HE NEVER CALLED.
Maggie didn’t know what upset her more. That Mike appeared to have chosen his driving career over her, or that she continued to feel the sting of his rejection.
Damn it, she thought, trying to smooth back a stray curl.
“Mom,” Brooke said from behind her. “You look great.”
It’d been two weeks since she’d seen Mike. Tonight was the Christmas Miracle fund-raiser party. But Maggie dreaded it with all her heart.
At least Mike won’t be around.
She’d heard from Indi that he’d quit working for the foundation. He’d chosen driving over charity work. What a disappointment.
“Go on, Mom,” Brooke said, her legs crossed as she sat on the bed. “You’re going to be late.”
They were in a hotel room donated for Miracles’ staff to use. Maggie wouldn’t need to worry about Brooke getting into trouble. She’d been given strict instructions to stay in the room and watch movies all night. But just to be certain that Brooke was safe, Maggie would be checking in throughout the evening.
“I’m going, I’m going,” Maggie said, walking forward so she could give her daughter a kiss on the cheek. “Remember, I’ll be right downstairs if you need me.”
“I know.”
Maggie drew back and grabbed a gold clutch that matched her gold ballgown, which was on loan from one of the local department stores. The dress had a long, wispy skirt that hugged her ankles and seemed to float behind her, and a tight bodice that actually made Maggie look as if she had cleavage.
“If you get hungry, you can order room service,” Maggie said to her daughter.
“Mo-om. I know.”
“And if the hotel fire alarm goes off, remember not to use the elevator.”
“Mom!”
“All right. All right. I’m leaving.”
“Mom,” Brooke said, suddenly serious. She darted up from the bed. “Have a good time.”
“I will,” Maggie promised, even though she knew she more than likely wouldn’t. Now that the event was actually taking place, there wasn’t a whole lot for her to do. She’d spend the night on a pair of heels that felt two sizes too small, in a gown that might make her look buxom, but that nearly cut off her circulation, all the while trying to make small talk with people she didn’t know.
Fun.
She slipped out the door. Brooke would be fine on her own. According to her daughter she was long past the age of needing a babysitter. Still, Maggie worried that maybe she should have hired one.
You’re just procrastinating.
And she was. She didn’t want to go down to the event. Attending a Christmas party made her feel too depressed.
And lonely.
Her relationship with Mike was obviously over and Maggie ached over the whole thing. Yes, she’d been the one to walk out on him, but a part of her had assumed he really would call her. Why she’d thought that after he’d ignored her for weeks she had no idea. Still, it stung. Only after he wasn’t in her life anymore had she come to realize how much she cared for him.
Obviously, he hadn’t felt the same way.
The lights in the hotel lobby still twinkled merrily, but Maggie hardly noticed. Giant poinsettia plants decorated every surface. A massive tree dominated the main foyer, its lights reflecting on the polished marble floor.
Maggie handed the ballroom doorman the special pass she’d been given earlier. On the other side of the door she could hear the band. They were playing something festive. It sounded like “Frosty the Snowman.”
“Enjoy yourself,” the man said, opening the door with a flourish.
Maggie had been in and out of the ballroom at least a hundred times the previous day. Setting the place up had been a major undertaking, and yet nothing had prepared her for the beauty and splendor of the room beyond.
Gold and silver swathes of fabric hung from the walls. Stage lights had been aimed directly at them, illuminating the metallic cloth and setting it aglow. Silver bells hung around the room. Real silver bells. They were worth a fortune, but thankfully had been lent to them for the night. From the crystal chandeliers hung yards and yards of ribbons, and more twinkling lights. And, of course, in the center of the room stood the tree. Placed all around the room were elegantly set tables, two-foot ivy topiaries inlaid with tiny red poinsettias and more silver and gold ribbons sprouting up from the center. Even the plateware was gold, silver chargers set beneath.
“Doesn’t it look great?” Indi said.
Maggie turned, gasping at the stunning picture her friend made in her silver gown. “You’re the one who looks great.”
“Never mind me,” Indi said with a dismissive wave. “Isn’t this amazing?”
Maggie nodded, starting to move toward the Christmas tree. She could smell its pine scent from across the room. “Makes all our hard work seem worthwhile.”
“We’ve raised nearly a million dollars for Miracles already,” Indi said proudly, scooping two glasses of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. She made a half turn, the gown she wore clinging to every curve, her hair swept up atop her head. “And the silent auction over there—” she pointed to one side of the room with her chin “—is still going strong. I bet we’ll hit two million by the time the night’s over. That’s money we’ll use to fulfill the wishes of dozens of children.”
And such a worthy cause.
Not that Mike would ever know. Damn it. She still couldn’t believe he’d given up working for Helping Hands.
“He’s here, you know,” Indi said.
“Who’s here?”
Her friend handed her the glass of champagne. “Mike.”
Maggie’s almost dropped the glass. “What?”
“I wasn’t going to tell you, Maggie. He made me promise not to, but he’s here and I thought you should know in case, I don’t know, you want to leave or something.”
“What’s he doing here?”
“Well, he did help plan the event.”
“Yeah, but I thought he’d be off testing race cars, or hiring people for his new race team or meeting with potential sponsors or something.”
“He gave me a check for a hundred thousand dollars.”
“Well, good. I hope it makes his conscience feel better.”
“No,” a masculine voice said. “It doesn’t.”
Maggie jerked. Indi turned right. “Mike,” Indi said coldly. “We were just talking about you.”
“So I gathered,” Mike said.
Maggie felt his gaze upon her.
“Didn’t you say you needed to use the powder room?” Indi asked her friend.
Maggie recognized the escape route Indi provided, but there was no sense in running. This might be a crowded affair, but she was bound to run into Mike sooner or later.
“No. Not right now,” Maggie said.
Indi seemed to understand. “I’ll talk to you later, then.”
“So, Mike,” Maggie said once Indi faded away. She steeled herself to look at him. “How’s the driving career?”
He looked tired, she noticed. And anxious. Not the least little bit happy.
Good.
“I’m okay,” he said, his eyes staring intently into her own.
“Great,” she said. “Good to hear.” I’m still feeling like crap. “Enjoy the party.” She tried to turn away.
“Maggie,” he called, stepping in front of her.
They were attracting a crowd, although she reasoned that might have something to do with who Mike was. He might not have driven a race car in well over a year, but he was still recognizable.
“Don’t go,” he quietly said. “Please.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“But I have things to say to you,” he said.
“Then say it quickly, Mike, because I’m short on time.”
She saw him take a deep breath. “Look, I deserve your censure. I know I do. I’ve been a jerk. I didn’t call. I didn’t try and see you. I didn’t do anything. I was wrong, but I have an excuse.”
“And what’s that?”
“I fell in love.”
She nearly dropped the glass again.
“I know it sounds crazy,” he said. “But something happened when we were together. Something unexpected and amazing. It threw me for a loop.”
Maggie had to look away. Music played in the background, around them people chatted, but for Maggie this all felt like a dream.
“I know it sounds hard to believe,” he said. “I didn’t believe it myself until something happened to help me realize it.”
“What was that?” she managed to croak out.
“I have the world at my feet,” he said. “Everything a man could ask for—fame, fortune, a great career—but it all means nothing, absolutely nothing without you by my side.”
Maggie shook her head. “I don’t think I can do this again.”
“Please,” he said softly. “Maggie, I need you. I realize that now.”
“Why?”
“You’re my grounding rod. I look into your eyes and I see that the world is good. When I’m with you I know I’m with someone real. Someone special.”
She shook her head again.
“Maggie,” he said, taking her glass from her and setting it down on a nearby table. He held her hand. It was the same hand that’d held her own all those weeks ago, and as his fingers enveloped her own, she felt the same falling-from-earth sensation.
“You’ve spent years creating miracles for other people,” he said. “It’s time to believe in a miracle of your own.”
“I thought I’d found one.”
“Only I threw it away.”
She nodded, pulled her hand away.
He stared at her, and she could see the disappointment in his eyes.
She had to blink back sudden tears.
“I’m not a man who begs, Maggie, but I’m begging you now. Give me a second chance. I’ll never blow it again.”
He held out his hand. Maggie stared at it, knowing that if she took it she was taking the biggest risk of her life.
Or finding the greatest love of her life.
“Please,” he said.
“I’m scared.”
“I know,” he said. “I am, too. I can drive a car at one hundred eighty miles an hour, but I’m scared to death to lose you.”
She closed her eyes.
“Maggie,” he said softly, scooting next to her, touching her. “I know it happened fast, but this is real.”
It was that touch more than anything that made her give in. She still felt it, whatever it was. After all these weeks, after all the heartache and tears, she still felt something, and that something was strong and undeniable. She’d be stupid to throw that away.
She felt his arms wrap around her for the first time in weeks, and it felt just as good as the first time…just as right.
“I promise you, Maggie, this isn’t a mistake.”
“You say that,” she said, wiping at her eyes, “but I hope you’re not offended when I ask you to prove it.”
“I’m not offended at all,” he said, pulling her into his arms again. “And I will prove it.”
ONE YEAR LATER, on Christmas Eve, he did prove it…by marrying Maggie in a ceremony every bit as opulent as the party they’d helped to plan. It was, Maggie tearfully confessed to Indi, a minor miracle that it had all worked out.
But that wasn’t the only miraculous occurrence.
Eleven months later Maggie gave birth to a baby boy. And as Mike held his newborn son in his arms, he wondered why he’d waited so long to have a child. But then he met the loving gaze of his wife, his newly adopted daughter, Brooke, sitting on the hospital bed next to Maggie, and the answer was simple. He hadn’t had kids before because he’d been waiting to find the right woman.
He’d been waiting to find Maggie.