A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams Page B

is.”
    “I
do.” She glanced toward the room decorated in shades of blue and rose. “Thank
you.”
    “We
can go out for dinner, if you want. Or, if you’re tired, we can just do room
service.” He was searching her face, as if he was trying to read what she was
feeling.
    “Room
service would be great. I’m really tired.” She was suddenly very
self-conscious—since she definitely didn’t want Gabe to know what she was
feeling at the moment.  She reached for the handle of her suitcase and started
rolling it toward her room. “This is a gorgeous suite. Thank you. I hope it
wasn’t too much.”
    She
was mostly talking to have something to say, but when she glanced back she saw
Gabe was frowning. “Of course, it wasn’t too much.”
    She
didn’t know what to say to that, so she just went to hide in her room.
    She
unpacked a little, and then they ate dinner out on their private veranda. They
didn’t talk much at first, but it felt comfortable so Lydia enjoyed the quiet.
    She
actually liked Gabe’s company. He seemed just as self-possessed as she was.
    So
many people she knew—both men and women—felt the need to say anything to fill
silences, as if silences were some kind of threat.
    Before
she realized what she was doing, she asked out of the blue, “What happened with
your wife? I mean, Michaela. If you don’t mind telling me, of course.”
    Gabe
twitched in surprise, putting down his fork. But he didn’t look angry or
defensive. Just kind of tired as he gazed out at the mountain scenery. “She
didn’t want to be married to me anymore.”
    He
made it sound simple, but Lydia was sure it wasn’t. “Why not?”
    Maybe
the question was too pushy, but she was used to asking what she wanted to know.
    “I
don’t know.” With a sigh, he turned back to look at her. “She wanted something
different out of life. I don’t think she wanted to have Ellie at all. Before
she was born, we traveled a lot and went out a lot and did a lot of
socializing. It exhausted me, but she thrived on it. Then, after Ellie was
born, our lifestyle changed. We had to settle down some, and she didn’t want to
be that person.”
    “But
how could she…” For once, Lydia thought before she spoke and rephrased to
something less blunt. “But surely having Ellie would be worth the change in
lifestyle.”
    “I
think so. I think so a thousand times. But evidently Michaela didn’t. She
finally just left. She fell in a love with a guy who lives the kind of life she
wants, so I guess she’s got what she wants now.”
    “Shit,”
Lydia breathed. “That…sucks.”
    “Yeah.”
    “So
she doesn’t spend much time with Ellie?”
    “Not
much. It’s sporadic. She occasionally wants to see her, but she definitely
doesn’t want the responsibility.”
    “I’m
really sorry you had to go through all that.”
    He
gave a shrug. “It happens.”
    She
could tell it had been really hard on him, despite his laidback attitude. “So
you never thought about getting married again?”
    He
shot her a quick look, but evidently relaxed at what he saw on her face. “No.
It just didn’t seem worth it. To go through all that again.”
    She
could understand why he would think that. She would probably think the same
thing.
    “What
about you?” he asked.
    “What
about me?”
    “Why
didn’t you ever get married?”
    She
gave a little shrug, kind of like how he had earlier. “It just didn’t happen
for me. Guys don’t even ask me out much anymore.”
    He
chuckled softly. “That might be because you intimidate them.”
    “What
do you mean?”
    “You’re
so confident and capable—and you don’t seem to need a man, if you get
what I’m saying. You’re probably intimidating to most men.”
    She
thought about that for a minute, wondering if he was right. She’d been popular
in high school and college, but her appeal as a date seemed to have diminished
as the years went by. Then she shrugged it off because it didn’t really matter.
“I’m