Free Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters

Her daughter's disappointment would only grow worse when they went into the living room and she saw that Santa hadn't really found her in Colorado, after all.
    "Can I look under the tree before we go to the kitchen?"
    Savi swallowed against the lump in her throat. "May I?" Savi prompted, still hoping to postpone the inevitable.
    Mari sat up on her heels and stared down at Savi. "May I look, Maman? May I?"
    Savi tossed the blanket off and fought back a moan as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She sat until she could get the pain in her side under control. She still couldn't believe that Lyle had broken her rib.
    "Please, Maman?"
    Not sure she could stand to see the disappointment coming, Savi nodded and let Mari scamper off the bed, get into the wooly slippers she'd gotten at Marc's outfitter store, and pad to the door. It was still dark outside, but when she opened the door to the living room, the lights of the Christmas tree illuminated the bedroom. Damián certainly had used a lot of lights on the little tree. The smell of fresh spruce wafted into the bedroom. The tree they'd cut was so much more beautiful than anything Savi would have found back home. And he was sweet to leave the tree on all night for her daughter. Mari had been asleep when he'd carried her into the apartment after they'd returned home from midnight Mass not so many hours ago.
    The squeal she heard from Mari sent warning bells off and Savi rose more quickly than she should have. After regaining her equilibrium—and breath—she held her side as she hurried into the living room. Her eyes opened as wide as Mari's at the sight. Around the tree were dozens of gifts—including an enormous wooden dollhouse Mari was checking out at the moment. Many of the other gifts were wrapped, but there were so many more than the few Savi had placed there. She looked over to find a bare-chested Damián sitting up on the sofa, a sappy grin on his face as he took in the experience of his first Christmas with his daughter.
    "How did you…?"
    He turned toward her shaking his head as he placed a finger against his lips. Savi rubbed her chest to ease the unexpected ache there.
    "Maman, Daddy was right. Santa did find us! Look what he brought me!" Her daughter peeked inside the dollhouse shaped like a log cabin and began moving tiny pieces of furniture around. The look of awe and wonder on her face reminded Savi how resilient children could be. Her whole world had been upended two weeks ago, but this morning, all was right in her little girl's world because Santa hadn't forgotten her. Savi blinked against a burning in her eyes. An image of a past Christmas flitted across her mind.
    "Maman! Look what Santa brought me. Barbie's house!"
    Maman, dressed in her maroon silk robe, sipped hot tea and watched seven-year-old Savannah open her presents. Father read the newspaper, disconnected from the females in the scene, but Maman's brown eyes shone with happiness. Maman loved Christmas more than any other holiday.
    "Open another present, chére . What else did Père Noël bring you?"
    The blonde-headed little girl pulled another box from under the enormous tree and opened it to find a Holiday Barbie doll in a sparkling green-velvet gown. A big bow was set at an angle on the doll's blonde head. She looked like a princess, without a tiara.
    Her mind flashed forward to what might have been the next Christmas…
    The little girl crawled under her bed, clutching the blond-haired princess in her hands, trying to hide from Father…
    The pad of Damián's thumb brushed against her cheek and Savi nearly came out of her skin as she jumped back.
    "Whoa, querida. " Damián reached out to steady her, grabbing her by the upper arms.
    Savi looked up at him, drawing a few ragged breaths as she fought to regain control. His hands were so strong. For one moment of weakness, she wished she could lean on him, but she needed to pull away instead. She followed the instincts that had kept her safe