Christmas Eve rolled in with a thin layer of fog. He poured himself a glass of fifty-year-old whiskey and stood in front of the window, arms crossed over his chest. White lights twinkled on the trees lining the sidewalk down below. His family had called, asking him to reconsider his decision to be alone. He could have been anywhere else--charity events, fundraisers, drinks and dinners with friends...normally he’d look forward to busyness of the season. But this year was different. He was different. After his drink, he'd open his laptop and get lost in his work. That was his life now. And maybe he'd distract himself enough not to think about how over eager he must have sounded to ask Leah to spend this sacred evening with him.

The knock at the door caught him off-guard. His family, he thought, irritated. Of course they'd come anyway. With too much food and exuberance. He flung open the door. "You didn't have to come," he clipped.

“I didn’t mean to bother you, but you asked if I wanted to come over,” Leah said, looking up at him from her wheelchair, gorgeous and miserable all at once. “My Aunt is down stairs, if you've changed your mind?"

“I haven’t changed my mind," he said. "I thought you were my family. They--never mind. You're beautiful by the way."

She smiled weakly. "Everyone says I should hate you, but I don't. I've got a tough recovery in front of me. I can't promise I won't be resentful...and I can't promise you anything right now. But I'm here and I don't know if that's right or wrong or bad timing or what.”

Phillip grinned for the first time in months. He had a feeling about her and he wouldn't give up so easy. He stretched out his hand to take hers. "We can figure all of that out later. For now, come inside, let me take care of you. It is, after all, just one winter night."

***THE END***
Thank you for following along! This was so much fun. Ever since writing Back to You, I've always wanted to check back in on Phillip. And who knows if this is only one night for Phillip & Leah or...just the beginning. Time will tell. I'll repost the story to my website http://www.emilyduvall.com.