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Her chest tightened at that. Walking over, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Whatever you have planned, it’s going to be perfect. I’m just happy to be here.”

It took another half hour to finish closing up, and on the drive home, Alesha tried to imagine what Christmas would look like with just the two of them.

“Joanne’s not coming?” she asked.

Martin shook his head. “She went to Westchester to spend the holiday with her son.”

“And Uncle John and Aunt Sue?”

“London. Something about Christmas in Hyde Park.”

Alesha sighed, staring out the window. “I’m trying not to take it personally that no one wanted to be here while I’m visiting…”

“Oh, sweetie,” he said gently. “That’s not it at all. We didn’t make our plans until November—everyone else already had theirs. But hopefully, this is just the beginning. We’ll see each other more now.”

She nodded, though the small ache lingered.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

She hesitated. “When I decided to come here, it was simple. Spend December with you, celebrate the holidays… and then go home.”

“And now?”

“Now…” She let out a slow breath. “Now I feel torn. Harbortown is exactly how I remember it. Maybe even better. And the idea of leaving again… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right.”

Martin nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. Let’s talk about that.”

“Mom moved us to Portland, and it was fine. After college, I ended up in Budgie Bay—another small town, kind of like this one. But…” She trailed off.

“But?”

“I don’t know if it’s where I want to stay. My job is remote, so I could live anywhere. There’s nothing really keeping me in Oregon.”

“Except your mother.”

There was no judgment in his voice, just the truth.

“Except Mom,” she said quietly. “I’ve spent so long making decisions based on what she needs that I don’t even know what I’d choose if it were just me.”

They pulled into the driveway. The engine went quiet before Martin turned to her.

“You’re allowed to make choices based on your own happiness, Alesha,” he said gently. “Moving away from your mother wouldn’t be selfish—it would be you building your own life.”

He let that settle for a moment before reaching over and taking her hand in his.

“I know I made that leap once. It wasn’t easy. It probably looked selfish at the time. But it was what I needed. And in the end, I think it was what your mother needed too.”

Alesha gave a small, uncertain smile. He made it sound simple.

“If staying here feels right,” he continued, “then you should explore that. You can stay with me while you figure things out. And I wouldn’t say no to a little extra help at the bookstore.”

“I really do love it here…” she admitted softly.

Martin studied her. “Is it the town you love… or someone in it?” he asked gently. “And I’m not talking about me.”

“Dad…”

“You and Reece have something special,” he said. “I’d hate to see you walk away from that because you feel obligated to stay somewhere that doesn’t make you happy.”