Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
She looks at the pretty red wrapping and I know she realizes that I didn’t wrap it. “I even had them wrap it for me so you could get into it.” I tend to put too much tape on it, almost making it impossible to rip into.
She lifts it up gingerly and starts opening it. When she removes the wrapper and opens the tiny box, she gasps at the delicate locket lying inside.
“Open it,” I encourage her.
She opens the locket, and inside is a picture of her granny. The same portrait she has setting on our mantle.
Her eyes fill with tears. “I love it, Cane. This is perfect.”
“She would be so proud of you, honey. I know Christmas is still hard for you without her. I thought this way you could still keep her close.”
She sits up. “Will you put it on me?”
I sit up and move her hair to the side and clasp the locket around her neck.
She touches her fingers to it and turns to me. “How does it look?”
I tell her honestly, “Beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you look right now.”
Her face lights up, but then she grimaces. “But Cane, what can I get you? You get me the best gifts. What can I get you that you don’t already have?”
She has no idea that since the day I’ve met her, I have had everything that I need.
I look at her beautiful face, her red hair and green sparkling eyes. My gaze goes down her body, taking in her curves. “You, honey. All I need is you.”
I lean in and kiss her, sliding her underneath of me and make sweet love to my wife… my everything.
Epilogue 2
Cane
Ten Years Later
Twenty years I’ve been married to the love of my life. Our life is a lot different than it used to be. For one, we are running the Christmas Tree Farm as a family, and Candy no longer works at the office downtown. No, the Tree Farm now has its own accountant on the inside.
Which is great for business, but not so great for my sanity sometimes. Every now and then, she comes out of her office and works with customers. When I saw her come out this morning in her cherry red sweater and a glint in her eye, I knew there would be problems today, and I’ve been on edge ever since.
Mason and his girlfriend are home from college and are helping out at the farm today along with CJ and Brandy. It’s great having all the family home for the holidays.
It’s almost closing time when Mason comes over to me. “Dad, you want me to take care of that?”
I stack some more firewood and turn to him. “Take care of what, Mason?”
He points to the other side of the farm where the wreaths and décor are sold. I turn to where he’s pointing, and Candy is up on a ladder moving wreaths around. That’s not the problem, though. It’s the man standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest. I shake my head because I know what’s about to happen. Candy starts to come down the ladder, and the man steps forward. He reaches out, and I know he’s planning to put his hands on her hips.
Ignoring my son’s request, I all but run to the wreath area. I don’t want to yell and risk scaring my wife, causing her to fall, but I sure as hell don’t want another man’s hands on her, either. As soon as I’m close, I get the other man’s attention. “Hey! Hey, you.”
He doesn’t act as if he hears me, and when I get next to him, I step between him and my wife. I put my hands on her waist more forcefully than I should, but I help her down the ladder and wrap both arms around her. Without even looking at the man, I gather Candy in my arms and walk her to the back, where her office is. I all but run through the door and slam it behind us. “Your job is in here. This is where you work.”
Fuck, I know as soon as the words leave my mouth I shouldn’t have said it like that. Candy’s face is red. “Cane, what is your problem? You may be my husband, but you don’t tell me where I can and can’t work on OUR farm.”
I take a deep breath and then another, pacing back and forth. I stop and throw a hand up. “Do you realize every time you work out there, I have to deal with some asshole that thinks he can talk to you, flirt with you or like today—he almost touched you. I would have killed him, Candy.”
She looks at me innocently, but there is a spark in her eyes. “I hadn’t noticed.”