This Christmas Read Online Free Page B

money. Considering how Elena had lost her mom on 9/11, it was no wonder.
    “My father is the quietest man alive, unless you mess with his family. He’s not going to be happy to see you.”
    Based on what Ryan just told him, it wasn’t just Sabrina he was going to be dealing with but her mom, her dad, and all Charlie’s aunts.
    And Charlie.
    His daughter.
    What was she going to do when she found out about him? Would she be shy, upset? There were too many things to think about, including his own family. What were his parents going to think? Jake took a deep breath as he pulled a thermal shirt over his head. They were going to be ripping pissed. His mother would blow that nice Canadian stereotype right out the window.
    No, Jake was walking into a minefield. There was no way around it.

Chapter Three

    T he drive home was long and quiet. Bree knew Jade had a thousand questions and Charlie had dozed off in the back seat, but even with her asleep, she and Jade wouldn’t risk talking.
    Once they got back to Holly Point, she’d have to break the news to her mother and her daughter. Yeah, it was not going to be a fun night. Not at all.
    Bree never thought this day would come. Jake had gone off her radar ten years ago and she never expected to see him again. She stayed tucked, safe and sound, in her little town, her dream of becoming a surgeon had been set aside to raise her baby. But even with all the challenges, she’d still managed a degree in athletic training and a clinical doctorate in physical therapy, specializing in the treatment and rehabilitation of upper extremity injuries in athletes.
    She was growing herself a serious reputation, too. She treated players from the large state university about thirty minutes away and several pro teams had asked about sending their players to her for rehab. It was exciting, and helped her feel like she hadn’t compromised everything.
    It had been a very long day for all of them. Finally arriving home, Charlie dragged herself up the front steps, exhausted but happy from her day and Bree should have been exhausted from her shopping adventure. But the house didn’t allow for negativity, and no matter what happened, Bree loved how she felt safe when she walked through the door.
    The Gervais home was built more than a half a century ago when her father’s family left Brooklyn for the very rural eastern part of Suffolk County, on Long Island’s south shore. With an unexpected inheritance, her grandfather bought a two acre parcel of land on the water, built the house and grew his construction business. The man was an architect by training, but he loved the process of a building going up, so while he could design, Poppy made his money with his hands. The house itself had grown over the years and its grey, weathered, cedar shakes, large windows, and wraparound porch epitomized coastal living. Her mother and father had obviously been busy decorating the outside of the house while she was trolling the sales with Jade and Cass. When Bree pulled up, wreaths hung on the doors, pine garland was draped along the porch rails, and lights twinkled all over the yard. It was a wonderland and with the sudden burst of cold air coming down from the north and the prediction of snow flurries tonight, it actually felt like Christmas.
    Bree had thought about buying her own house, but her parents loved having Charlie so close, and living with them kept their lives centered. It also gave Charlie more of a stable family life, with the give and take more than two people provided. Charlie had the normalcy of a family dinner every night, even if Bree had to work, because her parents were there. In the off season, Ryan made a point of coming out at least once a week.
    Mom and Dad had been nothing but supportive when she told them she was pregnant. Were they upset? Sure, but they didn’t push when she wouldn’t tell them who the father of her baby was. No, Enza and Edwin Gervais had simply let her deal with her