Luke: A Scrooged Christmas Read online

  A lump formed in my throat at the thought of a next time. “I would never have survived losing you.”

  One eye opened to look at me, and it glared. “That’s another reason to hate Darryl.”

  My brow creased. “Another reason?”

  “It’s bad enough that the fool lost control because he popped pills while I was sleeping. But he put you through hell, too.”

  “Darryl takes drugs?”

  Gregg nodded. “I thought he had control of it, but he doesn’t. He took something while I was asleep, and when I woke up, I could tell he was tweaked. It’s why we crashed.”

  Anger burned deep in my gut. If I saw Darryl again, I wasn’t sure I would be able to control my reaction.

  “Where is Darryl, by the way?”

  “He was escorted out last night by hospital security when he attacked Luke,” I said without thinking.

  “Serves him right. I’ll have to call a meeting with the band. If he’s unwilling to seek treatment, we’ll have to replace him.”

  I thought I’d gotten away with mentioning Luke’s name, but I was wrong.

  “Wait a minute,” Gregg said, opening both eyes. “Who’s Luke?”

  I swallowed. Would he rake me over the coals for jumping headfirst into a relationship after one day of knowing someone?

  “Um, Luke Knight. The man you hit a few days ago. We met again while you were gone, and now we’re . . .” I shrugged, “exploring things.”

  “You’re shitting me?” he mumbled, his words a tad slurred.

  “Nope.”

  His eyes were growing heavy with each passing second, but he raised a single brow at me and shook his head. “Figures you’d wait to find someone until I couldn’t read him the riot act. Tell him when I’m stronger, I expect him to explain his intentions toward you.”

  I snorted. “What are you? Seventy? Who reads men the riot act anymore?”

  He finally closed his eyes, slipping back into sleep, but not before he squeezed my hand and mumbled, “I do. ’Cause no one’s good enough for my sister.”

  I watched him sleep for a few moments, reassuring myself that he was truly okay, then I brushed a kiss across his forehead, laid the teddy bear I’d bought in the crook of his arm, and whispered, “I’ll be back in two hours,” before slipping out of the room.

  Luke still hadn’t come up, and since he was only one floor down, I headed for the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.

  As I approached the chapel door, I could see through a small window that Luke was sitting in a pew. I didn’t want to disturb him if he was making peace with God, so I remained outside the door and watched.

  Luke looked at his watch and noted it had been fifteen minutes since he’d left Anna’s side, then he stared back at the stained-glass window. Its colors were bouncing in prisms that flooded the room as he sat silently thinking.

  He’d come to the chapel to say a prayer for his nephew while Anna visited with her brother. It had struck him like a lightning bolt as the elevator doors opened to the chapel’s floor that it was Matthew’s birthday, and for the first time since his death, Luke hadn’t started Christmas Day with a burning guilt. Instead, he’d started the day with an angel in his arms, a kiss on his lips, and a smile on his face.

  Rising from the pew, Luke walked over to the altar and lit a candle for Matthew, then closed his eyes as a prayer slipped from his lips. The first he’d said in more than four years.

  “I’ll never understand your will. But I respect it. Take care of Matthew until I see him again. Amen.”

  He started to turn away, then a thought hit him and he paused, looking back at Christ hanging on the cross.

  “You sent Anna to me, didn’t you?”

  He didn’t expect a reply, but he got one anyhow. As he stood there staring at the cross, warmth filled his chest; peace the likes he’d never known curled around him in a comforting embrace. He closed his eyes again and let the feeling wash away any remaining hate he’d held against God.

  As he stood there, he felt a presence behind him, like a whisper of the wind, and turned to find Anna watching him.

  “He sent you to me as well.”

  Luke sucked in a deep breath, then smiled. “Like I said, this time of year miracles happen hourly. Looks like we got our fair share.”

  Epilogue

  Christmas Day one year later

  Gregg wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my cheek. “Merry Christmas, Anna Banana.”

  I raised my hand and wrapped my fingers around his arm, squeezing harder than I should have. “I’ve told you a trillion times to stop calling me Anna Banana.”

  His answering chuckle warmed my heart. I could have lost him last Christmas. Could have lost a lot, thanks to Darryl. But instead, he did a short stint in jail for DUI, after a blood test showed he’d been under the influence at the time of the accident. And the rest of us? Well, we gained so much more.

  God had seen fit to spare my brother’s life, and He healed Luke from his constant guilt. He’d blessed both of us when He brought us together, each finding what we needed from the other. I had a home and family now, and Luke had a second chance with his family, as well. They’d all put away past hurts once Luke forgave himself, and they were moving forward together.

  I searched the living room for my husband and found him speaking in hushed tones with his sister, Jess. They were huddled together in the corner, catching up as his parents sat by the fire with a cup of coffee, and Jess’ husband held their daughter, Ashton, in his arms as she batted at the tinsel on our tree.

  After we got married in June, Luke had sold his house and moved in with Gregg and me, buying Gregg out of his share of my parents’ home. And he was painstakingly renovating the house back to its former glory days.

  My eyes watered as I watched Luke and his sister. They’d lost so much at an early age, but now they had a second chance to be as close as they once were.

  I heard a whimper as they spoke, then watched with a lump in my throat as Luke carefully took our three-month-old baby from his sister’s arms, kissing her on the cheek before he made his way back over to me.

  God had seen fit to bless Luke and me with a baby boy, one conceived last year on Christmas Day.

  “He’s hungry,” Luke said, handing me our fussy son, then his eyes turned concerned when he saw my happy tears. “What’s wrong, baby?”

  I leaned in as Matthew Lucas Knight wiggled in my arms, and brushed a kiss across his mouth. “Merry Christmas, Luke. I love you.”

  His eyes turned molten at the touch of my lips, and his hand came up to grab my neck, pinning me against his mouth. I opened for him as he took over the kiss, relaxing into his protective warmth.

  “Love you, angel,” he whispered against my lips. Then he leaned over and placed a kiss on Matthew’s head, whispering, “You’re my whole world, little man. You and your mother. I promise, as God as my witness, that I’ll keep you safe for as long as I live.”

  The End

  Luke: A Scrooged Christmas is part of a collaborated collection by ten authors themed around a scrooged Christmas. Check out the blurbs at the end of this book for the following correlated authors: FG Adams, Jennifer Domenico, Jessika Klide, Julia Goda, Mayra Statham, Regina Frame, Tracie Douglas, BSM Stoneking, and Winter Travers.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to Gi Parr, Tonya Pittman, Mayra Statham, and

  Julia Goda for keeping my head above water.

  I owe you, and love you all.

  About the Author

  CP Smith lives in Oklahoma with her husband and five children. She loves football, reading, and card games. Writing for her is about escape. She writes what she loves to read, and leaves the rest to those with better imaginations.

  You can reach Ms. Smith at:

  [email protected]

  Dive into more Scrooged Christmas stories with these joining authors. Please note: These stories are a collaborated collection to A Scrooged Christmas. T
hey are standalones, not interconnected stories.

  Braxton – A Scrooged Christmas

  By BSM Stoneking

  When his parents die in a car crash just before Christmas, and the abusive orphanage he’s sent to grow up in kicks him out the day before Christmas Eve, Braxton Scrooge chooses to leave the one person who completes him, leaving her in tears on Christmas Day, to become a cold big-shot million-dollar business owner.

  Forget the Ghost of Christmas Past. With a history like Braxton Scrooge’s, how could one ever enjoy the Christmas season?

  Braxton regrets nothing—until his true love, Gemma, re-enters his life. Only the Ghost of Christmas Future can give him the reality check he needs to stop being such a vengeful scrooge—before he loses her forever.

  When it comes to love, the real question to ask yourself is, how far are you willing to go to ensure your partner still feels your love even after you’ve left her side? Because the love Braxton and Gemma rekindle will turn out to be the most unconventional love you’ll ever find.

  Brendan – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Jennifer Domenico

  I hate Christmas. Hate. I have my reasons, none of which I talk about. Ever. It suits me just fine to wallow in misery every year from late November to January. I just want to be left alone in my quiet home far away from the nonsense of the season.

  Unfortunately, one of Santa’s elves just bought the unit next to mine, sprinkling her ridiculous festive spirit all over my perfectly insulated existence. But she can spread all the Christmas cheer she wants. It has no effect on me.

  At least that’s what I keep telling myself

  Daxton – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Julia Goda

  Daxton McArthur is a successful but cold businessman. For reasons he never discusses, he has no time for the frivolities the Christmas season brings. A surly man normally, he turns it up a notch when Santa’s elves come out to play. This year, that personality flaw might cost him.

  Instead of finding joy by helping a friend, Emersyn Moore finds herself bearing the brunt of Daxton McArthur’s disdain. Usually a good-natured person, Emersyn is pushed to the end of her patience by his scowls and sneers.

  When he’s stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, she feels obligated to take him in. It is Christmas Eve, after all.

  What happens when two worlds collide and they’re not as different as they thought? Will the light Emersyn’s smile promises be enough to bring Dax back to life, or will he run, forever hiding in the darkness of his past mistakes?

  Grayson – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Regina Frame

  Grayson Decker is a man with many titles. New York’s Man of the Year. New York’s Most Eligible Bachelor, but when he meets the feisty Aubree Lane, he earns the title of Scrooge. When Grayson’s parents push him to marry and even force to assist in finding the perfect wife, Grayson takes matters into his own hands.

  Aubree Lane is a college dropout, working part-time in a coffee shop, desperate to make ends meet, but finds herself in danger of eviction from her run-down apartment in a sketchy neighborhood. When Grayson Decker sets his sights on her, he makes her an offer she can’t refuse or is it the other way around? When he offers her $50K to be his fake fiancée for three weeks, she throws a wrench into his plan. She’ll go along with his idea, but it will cost him $100K and Christmas Dinner with her family.

  When their agreement ends, will he be able to let her go? Will she refuse to stay?

  Luke – A Scrooged Christmas

  By CP Smith

  If Luke Knight could change anything about his life, it would be the day his nephew died. Filled with guilt, Luke lived a lonely existence. Until the day an angel crashed into his truck... and struck his heart.

  Anna Stubbs knew one thing without question: God has a reason for everything. Her optimism and faith shine from within, and no matter how hard Luke tries, he can’t ignore it.

  When life throws an unexpected curveball, both Luke and Anna will need to reach deep inside themselves this holiday season, and learn to have faith that God is in control and duck slippers truly are a man’s undoing.

  Michael - A Scrooged Christmas

  By F.G. Adams

  Do holiday wishes really come true?

  For kindergarten teacher Holly Mary Edwards is banking on a miracle when the man of her dreams returns from duty abroad.

  Decorated army doctor Michael Barnes is not ready to face the holiday season after his fiancée leaves him for another man. Michael is convinced it’s time to put happiness in a tight little box and ship it back to the North Pole.

  He wasn’t expecting Holly. And when the sexy Holly-jolly nymph takes it upon herself to divest him of his Mr. Scrooged attitude, she’ll do anything to bring him into the jingle bell jolly.

  Can Holly convince him ‘tis the season for love?

  Silas – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Winter Travers

  Silas Warlack doesn’t have time for anything other than running a multi-million dollar business thousands of miles away from his hometown. He especially doesn’t have time for frivolous things like the holidays and family. Too bad his mother doesn’t understand that.

  Ainsley Crowne finally has everything she ever dreamed of in her life—amazing friends and a successful flower shop all in her hometown. But a blast from the past blowing back into town and her best friend’s wedding just before Christmas remind her of the one thing missing in her life: Love.

  Will Ainsley and Silas realize what they had was once in a lifetime or will they be too stubborn and let the holiday miracle in their midst pass them by?

  Travis – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Tracie Douglas

  Travis Malone is a grinch, and he’s damn proud of it. If he never sees another twinkle light or smells a fresh batch of Christmas cookies in his life, he’ll die a happy man.

  Olivia Wilder needs to make this Christmas the most memorable for her daughter. It’s their first holiday in their new life.

  When Liv moves in next door, Travis learns how fast the Christmas spirit can seep into his world, and he struggles to ignore the growing attraction he feels for the single mom. But when he declares war, Liv is determined to win, even if it means getting the whole neighborhood involved.

  Will Travis’ Ghost of Christmas Past destroy any chance at joy during the holiday season? Or will Olivia be able to give him the Christmas miracle he didn’t know he was looking for?

  Zaiden – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Mayra Statham

  World-famous fashion photographer Zaiden Klausen is a jerk of a boss. That’s why, after two years, I quit four days before Christmas. But then he makes me an offer I can’t refuse.

  What’s the worst thing that can happen?

  Michele Henlin is the best makeup artist he has ever worked with. When she quits unexpectedly, he finds himself begging a woman for the first time in his life.

  One more photo shoot. That’s all he wants from her.

  Until a nightmare of what a future without her in his life would look like kicks him into high gear to convince her he isn’t the scrooged-up man she thinks he is.

  Zane – A Scrooged Christmas

  By Jessika Klide

  Zane Lockhart is a coldhearted, selfish Las Vegas cop who hates Christmas and proudly owns the nickname, Sergeant Scrooge. Refusing to celebrate it in any way except the bellowing of “Bah Humbug,” he insists it’s just another day.

  While on patrol with his new partner, a K9 cop named, Bruce Wayne aka Batman, he has a chance encounter with a hot chick and sets up a midnight date with her. Off-duty and ready to score a hookup, the two are getting acquainted, when a robbery occurs and Zane comes face to face with a past full of scars, and a present full of secrets.

  This Christmas discover that real heroes are born not made, that love is truly magical, that “Bah Humbug” can be weaponized, and a future full of sorrow can be rescued.

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  CP Smith, Luke: A Scrooged Christmas