Debra Kastner - A Holiday Prayer

“I’m okay, Mom,” Nicky assured, wiggling out of her embrace. “I got kinda lost, but an old lady helped me find the elephants. She told me to stay here till you got here. And she helped me feed that big guy in the middle!”

Maddie touched his shoulder, reassuring herself once again that he was here. He was safe.

“I think we could all use a nice hot cup of cocoa,” Rory said, lightly embracing both Maddie and her son. “What do you say we head up to the front gate? There’s a restaurant where we can get in out of the cold for a bit.” He ruffled Nicky’s hair. “I think it’s called Elephant something.”

“Cool!” Nicky exclaimed, undaunted by his neartrauma.

Smiling at her son’s enthusiasm, Maddie agreed, and moments later the three of them were settled in a cozy corner booth with steaming mugs of whippedcream-topped cocoa.

Neil stared at Maddie, trying to memorize every line and plane of her delicately beautiful face. He was living a precious dream, just being with her, but he knew the night would soon end.

And though it tore him inside to acknowledge it, there wouldn’t be any more nights with Maddie. There couldn’t be. He was her worst nightmare come to life, worse by far than the Phantom he’d been when he first met her.

If only she knew.

Maddie picked up her mug and toasted. “To happy endings.”

Neil’s breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t speak. Instead, he lifted his own mug and nodded.

She took a tentative sip of the cocoa, then licked at the whipped cream on top, not realizing that a small dollop of cream dotted her nose.

Neil smiled and leaned toward her, wiping off the cream with the tip of his finger. The brief contact was electric. Their eyes met and held.

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