All I want for the holidays?

"s**t! Fuckin' stupid!" Vanessa exclaimed slamming her palms on the steering wheel and holding it tight her body tensed up. "Moooom language." Her 7 year old daughter Maya sat at the back seat clutching a doll and frowning "Ughhh. Sorry baby.... Won't do it again." Her daughter smiled "Maybe Damian was right." She thought to herself and rubbed her forehead. Outside the black SUV it was heavily snowing and was dangerous to move out of the car which had skidded out of the road. 's**t, s**t, shit.' She thought to herself. It was too cold outside and they didn't come with much supplies. "Maya baby?" She called to the child who say at the back seat patting the silky hair of the doll she held. "Yes mom?" She replied. "Hope you're okay?" Vanessa asked and she nodded and smiled. "Sorry this trip's kinda screwed. " It's okay. As long as you're here with me I'm okay." She said smiling and Vanessa smiled. "Thank you baby. Can you wait for Mommy while I find help?" She looked at Maya who smiled and nodded. " Yes." Vanessa smiled and took her long black leather coat. She released her hair which was tied in a tight with a ribbon into a pony tail. She scanned the surroundings trees covered in snow and snow buried ground that some parts of her boots sunk in. She frowned. The breeze was blowing heavily and so was the speed of the snow, she kicked at it and almost slipped, she balanced herself and looked around and the she saw headlights moving towards her direction and she smiled. She raised her hands waving at the approaching vehicle and shouting. " Hey please stop! Can you help me?! My car broke down." A tall huge man came down from the car and walked towards her "What's wrong lady?" He asked "My........." The window of the back seat of the SUV came down and she heard a voice that sounded too familiar to be a coincidence. "Grant?! What's wrong?" The voice asked "Nothing much I guess... Just a lady stuck in the snow." "With my daughter." She corrected "With her daughter." He shouted back to the car. The door opened and she looked as he slowly alighted. She looked up and stared at him. "Oh shit.." She breathed. "Vanessa?" His face was a shock. Grant looked at them. "Do you both know each other?" He asked. "Nikolas? You look......rich?" Vanessa said "And you look stranded?" He said looking at her "Yeah Einstein isn't it obvious?" She said and looked at Grant. "Who's he? Yourrrr..... Ya know?" She raised her eye brows slyly and his face contorted. "Ew no. I see u never changed." He said "And I see you changed a lot." She replied standing hands akimbo. Her stance look sexy and Nikolas' eyes widened. "Ya need help?" He asked "No isn't it obvious?" She said sarcastically and he scoffed. "Grant get in the car. See ya later or never." He made to leave and she stopped him. "Ww...wait! I need help." "No s**t about that." He said and snickered she rolled her eyes. Vanessa rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. “ Really? If I didn't admit You were just gonna leave a woman and a five-year-old freezing in a blizzard?” Nikolas paused mid-step, shoulders tense under the expensive wool coat that probably cost more than her monthly rent. He turned slowly, jaw tight. “Get in the car, Vanessa,” he said, voice low and clipped. “Both of you.” Maya’s little face appeared at the open window again, eyes wide and sparkling despite the cold. “Mommy, is that the prince from the snow story?” Vanessa almost choked. “Maya—” But the girl was already unbuckling herself with surprising speed, clutching her doll like a trophy. “He’s so tall! And shiny!” Nikolas blinked, clearly thrown. Grant—still standing by the driver’s door—snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “kids these days.” Vanessa sighed, defeated. “Fine. But only because my daughter is about to turn into a popsicle.” She scooped Maya up, grabbed the small backpack with their emergency snacks, locked the SUV, and followed Nikolas to his sleek black Range Rover. The interior smelled like leather, cedar, and money. Heated seats. Soft jazz playing low. Maya gasped the second she was buckled into the booster seat Nikolas somehow already had waiting in the back. “Mommy, it’s warm! And it has stars on the ceiling!” Vanessa glanced up—sure enough, tiny LED constellations glowed faintly overhead. Of course he had that. The drive was quiet at first, except for Maya’s nonstop commentary. “Your car is bigger than our house!” “Look, the snowflakes are dancing!” “Is this a castle car?” Nikolas kept his eyes on the road, but the corner of his mouth twitched every time Maya spoke. Vanessa caught him glancing at the rearview mirror more than once. After about twenty minutes of winding through snow-laden pines, a massive iron gate appeared ahead. It swung open automatically as they approached. Beyond it: lights. A long, curving driveway lined with glowing lanterns. And then the house—no, the estate—came into view. Three stories of dark stone and glass, modern but somehow timeless. Floor-to-ceiling windows spilling warm golden light into the night. A covered porte-cochère that could shelter three cars. A fountain in the courtyard that was somehow still running despite the freeze, steam rising gently from the heated water. Maya’s mouth fell open. “It is a castle.” Vanessa stared. “You live here?” “Obviously,” Nikolas muttered, pulling under the covered entrance. Grant hopped out first, already on his phone. “I’ll call the tow truck. Triple-A or private?” “Private,” Nikolas said without hesitation. “Tell them it’s priority. And get the guest wing ready—two rooms, connected. Kid-friendly if possible.” Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “You have a guest wing?” He ignored her, opening Maya’s door instead. The little girl practically launched herself into his arms before he could protest. He froze for half a second, then awkwardly adjusted his hold so she was secure against his shoulder. Grant took their coats and kept them in a closet. “You smell like Christmas cookies and fancy soap,” Maya announced happily. Nikolas looked helplessly at Vanessa, who was trying—and failing—not to laugh. Inside, the foyer alone was bigger than her entire apartment. Marble floors, a double-height ceiling, a chandelier that looked like frozen starlight. A massive Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated in silver and deep blue, presents already wrapped underneath. Maya squealed and wriggled free, running straight toward it. “Mommy! Look! It’s bigger than Santa’s!” Nikolas cleared his throat. “The tow truck will be here in about ninety minutes—roads are bad, but they’re sending a heavy-duty rig. Your SUV should be out by morning. In the meantime…” He gestured toward a wide hallway. “There’s a fire going in the family room. Hot chocolate. Blankets. Whatever you need.” Vanessa crossed her arms, studying him. The sharp suit, the perfect haircut, the quiet authority that used to belong to the boy who once stole her fries in high school. “You really turned into this, huh?” “And you really turned into that,” he shot back, nodding toward Maya, who was now carefully touching the lowest ornaments like they were made of magic. “She’s… sweet.” “She is.” Vanessa softened. “Thank you. For not leaving us out there.” He shrugged, looking away. “I’m not that much of an asshole.” “Debatable,” she teased. A small smile ghosted across his face—the first real one she’d seen tonight. “Come on,” he said. “Before she tries to climb the tree.” They followed Maya’s delighted giggles down the hall. The family room was even cozier than promised: roaring fireplace, thick rugs, oversized couches piled with throws. A tray of steaming mugs and cookies already waited on the coffee table. Maya dove onto the biggest couch, doll in one hand, cookie in the other. “This is the best broken-car day ever!” Vanessa sank down beside her, exhaustion finally hitting. Nikolas lingered by the doorway a moment longer, watching them. “I’ll check on the tow update,” he said quietly. “Make yourselves at home. Stay as long as you need.” He turned to leave. “Nikolas?” He paused. She met his eyes. “You didn’t have to do all this.” He looked at Maya—now whispering secrets to her doll about “the castle man”—then back at Vanessa. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I did.” And with that, he disappeared down the hall, leaving them in the glow of the fire and the quiet wonder of a night that had somehow turned from disaster into something else entirely. Maya has finished taking a shower and was dressed in her pajamas, she lay in the bed and Vanessa sat beside her. "Mommy?" "Yes sweetie?" "Can we stay here forever?" "Well I don't know baby.... Daddy wouldn't allow it." "But I don't want to go back to Daddy. He hurts you a lot. I see you crying when he shouts at you. And he's hit you before." She said snuggling up with her blanket with a lot of polka dots. Vanessa caressed her curly hair and smiled "Well do you want me and Daddy to be together?" She asked. "I don't know, but I don't want to be with Daddy anymore." She said and held her mother's hands. "Ok that settles it dear." She told Maya "I want to hear a story." She said. "We dont have your story book, and I'm kinda tired.... Can we leave it for now?" She asked apologetically. " Ok. But at least can you sing me a lullaby?" " Ok." Vanessa said and began to sing 'silent night'. Soon Maya drifted to sleep and she stood up slowly opened the door and looked left and saw him standing beside the door and she jolted. "Oh f**k what are you doing here?" She said. " Urmm last time I checked this is my house?" He said and she scoffed. " No s**t yeah." She sighed. " Were you eavesdropping?" " No the rooms are sound proof." He said and looked away. " You're lying." " How'd you mean?" " What did you hear?" She asked. " Enough to know you still got your killer voice intact. She glared at him and walked into her room,shut the door and sat on her bed. She sobbed for some time, took a steaming shower and wore the clothes that were set on the bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.