His Holiday Gift Read Online Free Page A

girl it's gonna be okay."
    "I looked for you Julian, I searched and searched but I couldn't find you. Where did you go?" She’d been searching for me?
    I wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse, knowing that she’d been looking for me. From the looks of things, life hadn’t been as kind to her as it would’ve been had she been with me.
    That pissed me the fuck off, but I wasn’t going to rush to any judgments I’ll just wait and see.
    She on the other hand, seemed upset and I couldn't blame her. After they'd torn us apart, the only way I could deal with the lost was to shut off all thoughts of her.
    I'd had to put her out of my mind lest I go insane. I felt the old anger rise up again, but I'll have to deal with that later. Right now she needed answers and she needed tending.
    "I went away to school, after...after what happened that summer I had a really hard time letting go, so my parents thought it was best to send me to my dad's family in England. That's where I was until two years ago."
    "You forgot me?" Fuck she sounded so hurt all I wanted to do was grab her and hold on tight; remove that look of pain from her beautiful eyes.
    "No Christina I didn't forget you, I just couldn't think about you anymore because it hurt too much. Your dad made it very clear what would happen if I tried to see you..."
    "You should've tried, you just left me...you promised..." Her little fist hit my chest over and over until I had no choice but to fold her into me to keep her from hurting herself.
    "I'm sorry love, I'm so sorry I had no idea you were looking for me, had I known I would've come back when you turned eighteen."
    She leaned back and studied me with her tear stained face.
    "Why?"
    "Why? So I could claim you."

Chapter 9
     
    My words made her cry harder, so I held her closer as harsh sobs wracked her body. My mind was numb. I didn’t want to think of what had happened to her in the last eleven years while I wasn’t there.
    I cleaned the wound on her head the best way I could, with her clinging onto me. When I was finished I kissed her hair and moved her head back slightly from my chest.
    “Tell me.” I wasn’t sure what I was asking for, her life story, or her reason for being here now. Whichever, I wasn’t about to rush her.
    Her tummy made a very unladylike sound that embarrassed her. I ignored her red face as I let her go long enough to grab the afghan from the arm of the couch where I’d left it.
    Wrapping her up tight, I picked her up and took her into the kitchen. Sitting her on a stool, I put on the water to make her some hot chocolate, and then got out the makings for a sandwich.
    I wasn’t sure of her condition, like when was the last time she’d eaten, or now long she’d been on the road trying to get to me. She was thin, but that could be by choice, and other than that, I didn’t notice anything else that sent up any red flags.
    I waited for her to start the conversation as her eyes followed me around the kitchen, but she seemed reluctant. I really didn’t care about yesterday, I was really only interested in now, and the fact that she was here.
    “Do you want mayo or mustard baby?”
    “Yes please.” She was embarrassed and I noticed tears falling from her eyes again. It was too much, with the soft Xmas music still piping through the room, the lights from mom’s tree reflected in the glass in the kitchen window and the warmth of our own little hideaway.
    Putting the cup down on the counter I walked over to where I’d sat her and took her face in my hands. “I want you to listen to me; whatever has been going on in your life that’s making you this sad, it’s over. I will take care of you from now on, so stop crying for me okay, it’s breaking my heart.”
    “I can’t help it,” her voice broke as she clutched my sweater, “I can’t believe you’re really here after all this time, it doesn’t seem real. I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and you’ll be gone again.”
    Instead of