Page 69 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

Guilt poked at her.When was he diagnosed?How long had he been alone with this news?No one even called to check in on him.It was as if he were indestructible, would always be here at Winterridge just waiting for everyone’s return.And now here they were, and he was actually dying.

She wasn’t going to waste it.

Tears welled in her eyes, her stomach hollowed out, and she couldn’t sit and listen to this anymore.She pushed up from the chair and hurried out of the room.

She heard talking; Carter said something, but she couldn’t hear over the pounding of her heart.Her mind spun with regret and sorrow and too many damn emotions.

“Hey.”Carter grabbed her arm, spinning her to him.

Her lips parted, but all that emerged was a sob.He pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.She cried for every holiday and birthday they hadn’t spent together.They were all too stubborn, too hurt, and too proud.

Mostly she cried because she finally found her way home to Winterridge, to her family, to the traditions she’d outgrown but secretly missed every day.

It was all slipping away.Even if the treatment worked, it wasn’t a cure.

It was borrowed time.

Time—the one thing money couldn’t buy.

Carter held her tighter as another sob wracked her body.“I wasted so much time,” she muttered into his chest.

His hand slid into her hair, and she pulled from his chest, looking into eyes that had always grounded her when the ground seemed so far.

“No,” he said.

“I did.”Fresh tears fell from her lids, and Carter brushed them away with his thumb.“I was angry and stubborn, and I let it matter more than my family.”

“Ashley.”

She shook her head.“I should’ve called.I should’ve visited.I should have done something.”

“There was nothing you could have done.”

“Did you know?”she asked.

He nodded.

“And you didn’t tell me?I thought we were done keeping secrets.”

“Everything okay?”Gabe’s voice boomed from behind them.

Ashley twirled toward him, finger pointing in the air.

“Don’t!”she exclaimed.Everything Carter had told her burned, turning her blood to liquid fire.“You don’t get to come over here and act like you care.Not when you threatened Carter when his dad was sick.What kind of monster are you?I can’t even look at you.”

Anger overtook her sadness, and despite everything, she let the anger win and chose the easier path.

She ran.

Chapter twenty-one

Carter

Fuck.

He let Ashley go once before and didn’t go after her.He’d be damned if he made that mistake again.Carter turned to chase after her, but Gabe jumped in front of him.

“You fucking told her?”Gabe demanded, moving into Carter’s space.