“Caroline, dear,” she insisted.

“Caroline, thank you for breakfast. It was incredible.” I swirled my hand around the room. “Is there a bathroom…?”

She told me sure and motioned upstairs. I excused myself, smile firmly in place, then I fled. I could feel the headache coming as my thoughts tumbled into a very dark place. Trudging up the stairs, I ignored the tense silence in my wake. Once I was in the bathroom, I clenched the sink with both hands and hunched over, finally letting the ragged breaths gush out of me. Calm down. So, he thinks the worst of you, what’s new? Inhaling a deep breath, I lifted my eyes to the mirror. My face looked pale to me, worn. Did Kiera hate me for that confession? Or had she witnessed enough to know the women didn’t matter? Would she trust me now? Would she leave me now…?

As I watched myself, I saw my eyes shimmer and redden as the rejection shifted to fear…and doubt. “Stop,” I whispered. Don’t ruin this day. Don’t dwell, don’t think, don’t feel. The only thing you have is now, so enjoy it.

Shaking my head, I ran some water into the sink. Not allowing it to warm up, I splashed my face. The frigidness shocked some of the emotion out of me, snapped me back to the present. Shutting off the water, I inhaled a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly exhaled. Better. Finding a towel, I wiped off my face, then headed back downstairs. I could hear Kiera talking when I got close enough.

“I’m in love with him, Dad. Pausing…isn’t an option for me.”

That filled me with an unparalleled amount of warmth, and my gaze drifted to the floor. She feels the same. She still feels the same. Kiera sensed me in the doorway, and I heard her twist in her chair to look at me. I met her gaze, a soft smile on my face. She stood up, then walked over and cupped my cheeks. Searching my eyes, she whispered, “Not being yours isn’t an option anymore.”

I nodded. Exactly, Kiera. Leaning down, I poured my heart into a soulful kiss. Enjoy this…while you have it.

I let the moment fade into the back of my psyche; there wasn’t anything else that I could do but let it go and try to enjoy the rest of the day. And it was enjoyable. More than enjoyable. It was damn near picture-perfect. Was this how the holiday was supposed to feel? Everyone happy, everyone smiling, everyone grateful for each other.