All She Wants for Christmas Read Online Free PDF

You don’t ever have to be sorry, Riley. You did what you knew how to do. You made music and you wrote your heart out. Don’t apologize for that.”
    She shuddered out a sigh. They’d needed to have this talk, but there was so much more she wanted to say, and so many things that should probably be left unsaid. For so many years she’d wanted to undo the past.
    But the past was etched in stone and there was no going back and changing it now.
    Yet no matter how many years went by, she’d always want to know why.
    Why he’d told her he loved her, then chose Amanda over her.
    She doubted she’d ever have the nerve to ask the question. The answer didn’t matter anymore anyway.
    “I should let you get back to work.” She stood, grabbed her coat and put it on. She reached for the door handle, then turned. “You and Zoey coming to the concert tonight?”
    He gave her a puzzled look. “Yeah. You had your agent gives us backstage passes, remember?”
    Damn that Suzie. “Oh. Right. Of course. Won’t that be great? See you then.”
    As she headed back toward her car, she felt empty inside.
    And everything hurt more now than it ever had before.

Chapter Four
    Zoey was on a high no sugar could match. Backstage in the gym, the sounds and lights and traffic of people buzzed past them as Riley’s concert team readied the stage, transforming the gym into something unrecognizable with lights and speakers and screens befitting Riley’s status. Zoey bounced up and down on her light-up tennis shoes, unable to stand still as the roadies prepped for the event and Ethan tried to keep his daughter from climbing right out of her hair.
    The concert wasn’t going to start until nine o’clock, which was his daughter’s bedtime. She hadn’t napped today, either, despite his mother’s attempt to get her to rest.
    His kid was going to be toast by the time the concert was over. Or she’d be on excitement overload and up all night.
    Ethan prayed for toast.
    “Is it time yet, Daddy? Have you seen Riley Jensen yet? I haven’t seen her. Can we go to her dressing room now?”
    Zoey tugged on his hand for the millionth time. “I’m sure Riley’s busy getting ready for her concert. How about we just try to stay out of the way and be patient.”
    Patient . A word not in a seven-year-old’s vocabulary.
    “But why can’t we go see her? I bet she won’t mind. She likes me.”
    “How about we wait until after the concert when she isn’t so busy?”
    “But, Daddy, I want to see her nowwww.”
    Whining. Sure sign of a tired kid. Ethan kneeled down and looked his beautiful daughter in the eyes. “Zoey, we’re not going to Riley’s dressing room. The concert people were nice enough to give us backstage passes, which means you need to be on your best behavior. I know you’re excited, but you still have to be good. And that means doing what I tell you to do, okay?”
    Her bottom lip trembled. Man, was this kid good or what? He should get her an agent. He was usually a sucker for the quivering lip, but not tonight. He didn’t want to be here. He’d already seen way more of Riley than he’d intended to during her visit, so his daughter was just going to have to suck it up.
    As soon as Zoey saw that her drama routine wasn’t working, she lifted her shoulders practically to her earlobes, then dropped them, accompanied by a loud, dramatic sigh. “Okay, Daddy. I’ll be good.”
    And now he had guilt. Of course, when didn’t he have guilt?
    Fortunately, Riley came out of her dressing room, zeroed in on Zoey and Zoey sure zeroed in on Riley.
    “Riley Jensen! I’ve been waiting alllll night for you!”
    Riley grinned and scooped Zoey up in her arms. “You have? Why didn’t you come to my dressing room?”
    Zoey shot Ethan a scathing look. “Daddy said we couldn’t.”
    Riley put her down and Zoey slipped her hand in Riley’s.
    “Oh. Well you could have come in. I just relax a little before I go on.”
    “Believe me, if Zoey would