Read Holiday in Your Heart for Free Online

weird. What’s going on, Mo with no last name, who’s only just come to town? Why should I trust you?”
    â€œTo start with, my last name’s Kincaid.”
    * * *
    Maribeth gaped at the damp-haired, strikingly handsome man who sat in the passenger seat of her little car. Kincaid?
    â€œThat’s Evan’s surname,” she said slowly. “It was Brooke’s before she married Jake.” Earlier, she’d seen how Mo reacted when she mentioned Brooke, and she’d seen the give-nothing-away expression he’d put on when he asked about Brooke and her son. “Are you related to them?”
    â€œI was.” He swallowed, and it looked painful. “I’m Evan’s father.”
    Her mouth fell open. When she and Brooke had gotten to be friends, Brooke had confessed that she’d been a terrible mother. Maribeth knew that Evan had left town right after high school and hadn’t talked to his mom until he returned a few years ago and they reunited. All Maribeth knew about Evan’s father was that he’d run out on his wife and son when Evan was still in elementary school. This man, Mo Kincaid, was the deadbeat dad?
    He’d wanted to find shelter for a homeless dog, and yet he’d abandoned his own family? Normally she was a good judge of character, and she’d thought this man was a decent guy. One she’d like to know more intimately, in every sense of that word. More fool her.
    She shook her head. “No. You aren’t coming to my house. Get out of my car.”
    â€œWait, Maribeth. Whatever you’ve heard about me, it’s true, and worse. I was a shit. A total shit. But I’m a changed man. That’s why I need to talk to you.”
    She scowled at him. Was he telling the truth? She always wanted to believe the best about people. Even the worst sinners could reform. Brooke herself was a perfect example. Yet Brooke and Evan were Maribeth’s friends, and she was fiercely loyal. To talk to Mo felt like a betrayal of those friendships. “Why do you need to talk to me? What do you hope to gain?” Was there anything he could possibly say that would stop her from kicking him out of her Mini?
    â€œPerspective. Wisdom.” The streetlights didn’t give the brightest illumination, but as best she could tell he looked sincere.
    Okay, he’d managed to say something that intrigued her. She tipped her chin, challenging him. “Go on.”
    â€œI want to apologize to them. If there’s any way to make amends, I want to do it.”
    This was starting to make sense. “You’re in A.A.?” Brooke was, and had been sober for many years.
    â€œNo. I don’t drink anymore, but I’m not an alcoholic. I didn’t even have the excuse of being an alcoholic. I was just a shit.”
    Despite herself, her lips twitched. “So you said.” She liked how frank he was and that he didn’t make excuses. “Okay, so what kind of perspective are you looking for from me?”
    â€œI want to know if it’s the right thing to do.”
    â€œHow could an apology and amends ever be wrong?” But even as she framed the question, she knew the answer. “If it would hurt Brooke and Evan more than it would help.”
    He nodded. “Exactly. I hurt them both so much. Apologizing feels like the right thing to do. There’s something inside me that’s driving me to do it, like I can’t live with myself any longer if I don’t.”
    She narrowed her eyes. What did he mean by that?
    He held up a hand. “No, I’m not saying I’m going to off myself if I can’t do it. Maybe I’m just being selfish, trying to salve my conscience. What I need to do is think about Brooke and Evan, not about me. I want to make things better, to maybe give them some resolution. But if I’d only mess up their lives, then—”
    A knock on the car window beside her made Maribeth jump