McDonald_NoELFngWay_GEN_Dec2015 (10 page)

“I’m sorry. Really. Hurting you or Dancer never entered my mind. What can I do to convince you that I want you both in my life?”

Vixen shook her head. “At this point, I can’t think of a thing.”

“When I haven’t been thinking about Nicky’s problem, I swear I’ve been thinking about you. That’s the truth. That night with you… it was my second chance too. I thought you could tell.”

Vixen studied her hands. Talking to Dash was making her ill.

“Since we broke up, I’ve been thinking what a narrow escape I had from more Dasher Sleigh heartache. I can’t sit on a shelf until you get your life together. I want someone who wants me and has no reservations about whether or not I’m going to fit into his family.”

She rose and started for the door… then stopped.

“It doesn’t change anything, but the reason your words hurt so much is that I was already falling in love with you again. Or maybe I never got over you the first time. Whichever is the case, your suggestions made me feel used by you sexually… and emotionally. I gave you the second chance you asked for and look what happened. I don’t think you’re ready for me.”

Vixen turned to meet his remorseful gaze. She willed herself to be strong. Her attraction was probably never going away, but she didn’t have to let it make her stupid.

“Good luck with the situation with Nicky. Kids are very resourceful. Things like that have a way of working out as they need to. I’ve learned that from my daughter who manages to like men even though there has never been one in her life.”

She took a deep breath.

“I think I’m going to go do some shopping while I wait for the last suits. Take care of yourself, Dash.”

***

After the door closed behind Vixen, Dash rested his arms on his bent knees and banged the back of his head against the wall.

He’d been too slow in figuring things out. The excruciating pain in his chest he’d felt finding out he’d truly hurt Vixen had convinced him how deep his own feelings for her ran.

Now he got it.

His best chance for happiness had just walked out the door even though he wanted her back. It would do no good to wish he’d done things differently. She was right about that. But he couldn’t think about going forward without her.

In college, he had been selfish… and shallow. Melody had helped change that… and God only knew, Nicky was still serving up life lessons. Until Vixen said it though, he hadn’t realized that he’d been setting aside nearly all of his needs. His mother had even said it—all parents had a life together and still managed to raise their children. Coping with the loss of his wife, he’d simply forgotten that it could work that way—in fact, was
supposed
to work that way.

Well, he was ready to make it work now. Which meant he had to find a way to show Vixen and Dancer they had a place in his life. The thought of being with someone other than Vixen held no allure at all.

What he wanted was for Vixen Dunder to give in to loving him… to give him all the passion and love and caring she’d ever felt. They needed each other. He wanted and needed her the way a man was supposed to. He especially wanted to walk up and hug her when the mood hit him.

He also wanted Nicky and Dancer to both come running when he got home. That was so easy to think about… so very easy to imagine happening. The four of them deserved to be a family… and he’d take good care of them. They would never feel unloved or wanted for a minute. He knew he had that in him.

Damn it. Hindsight was always 20/20.

Dash sighed and climbed to his feet. Badly needing one for himself, he finally knew why most Christmas movies were about finding a miracle.

Blix stood in front of the door and blew out a breath. He raised a finger to the doorbell, but didn’t ring it.

“Want me to do it for you?” a kind voice asked.

Blix chuckled and turned his head. A smiling Santa winked at him. “No. I’m just a little afraid of what she’s going to say.”

Santa’s laugh indeed sounded like he was saying “Ho, Ho, Ho.”

“Are you charging regular office hour rates or do you have a special one for Santa appearances?”

Blix rolled his eyes when the man didn’t answer. He pushed the doorbell only because he’d promised Vixen to go through with this. Plus, he had little to lose.

They stood there in the cold until Cupid threw open the door.

“Blix? What are you doing here in the middle of the day?”

“Santa needed a lift,” Blix said, grinning when Cupid narrowed her gaze. “Vixen delivered Nicky’s letter to this man. He’s come to talk to Nicky about his wish.”

Cupid stepped a bit closer and peered into the man’s eyes. “Got a business card, Santa?”

She stepped back a little when it appeared in his hand without him dipping one into any pocket to retrieve it.

Her eyebrows raised as she read what was on it. “And Vixen sent you.”

His nod was instant. His gaze was kind. “She’s my favorite elf,” Santa said. “I have the original letter Vixen took from Nicholas. I’d like to visit with him for a moment or two. I promise no harm will come to the child.”

Cupid searched her intuition. She wondered how upset Dash would get. Her nod was cursory. “Okay. Follow me,” she ordered.

She didn’t glance over her shoulder, but she felt the large man following her down the hall.

Cupid pushed open the door a little. “Nicky? There’s someone here to see you.” The car in his hand dropped to the floor when he looked beyond her.

Santa held up the letter. He looked from the letter to the boy and back to the letter. “Are you Dasher Nicholas Sleigh the third?”

“He means Number 3, Nicky.”

Nicky nodded—probably too stunned for words, Cupid thought. “He wants to talk to you. Are you okay with that? Uncle Blix and I will be just down the hall. Normally, we wouldn’t let you talk to strangers alone, but…”

“He’s not a stranger. He’s Santa,” Nicky said.

“Right,” Cupid said, wondering if she was doing the right thing by playing along.

“I’m fine, Mima. I want to talk to him,” Nicky said, nodding.

Cupid ushered the man inside the room. Between his size and his red fluffy suit, he nearly filled up the small space.

“Sit on my bed,” Nicky ordered. “You won’t fit my chairs.”

Santa laughed his “Ho, Ho, Ho” to Nicky’s offer. Blix winced at the fake joviality, but it was the tightness in Cupid’s face that worried him.

He put a hand on her arm. “He’s legit. I investigated. Vixen’s worked with him for years. She’s his elf when he needs one.”

Cupid looked unsure, but at last let him draw her way.

“Let’s go have a cup of tea or something,” Blix suggested. “Don’t worry. I’m not leaving without him.”

***

Nicky walked a little closer. The real Santa was much bigger than he thought he would be. “Where’s your sleigh?”

“This is a modern day world, Nicholas. I have people drive me where I need to go. Your Uncle Blix very kindly brought me here.”

“How do you deliver all those presents?”

“Online ordering. I ship them to the kids’ parents these days. They arrive at the front door and parents put the presents under the tree. It’s all very efficient—not like the old days. Back when I started, we still had a toy factory run by elves. Vixen likes working in the costume store much better.”

“Did Vixen really give you my letter?”

Nicky took the folded paper he was handed. He walked away to inspect it privately. It did look like the one he wrote. He’d gotten a drop of hot chocolate on it, which was still there.

“Why did you come to my house?”

“We’ll get to that in a minute,” Santa said. “You want to check out my beard to make sure I’m the real thing? I want there to be no doubts when I tell you why I came.”

Nicky laid the letter down on his desk and walked to the bed. When Santa leaned down, he ran a hand over his beard. It felt like his dad’s, only softer and bigger. He tugged it gently, jumping back when Santa said ouch.

“Sorry. I try not to react, but when someone pulls your facial air, it does hurt.”

Nicky sighed and walked to his desk. He pulled out his chair and sat. “Okay. I believe you’re a real man. Why did you come to see me?”

He couldn’t move his gaze away when Santa stroked his beard and frowned.

“I don’t like it when I can’t give a child what they want. So I came to ask you for more information. You said you wanted a mother, but you didn’t say what your dad wanted. See, your mother would have to be his wife. You two are sort of a set that can’t be broken. I can’t really deliver on one without the other being in agreement. Do you know any women your father might want to marry?”

Nicky sighed. It hadn’t even occurred to him. But he remembered his mom and dad being together. They had their own room. Sometimes when he was afraid they let him sleep with them. He smacked his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of this?”

Santa shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’re six. At your age, life is still pretty simple. You expect things to be a certain way. I think you’ve been doing very well at handling life considering all you’ve had to deal with so far. I know you’ve helped your father. Dash was always a pretty good boy. Of course, that was because Mima Cupid made him do the right things. She’s one of the best mothers I know.”

Nicky nodded. “But she’s my grandmother. Other people have a mother, a father, brothers, sisters—and they have grandmothers and grandfathers. I want all of those.”

He watched Santa rub his chin.

“Maybe we could compromise,” Santa said. “You see if you were to support your father in dating women, he would eventually pick one and make her his wife. Then you’d have an instant mother. Do you see how that works?”

Nicky nodded. “It just takes so long. Dad would rather watch TV.”

Santa’s loud laugh made him jump in his chair. Santa must have thought it was really funny because he slapped his knee too.

“If
I
picked a mother, would Dad have to marry her?” Nicky asked.

Santa shrugged. “That could work. But if they don’t really like each other, she won’t stay. That happens all the time. It’s usually works best if your dad does the picking. I know your father though… he would never marry someone you didn’t like as well.”

“He likes Vixen,” Nicky said hopefully. He giggled when Santa’s eyes widened at the news. “You didn’t know that?”

Santa shook his head. “No. That wasn’t the impression she gave me. Are you sure about this?”

Nicky nodded. “Well, duh… he was kissing her. Doesn’t that mean he likes her? I was supposed to be telling him to come get hot chocolate, but when I started to look for him, he was kissing her. They looked kinda serious. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Santa lifted a finger and pointed it at the boy. “Wise man. I can see already that you have real Santa potential in you. When you get to be a teenager, let me know. You’ll have to start as an elf and work your way up to Santa. It only takes about twenty years. You have to gain a lot of weight and grow a beard.”

“Twenty years,” Nicky exclaimed. “That’s way too long.”

Santa shrugged again. “I know. I’m older than your Uncle Blix.”

“He likes Mima Cupid,” Nicky said, blurting it out and then looking at the door. “I’m not supposed to know that either.”

Santa waved a hand. “Kids always know. Nicky Santas especially.”

“Did Dancer tell you that was my name? She’s
crazy
.”

Santa shook his head. “No. Not crazy—she’s
precocious
. That means that she thinks she’s always right. In your case, I think she may be though. She said you were the ‘
bestest Nicky Santa ever’
. That’s a direct quote by the way.”

“What did Vixen say about me?” Nicky asked.

“Just like your father, Vixen doesn’t want you to be disappointed Christmas morning. She knows about the mommies and daddies having to like each other thing, but she wanted me to explain it to you in person. I gave her my word… and here I am.”

Nicky nodded and then he sighed. “I’m going to have to wait for a mother. I hate waiting.”

Santa shrugged. “How long you wait depends on your father. How quick can you light a fire under him to start looking for the perfect mother… I mean
wife
?”

Nicky laughed. “I could hide the TV remote. I’ve done it before.”

“Really?” Santa patted his pocket. “I need to add that to my naughty list.”

Nicky laughed again. “I won’t do it this time. I promise.”

Santa laughed back and shook his finger. “You’re a lot of fun. But I need to go. I have another appointment this afternoon. Somebody wants a pony. They just don’t make ponies that fit into apartments. I’ve got to tell her she has to settle for a dog or a cat. Maybe even a fish if she’s allergic. She’s a girl though… I know she’s going to cry. Girls are like that.”

“I think all girls are crazy,” Nicky declared.

“They are, but they’re fun too. When you find the right one, she’s totally worth the trouble.” Santa met and held his gaze. “Are you going to cry about this after I’m gone? Such news is always disappointing. I would totally understand if you did let it rip. I just don’t want your Mima or Uncle Blixem to be mad at me. I might like to visit you again.”

“I’m not going to cry. I’m okay,” Nicky said. “I think I knew it wasn’t going to happen when I saw Dad kissing Vixen. Do you think she might want to be my mother? I already know her.”

Santa shrugged… and then smiled. “Possibly. I agree that would be a good solution to your mother dilemma. A seasoned elf like her takes a long time to pick a person to marry though. It took her thirty years to pick Dancer’s father. Unfortunately, he was always on the naughty list and it didn’t work out. I don’t think you want to wait that long for her to pick your father.”

“No,” Nicky agreed.

“Maybe you should talk to your father about Vixen. See what he says. He won’t be mad at you for asking it straight out. Dasher Sleigh isn’t like that. He’s been on my good list for years and years now.”

“Okay. Maybe I will. I’d like Vixen to come back and visit. Mima said it was up to Dad.”

“Man, you just can’t catch a break this year, can you?” Santa shook his head. “Okay… how about this. Your Mima bought you a ton of superheroes for Christmas. Don’t say I told. I figured you deserved to know a secret after being such a good sport.”