Christmas Surprise

By Melanie P. Smith

Will an unexpected Christmas Surprise bring heartbreak — or Forgiveness?
Matt Hunter has loved Harley since the moment they met. She’s already refused his marriage proposal three times. Now, she’s not speaking to him. Has he lost the love of his life forever? Harley Miller swore she’d never get married. Her mother told her a million times that’s what ruins a relationship; but when she gets a surprise, her life is turned upside down and it forces her to rethink everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MPSmith Publishing
• Release date: Dec 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005370695

Melanie P. Smith

Melanie P. Smith went to Dixie State College and the University of Phoenix where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. She also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Negotiation from the University of Utah. She worked for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office for over 26 years. Most of that time was in the Special Operations Division where she worked closely with the SWAT Team and The Child Abduction Response Team coordinating communications and logistics. She also worked closely with Search & Rescue, The Mounted Posse, K9 and the Motorcycle Squad. Melanie has been able to utilize both her knowledge of police operations and business practices to make her novels fun and exciting.

Book preview

Christmas Surprise

Holiday Collection

by:

Melanie P. Smith

Book Description

Will an unexpected Christmas Surprise bring heartbreak — or Forgiveness?

Matt Hunter has loved Harley since the moment they met. She’s already refused his marriage proposal three times. Now, she’s not speaking to him. Has he lost the love of his life forever?

Harley Miller swore she’d never get married. Her mother told her a million times that’s what ruins a relationship; but when she gets a surprise, her life is turned upside down and it forces her to rethink everything.

Copyright © 2020 Melanie P. Smith

First Edition | Series: Holiday Collection

Edited by LaPriel Dye

* * *

No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the Author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All trademarks are the property of their owners and are acknowledged by the proper use of capitalization throughout.

www.melaniepsmith.com

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Dear Reader

Author Links

Chapter One

Harley pushed through the large glass door, frantic to get outside. She needed air. The instant she stepped onto the busy sidewalk, she moved to the left, pressed her back against the brick wall, and inhaled sharply. It didn’t help. She took another deep breath, then bent over, pressed her palms to her knees, and closed her eyes. After three more calming breaths, she no longer felt like she was going to pass out.

She spotted an empty bench over near the large fountain and forced her body forward. She knew she was overreacting to the news, but she couldn’t help it. She slowly lowered herself onto the seat and tried to focus on the water cascading from the mouth of a large lion. It tumbled smoothly through the air, flowing gracefully downward, before it collided with the shallow pond below. Don’t think of anything but the water, Harley, she told herself. Life could wait for ten minutes. Right now, she needed to have a private — but silent — freak out session.

She pressed her palm to her stomach. Pregnant? How in the world did this happen? She grinned. Stupid question. She knew how it happened, but really… how? They were always so careful. At the age of twenty-nine, she was now a statistic. The exception to the rule. The one percent the experts warned you about. Women everywhere questioned the truthfulness of that warning. Not her, not anymore — she was pregnant. Approximately seven months from now, she was going to have Matt’s baby. Her breathing quickened and she was pretty sure, if she didn’t get a grip, she was going to hyperventilate.

Another wave of sheer terror gripped her. They were going to have a baby. That meant Matt would propose again. And she’d be forced to refuse — again. He wouldn’t understand. She wasn’t sure she did. Sometimes, she wondered if she was being stupid, unreasonable even. Then, she’d remember her mother sitting at the kitchen table, sobbing; and she knew she couldn’t do it. She could never take that step. Losing Matt that way, knowing he’d stop loving her — the way her father had stopped loving her mother — it would destroy her.

Would she lose him anyway? The last time he proposed, she saw the disappointment and the sadness in his eyes. Would he finally give up on her if she told him they were going to start a family — but they couldn’t really be a family? Was she crazy to hold on to the fear? Was she just crazy? Terror engulfed her, panic set in; and she, once again, had a hard time breathing. Would their child be crazy, too? She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She worried, no matter what decision she made, her life with Matt was going to come to an abrupt end. How would she ever be happy without him? She sat there for another hour before she finally stood, made her way to her car, and silently drove home.

Harley pulled into the garage and just sat there, thinking about her life… and the future. Did she have a future? She worried, if the answer was no, that was her doing. Matt had asked her on three separate occasion to marry him. She refused every time. She knew he didn’t understand why. She knew he thought she was avoiding a commitment. What he didn’t understand was that by saying no, she was showing him she was totally and completely committed to their future. She couldn’t explain that to him, because then she’d have to confess the rest. If Matt knew she’d been keeping secrets all this time, she’d lose him for sure. Then again, maybe she already had. After his last proposal, things had changed between them. She felt it. She knew he felt it too, and she didn’t know how to fix it. Would another refusal be the final straw? She knew she had to tell him about the baby, but she couldn’t do it yet. She’d wait until after Christmas. At least they could have one more special day together before everything changed — again.

With a sigh, she pushed open the door and made her way into the kitchen. She promised her boss, if he let her leave early, she’d complete the project they’d been working on, even if she had to work overtime to do it. The team was counting on her, she wouldn’t let them down.

*****

Three hours later, she was still working in her home office when the phone rang. She ignored it. She’d check the machine later. She needed to complete this sequence, or she’d have to start over.

Matt sighed when the phone clicked over to voicemail. Hey, babe. It’s me. I’m running late, but I’ll get home as soon as I can. He disconnected and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. Just another example of the double standard his life had become. If he was running late, Harley expected a call. If she was late, he was supposed to understand. His thoughts returned to Tea. She’d be okay. She just needed some time away. That idiot ex-boyfriend of hers had thrown her for a loop this afternoon, but Matt was sure his cousin would realize she never loved the lowlife scumbag anyway. He knew love. The kind of love he had for Harley. The all-encompassing need to be with that one special woman, to share his life with her, to tell her about his day, hold her close and just — breathe kind of love. Too bad the feeling wasn’t mutual.

With a deep sigh, he started the engine and headed for home. He was halfway there when he spotted the sign advertising his favorite beach. He swerved, cut off two cars and nearly collided with the rear of another as he barreled down the off ramp. Drivers honked, but he ignored them. This was California, if you weren’t being honked at — you were doing something wrong. A few minutes later, he pulled into the large empty parking lot and slowly climbed from the car. Salty air, a crisp breeze that penetrated all the way to your bones, and the sound of waves hitting the beach greeted him. He paused, closed his eyes, and just inhaled — smiling, and relaxing, for the first time all day.

Matt slowly made his way across the parking lot to the narrow foot path that led to the beach. Once he reached the soft sand, he dropped to the ground, removed his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and just started walking. Birds were scavenging, picking through the deep sand and seashells that littered the ground. Waves crashed against the jagged rocks before they continued to shore and slid across the soft sandy surface. He loved it here, always had. A thick layer of smog covered the sky, making it nearly impossible to see the highway. He could hear the sound of traffic intermingled with crashing waves and the loud squawking of several dozen seagulls. Some of the weight he’d been carrying all day magically lifted. The beach had always relaxed him, no matter what was going on in his life. Out here, it was just him, the sand, and the violently tumultuous sea. There was nothing like an evening stroll on a San Francisco Beach.

He spotted the tiny house up on the cliff only because he knew it was there. The smog was thick tonight. As he approached his favorite alcove, he stopped in surprise. His fantasy home was for sale. He loved that house, had dreamed of owning it since he was a kid. He remembered being fourteen and bringing Angela Bingham out here to see if she’d let him get to third base — while at the same time, fantasizing about falling in love and living in that little house on the beach. He hadn’t gotten to third, but he had rounded second. A smile spread across his face as he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the realtor’s information. Maybe, he’d call — just to see.

It made little sense, owning another home so close to the house he shared with Harley. But, how long would he share that house with the woman he loved? Sometimes, he felt like the end was drawing near. If she was tired of the life they’d built together and was ready to move on, maybe he would too. Maybe, he’d move to that little house up on the cliff where he could watch the sun rise over the ocean and listen to the waves crash against the shore as he sipped coffee and — endured.

He shook off the thought and slid his phone back into his pocket. He would not ruin the night with thoughts of gloom. He dropped to the ground, settled against the worn wood of an ancient log, and tried to push everything out of his head. His thoughts returned to Tea. His cousin didn’t know his relationship was as rocky as that cliff over there. How many times had she urged him to propose? Little did she know, he already had — three times. And, he’d been rejected every time. Harley didn’t want him forever, she only wanted him for the moment. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and raised his head so the breeze and the thin layer of mist blowing in off the water would sooth his aching heart.

He sat like that for over an hour before he stood, made his way to his vehicle, and started for home. As he pulled onto the freeway, he scolded himself. Tea was right. Harley was an amazing woman. She was also the best thing that ever happened to him. He should be