“Adrian, stop! Be reasonable. You don’t have his luggage or anything. Let Ollie see Santa while my parents go and fetch it.”
“We don’t need luggage, and I already have his passport. We’ll be at the beach, all he’ll need are trunks and shorts, which I can buy when we get there.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Adrian. That’s just a waste of money.” She grabbed his arm and tried to halt his progress, but he shrugged her off.
“Mama!” Ollie wailed, reaching for her over his father’s shoulder. Helplessly, Evie grasped his hand, aware that nothing she was doing was helping to soothe her son.
“It’s okay, baby,” she told him. “You’re going to have a wonderful time at the beach, remember. And you’ll get to fly on a plane.”
Her heart broke, even as she tried to make things better for her son.
“Please Adrian…”
“I know my rights, Eve, and I’m well within them.”
“That doesn’t mean you need to behave like an ass though,” she hissed at him, tugging to try and stop him again.
This time he swung around, ripping Ollie’s hand away from hers, and Evie stumbled and would have landed on her butt inan ignominious heap if it weren’t for the large hand that steadied her and the arm that wrapped around her waist while her back was hauled against a sturdy chest to stop her from hitting the ground.
Shepherd. The heat of his big body warmed her through the thin fabric of her costume, and she hated that she was aware of him that way. He’d saved her from falling, and while she was grateful, Adrian took advantage of her near tumble and hurried away through the crowd with Ollie.
Evie wanted to rage at Shepherd for slowing her down, even though she knew that was neither true nor fair, but she was devastated.
All she could manage was a feeble wave to her son as he disappeared.
She hadn’t even been able to say a proper goodbye.
Chapter
Five
EVIE
“How dare he!” Posy seethed, later that evening as she paced the polished wood parquet floor of the huge, rambling home Evie once again shared with her parents.
While her friends ranted around her, Evie clenched her fingers into fists to stop them shaking as she fought back the tears of frustration and helplessness that still impacted her hours later.
Both her parents and Asher were congregated in the massive lounge area, as well as Posy, but despite the generous size, the walls seemed to close in around her, amplifying the tension in the room. She could feel Posy's anger radiating like waves of heat, see the concern etched on her parents' faces, hear Asher's restless shifting.
"I should have done something," Evie whispered, her voice barely audible. The guilt gnawed at her insides, twisting her stomach into knots. "I just stood there and let him take Ollie."
"Sweetheart, there was nothing you could have done," her mother soothed, reaching out to squeeze Evie's shoulder. The gentle touch sent a shudder through Evie's body, threatening to unravel her fragile composure.
Asher stepped closer, his familiar scent of leather and pine momentarily cutting through Evie's distress. "Your mom's right, Evie. Legally, Adrian was within his rights to take Ollie, even if his morals are lacking. Fighting him would have only made things worse and upset Ollie even more. You handled it with as much grace as you could under the circumstances."
Evie shook her head, unable to accept their reassurances, even though she knew Asher was a trained lawyer, albeit not practicing, so what he said was absolutely accurate.
But that didn’t prevent the image of Ollie's tear-stained face as Adrian carried him away from still haunting her. She should have fought harder, said something more. But what could she have done without making a scene and traumatizing Ollie further? The one thing she never wanted to do was allow him to witness the growing rift between herself and his father.
"I just feel so helpless," Evie admitted, her voice cracking. "He's my baby, and I couldn't protect him."
She sank back into the worn sofa, the cushions sagging beneath her. The festive outfit she still wore felt like a mockery now, the cheerful costume at odds with the ache in her chest. Evie twisted her hands in her lap, fighting the urge to call Adrian again. She'd already left three voicemails, each more desperate than the last, as she needed to find out if Ollie was okay.
"That bastard knew exactly what he was doing," Posy fumed, her pacing becoming more erratic. "He waited until you were busy so you couldn't stop him, and when you tried, he all but pushed you over. Would have if Shepherd hadn’t stepped in. It's manipulative and cruel, just like booking a Christmas vacation without telling you, so you’d look like the bad guy if you refused."
Evie flinched at Posy's words, even as a part of her agreed. She'd known Adrian could be selfish, but this level of callousness surprised even her. The room suddenly felt stifling, the concerned faces of her loved ones only amplifying her sense of failure.
Her chest tightened as she struggled to draw a full breath. The cheerful jingle of her elf costume's bells mocked her with each shuddering inhale. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sympathetic faces surrounding her. She was surrounded by people who loved her, but she’d never felt more alone.
