Page 3 of This Christmas

Unbeknownst to her, the entire time she was in the hospital, her daughter had been living with a nanny. Not someone who had come to the house to watch her. Ted had dropped their now ten-month-old off at a stranger’s house and abandoned her until Ally had woken up from the medically induced coma.

When she’d asked the nurse to call her mother, the woman had been shocked to find out that she had any family. Ted had lied to the staff and said he was her only family.

She’d called her mother, who had rushed to the hospital, then demanded to know where Charlotte was. Let’s just say that the scene her mother made in the hallway of the hospital was… impressive.

Finally, Max had stepped in with his expensive lawyers, and they had found out where Ted had abandoned Charlotte. The nanny had been paid enough that she hadn’t questioned why he had never come back for his daughter.

It was thanks to her brother’s expensive lawyers, again, that she’d gotten full custody of Charlotte. For the first few months, living with her mother and healing, things had seemed… better.

Then, everything changed.

One day, almost six months after she’d divorced him, Ted started fighting for custody of Charlotte out of the blue. Over the course of the next five years, he’s sued her more than a dozen times. He fought not only for full custody of their daughter but for millions of dollars for one reason or another, even though Ally hadn’t gotten a dime out of the divorce. She’d been focused on keeping Charlotte away from him, not on taking his money.

Ted had put everything they had during their marriage, even their cars, into a trust that his registered business owned. Even his monthly paychecks went into that trust accounts.

He’d also kept a tight rein on their finances. She was given a strict allowance to spend on groceries and necessities each week. She’d even had to fight him for money for diapers and baby clothes.

Her name hadn’t been on anything they owned, and he’d convinced her to stop working the moment they’d gotten together, so she had nothing of her own. Not even a dime when she’d left him.

Thankfully, she had still been on his health insurance, which had paid for the nearly monthlong stay in the hospital.

Shortly after the divorce, however, she and Charlotte had been kicked off the policy. That first year on her own, she’d relied on WIC, SNAP , and other benefits she’d never even heard of. They were the only thing that kept her and Charlotte fed and healthy.

Now, as she stood on the deck and remembered all this, she wrapped her arms around herself as the salty breeze tugged at the hem of her sweater. She didn’t mind the cold. It reminded her that she was alive. No matter how many courtrooms she sat in, how many lies Ted spewed, or how many nights she lay awake wondering if she’d ever be free of him, here, looking at the endless ocean, she almost believed she could breathe again.

Almost.

Behind her, Charlotte’s laughter filled the room as Bluey did something silly on the television. The sound of her daughter’s laughter was pure, bright, untouched by the nightmares of her first year of life. It grounded Ally, reminded her why she kept fighting. Every legal paper she had filed, every hearing endured, every lawyer bill that drained her to the bone, it was all for her little girl.

The sound of the doorbell chiming made her jump slightly.

Her pulse spiked, as it always did when the unexpected happened. Rationally, she knew Ted couldn’t possibly know where she was, not yet.

She had no doubt that he’d find her sooner or later, though. She would never be rid of him for as long as she lived. He’d promised to make her life hell and, well, he’d kept that promise.

Still, fear had its own rhythm, and it was a drumbeat that she couldn’t silence. She forced a steady breath as she squared her shoulders, went back inside, and walked through the house to open the front door.

A man with dark hair and kind eyes held up a bag of food. “Welcome to Pride,” he cheered happily. Ally smiled.

“Uncle Nate!” Charlotte rushed past her and clung to her brother-in-law’s leg.

Nate Elliott laughed as he reached down and hugged her daughter. “Hey, squirt,” he said to Charlotte. “Faye’s just getting the rest from the car.” He motioned behind him, where her sister was walking up the pathway holding a container of drinks. She waved with her free hand and smiled so brightly it warmed Ally’s heart.

In the past year, her little sister had blossomed, and it was all thanks to this man, who happened to be Juliette’s little brother.

So, basically, her sister had married their brother-in-law. It was almost too funny to think about.

“Come on in.” She stood back as they both walked in. Charlotte was still clinging to Nate’s leg, causing him to walk awkwardly.

“How was the drive from the city?” Faye asked as she set the drinks down.

Her sister had struggled her entire life thanks to the abuse she’d suffered at their father’s hands when she’d been less than a year old. For most of her life, her hearing had been completely gone. Then, a little over a year ago, she’d had cochlear implant surgery, which had finally allowed her to hear and start using her voice instead of relying on American Sign Language all the time.

What had happened to Faye had strengthened Ally’s resolve to protect Charlotte from Ted when they’d been together. She was not going to let Charlotte go through what Faye had.

She didn’t give a damn if the man hit her, but the moment he’d laid a hand on her daughter, it had sent her over the edge.

Ally closed the door behind them and the rich scent of roasted peppers filled the house. Her stomach growled in appreciation. She hadn’t eaten anything since the handful of crackers and the piece of cheese she’d had after making Charlotte her lunch.