THEIRS FOR CHRISTMAS

  EFFIE CAMPBELL

  Copyright © 2023 by Effie Campbell

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  If you are looking for hallmark, you’ve taken a wrong turn.

  If you are looking for the crazy auntie’s spiked eggnog version of hallmark where a woman gets tag teamed by her ex’s dad and his friend, come on in.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Afterword

  Twelve Days of Smutmas

  Also by Effie Campbell

  ONE

  The soft glow of the Christmas lights were all that lit up my dorm room as I waited for Adam to come back from the bathroom. Sitting up on the bed, I cleared away the half-eaten remains of our charcuterie board and fluffed up my hair. I pulled my extra large sweatshirt off of one shoulder to show a sinful amount of my new black lacy bra. The price of the set had been eye-watering, but Adam had barely kissed me in the past few weeks, let alone rocked my world. Maybe upping my game would help?

  Relaxing back on the bed, staging myself so that my sweatshirt would ride high on my thighs, I tried to pull off a sultry minx.

  When Adam walked in, he flopped down on the bed without a glance at me and flicked on the television, finding a movie full of space aliens and explosions.

  ‘Hey, babe,’ I said, running my hand up his arm as he pulled me up against him. ‘You go home tomorrow for the holidays, don’t you want to, you know…’

  He didn’t meet my eyes as he let out a sigh. ‘Cara, it’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just tired. You could give me a blow job if you like, but I don’t have the energy for anything else.’

  I fought back the prick of tears as I turned toward the screen. It was fine for Adam to not be in the mood for sex, but it had become more and more frequent over the past few months. He always had a reason, whether he was tired or stressed out about his course.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, pulling my face around to his before capturing my lips in a chaste kiss. ‘It’s not you, my little maple leaf. It’s me. You’re still my girl.’

  He pulled back as quickly as he’d made contact, leaving me wanting more. The sex with Adam wasn’t exactly mind blowing, but it was enough to make me come. Usually. Or it had been. I missed the closeness. The first time he’d hit on me at a party, I had fallen for his Scottish accent in a heartbeat. A fling with someone who’d end up leaving Canada was a terrible idea. My reluctance only seemed to spur him to pursue me harder, to pull out all the stops in an effort to win my heart. And he had, eventually. Two years on, and in our final year at university, I couldn’t help but wonder if his attraction was waning.

  ‘I’m going to miss you,’ I said, busying my hands with the remote control he’d abandoned on the bed.

  ‘I know, I wish you could come to Scotland for Christmas; you’d love it.’

  ‘I’ll be able to next year. I can’t wait to live in Edinburgh together in a proper apartment instead of being stuck in the dorms.’

  Adam smiled at me and placed a gentle kiss on the side of my temple. ‘It’ll be great, babe.’

  TWO

  ‘Cara, this is insane.’

  My dorm-neighbour, Jamie, was busy stuffing clothes into a series of tote bags as she readied herself to head home for the holidays.

  With my finger hovering over the buy now button, I grinned at her. ‘Insane, but exciting, right?’

  ‘No, just insane,’ she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed behind my chair and peering over my shoulder. ‘Jesus, fifteen-hundred dollars for the flights?’

  It was going to use up all my savings, but it would be worth it to see the surprised look on Adam’s face when I showed up in Scotland for Christmas. Getting away from university was exactly what we needed for a bit of a relationship revamp. I’d pack a suitcase full of sinfully delicious lingerie and outfits, and knock his socks off. All while schmoozing his family until they fell in love with me.

  ‘It’s a lot, but it’ll be my gift to him.’

  ‘Didn’t he get you socks?’ Jamie said, lifting a brow.

  ‘And a hot water bottle shaped like a hippo...’

  ‘Those are practically mom gifts. He’s not worth it. You want a man who makes you feel like the most important thing in the world. Not one who would rather watch soccer than dick you down.’

  ‘Football,’ I pointed out. A picture of Adam pulling me down on the bed while kissing me passionately flashed in my head. Fuck, I missed feeling like his top priority.

  ‘God, who cares? That man is more focused on balls than on you. Red flag.’

  Adam really did love football far more than was probably normal. He’d forced me to watch hours and hours of it over the two years we’d been together.

  ‘I’m going to do it,’ I said, as my fingers trembled over the enter key.

  ‘I think you should just go home and see your parents. Have the perfect little Coal’s Lake Christmas your mom always puts on. Think of the cookies! I bet they won’t have the cookies at Adam’s house.’

  Christmas was always picture perfect at my parents’ house. If I went to Scotland, it would be my first without them. I ignored the tug in my chest at the thought of it.

  ‘I can’t spend Christmas with them forever. I have my own life now and I’ll be moving to Scotland next year, anyway. I’m sure they have cookies.’

  ‘All the more reason to spend this year here.’

  Ignoring the sense in her argument, I pressed the button and watched as the tiny paper aeroplane dashed across the screen.

  YOUR TRIP IS BOOKED

  ‘Mom, you guys will be fine without me.’

  The little wrinkle that appeared between her eyebrows telling me she wasn’t pleased was in full force.

  ‘Honey, this was going to be our last Christmas with you for a while. We’ve been so looking forward to it.’

  Guilt gnawed at my gut as her disappointment eked into her voice.

  ‘I know,’ I said, sighing as I rested my chin on my hand and stared at the screen. I had put off the video call as long as possible. ‘I’m sorry. I just really feel Adam and I need this.’

  ‘Did he ask you to go?’

  ‘No... It’s a surprise.’

  ‘Oh, Cara, I’m not sure this is a good idea. You don’t fly halfway around the world as a surprise. He might not even be there.’

  A text popped up, covering the top of Mom’s head on my phone.

  At the airport, babe. I’m going to miss you so much. Wish I could wake up with you on Christmas morning to kiss that pretty face. Will text when I land.

  Flutters went through me, and I couldn’t help but smile. He missed me already. I knew it was just the stress making things difficult. He’d get his wish.

  ‘He will be. He told me he’ll be at his dad’s over the entire break. Plus, I’ll be back in time to spend New Year’s Eve with you guys.’

  Adam hadn’t exactly given me his address in Scotland, but I’d done some sleuthing and found it on paperwork in his dorm room. Was it a bit creepy? Maybe. But he’d be so stoked with the surprise, I was sure it would be worth it. I just needed him to look at me the way he used to. A jolt to the system was exactly what we needed.

  ‘If you change your mind, you know we’d love to have you,’ Mom said.

  ‘Thanks Mom, love you.’

  ‘Love you too, honey. Just remember that sometimes the best guys are the ones who you don’t need to chase.’

  ‘I’m not chasing him. I’m surprising him.’

  Her words planted a little seed of doubt in my stomach. It felt like the script had flipped and I was doing an awful lot of the chasing. It was just stress. It had to be. We had planned out a whole future for after we graduated. Adam had been so excited when he found a master’s degree in my field in Edinburgh. He’d ordered the prospectus and helped me fill in the forms. Hell, he’d even given up an entire night to prepare me for the video interview and sat behind the camera writing prompts to help me remember everything. He wanted it as much as I did.

  It would be fine.

  I’d finally get to see a bit of my future home country while Adam and I spent quality time away from university life. A step into our next chapter.

  Another message popped up as I went to reply to the first. It was a frothy hot chocolate covered in tiny snowman marshmallows with the caption: Wish you were here.

  I didn’t need to be told twice.

  Two days to go and I’d be on my way.

  THREE

  ‘All right, love?’ the taxi driver asked me as the car slid slightly on the icy ground. I clutched the seat, worn fabric dipping beneath my nails as I tried not to show my absolute terror.

  Everything had gone wrong. They had diverted the plane to an airport in northern England due to high winds. I’d been bussed up to Edinburgh while seated next to an older man who reeked of stale cigarettes and sour milk. I’d squashed myself against the condensation covered window as best I could, but he still kept rolling his head against me as he snored.

  A murky grey fog bathed Edinburgh’s streets as I transferred from the bus to a taxi. The streetlights were just a dull yellow glowing faintly in the grey. I hadn’t even gotten the chance to see any of the city that I hoped to make my home.

  Glancing up at the taxi driver’s information sheet, I spotted her name: Moira Leigh Grey. Well, I hoped Mrs Grey slowed down as large, fluffy snowflakes mounted up on the car windows. The further into the highlands we drove, the worse the storm seemed to get.

  ‘Well, lass, I’m not sure how much farther I’ll get,’ she sighed, ‘but we’re pretty close. This blizzard is a beast.’

  She pressed a button as a crackly voice sounded from the car radio.

  ‘The storm has blown in from North America, causing massive disruption to air, rail, and roads. Government officials are warning people not to travel unless it’s absolutely necessary. There is a real possibility of danger to life, especially further north.’

  ‘We’re pretty far north, aren’t we?’

  ‘Sure are. In the arse end of nowhere. What brings you to Auchen, anyway? You’re nae from around here, are yi?’

  Worry coiled in my stomach. The small county road ahead of us was caked in white, not even another tyre track around.

  ‘I’m surprising my boyfriend.’

  ‘Not enough boys back stateside that you need to come all the way over here?’ Moira said with a pleasant smile in the mirror. She clearly felt less panicked about the road situation than I did.

  ‘He goes to university in Canada with me.’ I squeezed my eyes closed as the tires crunched loudly.

  ‘Must be an affa fine loon if you’ll come all the way over here to spend Christmas with him.’

  I had no idea what half of the things she said meant, so I just nodded, keeping my eyes closed.

  ‘Well, lass, this will have to do you. I’m no getting up that brae with the amount of snow that’s laying.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The hill. I can’t take the car up. You’ll have to walk it,’ Moira spoke slowly, trying to make her accent clearer.

  ‘You can’t just leave me here.’

  ‘I’ve no choice. You walk the rest, or you’ll have to come back to Edinburgh with me. It’s no far. See the wee lights up ahead? It’s just there.’

  Following her pointed finger, I squinted through the heavy snow, seeing a set of warm lights ahead.

  Within minutes, I’d paid the huge taxi fare, and stood with my bag and case at the bottom of the hill. Wind bit at my face and my feet sunk to mid-calf in the quickly building snow drifts. Water seeped through my trousers while I shivered.

  I pulled up my phone. I tried calling Adam, but it didn’t work. I had no signal. Worry settled heavy in my stomach as I gazed at the snow-covered track ahead.

  Putting on my phone’s torch with frozen fingers, I sighed. There was only one thing I could do. I’d have to pull my case up the snowy ass hill and arrive looking like a drowned rat.

  Fan-freaking-tastic.

  Not exactly the movie-type surprise I’d envisioned.

  FOUR

  My teeth chattered as I approached the address I had listed for Adam. If it hadn’t been so cold, I may have appreciated the large brick cottage, but as it was, I was desperate to get inside into the warmth. Snow continued to billow down around me as I reached the front door, my legs aching from the freezing cold after having to stomp through the deep drifts.

  ‘Thank God,’ I said as I rapped my raw knuckles against the old red door.

  No one answered.

  ‘Shit. No, no, no.’ The house lay isolated, without no neighbours as far as I could see—which was admittedly not very far in the blizzard.

  I banged the side of my fist against the door, wincing as pain jolted up my arm.

  Please let someone be home.

  Anyone.

  Then I saw movement beyond the little mottled glass windows that stood on either side of the front door. A light flicked on.

  Relief flooded me.

  The door opened, and a man stared at me like I’d appeared out of nowhere.

  ‘I’m Cara. Landry. Cara Landry,’ I said through a frozen stutter.

  The man looked no wiser upon hearing my name. Fuck, had I gotten the house wrong?

  ‘Adam’s girlfriend. From university. Is he here?’

  The man ran a hand through his hair while shaking his head.

  ‘He’s not here, I’m afraid.’ His voice was deep and low. It vibrated with his thick Scottish accent.

  ‘Can I come in and wait? The weather’s turned and I’m freezing. Sorry, I should have called ahead, but I wanted to surprise him. Are you his dad?’

  The man laughed and shook his head before swallowing hard. ‘No, just a friend of Bash’s.’

  My face must have shown my confusion.

  ‘Sorry, Sebastian’s... Adam’s dad. I’m Damien. Come on in. I’ll go fetch Bash.’

  Standing aside, he let me into the reception hall and hauled my case in after us. The warmth wrapped round me as I removed my soaked coat. I hung it awkwardly on the handle of my case, both leaving a slowly expanding puddle on the tiled floor.

  ‘I’ll grab you a towel and a cup of tea. Go into the sitting room and get yourself heated by the fire. Back in a minute.’

  I watched as Damien left the room, my face burning at the embarrassment of showing up and Adam not even being there.

  Where was he? Catching up with friends? At a bar? I should have called ahead.

  So stupid.

  Damien reappeared and handed over a towel and a blissfully hot mug of tea. I had no intention of drinking the foul stuff, but the heat warmed my fingers as I perched on the edge of a leather armchair by the fire.

  When Sebastian walked into the room, my heart all but stuttered. He looked a lot like Adam, but older and more rugged. Grey Peppered his dark hair and his stubble was similarly silver tinged. Thick muscles corded his arms where his t-shirt sleeves rode high on his biceps. Where Adam was clean cut, impressive tattoos etched over Sebastian’s arms, darkly swirling up into his clothing. A tingle gripped me between the thighs, and I let out a tiny squeak as he grasped one of my hands in a firm shake.

  ‘Sebastian Rudolph.’

  ‘Cara Landry.’

  Sebastian sat in the leather chair that mirrored mine on the other side of the fire.

  ‘Damien tells me you’ve flown in from Canada to surprise Adam?’

  ‘Yeah. He was sad we couldn’t spend the holidays together and said he missed me, so I decided to surprise him. I hope it’s not too much of an imposition. In hindsight, I should have called ahead.’

  Sebastian looked at Damien, who shrugged. Nerves tickled at my insides. He looked back at me and let out a sigh.

  ‘Where is he? I’d call him but I don’t have any signal here...’

  ‘Cara,’ Sebastian said, ‘Adam is spending Christmas at his fiancée’s family’s house.’

  He hesitated and took a breath before adding, ‘It’s their last one before the baby arrives.’

  His words stabbed at me and I jumped to my feet, sloshing hot tea over my wet trousers.

  Fiance.

  Baby.

  What the...

  ‘Whoa,’ Damien said, rushing over and taking the drink from my hands. He steadied me with one arm around my shoulders. ‘Shit, poppet, you look like you’re going to puke.’

  My world lurched.

  Adam had a fiancé, and she was pregnant? Fuck.

 

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