Aaron’s small hand is clasped around mine, his other wrapped around his father’s hand.

He didn’t mind holding my hand but holding his father’s had been a whole other issue.

“I’m not a baby. I won’t get lost!” He pouts at me.

I struggle to come up with an explanation that would appease him and then it struck me. Lowering my voice, I pretend to confide in him, “I don’t want your father to find out, but I’m actually worried about him getting lost. If you held his hand, we can make sure he doesn’t wander off.”

I see Steven’s glare that promised retribution later.

Hopefully in the bedroom.

Aaron looks up at his father in a considering way, “If that’s why, then I can take care of Dad.”

I purse my lips, trying not to laugh, “Thank you, Aaron.”

He gives me a solemn look, “You’re welcome. Don’t let go of my hand, ‘kay Dad?”

Oh, I was definitely going to pay for this.

“You got it, pal.” His father tells him.

We stood at the one the biggest Christmas markets in Boston and as much as I was enjoying the bright lights and the smell of food from the numerous stalls spread over the entire square, I also clutched on to my purse tightly.

Seeing Aaron’s hat slipping off, I lean down to fix it, before grabbing his hand again. There was a small smile on Steven’s face when I look up at him. He almost looked happy.

I grin back at him and then straighten up, “So,” I look down at the child next to me who was quivering with excitement, “What do you want to see first?”

Aaron drags us from stall to stall, jumping up and down, not releasing both our hands.

“Is that a goldfish?” He asks me as we stand in front of a gaming stall.

“Yeah,” I lean forward to read the instructions, “You have to hit the weasel with the hammer and if you get it, you get to take the goldfish home.”

“Can I try? Oh, Abby, please, can I try?”

I grin at him, “Go ahead.”

Taking out five dollars, I give it to the man in-charge before Steven could even reach his wallet, “Give him five tries.”

I was watching Aaron make the shot when a woman next to Steven, smiled at him, “You’ve got a lovely family.”

I didn’t know what I expected him to say in response but what he said, definitely wasn’t it, “Thank you. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

My breath caught in my chest and I swallow hard.

The warmth filling my chest evaporates when I felt the hair on the back of my neck prick with discomfort. I glance over my shoulder.

There was no one there.

Frowning, I chalk it off to my imagination.

However, as we move through the market, I find myself gripping Aaron’s hand tighter. I felt like someone was watching me, and I didn’t like it.

I trusted my instincts and when a man brushed past me, muttering an excuse me, I felt my instincts flare and I immediately backed into Steven, forcing Aaron behind me.

“Abby?” There was a sharp note in Steven’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

The man who had brushed past me, glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with me before pulling his hoodie closer and quickly blending into the crowd.

My eyes searched for him, but I couldn’t find him.

“I think it’s time we left,” I say, my tone strained.

Something was off.

Three men in the same hoodie had brushed past me in the past hour.

“What’s wrong?” Steven looks at me, his eyes narrow.

“I don’t know,” I mutter. “I just think we should leave.”

He studies me before nodding, and then swears, “The box! I left it at the stall. Stay here.”

Before I could stop him, he dives into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

The hair on the back of my neck prickle again, and I grab on to Aaron, “Aaron, hold on to me very tight. Don’t let go.”

He looks up in confusion, and I snap at him, “Put your hands around my waist.”

My instincts were screaming at me and my body grows tense when I see a brown-haired man in the same hoodie approach me from the side.

I notice the gun in his hand and my eyes flew toward another man approaching me as well. Their eyes were cold and one of them was looking at Aaron.

I take out the pepper spray from my bag.

If I send Aaron running, there was a chance they would grab him. There was another one of them out there.

“Stay away!” I snarl at them, my pepper spray hidden in my hand.

“Abby?” The child clinging to me sounded scared and I put my hand over his head, pressing his face to my stomach, “It’s going to be fine. Don’t look.”

“We just want the child.” One of the men says.

I widen my eyes, mockingly, “Oh, is that all?”

“Give us the brat, bitch.”

“No.” I bare my teeth at them. “Not happening.”

The man on my side twists his face in an ugly smirk, “Then we’ll just shoot you.”

I raise a brow, sweat pouring down my neck in fear, as I feel Aaron’s arms tighten around my waist, “Not in the centre of Christmas Market. Even you couldn’t be that stupid.”

As I take a step back, I feel a sudden burning in arm.

Blood was seeping from my white coat.

Aaron’s cry makes me pull him closer, my words harsh with pain, “Don’t look!”

“Does that reassure you? It’s an automatic. It won’t make a sound. Maybe I should shoot you in the heart next?” He raises his gun, and I press my lips together to keep myself from screaming in pain.

Before he could shoot, I force myself to take a step closer and lift my wounded arm, gritting my teeth, and spraying his eyes with the pepper spray. Taking advantage of the sudden attack, I knee him in the balls, making him fall. The man howls in pain and I stumble forward, another burning sensation rips through my abdomen.

“Abby!” I hear the howl. But I didn’t know whose throat it came from, as two men charge at me, hurling frightened shoppers out of the way.

“Run, Aaron! Go!” I scream at him, turning to stall the men.

The terrified boy’s eyes widen as he sees someone behind me and cries, “Daddy!”

And sure enough, Steven was hustling through the crowd, fury on his face as he jumps one of the men, punching him with such force that he falls on to the concrete with a loud cracking noise.

I hear him roar my name, fear and fury, an odd mixture in his eyes.

Feeling faint, I collapse onto my knees, my eyes following Steven’s form as he quickly dispatches the other man as well.

The third one tries to crawl away, but I push the blinding pain to a corner, lifting the pepper spray, and spraying him in the face again.

I could hear the sirens in the distance and I felt Aaron’s whimpering against my throat as he flung his arms around my neck. I raise my uninjured arm, “It’s fine. You’re okay. You’re okay.”

I see Steven’s white face swim in my vision.

I couldn’t believe I had messed this up so badly.

“I-I’m sorry…”

My mouth formed the words but there was something wrong with me. I was struggling to hold on, trying not to give in but my body was weakening with each breath.

Were those tears in his eyes?

What was wrong with me?

It burned.

It burned so much.

I tried to lift my hand to calm that crazed look in those eyes, but I had no strength left.

His mouth was moving but I heard nothing, and then the lights turned off.

There was someone talking.

“…it’s been three days! Why hasn’t she woken up yet!?”

Wasn’t that Steven’s voice?

I opened my mouth to call out to him, but I couldn’t move my mouth.

In fact, I couldn’t even open my eyes.

My body felt heavy.

“She’s in a coma. We don’t know how long this will last? The bullet hit a very vital artery, Mr. Tanner. She’s still in a critical condition.”

Why did their voices sound so muffled, as if they were underwater?

“I didn’t fly you all the way here if you can’t even save her!”

Why was he shouting at this person?

I had never seen Steven lose his temper like that. Were they talking about me? Was I dying?

A familiar small hand wraps around mine, and I felt something hot and wet fall on my hand and a voice choke out, “Please don’t die, Abby. Please! I’ll be very good, I promise. I’ll eat all my vegetables and I’ll drink two glasses of milk a day. I promise!”

I hear a muffled sob, and something burrowed its head next to my still body.

“The doctor man said that if you don’t wake up quickly, you will never wake up. Please don’t leave me and Dad. I don’t want you to go.”

Aaron’s words reach me, and my chest ached, as I struggle to tell him that I could hear him.

But my mouth wasn’t responding to my brain.

My eyes burned, and I felt a hot tear slip out.

“You have to wake up, Abby. You have to!”

The sound of a door opening and Steven’s voice, “Come on, Aaron. You shouldn’t be in here.”

Shuffling of feet and a sob, “Dad, why won’t Abby wake up?”

“I don’t know, son. I don’t know.”

I could hear the frustration and pain in his voice, and I wanted to reach out and soothe him.

“I don’t want Abby to leave us, Dad. Can’t you make her better?” A child’s plea.

I could hear the sharp intake of breath, “I would give up everything, for her to just wake up. But it’s up to her.”

Up to me?

How on earth was it up to me?!

Why was this man so infuriating?

Didn’t he know I was trying to wake up?!

As I struggled to wake up, the inky darkness rolled at my feet, trying to drag me back into its soothing depths.

More voices.

Some I could make out and some I couldn’t.

I swear at some point, I heard the mention of bears and glass slippers.

I must be losing my mind.

I struggled and a part of me was so tired of trying to stay afloat, whispering that it would be so much easier to just let go.

No.

I wasn’t ready to give up!

I had too much to live for.

My eyes shot open and I gasped.

The ceiling was white and my eyes quickly took in the room.

I was in a hospital.

Why was no one here?

The slash of pain in my abdomen at the slight movement had me crying out, my voice hoarse.

The sound of the door scraping open had me looking up.

A hiss and suddenly Steven’s face was right in front of me, relief in his eyes, “Abby! You’re awake!”

I groan, “It hurts.”

“Your stitches are still healing,” He tells me, his fingers moving over my face, tracing each feature, his eyes wondering and so happy that I could swear he was seconds away from crying.

“Water,” I whisper, my parched throat begging for relief.

“Of course!” He leans over, grabs a glass and a straw which lay next to him. “Take small sips.”

I obey him, my lips clenching the plastic straw and taking tiny sips. When I am done, he releases my head, which he had been holding and settles me back on to the pillow before putting the glass back.

“How many days has it been?” I ask, weakly.

“Five,” His voice was rough. “You’ve been in a coma for five days, Abby. I was losing my mind.”

Five days?

“Where’s Aaron? Is he okay?” I was struggling with the words, but I didn’t know if he could tell that.

“I sent him home with Jarvis, but he doesn’t stay there for long. He keeps insisting on bringing his story books over and reading them to you.”

I give him a faint smile, “I’m glad he’s okay.”

He gives me a strange look, before lowering his forehead to mine, his voice thick, “If you had not woken up, I don’t know what I would have done.”

My eyes burn with tears and I lift my uninjured arm, letting my fingers settle in his hair, “But I woke up. And that’s what matters.”

When he takes a deep shuddering breath, the hot air against my lips, I try to smile, “I’m fine now.”

“You risked your own life to save Aaron’s. When I saw the blood all over your coat, and the way you held Aaron to you, this fierce look in your eyes, I thought I would never manage to reach you in time. One of the reasons you bled out so much was because of the way you held Aaron to prevent him from seeing what was happening. I want to say thank you, but I want to yell at you for putting yourself in danger.”

“It was Aaron. They would have had to pry him from my dead fingers.” My voice was fierce, and I could physically feel the fear leaking from him.

“There was so much blood, Abby. I didn’t know how to fix you. You just lay there, your skin so pale that I thought it was over.”

He straightens up, his hand clenched around mine, and I ask, “Who were those men?”

Steven’s jaw tightens, “A business that I just took over; I had fired their previous CEO. He sent those men. They had been following me and Aaron for a few weeks and decided it was easier to take him from you.”

“For ransom?” I was horrified.

When he gave me a grim look, my blood ran cold and I suddenly wished Aaron was here with me, in the room, safe.

He must have understood what I was thinking because he says, “The police got to him and traced everything back to him. Killing you would have been a bonus to him. He’s going away for a very long time.”

My head swam with all these details, and my vision started blurring, my abdomen starting to hurt.

I reach out with my hand, and he grabs the other one, his words a soft whisper, “The nurse is on her way. I won’t leave you. I promise.”

And slowly, his face starts to blur till I let the darkness swallow me whole.

The next time I wake up, I am lying on soft satin sheets.

This time when I wake up, I feel more alert as the effects of the drugs all but gone. There is a dull throbbing in my abdomen and arm, but as I move my arm experimentally, I felt that it didn’t hurt more than a twinge.

I slowly move myself into a sitting position and look around the room.

No wonder my surroundings felt so familiar.

I was in Steven’s bedroom.

The lights were dim, and the firelight danced along the walls.

The room was warm and cosy and if it hadn’t been for my growling stomach, I would have buried my face in the pillow again and gone to sleep.

I swing my legs to the floor and feel the soft fur of the carpet under my feet. I stand staring at my state of dress in the mirror. I was wearing one of his button-up shirts and a pair of panties.

I wondered why he put me in those when my clothes were lying in the bag I had brought with me, for when he had talked me into spending the whole three weeks of holidays with them.

Getting up, I feel a wave of vertigo before I settled myself.

The clock tells me it’s mid-morning. I can’t find my phone, so I have no idea how long I had been out for.

Making my way to the kitchen, I hear soft murmurs and peek in.

Aaron was sitting at the table drawing on a piece of paper, his small forehead furrowed in a frown, as he concentrated. Steven wore an angry look on his face as he growled at somebody on the phone, “Get me their names. I don’t care what your boss says! He went after my girlfriend and my son. I’m not done with him yet.”

Aaron was scowling now, his scribbling growing more furious, so I decided to intervene before the poor child broke his pencil.

“Hi,” I say, quietly, and both heads turn toward me.

“Abby!”

The pencil dropped from Aaron’s hand as he climbed off his seat and rushed toward me, his face crumpling with tears. I absorb the impact as he buries his face in my stomach and started bawling.

My right abdomen aches with the sudden force and I carefully lift my left-hand and run it through his hair, saying lightly, “What are you crying for? I’m fine.”

He sniffles, refusing to let go, “They hurt you!”

“Really?” I flex my left arm. “I feel as fit as an ox.”

“That’s the wrong shoulder, silly,” He laughs through his tears, and I grin at him, “My bad.”

I glance up as Steven approaches me, his eyes dark and heavy. He didn’t remove Aaron from me, instead he leans forward and kisses me, gently.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” He reproaches me, quietly.

I look at him, uncertain, remembering what he had referred to me as on the phone.

I let Aaron guide me to a chair and I look up at Steven, “How bad was it? How long was I out for?”

His jaw was taut, “You slept for four days but it was medically induced so that you could heal.”

“It doesn’t hurt that much,” I muse.

“I flew in the best doctor for the surgery. There should be a small scar, but nothing else.”

His hand reaches out and he interlaces his fingers with mine, the fear leaking from his voice, “I thought I had lost you. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings. When you started looking uneasy, I should have dragged you both home.”

“It’s not your fault,” I tell him. “We had no idea this would happen. Besides, even with this whole thing, I should have been mindful of where I was taking Aaron. He’s your child and I should have realized that you are bound to have enemies.”

Aaron tugs at my shirt, saying in a small voice, “I did have fun at the Christmas market, Abby. Please don’t be sad.”

I try to smile at him, but the guilt lay in my heart.

Steven releases my fingers and just holds my hand in his, his thumb stroking the top of my hand, “Aaron, go play somewhere else. I need to talk to Abby.”

His son plants his feet on the ground, his chin set in a stubborn look, that reminds me of his father, “No. I’m not going to let you scold Abby.”

When his father stares him down, the child’s lower lip trembles, and his voice shakes, “You can’t be mean to Abby.”

“Aaron,” I drag him toward me and kiss him on the cheek, “I don’t think your father is going to be mean to me. Why don’t you go put on a jacket? We can go for a walk in the snow in a while? I want to stretch my legs.”

He pulls away from me, “But the doctor-man said you have to sleep.”

I grin at him, “And I will, after we walk.”

When he reluctantly leaves the room, Steven stare after him, his words spoken with slow consideration, “He’s more loyal to you than he is to me.”

“He’s just had a horrible experience. He’ll be back to normal in no time.” I try to reassure him.

“It’s more than that. When Aaron told me that there was a teacher in his school that stayed back with him, I was willing to assume the worst. I thought you knew who he was and were just trying to get in his good books to get to me.”

I stiffen and mutter, “Well, at least your ego is healthy.”

His thumb is still stroking my hand, but he doesn’t smile, “And when I saw you, I remembered how irritable you were in the car. You were kind to me and then you yelled at me. And then I saw you playing with a child, with none of the usual crass that people usually have. I found myself drawn into the relationship you developed with Aaron. I was jealous.”

I blink, “Of what?”

He sighs, a small smile on his lips, tinged with sadness, “Of how you managed to draw him out of his shell. You think I didn’t know he picked a fight at school that day? He’s always picking fights at school. Especially when the children tease him about Helen abandoning him.”

Helen was his wife. I had heard from Scarlett how the woman had left her husband and child for another man. The divorce had been messy from what she had heard, but she had been under the impression that Helen still maintained contact with her son.

“I’ve not dated extensively, you know. I was more focused on Aaron. My love life became my last priority till you hit my car.”

Seeing the grin on his face, I frown, “You were so mean to me.”

“I couldn’t help it. You kept hissing at me like a little kitten who thinks her claws are sharp, and I just had to provoke you.”

“You insulted Gertha.” I say with a scowl.

“Yes, well. Gertha’s got to go.” He makes a face at me. “I stand by my words: That car is a death trap waiting to happen.”

I try to kick him but he dodges, and then leans down to kiss me across my forehead, “You were so adorable and angry, that I wanted to kiss you.”

I frown at him, “I would probably have pepper-sprayed you if you had done that.”

Steven roars with laughter.

“It’s true. I don’t go around kissing strangers.”

“Not anymore, you won’t.”

He twirls a loose strand of my hair around his finger and studies me with an intense look, “When I came across you again, you were such a smart ass that I wanted to put you across my knee. And when I thought of that, I thought of other ways to make you surrender, and it was just a downward spiral from there.”

I raise a brow, my cheeks slightly red because I wouldn’t have minded getting spanked by him, “So, basically, you were a pervert.”

He yanks my hair, making me growl, and he smirks, “You bring out the pervert in me, Abby. You kept resisting even though I could tell you wanted me too.”

“Yes, well. I think it’s fair to say you bring out the pervert in me, too,” I couldn’t help laughing.

He turns sober, “It was more than that, though. I watched the way you loved Aaron with such open affection, the kind he craved and had never gotten before. And I wanted it too. I wanted you to look at me with those laughing smiles, as well. I was jealous of my own son.”

“I don’t know whose heart you stole first, mine or Aaron’s, but the minute I got you in my bed that night, I swore that I would never let you leave it again.”

My eyes widened at the confession, the part of me that had me holding back from dreaming, shattered, and my eyes filled with tears.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Steven jumped to his feet and then kneeled by my side.

I rub my eyes, “When you told the lady at the market that you didn’t know how you got so lucky, I kept telling myself that you were just saying that to end the conversation and that you didn’t mean it. And then, when you just called me your girlfriend, I tried not to be too happy because I was so scared you would break my heart. So, I was just trying to enjoy whatever time I got with you.”

I felt the soft kisses on my cheeks and temple, and heard Steven sigh my name.

“I love you.”

When he froze, I refused to look at him. He forced my chin up, desperation in his eyes, “Tell me you mean that.”

I give him a shy nod.

“Say it again,” He demands, as if he didn’t believe me.

“I love you.”

“Again.”

“I love you, Steven.”

He heaved a shuddering breath and buried his face in my lap. My fingers automatically buried themselves in his thick hair.

“I thought I would have to put in more effort in making you fall in love with me.”

“Well, I don’t just go around getting shot for everyone,” I try to joke, my heart beating so fast that I couldn’t keep up. “You and Aaron forced your way into my heart and now you refuse to leave.”

He looks up at me and we stare at each other.

I could feel the way his heart was racing, his chest against my knees, and I lean down to kiss him.

“I love you,” He murmurs against my lips and I shudder at the strength of those words.

He kisses me again, a more fervent motion, repeating his words which were like a balm on my soul, “I love you. I love you.”

I hear the sound of feet rushing in and instead of wearing his jacket, Aaron was dragging a bag full of Christmas decorations.

“Abby, can we decorate the Christmas tree, instead? Jarvis gave me all these shiny things!”

His small face was red with exertion, and he was looking so excited that I didn’t have the heart to say no.

“Do we have a tree?”

“Yes! Dad got one delivered. It’s so big!”

I follow him into the living room and sure enough, the largest tree I had ever seen stood tall and proud at the centre of the room.

Hearing the sound of something clinking and jingling, I turn around to see both father and son emptying the bag of Christmas decorations. Even Steven couldn’t hide his grin at all the glittering ornaments.

“I’m surprised you never got to do any of this,” I murmur to him as he settles me in his lap and studies a bright golden star.

He shrugs, lightly, “My parents were always out on trips or parties, so I never got the chance.”

I turn his hand upside-down, running my fingers over his palm, “These don’t look like the hands of a party boy.”

He plants a kiss my shoulder, a kind of open affection that still threw me off my game, and gave me a sly smile, “Oh, I worked construction for a few years.”

When I look startled, he nibbles on my earlobe, “You have the rest of your life to pry out all my secrets from me.”

“The rest of my –“The words get stuck in my throat.

He gives me an intent look, “You don’t think I’m going to let you slip from my fingers, do you? I’m going to lock you down so fast that you won’t have a hope of escaping me now.”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere,” I tell him. “However,-“

When he stiffens, I bare my teeth at him, “After Gertha comes back from the shop, I’m still driving her.”

He physically relaxes, “Sure. After I burn her to the ground.”

I glare at him, “Watch your mouth.”

Steven laughs and lets Aaron climb on to the couch.

“Abby, if we have Christmas at home, will Santa come here?” The innocent question made me grin.

“Well, he will if you bake cookies for him and leave them out with a nice glass of milk,” I inform him.

I can swear the child’s eyes sparkled.

“We can bake cookies, right?”

“Of course, we can. But there are still a few days to Christmas. We should focus more on decorating the tree, first. We also have to choose the stockings we have to hang up. And then we can choose the Christmas movies we want to watch.”

Although Steven hid it well, I could sense the excitement in his body as well and I wondered if I had taken Christmas for granted all these years, spending time with all my cousins and my family, singing carols in loud tone-deaf voices and sneaking the eggnog which had been spiked with alcohol.

I watched with a smile as Aaron waded through the stream of decorations. His chatter filling the room and I felt Steven’s warmth at my back as he held me to him, as he mused loudly how we should decorate the tree. Both these boys had taken pieces of my heart and carved a place for themselves.

There were still things about Steven that I didn’t know but I had all the time in the world to figure out this complex man who held my heart in his hands with such care that it drove me to tears. His arrogance, his possessiveness, that slash of vulnerability when he offered me his heart, they just make me fall in love with him more.

I smile.

Maybe Santa did listen to my request.