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Of course, that was easier said than done when she couldn’t even keep her eyes off the guy. Honestly, how could someone look so good with tousled hair, a black t-shirt, and gray sweats?

With Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song playing in the background, the gift opening began, and as Claire was delivered present after present, her mind was finally occupied with something other than Liam.

She wasn’t surprised to receive a few gifts from Melody, but when more were sent her way from Tasha and Melody’s family—matching t-shirts for her and Melody, a Jane Austen series set, floral notebooks with pens to match and more—her heart overflowed with gratitude. She had no idea how she was going to cart all of this home in her suitcase, but she had to blink back tears on more than one occasion at the family’s thoughtfulness, especially when she compared them to her own parents’ actions.

They still had yet to call her back, but they had managed to send a “Merry Christmas” text the night before with the promise of delivering her money as soon as they arrived home from their cruise.

Their behavior had been expected, and though Claire was once again disappointed, she refused to let them cast a pall on how incredible Christmas morning was with the Bancrofts and Everharts.

As the pile beneath the tree thinned, and everyone was occupied with opening their own presents, Melody pointed to one of the final gifts. “There’s another for you, Claire.”

“From you?” Claire asked, reaching for the neatly wrapped box.

Melody shrugged. “No. I don’t know who it’s from.” Then she turned to her sister, Jen, who opened Melody’s gifted earrings with a gasp.

Claire could focus on nothing else but the gift on her lap, ignoring the suggestion her heart gave when there was no note on the box.

It wasn’t from Liam. It couldn’t be.

And yet, when she unwrapped the packaging and peered inside the box, a smile split across her lips. She reached down and pulled out the Grogu beanie Liam had found at the Christmas Market.

There was only one person who could have given this to her.

As if on cue, Melody stood from her seat, moving to point out the quality of her sister’s earrings, and Claire’s view of Liam opened up from where he’d been seated on Melody’s opposite side.

He was already looking at her, his eyes shining. “I couldn’t resist,” he said, motioning to the beanie.

She grinned. “You’re lucky I wore these pajamas this morning. Now you can see the whole outfit complete.” She slipped the beanie on and turned to face him. “Still just as awful as before?”

“Oh my goodness,” Tasha laughed from across the room, preventing Liam’s response. “I love it. It matches your pajamas perfectly.”

A few more compliments sounded, and Claire looked down to hide her blush, only to discover more items in the box. When the attention had once again returned to Melody and Jen, Claire pulled out a luggage tag in the shape of a flower.

“Couldn’t help but be a bit cheeky with that one, as well,” Liam said, giving the weakest attempt at an apologetic grin Claire had ever seen.

She laughed. “I just hate that I’m actually going to find use for this.”

Finally, she pulled out the last gift, an ornament of a red telephone box hanging from a gold string. Her smile faded, all of her energy expended on her racing heart.

Hesitant, she glanced toward Liam, his own smile softening. “To remember your time here,” he said softly, a hint of sadness in his dark eyes.

Claire couldn’t meet his gaze for long, turning away to avoid feeling that same sorrow. “Thank you.”

She wanted to add more. She wanted to tell him that she would cherish these gifts forever, that she would never forget Liam even without the tokens.

But what good would it do? He had made his decision, and so had she. Separately, they would have to stick to them, no matter how painful the repercussions.

* * *

Liam had wondered if the gifts would be too much for Claire, but she seemed to genuinely appreciate each one, which wasn’t surprising. She had always expressed her gratitude to him—whether he’d deserved it or not.

After the present opening had concluded, the rest of the day crawled by slowly for Liam. He didn’t have much chance to speak with Claire, but it was for the best. Even still, after a full day of games, snacking, and chatting—all while reminding himself he should not be looking at Claire so often, he was exhausted.

Just after dinner, he snuck away to his room for a respite from trying not to stare at how gorgeous she looked in her white, fuzzy Christmas jumper. Honestly, the woman would look amazing in anything she wore. Which was precisely his problem. He needed to stop thinking about her altogether.

That became much harder, however, when he found a small, red-wrapped present at the foot of his bed. Narrowing his eyes, he approached the package, unwrapping it to find a fine, leather camera strap.

He glanced back down to the box, discovering a folded note within. Pulling it out, he read it with a thrumming heart.