Page 21 of Daddy's Little Christmas

My breath caught.

“Breathe with me,” he said, slow and calm, like he wasn’t in a rush. Like he had all the time in the world. “I’ve got you.”

Something in me broke open at the sound of it.

I didn’t think. Didn’t weigh the risks. My body made the decision before my brain could interfere. I leaned back, just a fraction—enough to feel the truth of him there. Enough to feel safe.

His arm came around my middle, not tight or possessive. Just firm. A boundary between me and the crowd. His other hand lifted, palm open in my line of sight.

“Look at me,” he murmured. Not a command. An invitation.

I did.

I realized then who it was holding me.

Graeme.

The man from Holly & Pine. The warmth. The voice that had wrapped around words likestay as long as you likeand made them feel real.

Of course it was him.

“Good,” he said quietly. “That’s it. In through your nose. Slow.”

He breathed with me. Deep. Deliberate.

I followed.

Once.

Twice.

The noise didn’t disappear, but it softened. Receded to the edges. My heart slowed from a gallop to something closer to a jog.

“That’s it,” he said again, approval warm and unmistakable. “You’re doing great.”

The words hit somewhere low and deep, loosening something I hadn’t realized was clenched.

His hand stayed at my waist, solid and sure, like it belonged there. Like he wasn’t going anywhere.

I swallowed, voice unsteady when I found it. “I—sorry.”

His arm tightened just a touch. Not restraining. Reassuring.

“Don’t,” he said gently. “You don’t apologize for needing air.”

The lights were still blazing behind us. The crowd still cheering. But it all felt… distant now. Like I was standing in the quiet eye of a storm.

“Can you walk?” he asked softly.

I nodded.

“Good. Let’s get you somewhere quieter.”

He guided me back, slow and steady, turning his body just enough to shield me as we moved through the thinning edge of the crowd. People barely registered us—just another pair slipping away from the noise.

The farther we got, the easier it was to breathe.

By the time we reached the edge of the square, my hands had stopped shaking.