VeronicaThat morning's call from Nellie's mom, Margaret, had been alarming enough. Nellie had caught Rick red-handed and was now in such a state of depression her mother refused to leave her alone, fearing Nellie might overdose on the sleeping pills she'd been taking. That alone was enough to send Veronica running to her side, but nothing prepared her for the shocking news that awaited her when she got there.Her mother had only said Nellie had confirmed her suspicions about Rick being on vacation with his mistress, but when she arrived at Nellie's, the details of what she'd found blew her away. Nellie's father sat just outside of Nellie's townhouse as Veronica hurried up the stairs.He was smoking, a habit Nellie had told her he stopped long ago. Veronica hadn't seen him in over a year, and in that time, he seemed to have aged too much. At the moment, he appeared tired, and there was a sense of defeat in the way he sat, his back against the chair, shoulders drawn and limp. Before

VeronicaMore concerned about the fact that Noah could have no way of knowing that Derek carried a gun, Veronica was not about to wait and see if he'd be provoked into using it."You gotta go," she said as she rushed into the front room where Derek now sat."Why? What happened?""I'll explain later, Derek, but right now you have to go." She opened the screen door and held it open for him.Derek stood up but didn't leave. He stared at Veronica concerned. "What's the matter with you?""Nothing!" Her heart beat faster with every second that passed and Derek was still in her house.He finally took a few steps toward her but obviously didn't share her urgency to leave. "Veronica, look at you. You're a mess. Let me guess. That was Noah and he's on his way home. What? Are you not allowed to have anyone here, or is it just me he doesn't want here?"Veronica didn't know why he was pretending he hadn't already figured it all out. She was surprised he hadn't pointed out the glow she'd wor

VeronicaAfraid to say the wrong thing, Veronica chose her words carefully. She'd hated seeing him so hurt, and she was not about to say something that would hurt him again. She started walking to him. "So you're a dad?"He shook his head. "Nope. When she first told me, it scared the hell out of me. But then the more I thought about it, the more it hit me. I was going to have a child, my own flesh and blood. She said she didn't wanna have it. She was too young. That's when I dropped out of school. I told her I was getting a job and I'd raise the kid myself. She's the one that disappeared, not me. Her parents set out looking for me, sure that it was me she'd run away with, but I had no idea where she was either. The next time I saw her, she'd already had the abortion, and then she and her family moved away."Veronica didn't think her heart could break for him anymore than it already had. "Were you in love with her?" she asked as she reached him, touching his face.He shook his head

Even though last year they'd spent the holidays together and it had been wonderful, technically this was their first Christmas together. Noah told Veronica that made it extra special, but she had an even bigger reason why it was.Picking out the tree this year had been so much easier than all the other years. Somehow she knew no matter what tree she picked, it'd be wonderful because it was their tree.They spent the day decorating the house, singing along to Christmas carols like they had last year. They were finishing up with the last touches of the tree, and Veronica brought out the box with the special tree topper."Ah, the very final touch," Noah said with a smile. "I'll get the stool for you.""Nope, no need," Veronica said, pulling out the crystal star."Why?" Noah slipped his arm around her waist. "Should I just lift you?""No, because you get to do the honors this year." Noah's panicked expression made her laugh. "What?""Me?""Uh huh." She nodded. "Remember the traditi

BiancaNana and her mother stared at Bianca as she got off the phone. She hadn't been able to wipe the silly smile off her face fast enough."Was that who I think it was?" Nana asked.Bianca gave in, nodding. Ever since the past summer, she'd been seeing the Felix Sanchez, current middleweight boxing champion of the world. She didn't know a thing about boxing, but everyone, especially in her neighborhood, knew about Felix. She'd gone to high school with him, and he became the local hero when he started winning fight after fight. Then he'd won the championship over a year ago. He was now known worldwide and she was dating him.Although she admitted his being famous and insanely rich was part of the intrigue, she'd actually had a crush on the guy way back in high school. She hadn't seen him in person since she graduated, but last summer when she came up to Big Bear after her grandfather's death, she ran into him. She'd been surprised he remembered her. One thing led to another, and t