Home for the Holidays

An Icy Reunion

The snow crunched under Elise’s boots as she walked hand-in-hand with Ava through Snowberry Square the next morning. The Christmas market was as festive as Maya had promised, with rows of brightly decorated stalls lining the Cobblestone Streets.

Ava darted from one booth to the next, her cheeks rosy with excitement as she admired handmade ornaments, candied nuts, and delicate snow globes.

Elise’s breath formed small clouds in the crisp air, her smile softening with every step. For a moment, the weight of her thoughts eased, replaced by Ava’s infectious joy and the charm of the bustling market.

“Look, Mom!” Ava called out, pointing to a booth filled with carved wooden toys.

“They’re beautiful,” Elise said, crouching down to inspect a small reindeer. The vendor smiled warmly as Ava picked it up, her eyes wide with wonder.

But as they wandered deeper into the square, Elise's thoughts began to stray. The warmth of the market couldn’t quite chase away the ache in her chest, a lingering reminder of the life she had left behind in the city—and the man who had left her.

Scott had been charming in the beginning, a smooth-talking entrepreneur with an endless supply of confidence. Elise had fallen hard and fast, believing him when he promised her a life of adventure, endless love, and stability all at once.

He wasn’t Noah; he didn’t kiss or hold her the way Noah did. He didn’t make her feel that she was the only important thing in his life the way Noah did, and he most definitely did not want the quiet simplicity of Snowberry Ridge. And for a time, that was exactly what Elise thought she wanted.

But the cracks in their marriage had started to show almost as soon as Ava was born. Scott’s work consumed him, and Elise often felt like a single parent even when he was home. The final blow came two years ago when Scott announced over dinner that he was leaving.

“There’s no easy way to say this,” he’d said, his voice maddeningly calm. “I’ve met someone else. Amber and I... well, we’ve decided to be together.”

Amber. The younger, vivacious coworker Elise had never liked but never suspected. Elise had barely registered Scott’s apology before he walked out of their lives, leaving her to pick up the pieces.

The reality was that she walked away from the one constant, genuine, and true thing that she ever had for the unknown… Noah. This was a guilt that weighed like a boulder on Elise’s shoulders, never able to shake it off no matter how happy she thought she was with Scott.

Elise had vowed never to let herself trust so easily again. She had built a new life for Ava and herself, piece by fragile piece, and coming back to Snowberry Ridge felt like a step backward.

Now, standing in the middle of the festive square, Elise shook her head, trying to push the memories away. She wasn’t here to dwell on the past. This trip was for Ava, for Christmas. Nothing more.

“Mom, can we get hot cocoa?” Ava’s tug on her coat pulled Elise from her thoughts.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Elise replied, thankful for the distraction.

Her memories of Noah were relentless, each one more vivid than the last. Did he still run the lodge? Was he happy? Was he... married? Did someone else have his heart? Elise shook her head, trying to let go of her invading thoughts. What did it matter to her how he was doing after all this time?

With steaming cups of cocoa in hand, they continued to explore the market. Elise paused near a stall selling knit scarves, the soft hum of carolers in the background filling the air with warmth. As she reached out to touch a crimson scarf, a familiar voice cut through the sounds of the market.

“Elise?”

Her heart stopped.

She turned slowly, the scarf slipping from her fingers. And there he was… Noah Bennett.

The years had been kind to him ~ too damn kind, Elise thought, her breath catching as she took him in.

He was taller than she remembered, his broad shoulders wrapped in a dark coat that caught faint snowflakes on the collar.

The sharp winter light carved out the strong lines of his jaw and his green eyes as piercing as they had been a decade ago, ~ those same piercing eyes that always made her weak ~ were unmistakable.

Those eyes used to hold warmth and care whenever they looked at her, but now they were guarded, unreadable, as if he wasn’t sure whether to let the memory of her back in.

“Noah,” she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

His lips curved into a polite smile, though his expression was guarded, but Elise saw the flicker of something deeper… a flash of recognition, longing, or maybe even hurt.

“I thought that was you,” he said, his tone cool, even distant, as if they had been nothing more than acquaintances.

Elise felt her chest tighten, her cheeks flushing under his gaze. The cold air suddenly seemed sharper, cutting into her skin.

Ava tugged on Elise’s sleeve, her voice breaking the moment like a pebble tossed into still water, looking up curiously. “Mom?”

Elise cleared her throat, her cheeks warming. “Ava, this is... an old friend of mine. Noah.”

Before Noah could respond, a movement beside him caught Elise’s eye. A woman in a sleek, red wool coat and fur-lined gloves rested a hand lightly on his arm, her posture confident and familiar. Her red lips curved into a polite smile, though her expression didn’t reach her eyes.

Elise’s stomach dropped.

But before she could process the pang of jealousy, Noah crouched down to Ava’s level, his movements smooth and deliberate, as if nothing could rattle him, gently taking her small mittened hand in his.

His smile softened as he met Ava’s gaze. “Nice to meet you Ava, how old are you?” he said, his smile softening in a way that made Elise’s chest ache.

“Nice to meet you too! I’m seven, but I will be eight on Christmas,” Ava beamed, clearly delighted by his attention. “Are you from here? My mom grew up here, but this is my first time in Snowberry Ridge.”

“I am” Noah said, standing. “Your mom and I... go way back.” His eyes flicked to Elise, a hint of something unspoken lingering between them.

Elise saw the shift in his expression—a fleeting tenderness as his eyes flicked to hers. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there, a c***k in the cool facade he had worn when he first saw her.

Ava grinned. “I like it here. It feels like Christmas everywhere.”

“It does,” Noah agreed, standing again but keeping his attention on Ava. “And the tree in the square? It’s one of my favorite things this time of year.”

“It’s so big!” Ava exclaimed, her enthusiasm drawing a genuine smile from him. Elise felt the tension in her chest ease slightly at the sight of Noah with her daughter. He wasn’t guarded now, not with Ava.

The woman at his side shifted, clearing her throat. “Noah,” she said, her voice smooth, though there was a note of impatience in it.

He straightened, glancing briefly at the woman. “Right,” he murmured, as if he had forgotten she was there.

The spell broke, and the awkwardness settled back like a cold wind. Elise felt the weight of the moment press down on her, the unspoken emotions lingering between them like a barrier neither dared to cross.

Elise felt her throat tighten at the subtle emphasis in his words. She tried to ignore the undercurrent, but it lingered like a bitter chill in the air.

The awkwardness between them hung heavy, colder than the snow-covered cobblestones beneath their feet. Elise wanted to say something… anything….to fill the silence of her tangled thoughts, but before she could, a group of marketgoers bustled past, breaking the moment.

Noah broke the moment first. His voice was polite but clipped like a door being quietly closed. “Well,” Noah said, stepping back slightly, “it was good seeing you.”

“You too,” Elise replied quickly, her voice hollow as she watched him step back. He hesitated for the briefest of moments as if he might say more, but then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Ava tilted her head. “Mom, who is he?”

Elise hesitated, her heart still racing. “Just someone I used to know, sweetheart.”

But her words felt like a lie, hollow and flimsy against the rush of memories that surged forward—memories of snowball fights, stolen kisses, and promises that never came true.

As they continued through the market, Elise couldn’t shake the image of him—the sound of his voice, colder now, and the flicker of something in his eyes that she couldn’t quite name. The warmth he had shown Ava, and the way his eyes lingered on her, even for a moment.

The woman at his side only complicated things further, adding a bitter edge to the already tangled mess of emotions swirling inside her.

It was clear that time hadn’t erased the past for either of them. Noah had moved on—or at least, that’s what it seemed. But the flicker of tenderness she had seen in his gaze told another story, one that made her heart ache with a longing she hadn’t expected.

It was clear that time hadn’t erased the past for either of them. It had only buried it under layers of frost, waiting for the first thaw to bring it back to the surface.