Page 191 of The Holiday Clause

Pulling onto the shoulder, he flicked on his hazards so she could get a better look. He stared at her much like she was staring at the bridge.

Turning her enchanted smile on him, she said, “Let’s make a wish!” She was already out of the truck before he could think of an excuse.

Was this his life now, foolish holidays and pennies tossed from whimsical bridges? He thought he hit his superstitious quota for the year, but apparently Wren wasn’t finished.

He slowly followed as Wren’s boots crunched to a stop at the bridge’s center. She gripped the snow-dusted rail with both gloved hands, closing her eyes as if in prayer.

God, she was beautiful.

“I used to come here every Christmas Eve,” she murmured, her voice barely audible above the water’s gentle babbling. “Every year, I’d make a wish. Just one.”

He came to stand beside her as their breath pushed clouds of vapor into the cool air. “What did you wish for?”

She gave him a knowing smile. “At first, I’d wish my mom was still alive. But when I got older, I wished about you.”

“What about me?”

“That you’d see me—reallysee me.”

He saw her now.

Her head lowered, and she continued, “For years, I just wished you would come home.”

It was amazing how shitty disappointing her could make him feel. He wished he’d been stronger, wished he could take back those times he made her question or doubt herself. The truth was, he simply loved her too much and it scared the hell out of him.

He tightened his hand around her gloved fingers. “I’m sorry, Wren.”

She gave him a sad smile. “We don’t apologize, remember?”

In this case he needed to make amends. He needed her to truly understand how much he regretted ever hurting her. “I should’ve been there for you.”

“You were. More than anyone else.”

He couldn’t remember how many Christmases he’d missed, because to him they were just another day. But to her, they meant something special, a day saved for those she loved.

He owed her and he planned to make it up to her any way he could. “Let’s go home, baby. Show me how to Christmas.”

She noticed the shift in his attitude, and her smile shifted into a happier one. “Really?”

“Really.”

She bounced with glee, wreathing her arms around his neck. When his lips pressed to hers, everything inside of him shifted into a state of calm. He never wanted to let her go.

“I knew you’d come around.” She turned to walk toward the truck, but he caught her arm, tugging her back to him.

“Wait.”

Her blue eyes expectantly looked at him.

He wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Maybe there was some magic to this bridge after all. “Tell me what else you wished for.”

She dropped her chin and shyly looked away. “If I tell you, they won’t come true.”

“So some aren’t finished?”

She shrugged. “Most are, but some aren’t. A girl’s entitled to her secrets.”

“What did you wish for, Wren?”