Christmas Wish

Avea London aimed to be the next mentionable artist once she left behind her male-dominated backwoods upbringing. Single father Sterling Payne, a man used to getting his way, wanted a special gift for his daughter, Diane Payne. His structured life went to hell after he met the dead-set artist, so he plotted a way to get her to do his will.

Following her first successful show since college, Avea headed to New York to meet a mystery client for a commissioned piece, promising her family she’d be back for Christmas. Hospitalized, by Sterling, a day after her arrival, she allowed him to talk her into pretending to be his wife and mother to his daughter while she healed to seal a business deal. Unknowingly, a child’s wish controlled this holiday’s outcome.