This ends now. You will come home, you will apologize, and you will marry Bradford as planned. Orso help me, Ella, you’ll be cut off without a cent. That credit card you rely on won’t work anymore.”
Ella exhales, slow and controlled. “I don’t need your money. I don’t need anything from you.”
The words land like a grenade. Regina’s face goes slack. William’s nostrils flare. I feel the shift in the air as they realize she’s not the same girl who left Edmonton. That she’s not theirs anymore.
My girl just drew a line in the snow.
And I’m right the fuck here to make sure they don’t cross it.
Regina starts to talk, but Ella cuts her off. “You’ve never loved me. Not the way a parent should love a child.”
Regina flinches slightly, but Ella doesn’t stop.
“You’ve never listened to me or cared what I wanted. You tried to sell me off like chattel.” Her fingers tighten in mine again, and I give her a reassuring squeeze. She’s not alone. I’m right here. “You care more about optics and reputation than love.”
Regina scoffs, her red lips curling. “Stop being dramatic. This man is using you. You think he won’t dump your naive ass the second the money dries up?”
Ella doesn’t hesitate. “He didn’t even know who my family was when we met. He didn’t know about the money. He fell for me. Me. Not what I could give him.”
My chest burns with pride, possession, and love. So much love.
William’s voice is even colder than the wind swirling the flakes around us. “You’ll have nothing. No trust fund. No inheritance. No safety net.”
Ella lifts her chin, meeting their eyes. “I’m already richer than you’ll ever be in the ways that matter.”
The words seem to hang in the air, heavy with meaning. Regina’s face twists, her mask slipping completely. “You ungrateful little bi—”
I step forward, cutting her off. “That’s enough.”
But William clearly has more balls than brains, because he cranes his neck to look around me, sneering at Ella. “Mark my words. You’ll come crawling back in six months when you get tired of slumming it. You’ll be used up, probably knocked up, and broke. And we won’t give a shit. It’s now or never, Ella.”
She shakes her head and then meets his eyes. “Then I guess it’s never.”
The second William’s hand shoots toward Ella, something primal snaps inside me.
I move faster than I ever have in my life.
I plant my hands on his chest and shove, hard, watching as he goes flying into the snowbank below. The impact sends a spray of powder into the air. Then I’m down the steps, crouching over him before he can even push himself up. My voice is a lethal, barely contained growl.
“Try to touch her again, and I will end you.” His face twists, red with fury, but I don’t give a damn. I lean in closer, speaking through clenched teeth. “Get off my property. Now.”
Regina stands there, frozen like an ice sculpture. The lawyer stumbles back a step, his briefcase clutched to his chest.
“Mr. Montgomery,” he stammers, “I—I think we should go.”
William’s nostrils flare, snow clinging to his coat as he glares up at me. For a second, I think he’s going to come at me. I almost hope he does.
“Fine. Get up, William. We’re leaving,” says Regina.
She whirls away, snow kicking up behind her as she marches toward the sleek black car parked in front of my house. The lawyer scurries after her, and I watch with satisfaction as William struggles to haul himself out of the snowbank.
I stomp back up the porch, take Ella’s hand and pull her inside. I slam the door shut behind us and lock it, sealing us away. I turn, expecting tears, expecting her to be distraught, but she’s not.
She’s standing tall, cheeks flushed pink from the cold, her blue eyes bright, not with fear, but with victory. In this moment, she’s glowing. Radiant.
